Des rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Beast."
"Besides, we have more important matters at hand, let us not waste our time with this, yeah? I'm sure we can go through this without dying like my parents and hers did, with The 2nd Countess' help, she definitely has the diaries of her parents on this mission, because they did spend 4 months in a deep investigation on this. Bloody hell, think of how long this mission has stayed archived, how long this trafficking has been going on, how many kids, women, and others suffered through this because no one was sent in this. It's a top secret mission, a dangerous one, and don't intend on having the same end as them. Do you?"
Finally getting serious, they paled at my words, "Hell no."
"That's more like it. We need to get the girl first then, which is even more complicated since she's the only Obsidian agent who works solo, so there's no insider close enough to her, to give as anything."
Before I could say anything else, my phone rang over the desk.
As Diamond by Rihanna played, I didn't even need to look twice to know that it was my lil sister, since she put that as her ringtone because it's been her favorite song since ever. Quickly like a thunder, scared of her having gotten hurt somehow, I grabbed my phone, finding her contact name there as expected, 'Cinderella🐦', which she picked as her nickname after her real nickname, Ella, saying there's no Cinderella without Ella.
No one calls her that though, but she tried. Cute.
"Did something happen, Ella?" I asked, picking the call instantly.
A soft giggle came from her side, "Nope, but I love how you are always on the edge and worry for me whenever I call, Eric."
An invisible weight left my shoulders, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes. I just felt like calling you after I met someone very, very interesting. Well, three girls. Anyways, are you alright? Are you safe? You are not in the field right now, are you?" Three girls?
"No. I'm still in the investigation part of the mission with the boys. It'll take a while, maybe months to get through this, it might even take a year," sigh. "But don't worry your mind about this, Ella, worrying in my work. So, what about those girls?"
"Girls?" Des came closer shamelessly interested.
"What girls?" Cael turned his gaze to me, just as curious as Des.
"Ella said she met some girls," I rolled my shoulders.
"Send my kiss to the boys," she beamed.
"She sent you a distant hug," I changed it, refusing to do that.
"A kiss for you too, Princess," Des shouted, way to close to me.
"Don't call my sister a Princess, you wanker. Don't flirt with her," I smacked his shoulders, "or I'll kill your arse."
"As dramatically intense as always," she giggled and I turned my full attention to her. "Put it on the speaker, for the boys to listen!" Even though I was annoyed with the idea, I did it anyway way. "I got three clients at once today, best friends, all pretty and talkative, I mean, two of them were talking, the third one was more… introvert but the most charming. All 27 years old. They recently moved to Scotland from Lyon, France, though they were not born in there, the two extraverted were born in London, and the introvert was born here in Edinburgh. Architects, both, and rich as hell."
"Are you trying to set us up for a triple date, Ella?" Cael chuckled.
"No. I mean, it's on you, but no. I just thought this could be of some use for you, even if small. The extroverted girls are called Ivory Seraphina Blanchet and Cassandra Raelynn Baumgartner, they are the ones who did the talking, and they came an hour before their third friend did. When she was here, they talked less, seemed more careful, but they told me about her."
I don't see how this could be of any importance, "And?" I asked.
"Don't be impatient, Eric, it might be more important than you can imagine. Look, they told me to call them Sera and Cassie, so, they are the founders of Ivory Secaza, you know the billionaire construction company that's has 80% of it's employees women?"
"Yes!" Des beamed interested, "I bought my place here in London from them, two years ago, but it was the president of the London branch who sold it to me, Violet Nightingale, was her name. She was smoking hot, and even hotter in bed, and-" he gulped and froze when I gave him a death glare. "Anyways, they also renovated and decorated the place for me. Top notch work, salty price but bloody worthy."
"What a womanizer," she mocked. "But it makes it easier to talk about the rest. They told me Sera is technically the CEO, Cassie is the COO, and their friend is the CFO and the real boss behind and she paid the girls salary as well as all the presidents/acting CEOs of the other branches. She is filthy rich, a billionaire. Born in Edinburgh, raised in London, moved to the US at 12 to attend MIT, then got a master degree in Harvard, one in UCL, and more two master degrees in MIT, then she moved to Lyon, France, to stay with her adopted parents who were the best friends of her parents, and became her guardian when they died."
"Three degrees from MIT, one from Harvard, and UCL? Damn," Cael mumbled. "At 12 at that?"
I rolled my eyes, "That's not the important part, you idiot," then I turned my eyes to the phone again. "How old was she when her parents died and how they died, Ella?"
"You can't seriously thinks she's the girl!" Des gasped.
"Shut up, wanker," I snapped. "My intuition is tingling."
"I'll get there. About her adopted parents, I looked them up for a bit, because I got really curious. Adèle Chappelle Theriot and Siegfried Von Stier Ackermann, she's natural from France, he's natural from Germany, both got a British citizenship for living in London for a long period of time. Both only got romantically together after becoming the her guardian, as they were only friends before, and they have a son together, Yves Kristofer Theriot Ackermann, currently 21 years old."
"Wait," Cael's jaw dropped. "Adèle Chapelle Theriot? As in the CEO of SCTC?" When he saw the confusion in my and Des' eyes, he sighed and rolled his eyes. "Subercaseaux Chapelle Theriot Conglomérat."
"Oh, shite!" We gasped, putting the pieces together.
"My thoughts exactly," my sister beamed. "They own Saint Laurent, Prada, Armani, Dior, Valentino, Jimmy Choo, Versace, Lancôme, Céline, Puma, and Bvlgari. But that's not all. The girl inherited billions from her parents who died, together with countless real estates, and Mercedes-Benz, Ferrero, Givenchy, Brunello Cucinelli, and Loro Piana. And somehow, she became even richer aside from all the money she gets as an architect. So much that, according to Cassie, before they got enough clients to be paid, it was their friend who paid all of their employees salary from her own pocket. But that's as far information on her goes, she's low-profile."
"Her name, Ella," it must be her.
"As of now it's Zalea Selene Theriot Ackermann. But I managed to find a file on the internet, quite randomly that says she's Countess Selene MacBhrìghdein Hamill-Galbraith!" We all shared a look, eyes widening. "Now comes the interesting part," she beamed. "Her real parents died in a badly solved case, that was treated like an accident, when she was 3 years old. And," she made some suspense, "their names were Catriona Arabella MacBhrìghdein and Lachlan Archie Hamill-Galbraith!"
"It's her!" I shouted and we all jumped like kids. "Bloody fucking hell, Elle, you found her. I never saw that coming. How did you find her?"
"I just… remember you telling me that mamma's friend was from Scotland, named Catriona, that she was murdered but they probably treated it like an accident, like they did our parents' deaths, and that they died when their daughter was 3 years old. As well as that she had gone to the hands of two of her parents best friends. Oh, yes, and that she goes by The Countess. So, when she popped up here, I just could help but to feel the need to tell you about it," she chuckled. "I hope I helped."
"Jesus, who could have thought she was actually a Countess?" I gasped in dismay. "I can't believe it was so obvious."
"Right? It's in her documents, I saw her ID. The 'Countess' is right in front of her name. Though she goes by Zalea Selene Theriot Ackermann."
"I can't believe Adèle and Siegfried, the owners of SCTC, are two retired Obsidian agents," Caelan gasped in genuine shock. "That means they are 'Smoker' and 'Pink Panther'."
Des burst out laughing, "Bloody hell, we are so stupid. And he is a genius to be German and have a codename Smoker. Like, what a dark joke he did there," he covered his mouth and turned to me. "What are we going to do now, Eric? How do we approach her?"
"Leave that with me. I'll do it," I said instantly, and they gave me a naughty look, which I ignored. "Her mother was childhood friends with mine, it'll be easier. But it's not like I can't knock on her door and tell her I'm a Obsidian agent, and everything. Especially not when we weren't even supposed to locate who she is and where she is. That will get her suspicious and that's the last thing I need." Then I turned to the phone again, "Ella, do you know where she lives?"
"She owns Doune Terrace, in New Town, here in Edinburgh. It's like, absurdly expensive and hard to get. She landed the 6 and 8 townhouses to Sera and Cassie, and she got the 7 Doune Terrace for herself, but she just moved here a week ago. I told her I wanted to talk to her about a deal to get one of the remaining Doune Terraces for myself, and she gave me her number. All of them did. But it seems like she won't stay there for long, as she mentioned something about reformatting a manor in Callander, which she'll live in. And the girls called a haunted castle."
"Get two of those townhouses, Ella!" I told her. "5 and 9 if possible. I'll head down to Edinburgh in two days. No matter the price, I'll pay for it. So, get them for us, okay?"
"Okay, I'll call her tomorrow morning, as it's 9 pm now."
"Don't be obvious, be careful. She might be dangerous if she gets suspicious of you, and I don't want you in danger!" I warned her.
"I will. Now I'll hang up and gave me dinner. Ti amo, Eric."
"Anch'io ti amo, Ella," [I love you too] in Italian. Then she hang up, and I turned to the boys. "What's the probability?" I shouted and we all began jumping around like kids excited with an improbable win out of something we were in the dark about. "We finally got a lead!"