Chapter 18

----------------- Los Angeles, California.

------------------------ Olyster textiles ( Three days later)

Brandon

" So what do you have for me?" I asked as I pulled a chair to seat in front of my PI. I had hired him to get me some information on Jake. The events happening around us made me more cautious which made me shift the new fabrics to Africa, Nigeria to be precise. No one knew about the changes I made, not even Father or Khalid and I was going to keep it that way. I had to tighten security at the house, at work and for my three children, Faryah, my wife, father and myself. " Good Afternoon sir" he answered, smiling at me. " Afternoon" I needed some water. " Sir, I didn't get much, but I managed to find these" He said as he passed a file over to me. " In there, you'll see that Mr Jake Gabriel actually has a Korean wife, she's the owner of Lee Modelling agency, her brother owns Jeong Suk textiles in Seoul " That couldn't be all. I looked at the files and that was actually all, except one thing. " He has an Illegitimate Son" I said out loud and look at the picture of his Son. He was the one Faryah Identified. " He's the one that almost killed my daughter" I said as I clenched my fist.

" Yes and I also found that he has the tattoo of this Child trafficking syndicate in Asia, The Green Viper, he works with them" What was that?. "Look in there, you'll see the details, the green viper is a child trafficking syndicate in Asia, No one knows the true Identity of the person behind The green viper but we have a lead, Mr Gabriel's illegitimate son" It didn't make sense. " How often does Jake and his son meet up?" I asked as I took a clearer view of the pictures that were here. " Well, Mr Gabriel and his son aren't really close, they are just this picture perfect family" He added. " So Mr Gabriel isn't involved in what his son is doing?" I asked again as a waiter walked up to us. " Here's our menu sir" he said as he handed it to I and my PI. " I'll have the steak and water please" I said without looking at the menu. " I'll have the same" My PI said and handed it over to him. " Okay" the waiter said as he left us.

So Jake and his wife were clean but their son wasn't. Maybe they weren't aware that their son was working with the green viper. But why will the green viper want to harm my family?. We really needed to know who the green viper was. " Sir, I believe that family is involved with the green viper somehow, we need to keep a close watch on Mr Jake, and report our findings to the FBI as soon as possible" I closed the file. " Alright, we will, no one should know about this, we don't know who is watching us okay"

" Sure"

We were going to bring them down very soon.

-----------------------Los Angeles, California.

-----------------------------Olyster residence(Same day)

Mother and the others didn't want me to leave the house for work even when I was perfectly fine. But I still worked on the Grand Launch at home. Brandon had already gotten everyone bodyguards, in case of another attack. And the security at Faryah's hospital was tighter, no one could easily go in or out.

Even though I told Mother I wasn't going to see her anymore, I still did, I went there at night always, and always spent at least 4 hours. Sophia was always asleep when I arrived. I always went to be with her by 11pm and always left by 3am so no one could see me. I always used the back of the hospital to go in and out, in case if Pamela was on call at night.

I loved watching over Faryah, she was stable now, but still in a coma. I really wanted her to wake up soon. I tried calling Pamela, I texted her, apologising but I got nothing back. I was planning to go see her later today, I had already sent her a text saying I was going over to her place, I still got nothing in return. I couldn't give her the space she wanted. Mother had also tried convincing me to meet up with my father, I just couldn't at all. And luckily she didn't force me to. Neill and Sandra couldn't go on a trip I advised him to cause of what was happening.

Ethan was coming over today, said he had important stuff to talk about.

There was a soft knock on the door and I went to open it. Ethan was standing in front of me with some files in his hands. " How are you doing bro?" He asked as I let him in. " Normal, I guess, how's work?" I asked as he walked to my study and took a seat on my couch as I sat beside him. " Work is in danger, that's why I'm here" he said as he handed some files to me. I opened them and found some papers on our Korean competitors, Jeong Suk Textiles, a certain Miss Ji Hae Soo, the guy that attacked Faryah, a Daisy Rivera that worked in our company and a child trafficking syndicate, The green viper. " What's all this?" I asked as I went through them again.

