Chapter 79 - Director Halia Feng

After Halia agreed to the mission, Sean led her out of the office to give her a briefing.

"I know you've been through a lot, Halia. Let's find a quiet place to talk," he said thoughtfully.

Halia glanced at the prim and proper man in front of her. As usual, his hair was neatly styled and he was wearing a suit. Halia had only ever seen him during work situations, so she had never seen him in anything but a suit, but she knew underneath it all, there was a rough and passionate side to him. She had experienced it first hand. Halia quickly shook her head to brush away the awkward memory from the lab. She still didn't know what happened that day, but she was hoping Sean would forget about it.

Halia followed Sean quietly as he led her to the SPU gym. He then walked into one of the private training rooms. There were some gym mats on the floor as well as weights, skipping ropes and other exercise equipment along the wall.

Sean sat down on the floor and gestured for Halia to sit opposite him.

"Halia, this is a case we've been following for many years. It's regarding money laundering," Sean explained as he opened up a file of doc.u.ments and spread them out on the floor.

"As you know, gambling is illegal in China, but one of the best ways to launder money is through casinos. So, it's very common for criminals to travel to Macau, the Philippines and even Australia to launder their money at one of their casinos. It's an ongoing problem that may never be truly eliminated."

"The Chinese government has tried multiple methods to prevent this from happening, including limiting the amount of money people can take out of the country and limiting how much money they can withdraw overseas. However, that hasn't prevented people from finding other methods."

"This is where you come in. There is a charity ball happening this week in Hong Kong and big names from China, Hong Kong and Macau are invited. This is a feeding ground for junket operators that lure high rollers to particular casinos for a commission. Junket operators are legitimate businesses, but some of these operators work like illegal banks, allowing their VIPs to deposit money in China and then giving them the option to withdraw money overseas that exceeds the limit set by the Chinese government. Whether intentional or not, this facilitates money laundering."

"So, I need you to mingle at the ball and see if you can get any information about the operators that are offering this illegal activity. We need names, contact information, anything you can get."

Halia sighed and nodded her head.

"What's my cover?" she asked.

Sean hesitated for a moment as he looked at Halia.

He then pulled out a long list of names and a photo.

"Halia, this is the reason why the Captain selected you," he said as he pointed to a name on the list.

Halia stopped breathing for a moment and sighed. It seemed she had been discovered.

Sean was showing her a list of invited guests, and halfway down the list, was the name - Halia Feng, Director, Fengtai Corporation. Next to it, was a family photo from the chairman of Fengtai's 50th birthday last year and standing next to the chairman - was Halia.

There were a lot of things that Sean didn't understand. It turned out, Halia's​ father was the chairman of Fengtai Corporation and Halia was a shareholder of her father's business. But, why was she working as a police officer and why did she live in a shabby little apartment? How many people dreamed of a luxurious life like hers?

In reality, Halia had always wanted to live her own life and make a living her own way without relying on her family. Plus, she was a huge advocate for justice. Because of this persistence, she never accepted financial support from her parents and avoided mentioning them whenever she could. Her father was very understanding of his daughter, so he respected her choices. But, he still put shares under her name and made her a director, hoping that she would change her mind one day and return to help the family business.

Because of her persistence to live her own life, Halia moved out at 20 and spent her first few years living in the dorms of her University where she studied a double degree in criminal justice and business while working a part time job. After that, she joined the police academy and lived there for a year with minimal pay.

When she finally joined the Beijing police force, all she could afford was the rent for a small apartment in the city, but she was proud of herself because she had earned it herself. After these 7 years of independence, she had lived so frugally that she almost forgot that she was the director of a huge corporation. In fact, she was still amazed by something as simple as visiting Jackson's apartment. Even though her father could buy her an apartment in the same complex at the snap of a finger, she hoped to buy one with her own efforts someday.

But...as fate had it, she was suddenly asked to reclaim her identity as the Director of Fengtai Corporation...

Halia wanted to refuse, but Sean explained, "You are our only way of getting into the charity ball. It is an exclusive invite-only event. Plus, as a fresh face, we are sure you will be approached. You are our best bet."