" Brother, what's so important that you dragged me out of the library!" Donald said frustratingly. He was at a crossroads in his latest book. It was barely morning, but his wife, Patricia, came to fetch him, stating something about an important family meeting.
" I am sorry. I will explain everything but I am waiting for others to arrive." Kenneth said with a serious expression which let Donald know he was not playing around this time.
Right on cue few more people entered the room, Oscar along with his wife Karoline, Daniel the head of security for the Rothschild family, along with Ludivine, his wife who handled the headhunter agency from where Samuel hired Abigail and Margaret, who was leading a vital guest with her.
" I welcome everyone, especially you, Elizabeth; I am glad you can make it." Kenneth gave her more importance for oblivious reasons. After all, she was the Queen of England and his sister-in-law.
" Ho, calling this old woman so early in the morning you still haven't changed brother in law." The Queen was surprised to receive his call yesterday, it's been decades since they met, and now he was calling her to visit his home personally? He must have been very desperate if he was asking for her help because she knew how he used to behave in the past.
The younger generation might not realize how intense the family feud was when Margaret, the oldest princess, suddenly married Kenneth. It was unheard of then, and the person who lived through those times knew how sour the relationship between the two families became after that incident.
She saw Laura and Robert giving her a salute; their marriage was similar too. Maybe it ran in the family, upsetting influential integrity and marrying the daughter of your rivals? She suddenly thought about Samuel and what he would do when presented with such a choice.
" Sister, just sit down and don't make it difficult for my husband!" Margaret lamented.
" Look at your age! Are you ashamed to do that infront of your own childrens?" The Queen reprimanded her older sister. Her basic etiquette was nonexistent living with these people.
" No thank you, they know how much I love him." She walked toward Kenneth and gave him a light hug before sitting down.
" ahahaha" few awkward laughs left the younger generation's mouths. It was not a scene where they could witness the infighting between the most powerful sisters on the planet. Patricia looked proud; as the oldest present here, she had basically raised her since she came into this house.
" Umhmm, now that everyone arrived, please take your seats so the meeting can begin." Kenneth interjected, and the upbeat mood turned back to serious, just like his expression.
" Before that, can I ask them to stay? They will make a ruckus I leave their sight. Don't worry they are trustworthy." Elizabeth pointed at two men standing outside the gate. She didn't reveal their identity, but from their look, one could tell they were for her security.
Both were with the Royal family since they were little kids. Even their parents were loyal supporters of the monarchy, so she trusted them with her life.
" Very well." After getting Kenneth's approval, a few refreshments were served, and every attendant left except for the guest and their companions, along with Rothschild's family members.
" It seems like Samuel made contact with them." Kenneth emphasized the 'them' part.
Every elder's eyes became sharp instantly; they realized why Kenneth went as far as to invite Queen Elizabeth for a meeting.
" Are you sure father? I mean they had been lurking in the shadows for decades now!" Robert asked.
" The kid is right, this is not simple matter if they were intercepted by Sami of all people." Donald exclaimed. Others nodded, agreeing with his statement, it was bad enough they resurfaced, but it involved Samuel too? That couldn't be a coincidence!
" Do you have any proof? We don't even know their names, how can you be so sure?" Elizabeth asked. The monarchy didn't hold any tangible power now, but they had been wrestling with this unknown enemy for centuries!
" This was recovered from one what I believe one of their hideouts, I don't know if they got careless or it was on purpose but it is an undeniable proof of their resurfacing!" Kenneth showed them the ledger that Samuel's team recovered from their raid.
It showed the same crown surrounded by six dots; it was an intricate pattern and only a handful of signs about their existence. He passed the ledger to the Queen to inspect; she carefully observed it briefly before sighing heavily.
" This is a real deal. They have used many different symbols throughout history but in recent century this one had been more prolific." She elaborated.
When she arrived, she didn't know the meeting would involve them; ever since she first took reign, many unexplained incidents directly involved this mysterious force, and even after decades of finding the truth, she could never get to the bottom of this shadowy organization!