" I'll tell you what happened, I was going over to your office three days ago to get some files on marketing and I bumped into this Daisy Rivera" He started as he showed me her photo. " Her papers fell and scattered everywhere, I offered to help her but the lady refused, she was the only one at your floor at that time, your secretary wasn't there, no one was there" I told my secretary to take the week off since I wasn't available. " Yeah, I gave her the week off" I added as I looked closer at the files again. I didn't understand a thing. " Exactly, but she told me that your secretary told her to go get some files there, that she was at the IT department at that time" This was getting interesting.

" She wasn't, so I found this tattoo of a green viper on her neck as I followed her to the IT department where she took off immediately" he said as he showed it to me. The green viper child trafficking syndicate. " Go on"

" So I made some research and found that same tattoo on her neck was the same logo of the Green Viper. I did some research again and again and found out that the Green Viper left that sign, anytime she made an attack" This was taking a different turn. " I went back to your office to get the files I needed and I found this lying around, it was from her files" He said as he showed me a sheet with something like a history of founders of Jeong Suk Textiles. It stated here that Mr Jake Gabriel was the owner of Jeong Suk Textiles but was headed by someone else and that his wife, Miss Ji Hae Soo was the Green Viper and owner of a certain Lee Modelling Agency.

" So that sheet of paper clearly reveals that Miss Ji Hae Soo is the Green Viper, the head of the syndicate and that they are also based in Seoul" This was very bad. " So Daisy works as an insider for her?, But what's her business with us" I asked as I took a closer look on this particular sheet. Then it clicked. " They're trying to bring us down, since Mr Jake is the real owner of Jeong Suk Textiles and his wife is the green viper, they're trying to bring us down together, so Mr Jake's trying to get closer to us, use our ideas by using his energy drink Business as a front" He was going to get it from us. " Exactly, but hey that's not all, My PI, remember Greg?" he asked and I nodded.

" He found out that this guy, the guy that attacked Sophia is the Illegitimate son of Mr Jake Gabriel, his name is Carlos Gabriel, he also has the tattoo of the Green Viper. So he was obeying orders from his step mom and Father by trying to kidnap Sophia as bait, to make us release the new fabric to them" so he wasn't trying to kill her. It was a plan to kidnap Sophia and I know Brandon would've definitely released it to them to save his daughter. " So their plan was well thought of, but how did this Daisy lady know about all this, how long has she been working for us?" I asked again. " She must've installed tiny cameras in all the meeting rooms and offices to get the info, and I bet she went your office to install a camera when I bumped into her" oh shit. " What else did you find out, have you informed the FBI?" I asked. " I'm just coming from there, and I told Greg to also trace her calls and texts and we found something, This message, it's from Seoul, they're planning to sell some children tonight, 11pm sharp at a ware house in Koreatown, this Daisy is a newbie in this organisation so this is her first mission, the FBI are on their way there and if we catch her tonight, the Green Viper is going to fall" This was all too much to take in. " I can't believe all this" I said as I used my hands to brush my hair. " We need to go to Koreatown too" I said again. " Already on that"

" Is the Daisy lady suspecting you?" I asked, he needed to be careful. All the information he knew could cost his life. " I don't think she is"

" I forgot to mention that they know that the warehouse of the new Fabrics is in Asia, I think they're planning to infiltrate it, so we can catch them right handed" that gave me an Idea. " No wait, Ethan, look their plan is pretty obvious. Maybe if we catch them tonight, they aren't going to infiltrate the warehouse, they don't even know which part of Asia it is right?. But remember Miss Ji Hae Soo owns a modelling agency and we need Models from around the world for our Grand Launch, so their plan here is to get me to hire models from their agency for our Grand Launch, and then they can get the fabric and release it before we do" that was it.

