A Smile for You
Chapter 4
The longer Millia investigated Antonia's Adobe, the further it made her stomach curl.
She admitted that her rare impulsiveness surprised herself once again. First, a director at a government agency and now a woman looking to adopt two children she had met yesterday. Millia had been in high spirits until she accessed her work terminal to perform a background check on the group home. The puzzle that she was piecing together was an uglier picture than she could have imagine.
At the start of its inception, Annie's Adobe was an orphanage built in a small community after the Crusades ended in 2175. The Stannards, Antonia being a former nurse and Nathan being a city guard were set on raising less fortunate children in a loving environment. The Adobe sheltered dozens of children providing hope and happiness to future generations. The raving reviews from past newspaper titles dated the countless deeds of the Stannard couple. A myriad of photos with a photogenic Antonia were like bookmarks for the orphanage's history. Millia even recognized the overly charming owner from yesterday that captured him when he still had disheveled brown hair and knew what a smile was.
The positive coverage of Antonia's exploits unfortunately diminished five years prior to Millia's research. The matriarch of lost children passed away from an untimely heart failure. A battle she secretly fought which resulted in leaving the group home in the hands of her spouse, Nathan. Immediately after taking ownership, however, reports of decline in adoption rates and sudden inflation staggered the Adobe's ability to turn a profit. Following the former outstanding achievements of the Adobe were replaced with infamous controversy. Numerous cases of disappearing children that were last seen from the orphanage ran the headlines for a time.
Several years of missing children photos allowed Millia to spot a pattern. An example would be a week that advertised a match meeting for potential families to adopt a child. The following week, a select few adoptions fell through because the intended child would disappear. Parents were unable to request a refund considering the owner claimed that they needed the money to search for the missing child. A search would be conducted yet coverage would be slowed to a crawl. Once it had completely subsided, the cycle would repeat with a new match meeting.
Millia barely needed to rely on her background to spot the fabrication of it all. A part of her wished she lacked the observational aptitude to notice the near perfect cover to operate an in-house child trafficking ring. Millia was thankful for never having to stoop so low as to sell humans for profit, much less children. Trading lives for revenue meant that the owner falling on hard times was evident. That he even put Lily and Bartholomew's lives as nothing but a way to make profit made Millia's eyes darken with contempt.
The entire discovery was showing its difficulty of handling the matter. While it was the appropriate chance to incriminate the orphanage, she was concerned with how Stannard would respond. If Millia alerted the agency today, then a task force would have to be debriefed. She could expediate the force's deployment by tomorrow, but the timing would be too late. Stannard could have sold his latest batch of children including Lily and Barty and that would sully Millia's own motivations. On the other hand, Millia could arrive by herself and rescue the children before the established parent-orphan meeting. The downside was that she lacked enough evidence to accuse Stannard. Baseless hunches would not benefit anything leaving Millia to only take the two siblings. The morality of leaving the other children to their miserable fate would be too much to bear.
At the same time, a meeting at the orphanage was scheduled today later in the evening meaning there was little time for dithering.
She took a moment to lean back and rub her index finger at the corner of her forehead. One lock of her golden hair noisily tapping the desk like a finger as Millia mulled over the choices. She knew she wanted both outcomes to flourish, saving the children and being with Lily and Bartholomew were her priorities. Picking between the two was creating an unwanted headache. Millia looked at the newspaper headline with Antonia and Nathan's picture with happier smiles in the printed ink wondering how things transformed to their recent state.
It was not until her eyes reached the caption of the photograph that caused Millia to perk up. Rafael Jenkins; Photographer and Editor-in-Chief. Millia scrolled past the same headlines of Antonia's Adobe and noticed the same caption with the same name under each picture. The last picture that he had been taken was of the building for the orphanage's current match meeting.
Millia eyes bolstered with resolve once more. She was treating Stannard as a person rather than a target. And the best way to eliminate any target is to attack their source or lower their defenses. A quick check on this Rafael Jenkins showed that he was still editor-in-chief at the paper, unmarried and lived in a different section of the city. Millia also dug up a condemning felony charge that was ultimately dropped due to lack of evidence. Looking into the court transcripts and who had led the investigation, Millia knew that she had the ammo that she needed.
Bringing her *personal magic-based telecom to her ear, Millia was grateful for her perseverance. She finally had everything she needed to save the children and the two siblings in one swell swoop.
The dark grey townhouse from yesterday appeared more dilapidated on a second glance. The evening sky and pleasant company of the two children blocked Millia's perception of the current state of Antonia's Adobe. The bricks on the home cracked and shifted while several windows on the second floor were caked with soot. Millia wondered about the decline of the building for a moment longer before pressing the doorbell.
