Two days later in the Town of Mayfair in Pennsylvania.
Norman was in his car following the instructions that took him to a place in the center of the town. A place no one could think a transaction like that could happen.
There he was met by a group of people who immediately changed their mannerisms upon seeing who he was. Diclan Ripholl totally taken aback by the Queen chief of security presence almost bowed at him. The man was someone respected in their homeland. That said his father was right when he said he suspected it was the Queen's squad.
"The money is here, in those bags and here is the diamond. The finest. Pure as they could be. All the paperworks have been put on the name you provided, there will be no issue with them anymore. But father said you should go with them at your will and make sure with the administration. Th-though iif you could, huh, take the lift to the highest level to not attract attention on the new owner."
Pointing at three huge bags on the table, the young man retrieved a bag full with the precious stone. Holding them to the impressive man that everyone knew as the Queen shadow. I he moment he took them, he verified the papers that he knew was cleaned, they were registered the day before by someone that was friend of Malone, doctor Killian wife. She had followed the process very closely for them.
Looking up to the young man that was doing his best to not pee on himself,
Norman nodded aware he recognized him, which was good, no way would they go around ever talking about it.
"For now I will trust that all of it is completely what I need it to be. I do not want to call you back. Do I?"
"No sir. All is here.. count it yourself wherever you want. Myy ddad said to be clean. This is not a normal deal, he said. So Mr Norman there will be no problem. Papa do not want them home"
"Good then. You know the risk of playing with me. You never saw me here. Never"
"It never happened."
Staring hard Norman to the point to make them all take each one steps back, he took the bags with him in the car riding away toward the jewelry that had the money and the diamond counted then verified the stones.
The ride to all the points he had to be in under Lorelei instructions was done. It all took him four hours before he was done with his to do list.
The way back to the huge mansion that was more a castle happened in a complete normalcy that was almost ridiculous. Norman hummed his body completely relaxed like he was not transporting in his car an amount of money that was the budget for years in some countries around the world that called themselves rich.
He had also respected the directives of the Queen's which had him bringing back three quarters of the diamond as registered on the papers. She had to make things smooth with Malone side, to not rise unwelcome attention. The money she said Miss Lorelei would handle. Which she did.
Knowing Malone was really what had it all processing, the debt the young woman had for the Queen's ran far from this lifetime, so she had made it her mission to point them to the right person that will never open theirs mouths.
Shaking his head he looked out of the car just to see people going on with theirs daily life like they were not killing themselves to work, when others had it all just because they were born on the side of the fate light. Was it discrimination? No he knew most of them, money could destroy in a matter of second, when others used it to better the land of the living.
A sound Disturbed the silence in the car looking on his board he saw the face of his wife displayed on his phone screen. Knowing it was safe to answer he went with it immediately calming down as soon he strong but soft voice ran in his ears.
"Please honey call Mina for me. The guys are disturbing her again. I kept telling her she should come here. Why is she like this? If she come here we could work together for profess, Miss Lorelei? The money she's paying could help us open a pastry. But she is so stubborn! She knows being a single woman in that land is bound to be difficult."
"She paid Samuel?" Waiting for his fuming wife to respond, Norman mind displayed Samuel Terri face. A small man, that receive money all month to protect his sister in law. He was respected around even though criple.
"Samuel died two weeks ago. Now they are around her like sharks. She alresdy paid trice this week! But they kept coming to her. If I was there they would not even show theirs ugly faces to begin with."
Smiling at that last part, the impossing man stayed silent receiving the new of Samuel death like a bucket of cold water. He was a kind man, a comrade that was touched in one of their mission. Paying him was not his decision but Norman's who knew he needed as much money as could enter to keep supporting his huge family.
"Do not worry for now, I will send some of my men to pay them a visit. Untill we convince her to come."
A soft sight respond to him at the solution he found. But she was not done with him, he just knew it.
"What about the money? She said she needs to pay more stuffs but prices are bumping so high. We have to support her since you think she could still live there."
Having no strength to even feel baffled by how she turned it on him now, the man nodded knowing what she wanted to do. Take money on their saving to help her sister untill he will crack.
"I mean what is of use. As it is we will try to fill a back that has a huge hole in it."