" Umm, can anyone explain what it's about?" Karoline raised an important question. Oscar knew a few bits and pieces of information, but people like Karoline, Ludivine, and Laura were totally clueless.
" This symbol represents something ominous. Throughout history there are several mentions of a powerful hidden force and whenever they appeared a great calamity followed after it. It might be days, week or even tens of years from now but it always relates to great shift of world power." Elizabeth gave a lengthy explanation that didn't make any sense.
" It was something my grandfather told me after the incident with my mother. It might have been the work of a third party that were trying to seize control over our Hanson family through Eric. I didn't believe it at first but after Eric was found dead seemingly out of nowhere, I too begin to have doubts. He briefly told me about this organization." Oscar took this opportunity to present his conjecture.
It was a baseless rumor, but somehow it made sense; they might not know who they were, but their method was obvious. They acted from shadows, never revealing themself, and any person connected to them could be cut off anytime if their shadowy veil was threatened!
" What we know for sure that they are not one entity. There are six powerful families under them and from studying all the evidence I have gathered, each one of them are responsible for individual continents. And above them is this crown! It's like a intricate web that is too tangled for an outside person but the spider at the centre knows all the pieces and their weaknesses." Kenneth said.
It was a shocking revelation for most of them; how could such a force exist today? And how were they managing to hide from significant points in the world? Even Rothschild, the most powerful family in the world, didn't even know their name?
" I know it is hard to believe, but I have seen it with my own eyes. There are many documents pertaining to their existence in the Royal Library." Margaret tried to calm them down. Knowing there had been an unknown enemy all along could be discouraging, but now was not the time for it!
" She is right, there are few confidential letters from James I from the House of Stuart to them. No names were mentioned but I am fairly sure it was a correspondence between them. Back then their symbol was different, six doves encircling a giant eagle but the theme is the same throughout the history." The Queen added after her sister.
" James I, Wait! That means this organization has been in operation since middle ages?" Daniel exclaimed. More than five hundred years? That's longer than the Rothschild family's lineage!
" Now, you know the severity of the situation. They have hidden themselves very well, but now we have to know what they are up to, seeing that it concerns little Sami." Robert sighed. He hoped they would get some sort of breakthrough by collectively investigating them.
He also considered adding the Morgan Family in the loop; the more, the merrier, but they had to be discreet. It would all be for naught if their enemy got wind of it!
" I will explain how exactly Samuel got mixed with them...so..." Kenneth explained everything to them. What had transpired in LA in a few days and his fight against the local gang. After his explanation, everyone started brainstorming for viable options.
The Queen gave her full support as it also implicated the Royal family. The meeting lasted two hours; it was already noon, so everyone had lunch at the Rothschild estate. The conclusion of the meeting was a mess; they all decided to pour some resources into finding any clues on their own first.
They also agreed Samuel didn't need to be informed about it right now, he was enjoying his new adult life, and they didn't want to burden him with these heavy responsibilities. They agreed to strengthen his security while the investigation continued.
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After the Queen reached the Palace, she went inside to inform her information network about the meeting. The guards that were with her also dispersed to do their usual chores. One of them took a detour and went to a secluded place.
He fiddled with his belt buckle to retrieve a small transmission device. It was a strange appliance league ahead of anything available on the planet; after moving his fingers over it, forming a specific pattern, her put it in his ear.
" Hello, it was about time you called." The voice over the phone said mischievously. It sounded a little childish, which gave away his age.
" My lord, it went exactly like you predicted."
" Oh"
" They don't know anything except the existence of subordinate families."
" Any names mentioned during the meeting?"
" None my lord."
" Good work."
Unbeknownst to Rothschild and the Royal family, the enemy was already on their home turf gathering intel. It was not a full-blown leak, but they already knew about their upcoming movements, which was why the organization would become dormant again till their inevitable rise in a few years!
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