At six in the morning, Darnell was awakened by the noise outside the window.
He had returned late from Areli’s place last night, so he slept in a bit today. He shook his head, glanced at his phone, and lazily got out of bed.
While brushing his teeth, he looked out the window. In his view, there were over a dozen men and women squatting on the square, surrounded by more than ten security guards.
“What are they up to so early in the morning?”
Darnell quickly tidied himself up, grabbed a carrot to munch on, and headed downstairs. He soon arrived at the square.
Before he could ask anything, Garrett ran over excitedly. “Boss, you’re up! Tia is really amazing.”
“She managed to identify thirteen people involved in drug use and theft overnight, even more efficiently than Noemi.”
Garrett pointed to the group of people ahead. “We’ve already called the police. They’ll be here soon to take them away.”
A hint of approval appeared on Darnell’s face. “Seems like that monthly salary of ten thousand is well worth it.”
Garrett replied earnestly, “She’s better than me.”
“You’re not bad either.”
Darnell patted Garrett’s shoulder and then changed the subject. “By the way, how’s Sophia? Did she ask you to go to the Tale Whale bookstore?”
Garrett’s cheeks flushed slightly at the mention of Sophia. He nodded. “She did. We’ve arranged a time and decided to have the police patrol the bookstore more often.”
“And during my vacation break, I’ll take some brothers to search with her. I’ve also reminded her not to go to the bookstore alone.”
Darnell nodded. “Reminding her isn’t enough. You need to keep in regular contact with her. Women are emotional, and she might decide to go alone one day.”
Garrett chuckled, “Okay, I’ll stay in touch with her more often.”
As they spoke, three police cars arrived. After a brief inquiry and examination of confiscated items and statements, they quickly took away those involved.
The surrounding tenants and villagers applauded the Brigade of Light. No one wanted addicts or criminals living nearby.
Some even offered their breakfast to the security guards who had worked through the night, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
“Mr. Halford!”
At this moment, Tia approached, holding a stack of documents. “Good morning.”
“Tia, good morning.”
Darnell looked at the cold yet beautiful Tia, his smile softening slightly. “Garrett said you got rid of several threats in one night.”
“Not only are Noemi and Leroy pleased, but the tenants feel much safer too. Seems like you’re becoming the guardian goddess of Woodsea.”
“Had breakfast yet? Want me to take you for breakfast on my motorcycle?”
Recalling what happened between them on the motorcycle, Tia rolled her eyes at Darnell, completely ignoring his teasing. Instead, she slapped a stack of documents against his chest.
“Here’s what you asked for. Everything about that shirt is inside. It’s from PipeDream Boutique at Summertime Mall-$800, limited edition, and already sold out.”
She rattled off the details in one breath. “PipeDream Boutique has thirteen branches in Whiteville with a hundred and thirty saleswomen in total-all from Baycliff.”
“But the person in charge is a man-a washed-up descendant of the Germyn family named Quentin. This man is greedy, lecherous, and reckless.”
Darnell was stunned momentarily. Quentin? Was the guy who got his foot blown up by his firecrackers?
“Rumor has it his idol is a high-ranking military officer in Baycliff, who is notorious for advocating militarism,” Tia continued, her intel thorough. “So he always mingles with radical factions in Baycliff and openly glorifies militarism.”
“His antics have caused endless trouble for his family, stunting their growth. That’s why his family dumped him in Whiteville.”
“On paper, it’s for his own good. In reality, they’re leaving him to rot.”
“Quentin might be a hotheaded spoiled brat, but he’s no slouch in a fight. He won last year’s Baycliff Youth Karate Championship.”
“If his family hadn’t exiled him, he’d have been recruiting disciples back in Baycliff by now.”
Darnell nodded. “Got it.”
He quickly processed the key details-Quentin was a radical with ties to Toby’s group.
With Toby’s team operating in unfamiliar territory and Roberto hospitalized, they’d likely leaned on Quentin for support-even using PipeDream Boutique to plant bugs.
But hearing Quentin was a karate champion made Darnell smirk. No matter how skilled he was at karate, he was no match for his firecracker ambush.
Before Darnell could ask Tia to dig deeper, she dropped another bombshell.
“Quentin lives in Meadowbrook Estate, Southmoor. The warehouse of PipeDream Boutique is in Northmoor, serving as a distribution and refurbishing hub. Quentin likes recycling old clothes to resell.”
“His is notorious in Whiteville. He even got three women pregnant and abandoned them.”
“But without direct evidence and with the Germyn family’s influence, he’s stayed untouchable.”
“Recently, he’s had some guests over, whose background remained unknown. They’re holed up in Meadowbrook Estate, barely ever leaving.”
Tia added one last detail, “Oh, and one more thing, Quentin got into a car crash last night. He broke his left arm.”
Darnell’s jaw dropped. Then he grinned and gave a thumbs-up. “Good job, TIa!”
He only asked Tia to trace Areli’s shirt’s origins, but she’d unearthed a goldmine-not just exposing Quentin’s dirty laundry but even tracking Toby’s crew. Her intel-gathering skills were next-level.
His excitement for Phoenix Squad’s future grew. Even Garrett was surprised, staring at Tia in admiration.
“Anything else?” Tia’s expression remained icy as if Darnell’s praise meant nothing. “If not, I’m going back to work.”
“As for Luis and his wife’s personal information as well as the kidnappers’ background, I’ll try to wrap it all up tonight so you can talk to Mrs. Egerton properly.”
“Okay.”
Darnell exhaled, smiling at the proud woman before him. “Tia, with you around, my life’s a whole lot easier.”
Tia cut straight to the point. “Save the flattery. Just give me a raise.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. Or I can just offer myself to you.”
“Oh, and once Luis’s thing is done, help Garrett find Sophia’s brother,” Darnell chuckled.
“Tsk, I don’t want you!” Tia huffed, then turned to Garrett, saying, “Garrett, Phoenix Squad will do our best to help you.”
Garrett beamed. “Thanks, Tia!”
Tia gave a curt nod and strode back to the office.
Two minutes later, she stepped into Phoenix Squad’s office and shut the door. Alone in the empty room, Tia suddenly jumped for joy, her cold demeanor melting into pure glee.
“Yes!”
She bounced like a little girl who’d just been praised. She was happy that Darnell thought highly of her!
Ding!
At the same time, Darnell’s phone rang. He put on his earpiece. Jefferson’s voice came through.
“Boss, Mrs. Egerton wants to see you.”
Darnell replied calmly, “When?”
“Now.”