Chapter 79: Brian's Kind Reminder
After William spent a long time comforting her, Alexander slowly started to feel better. William still felt guilty about the attack she had endured. Fortunately, he had been prepared. Brian's team was surprisingly good, just as Barney had claimed.
He knew that talking with her was the only way to help her overcome her fear. With this in mind, William whispered sweet nothings and told a few slightly risqué jokes. Before long, he had Alexander laughing.
After about half an hour, William heard Alexander's stomach gurgle. He smiled at the blushing Alexander and said, "Come on, dear. I'll take you to get something to eat. It will help you forget those bad memories."
Alexander never dared to eat supper. For her dream of becoming a supermodel, she was extremely strict about managing her figure. "No, I can't eat supper, dear. Let's just go back to the hotel. I just want to be alone with you, okay?"
"I have something very important to do in a little while, so I can only stay with you here for now. And you can't go without eating. I'll order you a vegetable salad. Going hungry isn't good for you." William then explained, "I've arranged for an exclusive private life consultant for you through my bank. If you need anything at all, you just call them. It's a paid service—the annual fee is $25,000, which is several times more than a typical express service, but for me, the cost is well worth it. It's better than hiring a personal assistant. You get professional service 24/7 and never have to worry about them being off-duty or calling in sick."
After finishing a vegetable salad and drinking some red wine, Alexander's mood was obviously much better than when she had first arrived, and she was talking as freely as before. They drank wine in the suite and chatted the night away, and before they knew it, it was 3 a.m. Swiss time. Felix knocked on the door.
"Sir, there is half an hour until the US market opens. Everyone is ready and waiting for your instructions."
"Okay, I'll be right there," William said to Felix through the door. Then he turned to Alexander. "You should get some sleep. The accommodations here are better than the hotel. Dear, I have to get busy now."
Alexander held William's arm. "No, I just finished eating, so I can't sleep now. Besides, I slept for more than ten hours on the plane and I'm not adjusted to the time difference yet. Dear, can I watch what you're busy with?"
William considered it. Today was just a trial run, and he was planning to buy long. Right now, anyone in the market would be buying long; there was nothing confidential about that. His real plan, shorting the market, was the secret part. He nodded and said, "Alright, I can't say no to you, can I? Just promise not to talk in the trading room. If you need anything, just tell me quietly, okay?"
"No problem, dear! You're the best." Alexander gave William a happy kiss, and they walked into the trading room together, smiling.
When William entered the trading room, he saw that Sam had somehow acquired seven or eight computer monitors and several servers, which were now set up in a corner. A few detectors were constantly scanning the room.
Brian Mills was by the window, observing the surroundings with a pair of binoculars. William thought to himself, *Yes, these guys are true professionals. They get into character so quickly.*
In just one hour, in a place as unfamiliar to them as Switzerland, they had managed to find all this equipment. It seemed this team had significant resources and their own channels for acquiring things.
William said to Brian Mills with satisfaction, "How much did all this equipment cost? I'll reimburse you."
Brian Mills laughed. "Thank you, boss. I won't be shy about it. We have more equipment being delivered in a few hours, which will be about $200,000. The main expense was getting special documents and gun permits here in Switzerland through an acquaintance. As for the equipment you see now, it was only a few tens of thousands of dollars."
"Okay, I'll give you $250,000 in cash. Buy whatever else you think you need; don't worry about saving the money," William said, then instructed Felix, "Felix, please get me $250,000 in cash. I'll use my card."
"Of course, Mr. Devinshire. I'll make the call now. It should be here within half an hour," Felix replied.
Brian Mills was happy to have the expenses covered. He was really starting to think William was an excellent employer—generous and decent. Although he didn't know the full story behind the trouble, for his team, this was a good thing. This was exactly the kind of work they did. He was retired now and worked for the money. Only with money could he do what he wanted and properly provide for his daughter, even if they weren't very close.
His ex-wife had married a wealthy contractor, and his daughter now lived a privileged life. It was embarrassing for a former elite operative like him to have so little money that the gifts he bought for her were ordinary things costing only one or two hundred dollars.
Because of this, Brian Mills was no longer as dedicated to serving his country as he once was. The fiery patriotism of his youth had faded with age. After a career spanning more than twenty years, he had seen too much darkness and bloodshed. He wasn't that hot-blooded kid anymore; everything he did now was for his daughter.
This job from William was a golden opportunity. He had been on missions ten times more dangerous than this one and made far less money. Where else could he find a gig this good?
Brian Mills was genuinely grateful to William. An employer this good was worth keeping. He leaned in and said quietly, "Boss, you still need to be careful. It's clear the guys from yesterday were from an Albanian gang that specializes in trafficking women. The moon and star tattoos on them are a dead giveaway. This gang is large, and some Albanians believe in an eye for an eye. They are known for their brutal revenge. We killed four of them yesterday; I don't think they'll just let it go."
"If you can, you should call Barney. His team's assault capabilities are much stronger than ours; they're more specialized for direct combat. If we're split between protecting you and Ms. Ambrosio, our manpower will be stretched too thin to handle a major attack."
William saw the sincerity on Brian Mills's face and felt a sense of gratitude. Although he couldn't quite place where he'd seen him before, he was certain the older man in front of him was a famous actor.
Judging by the professional demeanor and discipline of his team, they were clearly seasoned operatives with decades of experience. They were serious, experienced, and seemed like a reliable group.
As for whether they were truly reliable, only time would tell.
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