It has been little over two months since Lennon left for college abroad. In the span of which many things have happened, certainly things that he was bound to experience as a seventeen year old going abroad on his own for the first time. It was as filled with adventure and novelty as it was with struggles and hardships- the biggest of which being so far away from his family. No matter how much he had prepared himself for it, it was still not the most ideal situation.
He has always been very close with his family, especially his mom and younger sister. So going from seeing them everyday, being around them as long as he wasn't in school; life felt peculiarly empty and lonely without them. Although, his mother called every single day without fail, he missed being able to physically be around her and his siblings, even if he were naturally quiet and would often prefer observing them happily from the sidelines.
The new environment was simple to navigate. Lennon has always had a knack for academics and encountered no trouble in keeping up with his older peers, getting satisfactory results and praise from professors. He had a single dorm room to his own and no roommates to try and get along with. This had its perks of course, but it also meant that he'd found it harder to make friends and not spend most of his time holed up in his room or in a library with his head stuck in a book or a computer.
One day. It only took one day where his mom didn't call on their usual time for him to realize something was amiss. He tried to dismiss it as paranoia first. Surely, she would be busy with the event and then too tired after to be able to call. He paced his room, finished his homework, looked out the window, and paced some more, still anxious. It didn't take him much time to get on his laptop and find the news about his mother's project all over the internet. From the looks of it, it was quite the shock and had put a premature end to the event. Browsing page after page of magazines and trashy tabloids, his brain reeled with thoughts and possibilities, but mostly he tried to focus on what he could do. There probably wasn't much he could help with, but the entire situation was unsettling. First things first, this project was under the works for months, he didn't think his mom nor Xavier would disregard something as important as the property rights. Secondly, it was never a good omen if his father was involved, which all the magazines indicated in some way or another that he was.
Lennon put on his blue light glasses and browsed the news some more, trying to find out what happened. He had been dialling his siblings and mom for awhile, but their phones were either busy or unavailable. The frustration of not knowing what was happening exactly, not having anyone pick up his calls to inform him made him throw his phone angrily at the mattress and focus on trying to piece together the facts.
These was one of those times that Lennon hated being curious and so skillful at getting exactly the information that he wanted. When you'rr fixating upon one subject in your searches, and if you know to manipulate the engine just the right way, you could get out more information that you bargained for.
Infamous tycoon Zachary Bradford's legal troubles continue to mount as he is set to face bankruptcy proceedings in the High Court, demanded by a consortium of banks striving to recover unpaid debt worth nearly 500 million pounds.
Lane&Jones, the law firm which had won said case for the banks earlier this year, confirmed that their bankruptcy petition against the businessman was transferred to the insolvency list in the High Court of Justice for a hearing.
"The hearing is expected to take place in the Spring." Lawyer Lane, said.
Lane&Jones has been representing the banks in their efforts to recover their dues as part of the worldwide freezing order, with the bankruptcy petition aimed at seizing his assets to recover dues.
"There is clear evidence of misapplication of the loan funds and that Mr. Bradford was involved in a conspiracy to launder money," the ruling noted.
Zachary Bradford has indicated that he plans to appeal the verdict in the High Court. He will have 14 days to file an appeal once the decision on the extradition order is made.
Just about one too many very hidden articles -Lennon suspected that was his father's PR's doing- reported on the state of Bradford industries and the eerily private hearings. Did it come as a shock? Yes. Lennon hadn't thought things would be this bad even if the company were to struggle. Sure, his dad had control, but there was a whole team behind it, thousands of people, his uncle... He didn't think that his father's actions alone would be able to bring about such end to the company. Lennon was subconsciously pulling on his hair as he read more and more about the deep financial hole his father dug with no one noticing. He was smarter than to believe every single thing written, but there was never smoke without a fire.
