Chapter 40 Hidden Leverage
In less than an hour, the Fransis estate turned into a fortress.
Adrian's security team, along with extra staff from Cavanaugh Corp, searched every part of the property.
Guards were posted at every entrance. Adrian asked them to check the surveillance equipment, but he was still unsatisfied. He ended up checking everything himself.
Once Adrian was finally sure everything was safe, the children were taken to a room with no windows. A team of experts, trained to protect important people, kept them under watch.
Eva sat with the children, doing her best to look calm, even though fear churned in her stomach.
Lily seemed confused but went along with everything, pretending it was just another adventure game.
Ethan stayed quiet, his dark eyes watchful. He could feel the tension the adults tried to hide.
"Is the mean lady trying to hurt us again?" Lily asked, holding her favorite stuffed rabbit tightly.
"No, sweetheart. It's not her. It's someone else."
"Someone else? Who?" Lily asked again.
"Someone very dangerous. This is a different kind of situation. We're playing hide and seek," Eva said as she gently touched her daughter's hair.
"Hide and Seek? Are we going to get caught? Who is looking for us?"
"No, we're not. That's why we're being extra careful, just in case. It's like when you wear a helmet when you ride your bike."
"But I don't like wearing my helmet. It makes my head feel squishy."
Despite everything, Eva smiled. "I know, baby. But it keeps you safe. That's what all these people are doing. They're keeping us safe. If the bad man comes, they will make him go away."
"Like protecting the princess?"
"Yes, like protecting the princess." Eva kissed her head.
Ethan stayed silent. He moved closer to Eva and leaned against her, wanting to feel that she was really there and not going anywhere.
She wrapped her arm around him and held him close.
Outside the room, Eva heard Adrian, Daniel, her father, Uncle Leonard, and the security team talking.
They were making plans, trying to figure out how to deal with a threat none of them really understood.
How could they stop someone when they didn't even know who it was or what that person looked like?
Suddenly, Eva's phone buzzed with a new message from an unknown number.
There was a single photo loaded: the locked door of the room where her children now waited, taken from just outside.
Beneath the image was a message that made her blood run cold: "You are never as safe as you think."
Eva stared at the screen, her heart pounding. She realized the danger was much closer than any of them had thought.
At that time, everyone was thinking the same thing: Who are they? Who is the Consortium?
The Consortium was a shadowy group, powerful enough to make Helena Park seem unimportant.
Eva had believed she was fighting for her freedom, her children, and her future.
Now she realized she had stepped into something much bigger, a hidden war that had started long before she knew it existed.
And now her family was caught in the middle.
Two hours later, Eva joined the others in Richard's study.
She hadn't told anyone about the message.
The moment she saw the photo, a tight fear gripped her, and she imagined panic spreading through the house if she spoke up.
Eva didn't want to mention it in front of her children, not when Lily was already scared, and Ethan was so watchful.
She kept the secret close, unsure if she was protecting her family or just refusing to add to their worry. And later, she never got the chance.
The children were cared for by a trusted nanny and two guards. That was more than enough protection for a coloring session, but Eva couldn't bring herself to leave them with less.
Every time Eva closed her eyes, she saw that photograph.
The picture of her children laughing on the playground, not knowing someone was watching them.
She kept thinking about the photo of the closed door on her phone. The people from the Consortium were so close, but they still didn't know who they were.
"The envelope was clean," Adrian reported as she entered. "There were no fingerprints, no DNA, or any traceable materials. It looks like professional work."
"And the photograph?" Daniel asked.
"The photo was taken with a long-range lens, probably from outside the school grounds. Whoever did this knew the security protocols and stayed just outside them."
"Um… I got a text from an Unknown number in the morning…" Eva said weakly.
All the men in the room turned to her with sharp eyes, their attention fully focused on her.
"What message?" Adrian asked sharply.
"Here," Eva handed him her phone.
"Sht," Adrian looked at the picture and couldn't help but curse.
He passed the phone to Daniel next, who was beside Richard. Both of them looked at the image and shared a worried glance.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Adrian asked with a raised tone.
"Because I didn't get a chance to say it. You were always busy running around to check security. And I was with my kids. How do you expect me to say it in front of them?"
"For fck's sake, Eva. This is a serious matter. If you wanted, you could have found a time to inform me about this."
"Don't yell at me. If you were by my side, I would have told you. Lily was always calling for me, and Ethan was worried that something was going to happen. I just don't want my kids to be scared."
"Guys, stop. This is not the time to get angry at each other. Let's focus on the issue at hand." Daniel came between them.
"They have already reached our safe house as well. Everything is at stake right now."
"I know. I'm sorry for not telling you all about this sooner." Eva apologized.
Adrian was still fuming, but he also followed suit. He held Eva's hand as he apologized, "I'm sorry, I was just worried about the safety of the kids and you. I don't want anything to happen to you guys, so I just raised my voice."
"I understand. I'm sorry too."
"Good, now that you both have made up, let's focus on the main point." Daniel clapped his hands to get their attention.
"So we're dealing with professionals here." Richard's voice was flat, drained of emotion. "They are not just criminals. They are skilled criminals with connections in high society and possibly politics.
"That can be understood. The Consortium doesn't employ amateurs." Adrian's jaw tightened. "If they did, they wouldn't have survived this long."
Eva sank into a chair, her legs suddenly unable to support her. "What do they want? The note said 'cooperate,' but cooperate with what?"
"That's what we need to find out." Leonard shuffled through papers on the desk.
"I've been reviewing everything we have on Helena's operations. If the Consortium is connected to her, there should be some trail, some sign of what they're involved in and what they might want from us."
"And? Did you find anything?"