"Okay honey. I understand your point. I will call her. But give me sometime too. If you think you are stubborn, your sister is ten times a headache of its kind. So chill okay. It will all work out."
"If you say so. Okay then. Have a safe trip home."
"I'm almost parking love."
"Oh!" Hanging up the woman who was chopping thing in the kitchen long table while talking to her husband on speaker looked up to the screen that was on the kitchen wall to help her know the whereabouts of her bosses to not disturb them when she have to serve them. Which could be inside or out depending of the weather, they loved it in the garden everytime it was possible.
Her husband as he had just informed her was already coming out of his car. Sloan immediately activating himself around him to bring out two suitcases and another thing she could not make out.
Letting it to them, she walked to the upper cabinets of the kitchen to take some ingredients she wanted, failing to see the figure that turned around near the door of the kitchen walking slowly to her big office. It really was bigger than any other she ever had. It had been an evidence to have a small library inside to get things done easily.
Shaking her head she kneeled down on the library side, collecting Alicia belongings on the huge carpet before covering her body that was resting not far with a soft blanket she had requested to be placed on all couches around the house. The younger one of Kate had that habit to sleep everywhere she would sense Lorelei was.
"Ma'am we are here "
Looking up from where she was she nodded at Norman knowing it was useless to tell him to stop calling her Ma'am or professor. Pulling herself up she walked to them opening the suitcases one after the other, then the small bag Sloan handed to her.
"They are all certified. The jeweler said it was all good. The men at the bank confirmed that, and Malone's too. There will be no problems to make use of them. Here are the papers."
Smiling at him she placed it on the table to examine the paperwork that was certification she was the owner of the stone. All consideration aside she was more amazed at how they worked. Sloan had given Norman his place because he was his big brother but the latter always managed to remember in her presence that Sloan was Lorelei head of security, including him in all he does.
Finally Pearing inside the bag she stopped a moment her eyes firmly fixated on the shining pearls inside. It was a lot of diamonds. She knew it was also a lot of money she was looking at, the papers had them evaluated and she could not even read the amount. How she felt wash away by how she could use it all.
Placing it on her desk again knowing how useless it was to try to count. She went on her seat retrieved two small bottles the sizes of cigarettes pack she had prepared beforehand. After filling them with the precious stones, then placed four stacks of banknotes in a plastic bag, she walked back to Norman holding them for him to take.
At the action the two brothers, who thought they had already seen all that this Earth had of mysteries gasped physically taking one step back from her at the same moment.
"Ma'am we can not accept."
Rolling her eyes at them because they said it in one voice, she straightened her hands again to Norman her gaze demanding he took it.
"What are you now? Twins?" Laughing at her come back, the elder took the bottles and the small bag from her two extended arms, his trembling fingers almost graced her soft palms. They were as his baby hands he thought. Wondering if he was not abusing her knidness by taking the diamond.
"I'm too kind. I know it. But remember this type of kindness is reserved to loyal people, both of you. You drove it to me. And I'm sure nothing was retrieved from the packages. One could think I may be gulible sometimes, or even worse naive. But I am not. Accept this on the behalf of your family as a thanks for just being you."
"Thanks you ma'am." Speechless they just bowed eyes briming with unshed tears as Norman accepted the gifts for them.
"To work for Money is good. But better is to do your job not having that pressure in you mind. Norman I want you to add fifty percent of everyone salary this month. Tell them it is an early gift for them to properly prepared for the end of the year." Nodding he but the bottles in his blazer inside pocket, the plastic was placed under his left arm.
"Sloan, Benoit is already here?" Moving off it Lorelei asked seriously.
"Yes Ma'am. He is in the library." Fighting to keep his voice even, Sloan answered calmly his mind fighting to keep straight.
"Okay , let's move with things then." Saying it she headed to the doors making them moved to, pulling the bag with him he had to placed the small bag of money in the first drawer of the desk. Then started moving with them.
Lorelei followed the two men out, it was not long before they get to the geek guys she had met by some kind of hazard. He was able to secure huge amounts of money in the cloud in virtual device that was under no government claws. In fact they were using it with no restrictions.
