Chapter 8 The Man Behind The Alias

The envelope came at dawn. Slipped under her door. No name. No seal this time. Just one line scribbled in black ink: > "You wanted the truth. Start here." Inside, a flash drive. Ava stared at it like it might detonate. After everything-after Kai's confession, after the footage, after Victor's cryptic warnings-she wasn't sure she could handle more truth. Not if it felt like this. Not if it made her question herself. Still, she plugged it into her laptop. The folder contained one item: a PDF file. Title: KAI LEC... [REDACTED] / Unofficial Dossier / CLASSIFIED She clicked. And began to read.

--- Subject Alias: Kai Leclair Age (approximate): 36 Citizenship: Unknown (Multiple Passports Detected) Last Known ID: Retired in Geneva, 2021 Estimated Net Worth: Indeterminable Primary Assets: Offshore holdings, discreet equities, shadow trusts tied to Leclair Global Notable Incidents: 2009: Missing Persons Case, Marseille – cleared. 2014: Confidential Acquisition of Blackstream Tech (under shell corp) – result: asset liquidation. 2018: Appears at summit in Monaco under forged credentials. 2021: Surveillance footage links him to death of Jean-Marc Leclair – Victor's only brother. Ava froze. Jean-Marc Leclair. Victor's blood. Dead. Kai was there. The text went on: > "Evidence circumstantial. No conviction. Body never recovered. Victor did not press charges. Rumors suggest private arrangement." Private arrangement. That's what rich men called blood money. At the bottom of the file: > "Target operates under many names. Rarely surfaces. Extremely intelligent. Trained in psychological manipulation. He does not act without intent. Ever." --- Ava closed the file, hands trembling. She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She just sat very, very still, staring at the floor, wondering how she'd gotten so far from her lane. She was an event planner. She booked string quartets. She wasn't built for this. Except... maybe she was. Because she hadn't run. Not yet. --- Later that morning, Kai found her on the east deck. Alone. The air between them pulsed with static. He knew. She could see it in his eyes. "You read it," he said. She nodded. "Who the hell are you really?" His voice was quiet. "Someone who learned to survive in the dark." "That's not an answer." He stepped closer, eyes shadowed. "Jean-Marc tried to kill me. Twice. I didn't kill him. But I made sure no one ever found him." Her jaw clenched. "So Victor knew?" Kai gave a small nod. "He allowed it. But he never forgot." "Why didn't he expose you?" Kai looked away. "Because he's not afraid of my past. He's afraid of what I know about his." --- Ava turned toward the sea. Her voice was low. "You should've told me everything from the start." "I didn't want to lose you before I had you." "That's manipulative." "I know." She turned slowly. "What now?" Kai didn't smile. Didn't blink. "Now we play smarter." He held out a small card-sleek, black, metal-edged. One word embossed in gold: Gallery. Midnight. Alone. --- Ava slipped it into her pocket. Not because she trusted him. Not because she didn't want to run. But because, somehow, Kai Leclair wasn't the most dangerous man on this island. Victor was. And now, she was stuck between the two of them- A ghost with a ring. And a king with secrets.