Chapter 8: CHAPTER 6
"That is an excellent point. We should form groups, look into these names, and go from there," Owen suggested.
So, the group of five boys and five girls formed a group and assigned a target before getting down to business.
Aurelia, on the other hand, couldn't help but laugh as she reflected on the events of the day.
"Is the building ready?" Aurelia asked Julius after she had calmed down.
"Yes, I signed the contract earlier, and the only thing left is the furniture. They will move in as soon as they get their badges," Julius informed her, and she nodded.
"That's great. Make certain that everything runs smoothly. Don't forget to make plans for their school activities and other commitments. Keep them occupied while we contact our man in law enforcement about the runaways. We don't want any mishaps before the youngest reaches the age of eighteen," she explained.
"I'll write it all down."
The driver returned her to her office. Her two o'clock appointment was already waiting for her when she arrived. She smiled as she approached the woman, she was meeting.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting, Laura," she said as she greeted the older woman.
"I just arrived, and it isn't a problem," Laura explained.
The two ladies took their seats on their respective couches before her Personal Assistant Rita brought them some refreshments.
"So, what drew you to meet with me?" Aurelia inquired of Laura, who appeared to be troubled for a successful person.
"I have a favor to ask of you. I know you don't like being in the spotlight, which is why I came to see you personally," Laura explained.
Laura was a well-known magazine's respected editor in chief. She was someone who everyone wanted to be associated with, and she never asked for anything in return. Despite the fact that they were acquaintances, she had no idea what she was doing in her office.
"Ask away, and if I can be of any assistance, I will," she meant it.
"I was hoping you would agree to an interview with me. I'm going to make you the cover of the magazine," she explained.
"Don't you have someone who was supposed to do that for you?" she asked, knowing that the magazine had only a week to publish.
"I had, but that nasty woman is only interested in sabotaging us or me. We're no longer friends, and she's making things difficult for me. You are mysterious, and I believe you will be fantastic. I will owe you if you do this for me," Aurelia could hear the pleading tone in her voice.
It meant she was desperate for someone higher up to come and beg to a youngster like her.
Aurelia looked at Laura and thought about it. This was free publicity; if she agrees to the interview, she will promote not only her name, but also her growing businesses and her husband's, despite the fact that she was not a member of the management at the King's Corporation. When an opportunity knocks on her door like this, how can she say no?
"I'll do it. When would you like to do the interview?" she asked.
"Are you available tomorrow? We can do it in the morning or afternoon, depending on how we handle the situation," Laura explained.
"All right, I'll have Rita clear the day for me," she promised, seeing a bright smile on Laura's face.
"That's fantastic; this is the location. I'll be waiting for you at eight o'clock," Laura said.
"I will be present."
"Thank you for your time, I'll take my leave now," Laura said as she stood up, and Aurelia followed suit.
Before Aurelia escorted Laura to the door, the two ladies exchanged goodbye hugs. She called Rita in after seeing Laura leave.
"I need to clear my day tomorrow because I have an interview with Laura," Aurelia told her P.A.
"I will do so. So, you've decided to appear in the magazine?" Rita asked, perplexed and ecstatic at the same time.
Rita was well aware of how much she despised the media's nonsense. She has refused any interview and has refused to be anywhere with a camera since that nightmare three years ago.
She was dragged through the mud for years as a result of these reporters and paparazzi because she married an older man who was older than her own father. She was dubbed a gold digger. When did she become such a woman?
It's not like she was the one who chased Mark around; he did all of the chasing, and she took the blame for it. That was the past, and she was going to seize any opportunity she could. This was another chapter, and she could feel her life about to change.
***
She had underestimated how superstitious the weather was. Everything was fine one second and then the outside was gloomy the next. As she exited the bulletproof with a smirk on her face, the gloomy weather really defined her mood. She'd never been so angry and happy at the same time.
The answer she had been looking for years was finally within her grasp. She chuckled as she looked up at the sky. She was dressed in a ruby red designer suit, and her heels made a slight noise as she walked into the warehouse.
Her most trusted men were heavily guarding the area. They bowed to her as she passed, and all she could think about was the person who had been apprehended and imprisoned inside the warehouse.
She felt heavy as she got closer to the man, who was now bloodied all over from the beating he had received the moment he was apprehended. She had no idea Julius was so close to get her answers.
She truly appreciated everything he had done for her. She summoned all her courage and marched up to him until she was standing directly in front of the man dangling in the air. When she looked at him, it didn't take her long to recognize him.
How could she have forgotten that face? Every night in her dreams, she was haunted by it. She'd watch that nightmare over and over, wishing for a different outcome, but it was too late.
"Wake him up!"
After being thrown a bucket of cold water in the face, the man awoke in a matter of seconds. She watched as he gasped and cried out in agony, but she wasn't a saint.
When she looked at his face and saw him tremble, she knew he still recognized her, and that was the best gift she had ever received that morning.
"Let's get this conversation going. I can't stand being around you for much longer, so let's make this less painful," she said, pulling out her most recent toy, a jeweled dagger.
"What do you want from me?" He asked, anxiously, as if oblivious to anything, and she chuckled.
"I will give you a cut for every incorrect or unsatisfactory answer you give me, but let me warn you ahead of time. I recently acquired an ancient poison; I have no idea what it contains, but the last time I tried it on this dog who had been tormenting me for several hours, it died instantly. I've never tried it on a human before, so don't make me start with you," she warned him as she noticed him swallowing his saliva and his Adam apple bulging.
"I'll tell you everything you want to know. Please, I have a family!" he pleaded, and she smiled. They laughed at her pleading that night and continued to harass her like a dog until she was near death, and now he was begging for his own life. Is he thinking she's a moron or what?
"Then respond to my questions. Who sent you that night to attack me?" she asked directly, clearly eager to learn the answer.
"I'm not sure. A friend had just recommended me for the position. I agreed because I was desperate for money. All I had to do was harass you and leave you like that," he told her, but she suspected he was lying, so she cut him on his arms, causing the man to yell in pain.
She nodded as she watched the cut turn black in that split second.
"This poison is extremely lethal. Are you going to give me an honest answer right now?" she asked, placing the dagger on his other arm.
"Wait....Wait.... I'll explain. I'm not sure who sent us, but I got my boss's phone before he disappeared. There are some recordings contained within. You can listen to them and find the person responsible for all of this," he said, sweating profusely, and she smiled.
"And where is this phone?" she asked.
"I will take you there and give it to you, but please spare my life, I beg you," he begged.
"Fine, if what you say is true, I will truly spare your life," she said as she walked towards Julius, "you know what to do. Get the phone, confirm the recordings, and return him to me."
After giving her final command, she turned to face the man and said, "If you lie this time, I swear to you that I will tie you up and make you watch as someone rapes both your wife and your daughter before I personally send them under the ground."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone