Chapter 375 - BTA Captain

2 days after the phone call from Trisha, Jackson and Halia ended up on a plane to Hong Kong.

Although Jackson didn't agree to it at first, Halia patiently explained the situation to him and he was eventually convinced into flying back to Hong Kong with her.

"Dr. Li presented his research to the UN a few months ago. Although everything was a little delayed because of the incident with Boginya, the UN was impressed and decided to test the technology on an international organization like Interpol first. So, over the last two months, Dr. Li has been running memory tests on Interpol agents all around the world to find suitable candidates. After Boginya's attempted escape, Trisha and Dr. Li agreed that these first few Interpol BTA's should be sent to go after The Organization and they are in the process of transferring some of the top skills into them. However, they don't have the experience that I have, and they don't know how to access and search through a person's memory quickly like I do. So, Trisha has asked me to help," Halia explained 2 days ago after she got off the phone with Trisha.

"I will not be required to go out on the field. I will simply be working from the headquarters. She has even given me the title of BTA Captain. I will be doing exactly the same thing I did during Dr. Li and Dr. Ren's kidnapping: providing directions and instructions," Halia continued.

Jackson listened calmly and tried to look at the situation subjectively. As long as his wife wasn't required to do anything physical, he could still understand, but one thing bothered him. "As I'm aware. Transferred memories and knowledge only remain in your mind for 3 months. It's been 7 months since you've seen Dr. Li, so you are practically a blank slate now. How will you be of any help?" he asked suspiciously.

Halia's eyes darted guiltily as she replied, "Trisha has suggested to transfer Boginya's memory into my mind... After all, she is a founder of The Organization and she knows the identities of all their members."

Jackson had a feeling this would be her response. With a frown, he asked, "Does that mean you will be undergoing surgery in this state? What if something happens to the baby?"

Halia smiled comfortingly as she rubbed her big stomach and held onto Jackson's hand, "Dr. Li and Dr. Ren already assessed the risks. It will have no effect on the baby. Don't forget, I've still got the wire attached to my head. It will be a simple, non-invasive transfer."

In the end, Jackson sighed and agreed. But, he had one condition. He quickly picked up his phone and called Trisha back, "I want you to set up a command center at my Hong Kong apartment. You can get the key from my brother. Have it ready by the time we arrive in two days. Halia will work from home where I can protect her. I want her identity to be kept completely confidential."

When Trisha heard this, she immediately agreed. As long as Jackson allowed Halia to help, she was willing to do anything. 

So, that was how the couple ended up on a plane to Hong Kong...

...

Jackson's apartment in Hong Kong was located in the same building as Emerson's. In fact, it was the only two apartments on Emerson's floor. Thus, Jackson left him the keys to check on the apartment every so often and dust it a little. Avaleigh had always been curious about this mysterious brother of Emerson's, but she did not question him about it. She simply enjoyed the fact that they practically had no neighbors.

When Emerson was asked to hand the keys to Trisha, he was a little surprised. He had met Trisha briefly when she helped to find Jaclyn so he knew who she was and who she worked for. But, he didn't understand why his brother was giving his keys to this woman? Didn't Jackson already retire from Interpol?

But, what surprised him the most was when he saw her sneak into the apartment after midnight with some men and some boxes. This happened during one of the nights when Avaleigh was away for filming, so he was the only one that saw it. Of course, he did not reveal this information to Avaleigh because he knew it was likely confidential, but he couldn't help but feel curious about his brother and Halia's return. Those two were always full of surprises.

So, on the day that Jackson and Halia moved into Jackson's apartment, Emerson finished work on time, walked straight up to their door, and knocked on it.

Originally, he expected his brother to open the door. But, to his surprise, a beautiful smile met his eyes instead; a smile that he hadn't seen in 9-10 months; a smile that used to make his heart flutter. Now that he saw her again, it was like he was meeting a different person. She was no longer his first love, she was now his sister-in-law. Emerson was a bit surprised by the way he felt around her. He had loved this woman for over a decade, but all those feelings had disappeared and they were now replaced with completely different feelings that he couldn't explain. Her smile still warmed his heart and her gaze was still comforting, but it was like seeing an old friend or a family member rather than attraction.

"Haili..." he gasped in surprise. He still greeted her with her Chinese name like he always did.

"Emerson, it's been a while," Halia smiled.

Emerson's eyes subconsciously trailed down to Halia's protruding stomach. It was so obvious that it was hard to ignore. Jackson had told him that Halia was pregnant, but he had not seen the couple since they signed their marriage papers and left on their honeymoon, so it was still surprising to see her stomach for the first time. Immediately, Emerson smiled back.

"Do you want to touch it?" Halia offered as she rubbed her stomach.

Emerson looked at the young woman and slowly stepped forward. With a smile, Halia grabbed his hand gently and placed it on her stomach.

"Baby, this is your Uncle Emerson," Halia whispered gently. A moment later, as though the baby understood, there was a little kick against the surface of Halia's stomach.

Emerson jumped a little and chuckled in surprise. He then looked up at Halia and smiled. The little girl that he first met at his family's mansion, the one that he had loved for over a decade, was about to become a mother. He suddenly felt like a proud older brother. Filled with emotions, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Halia, "I'm so happy for you, my dear sister." 

Just as he did this, the door to the elevator opened and there was a loud bang.

Emerson instinctively glanced over in surprise.

Standing just outside the elevator, Avaleigh was staring at the two in shock as her suitcase lay on the ground. She had just returned from filming in Shanghai to find her boyfriend hugging another woman!