Chapter 397: Ex- DGSE
Dia’s expression changed the moment she saw Chloe standing near the staircase.
"Chloe, dear. What a surprise."
Chloe’s face immediately brightened.
"Aunt Dia!"
She hurried downstairs, clearly forgetting everyone else in the room for a moment.
"I was literally talking about you with Lissy a few minutes ago."
Dia laughed.
"That girl is finally ready to visit me tonight."
Chloe stopped in front of her.
"She remembered?"
"Apparently after forgetting first."
Chloe covered her mouth and laughed.
"That sounds exactly like her."
Timothy watched the exchange with obvious surprise.
Monica looked equally confused.
Miles, meanwhile, sat comfortably at the corner of the couch with a growing grin on his face.
The coincidence was becoming far more entertaining than he had expected.
Timothy finally asked,
"Seems like you two are acquainted."
Chloe turned toward him.
"Yes, Grandpa."
She pointed toward Dia.
"She is my friend Alice’s aunt."
Timothy immediately remembered the name.
"Alice?"
He looked toward Miles.
"Your business partner friend?"
Chloe nodded.
"Yes, her."
Dia looked at Chloe curiously.
"But what are you doing here?"
Chloe blinked.
Dia continued.
"I knew you were in Star Harbor, but I didn’t know you were acquainted with the Sterling family."
Miles’ grin widened.
"Aren’t you good at guessing, Miss Mason?"
Dia turned toward him.
"Hmm?"
Miles stood from the couch.
"Let me introduce you properly."
He gestured toward Chloe.
"Meet Chloe Sterling."
Then proudly,
"My wife."
Dia froze.
Her eyes immediately moved toward Chloe.
"Your wife?"
Chloe smiled shyly.
"Yes, Aunt."
Dia stared at her for another second before suddenly laughing.
"You lucky girl."
Chloe’s cheeks became slightly pink.
Dia shook her head.
"If I had known, I would have brought you a wedding gift."
Miles immediately leaned forward.
"Really?"
Chloe turned toward him.
"Hey."
She lightly slapped his arm.
"Don’t tease her."
Miles laughed.
"What?"
Then he looked at Dia.
"This is funny."
He shook his head.
"Only a few minutes ago I was suspicious of you."
Dia raised an eyebrow.
"And now?"
"Now you turn out to be Grandpa’s old acquaintance and Alice’s aunt."
Dia smiled.
"Star Harbor isn’t as large as people think."
Miles nodded.
"Apparently."
Dia looked toward Chloe again.
"So how did you two meet?"
She looked at Miles.
"Chloe hasn’t even been in Star Harbor for that long."
Miles smiled.
"We go way back."
"How far?"
"Paris."
Dia looked surprised.
"So you grew up in Paris?"
Miles paused.
"That..."
Chloe immediately smiled, already knowing what was coming.
Miles continued.
"...is another family secret, Aunt Dia."
Dia stared at him.
Then laughed.
"You Sterlings have too many secrets."
Timothy quietly murmured,
"Tell me about it."
Monica almost laughed.
Chloe looked toward Dia.
"He is also an investor in our company."
Dia’s expression changed again.
"Him?"
Chloe nodded.
"He’s the reason we shifted our business here."
Understanding finally appeared on Dia’s face.
"Oh."
She looked toward Miles.
"So you are the secret investor."
Miles gave a small nod.
Dia smiled.
"Then I have to thank you."
Miles immediately asked,
"For bringing Alice here?"
Dia laughed.
"Exactly."
Miles folded his arms.
"I heard she hasn’t visited you even once."
Dia’s eyes narrowed.
"That girl has been avoiding me."
Chloe tried defending her friend.
"She has been busy."
"Busy?"
Dia didn’t look convinced.
"I might force her to stay with."
Miles smiled.
"Good luck."
Dia continued.
"I heard this mysterious investor is also arranging her accommodation."
Miles nodded.
"Yes."
"Then perhaps I’ll help you empty one apartment."
