CHAPTER 188: THE LIFE OF GEORGIA DOYLE

As her convoy came to a halt in front of the villa, Eleanor turned to Livia. "Stay in the car," she said, before stepping out and heading inside.

She went straight to Freya’s room, where Ethan and Freya were playing together as usual. When the door opened, both of them looked up.

"Mummy, you’re too late. Daddy and I had afternoon snacks without you," Freya said as she ran towards her and hugged.

"Sorry, sweetie. I had a lot of work at the office," Eleanor replied.

Then, looking at Ethan, she said, "Ethan, a friend of mine’s in some sort of trouble. I need to head to Middlesbrough immediately. Please stay with Freya. I might be late."

Ethan’s expression turned serious. "Do you need help?"

"No," Eleanor said firmly. "It’s nothing major. And I’ll be taking the full security team with me."

"All right," he nodded. "But call me if anything happens."

"I will."

Turning to Freya, Eleanor added, "Be a good girl and finish your homework for tomorrow. Daddy will help you, okay?"

"Okay, Mummy. But who’s in trouble? Aunt Teresa? Or Aunt Livia?"

"Her name is Georgia. You don’t know her. Don’t worry... I’ll be back soon."

She left the room, closing the door gently behind her, and returned to her car. Her shadow team was already waiting beside the vehicle.

"Ma’am," said Sebastian, "Isadora said we’re rescuing a woman. Why do we need the money, then?"

"There might be a fight," Eleanor replied. "The area has a record of serious crime... frequent violence, anti-social behaviour. A gang fight is possible. If it comes to that, the police may side with the locals. We’ll need to contain the situation at the station. We can use force, but I’d prefer to solve things with money."

She turned to Isadora. "Divide the cash into ten boxes... one hundred thousand in each."

Isadora moved to the rear of Eleanor’s car and began sorting the money. The other guards helped her, except Sebastian, who stayed back.

"What’s the plan, Ma’am?" he asked.

Eleanor answered, "The location is less than ten minutes walk from Cleveland Police South Bank station. We’ll park the vehicles outside the station and establish it as a temporary base. With cash and arms as leverage, I expect their full cooperation. I already have the full profile of the officers on duty... it should be manageable."

She paused, then continued, "You and your team will not enter the station. You’ll go directly to the location and confirm the status of the captive. Once you secure her, you will stay in position until the security team arrives. Once they’ve taken over the perimeter, you will extract the captive. Hopefully, our presence will intimidate them enough to avoid violence. But if they fight, you’re authorised to use non-lethal force. No fatalities. No injuries to our team or the captive... understood?"

Sebastian nodded. "Understood. But once the team goes for the extraction, won’t you be alone at the station?"

"Don’t worry. Isadora will be with me. Besides, they’ll be too busy counting money to think about anything else," Eleanor replied with a slight curl of her lips.

By then, the other shadow team members had finished sorting the money and returned.

"Isadora, take two boxes with you. We’ll need them later," Eleanor instructed.

"Yes, Ma’am." Isadora collected the boxes from the boot.

"Let’s move. Sebastian, activate the relay device. I want all traces of this mission wiped."

"Yes, Ma’am," he said, heading to his own car.

Soon, nine black Range Rovers rolled out, headed for South Bank, Middlesbrough, in the county of Cleveland.

Inside the vehicle, Livia had overheard most of the conversation. The driver had kept his window down to listen in, and Livia was left stunned. She hadn’t been told exactly what was happening to Georgia, but now she could guess... it was serious. Eleanor wasn’t just planning a rescue... she was preparing for war, even going so far as to dismiss the role of the police entirely.

How had Georgia ended up in a situation like this? Livia couldn’t comprehend it. She’d always thought Eleanor was wealthy and successful... but this level of power, the military precision, the armed escort... it was all deeply unfamiliar. Alien, even.

And yet, she felt grateful. If a confrontation was truly necessary to save Georgia, then none of her other contacts could have done anything. She felt fortunate that Eleanor had been her classmate... and that she’d answered her call for help. Still, beneath that gratitude, there was a gnawing sense of fear. Eleanor now seemed distant... one of her own, but dangerous. Like a force of nature. It was a strange mix of awe and dread that Livia couldn’t quite define.

Lost in her thoughts, she was startled when Eleanor spoke again.

"I didn’t know much about Georgia, to be honest. She was in our class, yes... but she always kept her distance. Quiet. Timid. I barely ever spoke to her. Do you know what’s happened to her to end up like this?"

Livia snapped out of her reverie and began to recount what she knew of Georgia’s life since school... everything she could remember.

