Hollywood Zenith

A few days earlier, after the meeting with Ludivine. David introduced the new team to Samuel. It was a standard five-person team, with each having a distinct role.

" I know what you are thinking. Why should you need a new team? right?"

" Yes, it seems unnecessary with you being here." Samuel said.

" That is the problem. As the leader responsible for whole family's security, I am not able to accompany you everywhere. It was Oscar's job but now that we know he is king's son, we can say goodbye to that idea."

" Seriously, King's son? So, these are his replacement?"

" Better, they are the best team under the family. Usually they are responsible for 'extracurricular' activities but Uncle Robert decided to assign them for your protection."

" Is that some kind of code for nefarious activities?"

" You will learn about it in due time. You should grow up a little before we discuss our whole operation."

" That makes me even more curious. Just don't tell me we are some kind of organized crime family."

" We are not! But it's concerning that you know what that is at this age. I may have to report it to Lady Laura."

" Don't! They will cut off the internet if you mention it. They have been getting more and more strict lately, don't tell me it was because of you!"

" I am married to my job. Thus, I will not comment on it further."

" I just saw what you are married to inside! Wait till Uncle Oscar hears about it. I am sure he would be delighted to see his friend settle down."

" Lord, Your humble servant made a mistake! I am willing to do anything please don't share it with that punk. He will surely torture me with it till the day of my death!"

While Samuel and David were goofing around, the five-person team was waiting for their turn to greet their new boss.

Steve, the group leader, who had been with the family for the longest, was surprised to see this side of David; he had never seen David smile before. The 'Demon Sargent; was joking around in front of him; if their enemies were to know this event, they would formally renounce him as an imposter.

" Let me introduce you to the members of ' Night Owl' . Steve is the leader, ex-SAS and has worked with MI6 in the past. He has over ten years of experience and was dubbed as a prodigy when he first entered the service at sixteen years of age. He has been working with us for a couple of years now."

" Sir, Thank you for the praise. I will try to live up to your expectation!" Steve shouted. You could see a glint of respect for David in his eyes.

" Jane, good with information and computers. Steve recruited her, you can ask about her later."

Jane just nodded and didn't mention anything. Looking at her, no one could have predicted her to be responsible for nerdy stuff; she looked like a fine woman who would probably be interested in a fashion magazine.

" Ze, responsible for your transport. He could drive anything and could handle a firefight a perfect blend for your driver."

" That's a odd name." Samuel said.

" My real name is too complicated for people, so I tend to use this as a substitute." He was a dark-skinned fellow with a thick accent.

" I see. Still tell me, I could try try to remember it." Samuel asked, he was not afraid of forgetting because of his powerful memory.

" Wait! I know you are smart but I don't think that is a good idea." Steve warned me, but it happened too fast.

" Ovuvuevuevue Enyetuenwuevue Ugbemugbem Osas " *

" Pardon?"

" Ovuvuevuevue Enyetuenwuevue Ugbemugbem Osas, It's an african name. "

" I think I will stick to the Ze." It was the first time Samuel's memory bank was defeated, which shocked him. He definitely had to consult Apollo for answers.

" I expected that." Ze was undisturbed; it was not the first time this had happened to him.

" Alright moving on, this is Chin second in command. Ex- Navy SEAL who has worked with Steve in the past."

" It is great to meet you." Unlike Steve, who had military background written all over his face, Chin didn't look like special forces. He had a bright personality which contradicted his experience.

" Same. I hope we get along in future."

" Lastly, Drac. He would look at logistic side of things. Even inside the family, he is known for his peculiar mode of operation. You will find out in the future."

" Really Danny? Why does my introduction seems so negative?"

" Because you are crazy! Who the hell plants a full side plush toy in his boss's house for kicks? I was half guessing for the next few days because I thought my home was compromised."

" That was a joke. I knew that your birthday was coming up so I decided to give you a early present."

" Sami, stay clear from this fellow. He will be a bad influence on you for sure."

" Now, you are directly bad-mouthing me infront of the kid."

" Well, you kind of deserve it." Steve supported David's statement. Drac also messed with the team.

" It's nice to meet you." Samuel was unfazed by it. Every team member was unique in their own way.

" I know you must be thinking about them being young but it was done intentionally, you need to build up sufficient trust over many years to trust each other. They would be powerful asset in the future." David whispered to Samuel.

Samuel didn't know then, but every empire needs its soldiers. And this was only a start. As he grew his influence, he would create his own powerful army in the future.

-------------------------------------------------------------

[Present time]

During the call with Larry, Abigail and Alastair were surprised that Samuel knew the company's founder. Alastair, in particular, felt sorry for the other party.

" Don't look at me like that. I did what had to be done. Beside, it is a great investment for the future." Samuel defended himself.

Others didn't know it yet, but AmericanRed, an investment management company, would become globally influential. Amassing a wealth that could not be imagined by even several countries.

They were only responsible for around two hundred billion dollars of assets. They had a market value of approximately three billion, but they will go on to manage several trillion worth of support in the future.

Some people called them the company controlling the world, but it was often dismissed as a conspiracy theory. But no one could deny their strength who often lend their hands to governments and large conglomerates for a moderate 'price'.

But unfortunately for them, they would have to compete hard to gain that prestigious position with Samuel on their way. He had several years to prepare for upcoming opportunities, and he had already taken the first step in the right direction.

" I know we needed that software but you could have went a different way. They must be terrified probably sounding the alarm for a hostile takeover." Abigail said.

" Tell me about it, my people have been getting non-stop inquiries about the client. You could have mentioned it to me before I made the move." Alastair said.

" Alright, Alright. I am sorry, I will discuss the whole plan in the future, I promise. But we have better things to do. How was the reaction to the leak?" Samuel changed the subject.

" It was phenomenal. We already have people lining up to give us money." Abigail informed.

" Nice work. I hope you didn't disclose everything."

" No, some simple charts and few of our position before and after the crash. But knowledgeable eye could guess our profit and our starting capital. We went moderate and just put in about five hundred percent increase but the real value lies somewhere between a thousand and twelve hundred percent."

" Any problem because of it?"

" Yeah, someone tried to leak your identity but most of the people dismissed it as a hoax. I mean I too will do the same if someone told me that a kid is the real boss of this company."

" But there were few people who wanted to confirm that if Rothschild consortium was managing the funds. I also have few inquiries about that. I denied them of course." Alastair, as the company's legal team, was responsible for it.

" Hmm, How are the arrangements? The new recruits?" Samuel asked Abigail.

" I don't know. You have to ask them yourself. As instructed I am only responsible for this company." She responded.

" I forgot. It is time for a general meeting with all my managers.

" I don't think that is a good idea. It's only been a few days, it's impossible for them to get any substantial work done."

" I know but I have yet to introduce them to one another. I want all of my companies to work closely together toward a better future."

" Better future? I still remember your proclamation to rule the world." Alastair remarked.

" Yeah, more it was more like world domination." Abigail supported that hypothesis.

" Come on, you make me sound like a supervillain."

It made them laugh. It was fun for them to tease Samuel because only at that moment he behaved like a kid of his age.