Millia was far from nervous yet felt uneasy. On her ride over, she factored in Lily and Bartholomew's presence a tad second too late for her liking. Stannard could easily use them for leverage if he caught on to her ploy. Millia could think of a few half measures to distract them if they were present, but it was ideal if they were absent. While running over more potential possibilities, the door creaked open with the ever presentably Nathan Stannard in the same attire that he sported yesterday. Yet somehow possessed an entirely different smell.
"You again? I ain't got no missing kids this time 'round so you can piss off," Stannard begrudgingly greeted with.
"Good afternoon to you as well, Mr. Stannard." Stannard's look was unimpressed as he looked back inside as if his house was threatening to up and leave. To keep the orphanage owner from closing the door, Millia prompted, "I do not mean to be a bother. I saw your advert and thought of attending your recent match making. I understand that I am well beyond schedule, but I had a few questions that required some expertise." Millia finished her fabrication while showing Stannard a printed copy of the flyer with the Adobe's picture.
To his credit, Millia found that Stannard was shrewder than he appeared. A sloppy, detestable man of course yet his pale gray eyes attempted to pry into her true motives. Millia kept her gaze even to contrast the disdainful look. Revealing her revulsion would end the mission before completing her purpose. Patience was key.
"Meet's at seven," Stannard countered.
"And my questions will take no less than twenty minutes. Perhaps even a chance to conduct an early adoption with added on fees to help advance procedures along."
The current stare down was postponed when Stannard looked at Millia to consider her offer. He returned the look with a wide toothy grin, obviously declaring his made-up mind.
"I'm sure we can figure something out. Come in."
Much to Millia's surprise, the interior of Antonia's Adobe was less reprehensible than the outside. A spacious foyer floored with white marble tile with a winding staircase that led to the second floor stood in front of the doorway. Passed the foyer was an equally larger living room with a sizable kitchen filling a corner closest to the foyer. The kitchen was stocked with standard appliances and a marble counter with stools to accommodate for sitting. Opposite to the kitchen was the rest of the living room complete with a round wooden table, two small leather couches and a fair size tv.
Adjacent to the kitchen led towards a hallway with a faint daylight stretching to the living room. Passing the kitchen, Millia noticed a door leading to the outside with a screen. What was of higher interest was a door on the right just before the backdoor. Millia theorized that the door led to a closet area or to a basement. The notion of a basement holding children while the surface remained oblivious caused Millia's throat to clench before Nathan called to her.
"Last time I checked, you ain't here for no tour." Stannard grabbed a leftover green checkered shirt from one of the stools and motion for Millia to follow. "Office is this way."
Stannard's cluttered office was a moderate size of space able to fit a desk, chair, bookcase, and another chair to face towards the desk. The office room consisted of no windows and only one entrance. Stannard hurried to his seat while buttoning the rest of his dress shirt while Millia wiped the wooden chair's surface before taking her seat. She did happen to noticed the owner fiddling with something in his desk drawer that drew his attention away from their imminent talk.
Millia came with the opener first. "The building's interior is rather exceptional. The pictures in the paper do not emphasize its wonderful decor."
Stannard sat back in the chair and gave her a short look. "We get by. The Adobe is a long-time joint that has to keep up appearances. Can't have folks come to some tacky spot."
"I am pleased to hear you think so." Stannard made a noise that allowed Millia to continue. "May I ask where the children are?"
"Field trip."
Millia watched Stannard's eyes carefully. If it was a lie, they would have looked away to avoid her stare. Stannard's gaze on the other hand was unmoving.
"A field trip before a meeting today?"
"Yeah, ta loosen them up. Kids get nervous when change is coming, especially with adoption. My wife always made it a priority to make sure the kids were comfortable before they left. If they left."
"The timing seems a bit… strange."
"Oh sure. Would you prefer I take em after getting turned down by these picky assholes? 'Sorry, little Jim. Maybe the next wanker will come through and pick you up in the next coming months. How bout a trip the museum to take the load off?'"
Millia could see that being coy with this man was a lost cause.
"You have a point. Then what about the children I was with?"
"You mean the two hellions that you caught yesterday? In their rooms and locked up for the rest of the day. That stunt they pulled really ticked me off. Running off like that."
"A fair amount of discipline is key to a child's upbringing after all."
"You call it discipline but I assure you, I'd rather slap some sense into em. Kids' are too damn soft nowadays. My old man use to kick me in the arse even when I stepped wrong. Eventually, I stepped out."