"Yeah, smart Khalid" he said and I gave myself a thumbs up inside. " We need to talk to Brandon, If we do get these Models, they shouldn't be taken directly to where the attires are being sewn, they should be brought here to LA, their measurements should be taken and sent to the designers which I know aren't in this country" That was the best thing to do.

" Don't tell anyone else about all this" I said as I arranged the files. I was going to put them in my safe. Who knows what could happen.

" Sophia knows" this is the problem with lovers. I groaned and sent him a death glare. " Dude, you're putting her in danger, come on man" I knew he didn't think of that.

There was a loud knock on the door. " Khalid, you in?" That was Brandon's voice. " Come on in Brandon" I answered and watched him walk in. "How are you son?" He asked as he closed the door. " I'm fine" I answered. " Oh Ethan, how are you?, what are you doing here?" He asked as he sat on my chair, he was holding an envelope. " I'm doing fine sir, I came to talk to Khalid about some new findings at work" He looked puzzled. " What new findings?, wait, did you guys also keep watch on Mr Gabriel" He investigated too. We had to tell him everything, all the plans, everything. " We actually kept tabs on him too, and someone else, you have a lot to know sir" Ethan said as he started narrating again.

" All this finally makes sense, I met up with my PI today and found out the same thing, we have to fire that intern immediately" Brandon snapped. That wasn't the wisest thing to do. " No, if we do that, they're going to suspect that we know something, lets just act like we know nothing about it" I said to him. I watched him sigh. " We need to keep this from the others even Father, we're going with the FBI tonight, I'm coming along" this night was going to be a tough one. "I actually told Sophia sir" Ethan said as he tried avoiding his gaze. " What the!?, Why will you possibly tell her, I mean common, even I didn't tell my wife about all this, they shouldn't get involved, you're putting Sophia in great danger" Brandon snapped. " I just thought I would be able to crack things up better if I told her" poor Ethan.

"We shouldn't argue about that, we just need to go to the FBI and find out more about what’s happening, we're taking them down tonight, let's go" I said as I looked for what to wear in my closet. " I'll tell Zainab we're going on together for a business meeting. I'll explain better to her, and we need to make sure that Sophia stays home tonight" Faryah wasn't going to stay alone. I couldn't let that happen. " No, it's better if she stays with Faryah, I don't want her to be alone" I said as I wore my black jeans and a dark blue hoodie. " Then who's going to stay with your mother?" he asked again. " well GrandPa July is here" I answered back.

" Okay, fine" He answered. "I'll go change and we'll go, we'll eat something first before we go" Brandon said as he got up to leave. I wore my sneakers as I watched him leave.

" Bro, I heard you and Pamela broke up, cause you didn't tell her about Faryah" Ethan said as I sprayed my perfume. " She'll come back soon enough" I said as I threw him a long sleeved body hug shirt to wear. " What makes you so sure?" He asked as he took off his blazer. " I know her, don't worry, I told her I was going to go see her today, but I'll have to cancel, I hope she won't get hurt"

" Isn't she avoiding you?" he asked he wore the shirt. " She is but then, I can't avoid her"

" man, give her space, let her be" He added as he got up from the couch. " Nah, come on let's go" I said as I took my car keys from the bedside table. " Fine"

(10:30pm)

" If you really insist on coming along then wear these bulletproof vests, in case something comes up" Director Malcom as he gave each of us bulletproof vests. " Thank you" we answered as he handed them to us. " You called Mother up right?" I asked Brandon as we went to change. " yes, I don't think she bought my excuse, when this is all over, we'll tell them" He answered. " Well okay then, Ethan are you ready for this?" I asked as I brushed his hair with my fingers. " Of course, I'm a risk taker and I would do anything to protect Sophia" I watched him blush as he called out her name. " I was right about letting you date her, you two are perfect, when're you getting married?. I'm tired of seeing her everyday at home " Brandon said as I watched Ethan blush more. " Oh my goodness you two, Brandon, if Sophia is to leave, you'll be the first to cry, so stop acting" I was set. " That's not true"

" Oh come on she's your only daughter. Of course you're going to have to cry, get a grip Brandon" I answered as I patted his shoulder and he laughed. " Well lets go before they leave us behind" Ethan called and we rushed out instantly.