She smiled mischievously.
"I can ask Kate to live with me too."
Miles immediately shook his head.
"Believe me."
"What?"
"Those girls are very high spirited."
Dia raised an eyebrow.
"They might feel like they’ve lost their freedom."
Dia stared at him.
"Are you saying I’m that old?"
Miles immediately raised both hands.
"No."
Chloe laughed.
Miles continued carefully.
"I would never say that."
Then, very naturally,
"You’re about my mom’s age."
Dia stared at him for a second.
Then chuckled.
"Well, well."
She looked around.
"Where is your mother?"
Monica answered.
"She’s in the kitchen."
Then another voice came from behind them.
"Not anymore."
Everyone turned.
Elena walked into the living room, wiping her hands with a kitchen towel.
"We have a guest?"
She looked at Miles accusingly.
"Why didn’t anyone call me earlier?"
Miles immediately smiled.
"Aunt Dia, meet my mom."
Then he looked at Elena.
"Mom, this is Aunt Dia."
He pointed toward Timothy.
"Grandpa’s friend’s daughter."
Then toward Chloe.
"And Alice’s aunt."
Elena’s eyes widened.
"Really?"
She walked closer immediately.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Dia."
Dia stood.
"Please, call me Dia."
She smiled.
"I knew Edward."
Elena stopped.
Dia continued.
"We played together as children."
Elena’s expression softened instantly.
"You knew Edward?"
"Yes."
For a moment the two women simply looked at each other.
Then Elena smiled warmly.
"In that case, we should become friends too."
Miles quietly looked toward Timothy.
Timothy smiled.
Elena continued without hesitation.
"You have to stay for lunch."
Dia immediately raised a hand.
"Oh, that won’t be necessary."
Miles sighed.
"Aunt."
Dia looked toward him.
"I strongly suggest you surrender."
Elena looked offended.
"Miles."
He ignored her.
"She won’t let you leave without feeding you at least three courses."
Dia laughed.
Miles continued.
"And it’s already lunch time."
He pointed toward the kitchen.
"You’ll regret leaving without trying her food."
Dia took a slow breath.
Then smiled.
"I can actually smell it from here."
Timothy nodded.
"You should stay."
Chloe immediately joined.
"Please, Aunt Dia."
Dia looked around at everyone.
Then finally gave in.
"I would love to."
Elena smiled triumphantly.
"Good."
Miles looked toward Dia.
"I warned you."
Before Dia could respond, the peaceful atmosphere was suddenly interrupted.
"Big brooo!"
Miles turned.
Asher’s voice echoed through the hallway.
"Catch her!"
Hope came running into the living room first, laughing loudly.
Asher followed several steps behind, desperately trying to catch her.
"Stop!"
"No!"
"You cheated!"
"I didn’t!"
The twins rushed straight past the adults.
Dia watched them in surprise.
Miles sighed.
"There goes the peace."
Chloe laughed.
...
Evening.
By the time the sun disappeared behind Star Harbor’s skyline, the peaceful Sunday atmosphere had given way to something entirely different.
Miles rode his motorcycle through the city.
The wind pressed against his jacket as he moved through traffic, heading directly toward Sterling Security Base.
WEB had not stopped moving simply because it was Sunday.
The moment Miles entered the underground facility, the atmosphere told him something had happened.
Several operators were already gathered around the central screens.
Charles stood near the large digital map.
Miles removed his gloves as he entered the war room.
"What do we have?"
Charles immediately turned.
"Boss."
He pointed toward one of the screens.
"This came from Horizon Biotech’s Monaco office."
A map appeared.
Several moving markers were highlighted.
Charles continued.
"A unit of twenty five trained and heavily armed WEB operatives is currently moving through the city."
Miles frowned.
"Twenty five?"
"Yes."
Miles walked closer.
"What are they doing in Monaco?"
Charles changed the screen.
A file appeared.
"Last year, the Prince personally approved a contract with Horizon Biotech."
Miles scanned the document.