In a surprise, Stannard laughed like a withering hyena. A sound that boasted victory yet was hollow with regret. Millia let him finish his sniggering before speaking up.
"I am sure they will see the error in their actions by the time the match meeting arrives. Although," Millia reached into her coat and produced a small white envelope, "I do not think they will be making it."
Stannard eyed the envelope and began to lean forward before he saw Millia slowly place the envelope in her lap. Millia continued to plainly look at him before he got the memo.
"Little tikes really got you wrapped around their finger after one meeting, huh? I guess a person like you believes in that destiny bullshit."
"Hardly. There are only facts and benefitting from others in this life. Everything else is collateral towards the outcome."
"Well, I'll be damned. We got something in common." Millia did not bother to stop herself from rolling her eyes to the unwanted comparison. "Right then. Adoption fees for them two are normally twenty thousand with an additional five thousand added on because of the younger brother. A bird like yourself is trying to bypass the application fee and background screening. I'd normally conduct one weeks before the meeting but that don't matter now. Why don't we skip the legal bit and call it fifty thousand?"
Millia was starting to find Stannard increasingly irritating the longer he was present. He always moved to emphasize his words. He was leaning back after declaring his offer that only a desperate fool would bite at. Millia figured that it was time to start the true negotiations.
"How about we say two hundred thousand and the rest of your children in this home when they return from their trip?"
The office's time lingered between the two. Stannard's eyes widen while Millia's settled in determination. However, it was only seconds until Stannard started bellowing out a laugh. This was all within Millia's prediction on how the conversation was going to transpire, of course. The counteroffer was too ridiculous to even be considered funny. She doubted that Stannard would see the humor of it all if Millia succeeded.
"Your type is so unbelievable," Stannard finished as he wiped a tear from his right eye.
"My type, Mr. Stannard?"
"Yeah, duh. You think I have me head up my ass? Madam Director of the Post War Administration Bureau. You federal agency types love your secrets despite working for the people. Ha!"
Millia choose to stay quiet. She did, however, silently curse herself for not taking into the account of Stannard knowing about her position. The average individual rarely investigated who the latest head of a government agency, let alone when leadership was changed. Despite being blinded side, there was no need to rush. Millia reminded herself that she had to strike at the right moment to ensure that everyone could be brought out of this unscathed.
"Alright, Madam. I'll take you on that steal of a deal! I got like thirty-two, thirty-three kids here. Rates for them little bastards are twenty thousand a pop. So, you're looking at six hundred, sixty thousand in the hole. Not to mention the legal fees of about two thousand to add to the whole shebang boosting it to…" Stannard was quick to punch in the math in a nearby calculator before giving the new total. "One million, three-hundred thousand World Dollars. That's a lot of dough to be slinging around, Director. You make like what, one hundred seventy thousand a year. You just started the bloody gig so it's not like you have that type of money lying around, yeah?"
Millia was stoic with her response and kept her voice even. "No. But I assure you that I have plenty."
Stannard made a show of throwing out his hands and leaning back in his chair. "Christ, lady. You come in here trying to strong arm me out my kids and for what? You trying to stroke that pretty little ego of yours? Or you running some type of op on me? Think I'm using them for something deplorable?" He made sure to lean forward with a harder glare than before to try to unsettle Millia.
Be steady, Millia commanded as her hands clenched each other in her lap.
"My position as director has little importance to the state of your children or this visit. I am proposing a deal to take the children off your hands and place them in capable hands."
"Like some sort of bailout?"
"Yes. While it maybe true that I recently accepted my current role, I have enough funds to negotiate with you." Millia slightly crinkled the envelope in her lap as if to bait a famished dog. "I have also done my fair share of research. You are in a disadvantageous position of keeping the orphanage afloat. There are less match meetings spread throughout the months with some of your children either running away or growing too old for adoption. Think of this as an opportunity to leave it behind."
"How smart of ya to look into our affairs. Did you dig up my background too, you preppy twit?"
"Only natural that I did."
"Then you know I did quite a stint as an officer. Even made detective for the last twenty-three years of my service. Quite good at it too."
"And very excellent at drawing out the point."
That got the balding owner to smirk before slowly reaching into his top drawer. Millia figured that if the jab was hurtful enough to resort to violence that he would reach for a weapon faster. Instead, her eyes concentrated on a small device with a series of buttons on it. A remote to control time coupled with a small orange screen with numbers on the display. The display read eleven minutes and thirty-two seconds; approximately the length of their talk.
