C400 Love, Lies And Betrayal

The four vehicles left Willy's estate and sped toward Lucia Goods, their engines roaring as the men inside prepared for the attack. At Lucia Goods, however, everyone was worried about their Director. An early meeting had been called. Leon and Adam stood at the front of the room, hand in hand, facing the employees. Leon looked around before speaking. “Colleagues, we all saw the news yesterday, and I am sure we now understand what the Director meant when she said they would disappear.” The room remained silent. “However, please do not let this spread outside the company. What we must remain within Lucia Goods.”

Adam continued. “The coaches will come to train us as they usually do, and now is the right time for us to be fully prepared for whatever is coming.” He looked around at everyone. “The Director is training far away, and so should we. We need to become strong enough to give her the support she needs when she returns.” Adam paused. “As you know, guns have been stored in your lockers. The Vice Director gave me permission to allow everyone to take their weapons home if necessary for their safety.” Everyone nodded. They understood what it meant. The Director was gone. The company had been left behind. And now it was their responsibility to protect Lucia Goods.

Just as the employees began leaving the meeting, several loud gunshots suddenly echoed outside. Bang! Bang! Bang! Everyone froze. Leon immediately shouted. “Everyone! Get your weapons! We are under attack!” The employees rushed toward the locker rooms. Adam and Leon looked at each other. Leon asked quickly, “Should we alert the police?” Adam hesitated. “What about the weapons?” He froze for a moment before remembering something. “No. The police came that day. They registered all our weapons.” He immediately pulled out his phone. “Call them.” Leon quickly alerted the police.

Inside the locker rooms, everyone grabbed their weapons. The atmosphere had completely changed. Only minutes earlier, they had been ordinary employees sitting in a meeting. Now they were armed. Colen walked toward the front of the group while Adam and Leon were still outside. He looked around. Everyone was nervous. Some were gripping their weapons tightly. Others were looking toward the doors, unsure of what was waiting outside. Colen took a deep breath. “Guys…” Everyone looked at him. “Here comes our first real task.” He paused. “All the things we have learned must be applied now.” His voice became stronger. “We dedicated our lives to protecting Director Mooney and Lucia Goods.” He looked around. “Our love for the big family we have built here should be proven today.”

He raised his weapon. “We will defend Lucia Goods!” Everyone shouted together. “For Lucia Goods!” Colen nodded. “We have four groups.” He pointed toward the different teams. “Ravens, you will take the front.” He looked toward another group. “Highlanders, take the left side.” Then he pointed to the right. “Wolves, take the right side.” Finally, he looked toward the remaining group. “Falcons, you will take the front with the Ravens.” Everyone immediately moved into position. When Adam and Leon finally entered the locker area, they heard Colen giving the final instructions. The two exchanged a smile. There was no time for talking. They quickly went to retrieve their own weapons.

Outside, the security guards were already firing back. But the attackers were heavily armed. The guards were quickly overpowered. One guard was shot in the head and fell to the ground. Two others ran for cover. The attackers continued advancing. The black vehicles finally entered the gate. But the moment they reached the headquarters, the main doors suddenly opened. The Ravens and Falcons emerged together. They immediately began firing while taking cover behind walls, vehicles and other objects. The employees had trained before, but this was their first real fight. Their lack of experience quickly became obvious. Many bullets flew wildly through the air, missing their targets completely.

Brian frowned. He had expected Lucia Goods to be an easy target. Instead, he was shocked to see dozens of armed people coming toward them. “Everyone, be on alert!” He quickly ducked behind a vehicle. “They all have weapons!” Before Brian could say anything else, he looked toward the left side of the headquarters. Another group emerged. Bullets began flying. It was the Highlanders. Brian's expression became serious. He looked behind him at the number of men he had brought. Only twelve. He looked toward the right. Another armed group appeared. The Wolves. Brian's eyes widened. They were surrounded. “Retreat!” He shouted. “Everyone, fall back!” The Harris men immediately began retreating. They rushed toward their vehicles and climbed inside. The engines roared.

Within moments, the four black vehicles sped away from Lucia Goods. The employees stood there in disbelief. Then someone shouted, “They ran!” Cheers erupted. Everyone began celebrating. “We did it!” “They ran away!” “We defended Lucia Goods!” People hugged each other. Some were laughing. Others were shouting in excitement. But then their eyes turned toward the security guards. One of the guards was lying motionless on the ground. Two others were injured. The celebration quickly became quieter. “We need to get them to the hospital.” Two employees immediately rushed forward. The injured guards were placed into a vehicle and transported to the hospital.