In this crisis world going on all money was money. Lorelei was not insensitive though. She knew were this money came from. Most of the time there were people who gave a lot of money to help the researchs going on, most of them hoping it would make the Queen's view of them would change because of their generosity.
Never did the woman reject those. Instead she had used them in place of what was given by the kingdom storing them in the museum underground. Plus her mother in law had gifted her a considerable amount in exchange of some guilty thing she felt. That, he did not explained. Apparently even Arthur knew nothing about it.
Lorelei had learned from Morgan, most of the help was considerate amounts with the King not knowing about them. Once he told her to return money that was send in the beginning but she had responded it could help. Deciding right there to never tell him about her businesses. Most was gold from people who had them to give.
Through out the years what had started small became bigger than all of them could imagine. It was a relief to have it all out. The queen was she a bad person for keeping this all, Lorelei was not one to judge.
This was a moment the weight of the gap between them was visible, beer will she go against Kate ways before her as far as they stood for good.
Someone else would have use it to do bad things. The why or not was not her work to ask, others shed blood to get that much money.
Entering the bigger library, in the West end of the mansion, the two guards stood on each of her sides keeping the silence. Upon seeing them the tiny young man siting there on the big couch that could have swallow him, stood then shook Lorelei hand, before taking a look at the suitcase with them.
"Everything is here. You give back what you own them. And here is our deal. "
Ten small stones of diamond rolled in the man palm making him looked at her shocked for a moment.
"You, you said..."
"I changed my mind Benoit. Stop stealing people money from now on. You are a good guy. I Know I said I will give you money but you are not getting out of this place with suitcases. This one will be taken care of to where you will indicate my men to leave it. Like that there will be no suspicion. You understand."
"I, huh, yes?"
"Do not worry. They are loyal. You can rest okay. You do this work and get lost in the world. I do not want to hear you were in some sort of trouble ever again."
"Sure. Yeah I promise."
"You better do. Because next time you will see them will be to give you well deserved slaps where they are needed."
Nodding shakily, the young man went to work happy to be doing something he was born to do. He would stop sometimes to touch his pocket and make sure his treasure was there then keep going more ferocly typing codes and lines of things none of them knew about. He had promised the collector he had played with a while ago, to find them huge income to clean their money in the better way.
It was not human traffic the men did, but making illegal products enter the territories then sell them to lower prices again and again could make someone richer in a matter of second. The thing was, he had misplaced their money trusting a so call friend who had disappeared with it.
Though this time he was doing it properly. Lorelei had found him weeping his soul out, because he did not want to died at twenty years old only beginning his life. She proposed to repay him all he owned those men in exchange for him to open here bitcoins wallets in the clouds.
"Voilà ! Tu mets ta main ici, et là . Après pour la reconnaissance faciale c'est ici." ( 'Tada! You put you hand here and there. After for the face recognition it is here.' )
Smiling at his giddiness Lorelei who spoke many language nodded aware the man who was french always revert back to his native language when deep in his work. His equipment was simply a computer and a tablet he told Lorelei cost him something huge. But it was important because it was the one that could take the prints of the hand and eyes.
"Yes!! Registered. Now for the two registrations you asked for, here is Kayley and Alicia Fendrik wallets. You place the money on the account as we decided? Then we now send them this link and-- all done!"
Looking at Norman who nodded, Benoit leaned again on his computer tapping furiously, them had his hands up like his team just scored at the last second of a match they were losing.
"Gotcha! Read, you are listed among premium wallets cloud. WOW! You can learn sometime. I'm a genius. And just enlisted you there you have no idea how peaceful you life is to be now. Rich people wanted to go on that list. Chill tiger Norman. Only people who have the code can be enlist, no one question it because they know it is a lot of tractations to get in, since highschool I have been wondering how to crack it until now. I have a DBS IP they will not come after you it is legal minus I am not a multinational doing it."
"And what will you be doing after this." Understanding most of what the young man explained to them, Norman asked looking straight at him.
"Get lost as Lorelei just kindly asked me to. I do not want more drama in my life. Maybe I will go back to my beautiful homeland, au Midi Pyrénées. Life is wonderful there."
"And lost all your potential to leisures."
