Just as the last of the breakfast plates were being cleared, and laughter still lingered in the air, a knock came at the door of the dining hall. A suited man stepped in, his posture crisp, holding a leather file in his hand.
"Apologies for the interruption, sir," the butler said politely. "Mr. Elias is here. He said it's urgent."
Kai frowned slightly, his brow creasing. "Send him in."
Within seconds, Elias, Kai's assistant and right-hand man, walked in with calm efficiency. He gave a slight nod of respect to the family at the table, but his eyes went straight to Kai.
"Good morning," Elias said smoothly. "I wouldn't have disturbed you during family time, but something has come up that I thought you should see right away."
Kai stood and gestured for Elias to follow him to the small business lounge connected to the dining room. Aurora gave him a soft glance as he left, and Kai smiled briefly at her before disappearing through the door with Elias.
Once inside the lounge, Elias handed him the file. "This arrived this morning via encrypted email. A formal proposal for collaboration between our company and a new, rising tech-consultancy firm. They've developed an advanced logistics AI that would significantly optimize the transport network for our African division."
Kai flipped through the crisp documents, brow lifting slightly as he scanned the figures and technical proposals.
"Impressive," he murmured, "Almost too polished for a firm that only launched recently. What's the name of the company again?"
Elias tapped the folder. "Aether Integrated Solutions."
Kai's eyes narrowed subtly. He'd heard of them quietly gaining attention in elite circles, extremely selective, and yet, strangely under the radar.
"Who signed off this offer?" Kai asked.
"That's the catch," Elias said, a note of curiosity in his voice. "There's no CEO name. The signature was anonymous, just an encrypted code linked to a private email chain. But the tone and strategy behind this feels… familiar. Calculated. Intelligent."
Kai tilted his head. "What are you thinking?"
"I believe," Elias said carefully, "that someone intentionally concealed the origin. Which usually raises red flags. But in this case…" He glanced at the proposal again. "It feels like whoever did this wanted to contribute but without taking credit. Almost like it's personal."
Kai tapped his finger against the folder, thinking. "And yet the offer benefits me directly."
Elias nodded slowly. "Exactly."
A silence stretched for a moment before Kai exhaled and leaned back.
"Dig into it. Trace the encrypted contact. Check the registration of Aether Integrated Solutions ownerships, transfers, shell companies, all of it. Quietly. And cross-reference with everything we know about Aurora."
Elias didn't even blink. "You believe she's behind this?"
Kai's gaze was unreadable. "I don't believe anything yet. But my wife is more than she lets on. I've known that from the beginning."
He tapped the folder again and smirked slightly.
"And I think she just made her first move in business on my turf. Without saying a word."
Elias grinned. "She's bold."
"She's brilliant," Kai corrected softly, admiration flickering in his eyes.
"Anything else?"
"Yes," Kai said, standing. "If she's going to try to surprise me, I want to know how deep her roots go. I need to know who exactly I married… before someone else finds out first."
Elias gave a sharp nod, tucked the file under his arm, and left the room as silently as he'd entered.
Kai stood alone for a moment, staring out the window toward the garden, where Aurora was now laughing with Malia and his grandfather. Her face was bathed in sunlight, eyes bright, as if she held no secrets at all.
But Kai knew better.
He smiled to himself.
"You're hiding something, Mrs. King. And I'm going to find out what it is."