AUBURN DISTRICT,CLARE IN IRELAND; BANKS ENTERPRISE; 250th FLOOR...THE CEO'S OFFICE.
The office was still, its silence broken only by the low hum of technology coursing through the walls like an invisible current. It was late in the day, but the Banks Enterprise headquarters...perched atop the glossy skyline of Clare...never truly slept.
Lights stayed on past midnight, emails bounced through time zones like whispers in a web, and those who worked within its walls moved with the type of muted urgency only the truly fearful could summon.
Madden Banks sat at the head of it all, as immovable and cold as the obsidian marble desk before him. His eyes were slate, flicking from screen to screen while his fingers tapped rhythmically against the surface, always in control, always calculating.
"Ford, come to my office now." he spoke through the intercom before dropping it coldly.
It wasn't up to a minute before Ford entered in a panic,like he was chased by a mad lion.
He quickly straightened his posture slightly than necessary, his lip twitching in restrained nervousness.
Well...he is still new, still trying to interpret Madden's cues and pace his own breathing to the man's silence.
"You asked for me, Boss?"
Madden leaned back, folding his hands. The office lights caught the edges of his cufflinks,polished black metal carved with a serpentine swirl. They looked like something out of an underground monarch's wardrobe.
"Progress on the Italy thread." he said coolly.
Ford twitched inwardly,that question is supposed to be for Alvin not for him nau but he managed to breathe in a sigh of relief since Alvin sent the latest report to him.
He swallowed. "Minimal, sir. They've buried their digital footprints exceptionally well. The girl's background was scrubbed. Her ID was rerouted through three ghost agencies. We traced one of them to a shell company out of Palermo. That led nowhere."
Madden's gaze sharpened, like a scalpel being drawn.
"Nothing is ever nowhere, Ford."
"Yes, Boss," Ford said quickly. "I meant...we found something..."
He scratched his head...
Madden looked at him coldly,his eyes conveying 'will you fucking talk?'
Ford smiled uneasily "...a receipt,buried in a warehouse ledger. One transaction, seemingly insignificant. Twenty-four crates of wine sent to a private villa in Umbria. But the shipping address was masked under a corporate name that doesn't exist in any registry."
Madden's fingers tapped again. "What's the name?"
Ford scribbled and quickly opened the tablet...he has forgotten the name.
Madden looked like he was looking at a clown...well he was looking at a clown...just that this clown is less funny than the former.
He quickly straightened himself and spoke in confidence...after checking the tablet... "Del'Arte Holdings."
Silence fell. Not the kind of silence that was empty...but the kind that held breath. Ford stiffened slightly.
"And?"
"There's no Del'Arte Holdings anywhere in Italian business law. We cross-checked with local archives. However..." Ford glanced at a tablet in his hand,but he didn't see anything.
What's going on?
Ten seconds passed,Ford kept searching for the remaining information but he saw nather. Tears were already glistening from his eyes.
"Incompetence."
Madden scoffed in disbelief and sheer anger.
Ford froze,but then he quickly sent a message to Alvin who transferred the remaining files to him.
He heaved a long sign of relief before looking at Madden sheepishly.
Madden was about to let an outburst,where the fuck is Alvin always seeing all these dumb of a assistant?
Ford cleared his throat softly before continuing."However...we did find that the land the wine was shipped to once belonged to a family known for exclusive, invite only gatherings...noble lineage. But it went dormant ten years ago. Property tax records suddenly went private."
"Suddenly?" Madden's brow lifted.
"Yes, sir. Like someone paid to erase all public trails."
Madden stood, and Ford instinctively stepped back. The air in the room chilled, Ford straightened slightly as if awaiting orders before war.
"Call Alvin,right now." Madden spike icily. This trash is not as minimal as he thought it was...seems like Italy is a real deal.
Alvin appeared on the screen immediately, and Ford bowed dramatically while handling the tablet to Madden
"Send someone to the villa. Discreetly. I want eyes inside. No mistakes." Madden spoke immediately, ignoring all sort of formality.
"Hello boss..." Alvin greeted quickly. "Yes boss." He nodded and added immediately, to Madden's order.
Madden rolled his eyes inwardly.
"And Alvin…" Madden's voice dipped low, calm yet terrifying. "If you can't make progress, someone else will. Make sure that doesn't become a necessity."
"Yes, sir."
Madden glanced at Ford slowly. "You talked to me about a picture that Alvin sent to you,what about it?"
" My desk sir,be right back."
As Ford rushed out, the cold quiet returned. Alvin remained, still watching.
"Speak." Madden said without looking,he was back on the screen.
"There's another pattern, Boss. Smaller... it's about the picture.We found four European diplomats who received anonymous packages...each containing the same logo embossed into the paper."
Ford came in instantly, breathing heavily like he ran a marathon race.
He handed over a photo.
A serpent twisted around a dagger... Elegant... Clean... Deadly.
Madden stared at it for a long time, then finally spoke.
"Keep watching. And get me everything on those diplomats."
Alvin nodded. "Yes, Boss."
Soon the call ended and none one said a word.
Ford found the clue and used that opportunity to leave the office quietly.
The doors shut.
Madden stood up from his chair and walked,he turned slowly, facing the massive floor to ceiling windows.
Clare's skyline bled into the horizon. Somewhere in that chaos, an empire was hiding from him...he knows... he's sure.
But not for so long.
Not for long.
He walked back to his seat and started coding, typing, searching...for a single thing tho.
Serpent twisted around a dagger.
And he found something...many things...many organizations with that particular logo but they're not elegant as the one in this picture.
He searched again,not giving up at all.
His hand hovered over the hidden compartment beneath his desk. The screen finally flickered once...and a single name appeared; Umbra Protocol.
He smiled.
But It didn't reach his eyes.