Something he knew for sure was that the company was mostly irrevocably lost to them. He tried to hack into his father's internal profile without success. He needed to be there in order to do it, because he would for sure find many hidden disasters that not even sneaky tabloids could get their hands on. It was a question of whether he wanted to find out or not, but even the thought of remaining ignorant was not an option. He knew someone had to get behind it and find out all the details so they could be prepared for the worst if it came to it. He needed to tell someone, preferably Alessandro, and especially if he can get him to his father's work computer.
His phone made its existance known by sounding an alarm he forgot to deactivate, snapping him from his mindless staring at the screen. Unlocking it, he'd realized that nobody called back or answered his many texts. Len took a deep breath, convincing himself to call Jessica, despite the nerves that suddenly plagued his gut. With trembling fingers he dialled her number.
The phone rang for a few tense seconds where he counted his breath. The line stuttered and his heart almost fell with disappointment until he heard her voice. It must have been well over midnight when he called, and Jessica's tired voice almost made him regret doing it.
"Lennon?" She said slowly. Her voice sounded stuffed and muffled for whatever reason... like she'd been crying. He shook his head.
"I'm sorry for calling you this late." He started nervously, "uh, you're good?"
Jess sighed on the other end, her voice wobbly as she answered, "Oh Len, it was a terrible night."
He kneaded his forehead nodding, "I know... I-
Jessica sniffled, continuing as though she hadn't heard him. "My abuela and abuelo are both good... the doctor just said so." She cried, seeming to have let go after holding it in for a long time. He just sat and listened to her without saying a thing. He didn't know how to comfort someone and especially not on the phone. He figured he could just let her cry knowing he was still on the other end. "I know I'm terrible for being selfish to think and talk about them right now when I can't even imagine what you must be going through."
"Jess..." Lennon tried to cut her, feeling extremely confused. He heard her shuffling and taking deep breaths on the other end. Too far deep in her emotional outburst to hear him. What was she on about? What happened to her grabdparents? What does she mean-
"I know you must want to ask me," She went on, "but I already told Ales that they're both still sleeping and not in a condition to supply any useful information."
Lennon's stomach knotted in stress-tight knots. What was going on there?
"For whatever it's worth I've been praying for her since they told me..." Jessica was breathing deeply now, trying to regain her calm. "Ophelia will be alright. They'll find her."
Lennon stopped in his track, rooted to the ground as the words registered in his brain. His hairs stood on end as a feeling of horror raked his spine. He didn't know how he had managed to not drop the phone. "What? Jessica what are you talking about?"
He could hear her breath hitch and stop for a few seconds. She sounded more alert and on edge when she spoke next, "Y-you... don't know?"
"Jessica for the- tell me what you mean." He asked, exasperated and tense.
"I-it's about Ophelia," He could almost feel her shudder through the phone, "She was... Lennon, Ophelia was kidnapped."
~
Ales found himself leaning on his car, waiting in the airport parking lot. He'd gotten a notification that Lennon landed a couple minutes ago. He barely had any time to think about how to face him or what to say. He wasn't sure he'd come up with something wise in this situation even if he had all the time in the world to think. It was probably better this way.
Many thoughts swarmed his head about the mess he'd left in his father's office. No wonder that place looked like it's been hit by a hurricane when he'd left it. He hadn't wrapped his head around the many documents incriminating his father, and the lawsuit he'd managed to keep hidden from all eyes. Ales barely had enough professional experience to be able to wrap his head around all he'd discovered, let alone know how to deal with it. He managed to at least gather a team of the most trusted people he knows in the company to let them know what is going on and see how they'll deal with it. The last thing he did was to let Amber know because as much as he tried to keep it to himself not wanting to cause her anymore stress. He remembered Lennon's reaction and it was enough for him to make up his mind. They deserved the right to know, and selfishly- he was glad for being able to shoulder the burden with someone else.