Their convoy sped past Rochdale, Huddersfield, Leeds, Harrogate, and into Hambleton, approaching the grim heart of North Yorkshire.

***

Georgia’s family came from the Hartlepool port town area. Her father had worked at the Evonik Chemicals factory in Manchester, which was why her family had been living there and why she had attended school with Eleanor. Her education had been funded by council support, as their household income had fallen below the qualifying threshold.

She had always felt inferior to others due to her family’s financial struggles. That insecurity had made her timid and withdrawn, avoiding conversations with her classmates. The same self-doubt had also affected her studies; she struggled in her class exams and rarely stood out academically.

Her father passed away while she was still in secondary school. At the time, she would often cry in the school bathroom in secret. It was Livia who supported her through that difficult period. They had become close then... bonded by their shared hardships, as Livia’s family wasn’t much better off. Though Eleanor had been in the same school and friends with Livia, she had remained unaware of any of this.

After her father’s death, Georgia’s mother started working, allowing her daughter to continue her education in Manchester through continued council support. However, Georgia didn’t pursue A-levels after her GCSEs. She needed to start working early to support her family, so she enrolled in BTEC courses.

Upon completing her BTEC diploma in IT, Georgia and her mother moved back to Hartlepool, settling in her late father’s ancestral home. There, she took a job at a local firm in the port area as an IT support technician.

It was there she met a colleague from the electrical division. They fell in love and got married. Her husband, originally from Middlesbrough, moved into Georgia’s home. They had a son, who is now enrolled in boarding school. Given that their area wasn’t ideal for raising a child, they decided to send him away for better care and education.

Two years ago, Georgia’s mother passed away after a prolonged illness. During that time, she had frequently phoned Livia... who had also known her mother, and they’d spoken often.

Everything changed a few months ago. Georgia’s husband died suddenly in a workplace accident. His company, thankfully, had been decent and provided a compensation payout that exceeded government regulations. Still, losing both her husband and her family’s main income source had thrown Georgia into disarray.

Around that time, she had reached out to Livia again. They’d spoken about her situation... her fears for the future, especially her son’s schooling, which was becoming increasingly expensive. Georgia had even considered selling her house to continue affording the boarding school fees. At one point, she mentioned the idea of moving back to Manchester.

That was the last time they’d spoken in any depth.

For nearly a week, Georgia didn’t call. Livia had assumed she was simply overwhelmed or busy. But everything changed when she received Georgia’s desperate call for help.

***

It took the convoy nearly two hours to reach the corner of Normanby Road and Hampden Street, where the Cleveland Police South Bank Station stood. It was a two-storey red-and-white building with a blue-painted gate.

What stood out most were the security cameras above the gate, each encased in protective iron cages... a sight Eleanor had never seen in other areas of the kingdom. It was a clear sign of the area’s high crime rate. Even the police here feared being robbed.

Isadora stepped out first, pushing open the glass front door. She held it for Eleanor and Livia, who followed. Behind them, the security team filed in one by one... each clad in black uniform, armed with Heckler & Koch MP5s.

A young female constable at the reception desk straightened instinctively, her eyes going wide at the sight of the armed guards. Before she could press the alarm or even speak, one of Eleanor’s guards aimed his weapon at her head and said, in a slow, deliberate tone:

"Hands up. Make no sound. Do not move. You know what’s good for you."

She froze in place, paralysed with shock. It took her several seconds to fully grasp what was happening. When she finally raised her hands, her eyes darted to the other officers... only to see each one of them already held at gunpoint.

The security team operated like clockwork. In under a minute, they had taken full control of the entire front desk and surrounding area.

Isadora moved ahead of Eleanor, knowing precisely where to go. Eleanor followed without a word. Livia, nearly trembling with anxiety, instinctively kept close behind them.

They walked in silence down the stark corridor. The fluorescent lights above buzzed faintly. Room doors passed by on either side: Interview Room 3, Evidence Storage, Holding 2...

Isadora stopped before a door marked: INSPECTOR G. REYNOLDS.

Without knocking, she pushed it open and held it for Eleanor to enter.

Inside, Inspector Reynolds looked up from behind a desk cluttered with paperwork. His gaze narrowed instantly at the intrusion. The office was a mess of open folders, crime maps riddled with pins and red string, and a flickering desktop monitor nearly buried under Post-it notes.

Eleanor walked in calmly, like she owned the room. She pulled out the chair across from the inspector, sat down with graceful composure, and crossed her legs. She smoothed the lapel of her coat and met his gaze directly.

"Could you have someone bring me a cup of coffee?" she asked, voice cool and level. "I came straight from work. I need one badly. Oh! Please make it black. No sugar."