Chapter 7 - Shadows and Allies
The search for the two men led Elias and Julian to a private security firm operating out of New Jersey called Vanguard Tactical. It was a shadow organization frequently hired by high-net-worth individuals to conduct unsavory tasks.
Elias, using his knowledge of construction and physical security layouts, helped Julian infiltrate Vanguard’s digital server logs via an exposed wireless node near their satellite office in Newark. Within hours, they unearthed encrypted communication logs between Arthur Montgomery’s personal secretary and the two operatives who had confronted the nanny at the school.
The instructions were explicit: Obtain hair or saliva samples from the children by any means necessary. Frame the encounter as an aggressive media confrontation if intercepted.
"We have him," Elias said, staring at the text on the screen.
"Not quite," Julian cautioned. "In the corporate world, guys like Arthur have fall guys. His secretary will take the blame and say she acted without his knowledge unless we confront Arthur directly in front of people he can't buy off."
Meanwhile, Camila was holding the line in Midtown. She had moved Regina, Lucy, and Valerie to her heavily guarded estate in Greenwich, Connecticut. That evening, with Julian’s help, Elias drove out to the estate under the cover of darkness to bring Leo to meet his sisters for the first time—and to prepare for the board meeting forty-eight hours away.
The Greenwich estate was sprawling, surrounded by high brick walls and automated gates. When the heavy iron gates opened, Elias drove up the winding driveway toward a lit manor house.
Camila met them at the front door. She looked exhausted, but when her eyes met Elias’s, a profound warmth filled her expression. Then, her eyes shifted down to Leo, who was hiding nervously behind Elias’s legs.
Camila slowly dropped to her knees, bringing herself to Leo’s eye level. "Hi, Leo," she said softly, a gentle smile spreading across her face. "I'm Camila. Your dad has told me so much about you."
Leo peeked out from behind Elias. "Are you the lady with the compass tattoo?"
Camila laughed softly, tears twinkling in her eyes. "I am."
From the top of the grand marble staircase, three small heads peeked through the banisters.
"Is that him?" Lucy whispered loudly.
"He looks like Dad!" Valerie whispered back.
Regina, the boldest of the three, walked down the stairs with a dignified posture that was a mini version of her mother’s. She stopped at the bottom step, looking at Elias, then at Leo.
"Are you our brother?" Regina asked directly.
Leo stepped out from behind Elias, holding his dinosaur up slightly like a shield. "I'm Leo. This is T-Rex."
Lucy and Valerie bounded down the stairs, ignoring all formalities, and knelt beside Leo. "He's so small!" Valerie giggled. "Can we show him the playroom? We have a giant Lego castle!"
Within ten minutes, the four children were running down the hallway toward the playroom, their laughter echoing off the high ceilings of the mansion. For the first time in eight years, the mansion felt alive, filled with the sound of a complete family.
Elias and Camila stood in the grand hallway, watching them.
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"They fit together," Camila murmured, leaning her head lightly against Elias’s shoulder.
"They're kids," Elias said, slipping his arm around her waist. "They don't care about trusts or stock prices. They just want a family. And we're going to give it to them."