"For what?"
"Marine life research along the coast."
Miles looked confused.
Charles continued.
"It happened after rumors began spreading about gold deposits discovered beneath the sea."
Miles slowly looked toward him.
"Damn."
His expression became serious.
"Where is the unit going?"
Charles zoomed into the map.
"We don’t have enough surveillance coverage there."
He pointed toward a route.
"But based on their movement..."
He paused.
"They appear to be heading toward the Prince’s residence."
Miles’ eyes immediately sharpened.
"Can we use our people?"
Charles shook his head.
"Unfortunately, no."
Miles frowned.
"We only have three agents in Monaco."
"Combat capable?"
"No."
Charles shook his head.
"They are observation personnel."
He explained.
"We placed agents like them near Horizon Biotech facilities around the world after we realized the scale of the network."
Miles sighed.
"So we have eyes."
"But no hands."
"Exactly."
Miles looked toward the moving unit.
Twenty five armed WEB operatives.
He knew enough about them to understand what that meant.
These weren’t random hired thugs.
They would be trained.
Organized.
Prepared.
"Is the Prince at the residence?"
Charles nodded.
"Yes."
Miles’ expression darkened.
"We need to alert him."
Charles sighed.
"We don’t have a direct channel."
Miles became silent.
His eyes remained fixed on the screen.
Monaco.
The Prince.
France.
Then suddenly...
"Wait."
Miles pulled out his phone.
He searched through his contacts.
Then dialed.
The call rang only twice.
A familiar elderly voice answered.
"Hey, grandson in law."
Miles closed his eyes briefly.
Louis sounded unusually cheerful.
"Did you upset my granddaughter?"
Miles almost sighed.
"Is that why you’re calling me?"
"Grandpa Louis."
Something in Miles’ tone immediately changed Louis’ mood.
The old man’s voice became serious.
"What happened?"
"We have a very serious situation."
"Speak."
Louis didn’t ask unnecessary questions.
Miles immediately said,
"Do you have direct contact with the Prince of Monaco?"
Silence.
Then,
"Him?"
Louis sounded surprised.
"Yes."
Miles waited.
Louis continued.
"Monaco’s defence still depends heavily on France."
His tone became thoughtful.
"I met him several times."
Then he casually added,
"We’ve played golf together."
Miles looked toward Charles.
Charles raised an eyebrow.
Miles immediately returned to the call.
"Good."
Louis sensed the urgency.
"What’s wrong?"
Miles looked toward the moving markers.
"A group of twenty five heavily armed and trained assassins is heading toward his residence."
Louis became completely silent.
Then his voice turned cold.
"What?"
Miles continued.
"They are already moving."
Louis asked immediately,
"You mean someone is planning to assassinate him?"
Miles shook his head.
"No."
"Then what?"
Miles’ gaze hardened.
"He’ll become a puppet Prince if we don’t stop this."
Louis understood.
His voice became considerably colder.
"Who is behind it?"
"I’ll explain everything later."
Miles checked the clock.
"But right now I need to know if there’s a way to get him and his family out."
Louis thought for only a moment.
"Yes."
Miles straightened.
"I own a private safe house nearby."
Charles looked toward him.
Louis continued.
"And there are several former DGSE personnel stationed in the region."
"How many?"
"Enough for extraction."
Miles immediately asked,
"Do you trust them?"
Louis didn’t hesitate.
"With my life."
That was enough.
Miles nodded.
"Then please contact the Prince."
His voice became urgent.
"Prepare an extraction."
He looked at the estimated route on the screen.
"You have less than thirty minutes."
Louis responded calmly.
"Leave it to me."
The call ended.
Miles slowly lowered the phone.
Charles stared at him.
"Boss."
Miles looked over.
"Mr. Louis is..."
"Ex-DGSE."
Charles blinked.
"He was in French intelligence?"
Miles slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"Yes."
Charles thought for a second.
Then suddenly understood.
"How did you even meet someone like that?"
Miles looked at him.