Not long afterward, the police arrived. By then, Lucia Goods looked surprisingly quiet. The blood stains had been cleaned. The employees had returned to their positions. The weapons had been secured. Adam and Leon walked toward the police officers. “Sorry, officers,” Adam said. “It was a false alarm.” The police officers froze. “A false alarm?” One of them looked around. “Then why am I seeing bullet shells on the floor?” Adam quickly shook his head. “Officers, Lucia Goods has a registered security training facility. This kind of activity is normal here.” The officer looked suspicious. “We apologise for wasting your time.” Adam paused. “This company is owned by Mark Mooney. If you have any questions, please speak to him. He will answer everything you need.”

The officers exchanged glances. Eventually, they nodded. “Fine.” They turned around and left. Adam and Leon watched them disappear. Only then did they relax. Inside the company, everyone was still excited. “I finally did something for the Director!” “Guys, we did it!” “We protected Lucia Goods!” Hugs were everywhere. Employees who had barely spoken to each other before were suddenly celebrating together. Adam and Leon entered the room. “Everyone did well today.” The room became quiet. Adam continued. “As per the Director's orders, everyone who participated today will receive their bonus.” Cheers erupted again. Adam smiled. “And the morning work is cancelled.” Everyone became excited. “You will all have two hours to recover. After lunch, work will begin again.” Everyone nodded.

Instead of resting, many of them rushed back toward the training hall. They wanted to train again. Adam and Leon glanced at each other. They smiled. Then Leon pulled out his phone. “Colen.” A few moments later, Colen walked over. “Director. Vice Director.” Leon shook his head. “Forget the formalities.” He smiled. “You did very well today. I will inform the Director about your strategic planning.” Colen smiled. “I did what I could at the time. The whole team did it, sir.” Adam laughed. “Fine, fine. Go and take your break as well.” Colen nodded. “Yes, sir.” He turned and left. Adam and Leon watched him go. They realised something. Lucia Goods was no longer just a company. It had become a family willing to fight for one another.

At the Gupta family residence, Samson was furious. He stormed toward the third family's residence. “Victor!” Victor was sitting with his father, Miller, having a conversation when Samson suddenly entered. “How could you do that?” Victor looked up. “Brother, what is it?” Samson clenched his fists. “You lied to me!” Victor frowned. “How?” “How could you take them to our military base? They are strangers!” Miller and Victor exchanged glances. Samson continued. “You betrayed me.” Victor slowly stood. “Brother, that military base hasn't been used for some time. So why is it a problem that I am training my granddaughter there?” He paused. “Have you forgotten that the Gold and Diamond belong to her?” Victor's expression became serious. “There are many wolves aiming for it. I am simply making sure she is prepared.”

Samson shook his head angrily. "This is unfair. Even hannah was never allowed to train there, but you just allowed strangers to use that facility." “This is not over.” He turned and stormed out. Miller watched him leave. Then he looked at Victor. “Son, you know your older brother does not take defeats lightly.” Victor nodded. “You have to warn your granddaughter.” Victor smiled. “Don't worry, Father. Hammer is ensuring her safety.” Miller nodded. “I hope you're right.” At Ben's club, Ben was happily attending to his customers when he glanced toward the entrance. He froze. Two familiar faces had just walked inside. Antonio. And Steve. The two men walked directly toward him. Ben's expression changed. Antonio smiled. “So you really were rich back then.” Ben looked at them. “Cut to the chase.” He narrowed his eyes. “I know you two were Jack's friends back then. He sent you to beat me up.”

Steve laughed. “So you should also know why we are here.” Antonio stepped closer. “You sold out our friend.” His voice became colder. “And he was killed because of you.” Ben remained silent. “After everything we did for you,” Antonio continued, “did Mr. Weatherby tell you how he signed the property rights over for only $100,000?” Ben froze. His mind immediately went back to the past. He remembered Jack telling him everything had been settled. At the time, Ben hadn't questioned it. He also remembered Mr. Weatherby arriving at his home after being beaten. Now everything suddenly made sense. Jack had sent these two men to beat him. Antonio smiled when he saw the realisation on Ben's face. “We all worked hard for that property.” He pointed around the club. “So we deserve a share.”

Ben's expression hardened. Antonio continued. “From today, we will drink here for free.” Steve smiled. “And if you have a problem with that…” Antonio leaned closer. “You can report us to the police.” He paused. “And when we get there, we will tell them the truth.” Ben stared at them. Antonio smiled. “We will tell the police exactly how you sent us to beat Mr. Weatherby.” The smile disappeared from Ben's face. He realised that his past was beginning to catch up with him.