We were following them carefully and were taking a longer route, LA to Koreatown wasn't so far, it took 14 to 16 minutes, but we were taking a longer route, so we were going to be taking 20 minutes.

The warehouse was closed from the front, but the police managed to surround the area, we were asked to stay in the car but we couldn't. We sneaked in with them.

It was currently 11:00pm sharp, we hid behind two big drums. The ware house was quite large, very large. It looked Old, an Old Energy drink warehouse.

Some exquisite cars started driving in, they were 10 in number. Finally a large truck came in, I guess that was where they kept the children they wanted. " Sir, Khalid, Don't move" Ethan whispered as he saw what was going on. " Why will we move?" I whispered back. " I ounno, just don't" he whispered and I rolled my eyes at him. I really wondered if he was really himself sometimes.

I watched as a tall, skinny, and pretty lady in black came out from the warehouse and walked towards the truck with five large men behind her. " That's Daisy" Ethan whispered and I rolled my eyes again. It was obvious she was the one. She walked towards the back of the truck and it was opened for her.

We could hear the pitiful screams and whines of the children that wanted to go back to their families. How could people be so cruel to take innocent children away from their families. Men and Women from the ten exquisite cars came down with big bags as the children were brought down from the trunk. They were a lot.

" Good evening, you all look prepared" Daisy greeted as she walked over to where her customers stood. The cries were getting louder. " Can you all just shut up, you're never seeing your family again, so shut the hell up, ugh" She snapped at the children as they reduced their crying voices. " Make the transaction quick please, the money first" she said as three of the men with her went over to collect the bags from them. " Count them and make sure they're all complete, if they aren't you know what to do, make sure they aren't fake notes also, do that quickly" She ordered and turned to look at the children and buyers. " Well as you can see, your children are in great condition" How could they be so cruel. And when the hell were the police going to intervene. " I wonder when they're going to go in" Brandon said and I turned to look at them. Ethan was taking a video, I saw no need for that. " Ethan, stop that" I scolded and he immediately put his phone in his pocket and mistakenly shook the drum that was behind him. This can't be happening.

I felt everyone freeze, we needed to think fast. " Give me the gun" I heard Daisy say as I heard clicking of heels coming our way. I looked around for a solution and found a small truck we could hide in, it wasn't far from where we hid. I signalled the both of them and we turned to run. " Don't you dare even move" I wasn't prepared to die now. I was going to pee my pants if care wasn't taken. We slowly turned our backs and found Daisy pointing an AK 47 at our heads. " Move" she snapped as she led us out of our hiding place and into the transaction scenery. " What is this?" The customers were beginning to question her.

" FBI, No body move" Yayy. I did a happy dance and twirl in my head as they finally decided to come out. I could see the shock on all their faces. Hah!, in their faces. " Drop all your weapons, Nobody move, you are well surrounded" We heard Director Malcom order loudly. The look on Daisy's face almost cracked me up. She looked scared as she dropped her gun down.

The smile on our faces turned sour as she swiftly took a gun from behind her and shot Brandon in the chest. The others joined her and the shooting began. " Take him to safety, I'll handle her" I said to Ethan and ran towards Daisy. My only goal was to get the gun away from her and I did it easily. " You're not getting away with this" she screamed as I pushed her to the floor. The police immediately rushed towards her and arrested her. " You're under arrest for Illegal Child trafficking" They said as they cuffed her. The shooting had stopped.

The children were taken to safety as the police cuffed the customers and Daisy. The fall of the Green viper was here. " I almost peed in my pants" I heard Ethan say as he and Brandon walked towards where I stood. " So the lady thinks she killed me" Brandon said and we all laughed.

This was just the beginning.