Shrugging Benoit leaned over closing his belongings he started gathering in his backpack. He really gave the vibe of a seventeen years old rather than a great ingeneer.
Looking up he froze at how weirdly they were all looking at him.
"What?" The fear was right away visible on his face by the way his eyes wandered around seeking for an escape. Holding her hands up Lorelei made soothing movements with them making him relaxed his body.
"Do not be afraid here Benoit. What my Commanders are trying to ask you is if you will want to work here with us? You could live here. there are plenty of spaces. Norman as you can tell is Sloan big brother, and also is the one who formed him and many others to be the best in they work. They both know about ingeneering and all. In fact they are good at it. Really good. "
Looking at the two men then at Lorelei Benoit sat back in his chair relieved, wondering what to do. In fact it was a matter of time before people get to him to use his knowledge, he had been fleeing from them since he left France only to go from fake people to fake others.
The woman was kindly enough opening her house to him only because she thought he was a little brother, she would want someone to take care of if she had have one. That is what she told him the first time they met.
"Before you answer know that you are really really good. I have no fear it will get to your head because you were born inside there boasting yourself of your greatness. So, want to meet some more great minds that will level you up more than you already are?"
"Bon Dieu! Pourquoi pas? I'm in!" ( ' Good Lord! Why not?' )
Almost jumping on the wall that was Sloan, Benoit yelled his answer hugging him thightly. Amused by his behavior the man let him do feeling something in his heart for this rogue young boy, from the beginning, they had research on his past finding he was an orphan that was raised by the family of a deceased friend of his parents who passed away when he was younger.
After the friend did too leaving him with distant people who gave him a house to stay and food to eat in exchange of hacking, they had discovered he knew how to do that. At first it was minor things but he had to run for his life when they became griddy.
"Thanks you guys, I... Oh my Goodness! This feel like a dream. Am I dreaming? Oww! You did not have to do THAT!"
Still feeling the pinched nerve throbbing he growled at Lorelei who just laughed it off tapping his shoulder.
"You asked for proof so. Now I will leave you with those two. Trust them as you never do anyone. They will never let you down. Help yourself around the house as far as you will be explained to go. I do not live alone. You are not only one of my men now you are also my friend so do not be a stranger. You will meet Alicia and Kayley later. For now go to Martha who is Norman wife, she will give you all you want. But remember one thing though."
Looking at her questionningly he waited feeling overwhelmed by all the changes occuring in less than an hour in his rather pathetic life he thought.
"Be loyal. THIS is a family we build with everyone around. Everyone count. Treat them all with respect and never forget to whom your loyalty go. As you give, you will receive."
"I promise Lo. I NEVER had what you are giving me. Whatever it take to stay here I will do. My loyalty go to my family now. Thanks for giving me one."
"You are welcome. Sloan will take you to your room after you finish eating. The white one East Sloan. Thanks you guys. And Benoit?"
"Yeah?"
"No--"
"--Hacking, I promised you I will never do it again. You said I could learn things?"
After finishing Lorelei sentence, he turned to Norman with hope, the man nodded at him already welcoming him in his family. The white room was the one near his apartment, in fact it gave directly to Sloan's and opposite to his. They understood what she meant when saying this was a family, she had told them they were like big brothers to her, now she was giving them the responsibility of a little brother.
"I don't know about that though. You told me you like pastry, you wanted to become a chef in another life?"
Shrugging it off with a wide smile he met her gentle gaze feeling at home looking at them. It was not the kind of feeling that called desire no, he was not that dumm, he knew that there had to be someone for her by how much money she had. He really like her from the beginning like a good friend, which he hope they could keep up.
"Nah! I will do as it comes"
"Martha's a Chef, she could teach you if you want. You know what. I know she wants to open a pastry here. Can you ask her to call her sister to come and help Norman? We could be associates. I will talk further with her but it is settled. For the place and all I do not know though."
Just knowing she overheard the late conversation with his wife, Norman bowed respectful to her having no words. It was strange how sometimes you will wonder how someone could be so good without no others expectations but to have you be the best version of yourself and do the same to others.
It was this behaviors of hers that had all that knew her to respect the woman she was and make the vow to have outstanding results in whatever was asked from them.