"Point is I know a load when I see it, Director. You have accusations that you're waiting to throw around. This show of coming down here to speak with me is a set up. You and I both know it. I don't know what the hell made you want to look into me, but I don't like being probed." Stannard tapped the recording and zeroed in Millia's eyes like a hawk. "I splice together this conversation that we had here to set that little seat at your office on fire. I can make it sound convincing with you trying to bribe me and all."
Millia for a moment lost her cool as her eyebrow twitch. "Bribe?"
Stannard, in an unsuspecting show of technological wit, took the device in his hand and began replaying broke segments of their talks. He tapped between the play, pause and fast forward buttons to bastardize Millia's words.
How about we say two hundred thousand… I assure you that I have enough… I am proposing a deal… Think of this as an opportunity to leave it behind.
"Twenty-three years on that gig. I'd say I learn a thing or two."
Stannard looked please as he placed the recorder back into the dresser and leaned back while the echoing of Millia's recorded voice hung in the air. Millia herself could do nothing but ferment in her anger as she turned her wavering gaze to the edge of Stannard's desk. Had she missed time her window? The entire purpose of ambushing Stannard was to save everyone in this hellish orphanage. Unfortunately, he was sending Millia reeling with physical evidence on his side.
A passing thought of splitting his throat in a quick move came and went. It was not that Millia was above the idea but rather that she had spent so long to remove herself from that dreaded lifestyle. Most importantly, how would that reflect on her conscious when it came to taking care of the two siblings? Her guilt would consume her and effect their relationship before it could begin. Millia had to hold on to hope. For them, at least.
"Tell you what." Stannard started after scratching his chin. "I don't say a word on your little bribing of my kiddies to your agency. I keep my kids, you walk away and hell, I'll throw in those two little shits to give you something nice outta this transaction. All you do is pay a one-time fee."
Millia refused to turn her eyes to Stannard and waited for him to give the dagger a twist.
"Ten million World Dollars. Wired to a private account of mine."
She felt herself getting dizzy at the number. At most Millia expected close to two or three million. She did her best to recover as Stannard continued his haughty extortion.
"Now, I'm a sensible sort. We set it up for payments for you and your new family. You keep paying me off and I keep my mouth shut. Sounds like a banger of a deal, huh?" Stannard laughed the same withering hyena laugh and leaned back in his chair. Evidently claiming victory from this battle of wits before he added, "Oh yeah. Don't even use that ditzy head of yours to phone the police. You make a move with the authorities, and I got a source ready to air out your dirty laundry, Ms. Director."
Millia's eyes finally rose from the desk's edge. The window had finally shown itself.
"This source of yours… have you been working with them for a long time? Extorting people like this?"
Stannard loudly blew out of his mouth before responding. "You call it extorting but I call it self-defense. But whatever. Let's say he's paying up on some favors as well."
She could not help but smile. A thin line curved across her dainty lips as a devilishly smile appeared on her face.
"Rafael Jenkins."
"… W-what?"
"Photographer and Editor-in-Chief for The Illyrian Corner."
Stannard grinned at the title, but Millia saw the bead of sweat tickle on his face. "What's a bloody journalist have to do with this?"
Millia crossed her legs before continuing. "Mr. Jenkins is the head editor for The Corner until his resignation planned two weeks from now. His address is 776 Lincoln Blvd near the Galleria District. He has always been the photographer for Antonia's Adobe and harbors a lingering secret."
Millia eyed Stannard and witnessed the small panic in his eyes. She was glad that she had hit the mark dead on.
"A statutory rape of a minor that was involved at this orphanage. Rafael was an upcomer in the journalism field and this charge would have buried him. Yet somehow the evidence on the charges were lost leading to the felony to be dismissed. Since the timeline matches, you would have also been on the force at this time. Very bold of you to tamper with evidence like that, Nathan."
Now it was Stannard's turn to stare at the corner of his desk. He swallowed a lump of spit and said, "That's a load, damnit. I don't know what you're going on about. You got nothing."
"I do have something." Millia reached into on of her outside coat pockets and placed a small piece of paper on the desk. Stannard took one look at it and Millia knew that he recognized Jenkins personal line.
"As you can imagine, I spoke with Jenkins before my visit with you. He was also quite upset about my accusations until I brought up your dirty hands in the investigation. I then threaten to expose his past life to the public to take the two of you down in one swoop. He tried to play indifferent until I bought his ex-wife and daughter to mind. The affects that it would have on their lives, especially his aspiring electrical engineer daughter entering college. His accomplishments, connections and any hope of a future ultimately crushed because of your involvement. He was finally kind enough to send a number of photos and spreadsheets of the underage sex trafficking operation that you two lead. I'm sure you can piece together that my evidence is sitting peacefully back in my office, detective."