Lennon had reached his side in a quick jog. All he carried was a backpack Ales suspected he stuffed quickly before he boarded the first plane he could find. He didn't exactly blame him for his early outburst. Ales would have felt terrible if he were in his place, living away without a clue to what was exactly happening. He should have paid more attention. Should have taken it upon himself to inform Len. Even as he approached him he could see the cogs in his younger brother's brain turning. Lennon was always thinking of something all the time. But along with that thoughtful look he could also see hurt, lack of sleep, and hints of regret. Usually Lennon was a lot harder to read so he must have been too preoccupied to let his guard up.
"You're here safely." Ales stated, letting out a breath charged full of anxiety. He hadn't realize how much tension he'd accumulated all night and morning, adding to it the dread before seeing Len again. Lennon just nodded at him, seeming grateful for the normalcy with which Ales seemed to be picking up their conversation. He wasn't exactly proud of the way he spoke to Ales over the phone. It was unfair and unnecessary. Ales gave him a small smile and ruffled his head. "You've grown taller."
It made Len shake his head fighting a grin of his own. He had grown almost as tall as Ales. He found it amusing that his older brother chose to comment on it when there are a thousand more things he could say. "I'm sorry... For earlier, on the phone."
"It's all good, Len." Ales stood up straighter and opened the car, telling Len to get in. "It's understandable. I'm sorry too." He said grimly.
As they settled in comfortable silence for the little while it took Ales to shift and drive out of the airport vicinity, Len ran through the extensive and ever-growing list of questions that he wanted to ask, not sure where to begin. He sighed, turning to Ales. "How's mom?"
Alessandro thought of a simple way to put it, but found none. "I don't know... She hadn't spoke to any of us ever since we found out. Amber told me she'd been to the police station since very early on in the morning and hadn't come back or called yet... It's a mess."
Lennon nodded. He wondered if Ales knew about the company, or if it was even the time to bring it up. Ales spoke again, "There was nothing any of us could do. The police and our private investigators are on it. They managed to track the car, but it led them nowhere. They have suspects, but they haven't gotten any physical evidences yet. We are all just waiting for-" Ales hit the steering wheel out of frustration, cursing under his breath and running his fingers back through his hair. "And that's not the half of it."
"The company," Lennon said tiredly. Ales spared him a sideways look. "So you've found out."
"How did you..." Ales let his question hang before laughing it off humourlessly, "Never mind. Of course you know."
"I wasn't interested." Len shrugged, "At least not until news of the event broke. I did my research."
"Yeah." Ales sighed. "Yes, dad f*cks up once again."
Lennon took out his phone. He had categorized everything he managed to collect in a detailed file to keep track of it. That's just the way his brain is wired. He figured there was nothing else he could do during this ride other than tell Ales everything he managed to glean, and everything they probably should prepare themselves to find out. Turns out his brother had just as much information to impart. He had spent the better part of the morning pouring over papers and contracts made by their father. Sketchy deals, loans, irregular spendings, feuds with people that got covered up before their dad could afford to silence people and sweep issues under the rug.
They soon found themselves sitting across from each other in their dad's office. Lennon had finally cracked into his computer and sat collecting all he could from all of his father's different accounts and recent endeavours. It was still odd that someone with so much debt would still afford the spendings he did.
As if hearing his thoughts Ales spoke from behind the file he'd been reading. "I don't understand how he'd still managed this far. Even if he put up his possessions for sale and auctioned off whatever he can, it doesn't come up to cover half the debt."
A knock at the door stopped Len from answering. Ales got up and was surprised to find Terrance at the door, accompanied by three other men, one of which was his own uncle. The other two he hadn't seen before. He motioned for them to come in, looking questioningly at Terrance.
They settled around the spacious sofas and Terrance started before Ales could sound his question. "Amber told me what happened. I met up with your uncle once I got here."
His uncle effectively took over the task of explaining how the meetings with the different executives and managers have gone throughout the morning, and then seeing Terrance walking towards the elevator when he'd stopped him. Apparently he had known the professor from his business advising firm, and decided to talk to him, discovering in the process that he was informed of their crisis and he'd promised Amber and Xavier he'd try to help however he can. Ales nodded hesitantly, giving Len the "I'll tell you later" look. That left them with the two other men, and his uncle looked a bit tense before he introduced them.