"How do you think I met Chloe?"
Charles paused.
Then nodded.
"Makes sense."
Miles looked back toward the Monaco map.
His expression became thoughtful.
"Why do you think the Prince specifically contracted Horizon Biotech?"
Charles immediately understood the direction of the question.
"The marine research?"
"Yes."
Charles crossed his arms.
"Classic move."
Miles looked at him.
"Create an opportunity."
Charles finished,
"And grab it before anyone else realizes the opportunity was manufactured."
Miles nodded.
"The gold rumor."
Charles’ expression darkened.
Miles continued.
"They probably spread it themselves."
"Create public interest."
"Offer scientific research."
"Gain government permission."
"Establish a legitimate facility."
"And slowly place their people inside."
Charles nodded.
"It fits the pattern."
Miles stared at the map.
The more they investigated, the clearer Bjorn’s strategy became.
The WEB wasn’t invading countries.
It was being invited into them.
Research.
Business.
Medicine.
Investment.
Development.
Each doorway looked legitimate.
Until one day the people behind those doors controlled the building.
Miles turned toward Charles.
"What about the other smaller countries?"
Charles’ expression became grim.
"I’m afraid we’re looking at this too late."
Miles frowned.
"How late?"
"We don’t even have a reliable number of compromised regions yet."
Charles changed the display.
Several countries appeared highlighted.
Some were confirmed.
Some suspected.
Others remained under observation.
"We’re still collecting information."
Miles studied the screen.
Charles continued.
"Taking control of a smaller country is much easier than compromising a superpower."
"Less bureaucracy."
"Smaller intelligence structures."
"Fewer people in the decision chain."
"Sometimes controlling only a handful of individuals is enough."
Miles remained silent.
Charles pointed toward several highlighted countries.
"If these nations eventually form some kind of alliance..."
His voice became more serious.
"They could become far more influential than anyone expects."
Miles narrowed his eyes.
"Enough to rival superpowers?"
"Under the right conditions..."
Charles nodded.
"Possibly."
He pointed toward Monaco.
"And Monaco is especially valuable."
Miles understood immediately.
"A tax haven."
"Exactly."
Charles continued.
"If citizenship, residence, shell companies, private banking, and investment networks begin flowing through a WEB controlled system..."
He shook his head.
"Liquid capital will move like water."
Miles stared at the display.
Money.
Politics.
International institutions.
Small nations.
Horizon Biotech.
It was becoming far too complicated for tactical thinking alone.
He could plan operations.
He could eliminate targets.
He could dismantle organizations.
But this was different.
Countries were not enemy compounds.
Governments were not battlefields where a rifle solved the problem.
Miles finally spoke.
"We need a geopolitics strategist."
Charles nodded immediately.
"I was thinking the same."
Miles looked toward him.
"One isn’t enough."
Charles agreed.
"We need an entire team."
He pointed toward the highlighted map.
"Economics."
"International relations."
"Regional politics."
"Trade."
"Banking."
"Security treaties."
"Government structure."
"We need people who can look at every move the WEB makes and understand why it matters."
Miles slowly nodded.
Charles continued.
"This is crucial."
"If we don’t understand the strategic value of these locations..."
He looked toward the Monaco marker.
"...we’ll always be one step behind."
Miles remained silent for a moment.
Then his expression changed.
Decision made.
"Contact Monica."
Charles nodded.
"General Wilfred."
Another nod.
"Commander Ray."
"Understood."
Miles stared at the world map.
Then added,
"And most importantly..."
Charles waited.
"Contact the Krause family."
Charles looked slightly surprised.
"Krause?"
Miles nodded.
"They’ve spent generations dealing with people who operate between governments, business, and the underworld."
His eyes remained fixed on Monaco.
"If the WEB is turning geopolitics into a battlefield..."
A faint, cold smile appeared on his face.
"...then we need people who understand the battlefield."
Charles immediately turned toward the communication station.
"On it, Boss."
" You can head home now"
"I will till the extraction"