The orphanage owner was slippery with sweat from his head to his underarms. His mouth worked as it open and closed rapidly as he tried to say anything to Millia's reveal. He kept failing and trying until finally something came out.
"You, bitch!" Stannard shot up and slammed both hands on the desk knocking some items on the floor. "You utter bitch! I won't stand for this nonsense any longer. I'll get me a lawyer and you can piss right off! You goddamn cun- "
Stannard was blind to a large force slamming and cracking his desk like it was glass. He reeled backwards shaken by the sudden impact until he looked at his former desk to see a large golden fist. He followed the fist to the opposite of him to see the fist to have conjured itself from Millia's own hair. What he also saw was a look devoid of all emotion except for pure anger. Stannard witnessed the coldest stare he had encountered since his time as an officer. A look that froze the fire in his throat.
With the fist shoving the broken furniture to the side, Millia stood up to approach Stannard. Stannard could only cower in his chair as Millia stood over him with her fearsome scorn.
"Give it up, damn you. There is no escaping this situation, you disgusting insect. What you and that scum have been doing here has nauseated me to no end. I come to you not with a deal, but an ultimatum." Without breaking eye contact of the cowering Stannard, Millia tossed the white envelope onto his lap.
"In there is an address to take any children that you have to a P.W.A.B facility. You are to bring them to the center and turn yourself in for kidnapping and child endangerment. Pay the fine as well as giving up the ownership of the building to the orphanage to the city. Have yourself and the orphans at that facility no later than nine pm tonight. If you are so much as a second off, then I release the evidence that Jenkins sent to me to put you both away on sex trafficking charges. Twenty years and with my pull as director, hopefully life."
Stannard stammered as he looked at the ground as if searching for the answer in the clutter. "I-I-I-I'm sure we can – "
Millia did not bother with the rest of his pleading. She bought her face closer to Stannard, pupils as big as marbles with her furrowed brow. "No longer up for debate. You have until nine," Millia finished as she aggressively slid the desk between themselves before leaving for the doorway.
Stannard put up his arms to block his face before noticing Millia leaving and decided to call out tp her in a hushed tone.
"What about the two you came here for? You want me to take them too?"
Millia paused at the door frame and dusted off some left-over dust from the altercation without turning to face the owner. "They come with me."
As Millia began making her way to the foyer, she heard the former orphanage owner fall to his knees out of his chair. In the now quite office, she was able to make out Stannard sobbing his wives name in place of his pending downfall.
Thankfully, locating Lily and Bartholomew's room was the easiest step of her plan. They were on the right of the long hallway at the third door down. She could tell that it was their room because their names were placed on the doors. Lily opted for a piece of paper that was painted with letters of her name in different colors while Bartholomew opted for newspaper clippings to spell Barty. Millia found it endearing that both of their characters could be summed up to something as simple as title cards. Regardless, she knocked on the black wooden door and waited.
The door creaked opened, and Millia recognized the top of Lily's wavy yellow hair. She spoke to the floor at first. "Mr. Stannard are you alright? We heard a loud noise and hope you weren't breaking stuff because of us."
"No, it's alright, dear. I was handling something in the office before I came here."
Lily's eyebrows lowered in confusion until she finally raised her head. Her eyes brighten with cheerful surprise at Millia's appearance. "The pretty lady from yesterday!"
Millia gave a thin smile as Lily pushed the door further open. Bartholomew came to her side immediately with the same wide eyes unable to believe the sight.
"What are you doing here, Ms. Millia?" Lily questioned with Bartholomew looking for an answer as well.
At the end of the day, with her exhausting endeavor behind her, it was worth it to be with the sister and brother again. Millia felt that she had made the right decision to fulfill her recklessness. Millia showed a tired but glittering grin to the awaiting siblings and extended her palm facing upwards towards them.
"How would you both like to be a part of my family?"
Apologies for the disappearance. I have been trying to keep myself on a month-by-month schedule to release the story. On a side note, I am using the timeline found in GG world if you guys have Strive. I didn't want you all to think I was pulling dates out of my butt.
*portable blue colored signal – Guilty Gear does not technically have phones per say. They have these signal things that they can bring up with two fingers. I was trying to reference that here but I'm not sure if it's the right term. If anyone has the correct information, please let me know. Otherwise, thank you for keeping up with the story.
Edit: A special thank you to Bone Box for the correction on the use of phones!