"This is lawyer Keith Lane," He motioned to the first man who had an emotionless face and a no nonsense aura. Ales shook his hand. He moved to the other man who was, "Arthur Jones, a private investigator."
Len sat up alert, his eyes jumping between the two figures. He blurted, "Lane&Jones? The law firm?"
"Ah, I see the young man's done his research." Arthur Jones said. He seemed the friendliest out of the two by far. He had an easy smile and comforting presence somehow. Len wasn't sure if it was just a mechanism to disarm his subjects.
Lennon nodded, deep in thought, "If you're both the ones on this case, then what exactly are you..."
He didn't need to finish his question. The man, Mr. Jones already started answering. "Yes, you see, we are in charge of this lawsuit. It was pure coincidence that Terrance called to seek our assistance." He hesitated a bit, "It turns out your dad is involved in quite a few illegal practices of late."
Theu uncle looked grim as they both turned to him in question. What else could their dad possibly have done to make this even worse.
"Mr. Bradford had apparently resorted to shark loans, just a few months ago." Mr. Lane stated. "It took a long time tracing his activity to find this information."
Silence proved the shock of those who felt it, but clearly not Len, because he turned to Mr. Jones, "That explains it. I couldn't find any legal transfers of money to his accounts in recent months-" Len looked back to his computer and after some quick rearrangement of the electronic file, he sent it to be printed in the corner printer.
Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly, bringing back the men's attention to him. "My partner hadn't put it quite clearly but, your father failed to pay back these loan sharks-
"The same way he failed to pay back his bank loans!" Ales said incredulously, pacing. He was clearly in an internal panic since he seemed to not pay attention much to his surroundings.
Lennon suddenly sat up pencil straight staring wide-eyed, catching Terrance's attention, who was in turn just coming to a terrible realization. Len stuttered, "O-Ophelia..."
Ales halted his pacing. Terrance kneaded his temples, looking at the siblings, "Yes... It could be a possibility."
"A possibility with a very high probability." Inspector Jones corrected. "It's hard to track those sharks down. They're very stealthy, and not the easiest people to deal with obviously. However, it wouldn't be the first time they resorted to something like this. Certainly, they'd never dare to risk exposure on such a big scale. They pry on helpless people, middle or lower class. People who can't get retribution or stand up against them. This would be a first, targeting someone so high profile. I don't think it's a risk they would have taken unless the debt was great, and unless they realized they have the upper hand with you father if they had discovered his downfall."
"What the hell are we waiting for then? We should tell the police. We should-
"The police would want evidence." Mr. Lane interrupted. "It cannot be obtained unless you trap the sharks, which is a feat in itself."
"F*** this! Damn Zach to hell!" Their uncle Robert cursed from the corner seat by the desk. He had been quiet in shock, processing all he had heard. It pained him to hear what had come of his brother, of their family name and company.
"No use in cursing or lamenting." Terrance sighed, giving the man a "get it together" look. He couldn't allow him to lose it when the kids have been so strong so far. There was purpose in them being here. He promised both Amber and Xavier he would help. He could handle Lane&Jones, try and sort out the mess the company has come to. That's all he could do. He trusted Jones' guts. The guy was a great investigator, and he was thorough with his work. If he could lead them to Ophelia, that's all he could ask for. He turned to Ales, "I will need you around if we are to be resourceful and try to do as much damage control as we can before this gets to the public. Arthur had his team trying to locate the sharks, and he will be heading back to try and get some leads."
"Can I come with?" Len sprang to his feet, looking at Arthur Jones, "I can be of help."
Arthur watched the kid with the computer in hand. His partner had been pouring over the files he had gathered and printed out, and if Lane gave him the nod of approval it meant he was impressed, a rarity. That meant in turn, that he shouldn't underestimate the kid's abilities. He smiled, "Alright. Let's see what you've got."