The Billionaire Amongst Us

CHAPTER 11

The gallery was warm, sterile, and smelled like harmattan.

Cameras flashed amidst the hum and murmurs of onlookers.

In the centre of the room sat Kairo Dune surrounded by men in black, his security, each wearing a threatening stare, their gaze pointed forward.

The once-mighty DeLancey empire was unravelling before everyone’s eyes, the last of the family’s dignity slipping away in shackles.

Celesta, Kairo’s wife, sat by him with her hands locked into his with fingers trembling as if holding onto hope for both of them.

Kairo’s gaze was settled, satisfied with the fulfilment of vengeance on the DeLanceys.

At the far end of the room, Uncle Hadrian collapsed into a chair, his eyes were tired and remorseful.

“Kairo...” His voice was tiny, sounded like a whisper yet rang across the gallery like a bell.

“Where is Kairo?”

A shocked hush fell over the room and

Kairo’s heart skipped. His name had not left Uncle Hadrian's lips.

From where he sat, Kairo turned, his eyes meeting those of the old man. There was something urgent, like a state of emergency, in Hadrian’s voice.

The security moved to assist, but Hadrian waved them off and hung onto Kairo’s coat.

“I…need to tell you something which you never knew. It is very important, so listen.” his voice croaked.

“It concerns the past... your father’s secret... It’s all... hidden.”

The guardroom buzzed with confusion, but Kairo’s world had narrowed to the figure before him.

Uncle Hadrian reached into his coat and pulled out an old small box.

Tapping it twice with his knuckles, he pressed a hidden button that opened the box, revealing a folded letter inside.

Kairo hesitantly took the letter and devoured the faded ink written in hurried scrawl.

“To my son, Harrison Dune. The legacy you inherit is not just of wealth, but of betrayal. A promise made, a secret kept, and a child lost to the shadows. There is a woman named Adira and you must find her.”

Kairo’s breath caught. The courtroom walls seemed to close in.

“How did you get this?”

Kairo looked up and asked.

“That is not important for now. Your father was a good man, but that was his undoing. There is more to this empire than you know of.”

Before Kairo could speak, a soft voice beside him whispered, “You’re not alone in this.”

He glanced to find a woman seated in the front row of the gallery.

She was dressed in black with dark sunglasses over her eyes.

On a closer look, she had a scar that ran from her chin which her heavy makeup had failed to hide.

She smiled briefly, then stood up and vanished into the crowd.

The gallery emptied quickly immediately the DeLanceys were led into the inner guardroom;

and Kairo, hand in hand with Celesta stepped out into the crowd of reporters,

desperate for a statement, but Kairo’s voice was caught somewhere deep inside him, choked by confusion and urgency.

His mind raced.

What betrayal had his father hidden? Who was this woman, Adira? And why had Hadrian, silent for so long, suddenly woken to reveal this?

He was about to enter his Mercedes when a woman walked towards him from among the crowd.

Her steps were hurried but short; her eyes scanned the crowd like she was escaping from someone.

“You must be Harrison Dune?” she said, her voice very blank.

Kairo looked up swallowing hard.

“Yes, and you are?”

“Someone who knew your father well. I've been looking forward to meeting you.”

“Don't draw suspicion, they're watching you,” she added.

“Who?” Kairo replied, his eyes rummaged through the crowd.

“Listen, you seek Adira,” she continued.

“She’s been hidden for a reason but finding her won’t be easy.”

Kairo felt a mix of frustration and desperation. “Why? What secret did my father bury? And why involve me now?”

The woman hesitated.

“Because the past is coming for you. The legacy your father left is tangled in danger and you’re not just fighting for your family’s name, but for your very life.”

Before he could ask more, she brought out a glass and hurriedly filled it with whisky.

“Come, drink with me.” Without waiting for a reply, she pushed the glass into his face.

As a man who believed in moral conduct, he felt it odd to reject a drink offered in goodwill, and three heavy gulps, he emptied the glass of whiskey.

“Feeling better?” She asked.

“I appreciate it, but I'm doing great.” He replied.

As the lady turned to make her leave, she pressed a business card into his palm;

and without a word, disappeared into the crowd.

On the card was printed in gold:

April & May Associates.

24 Cecil Drive. USA

Kairo simply threw the card into the passenger seat of the Mercedes just as Celesta’s voice shot out.

“ Who was that?”

“Ohh…it's probably a stranger who shares in the goodwill.”

Back at the DeLancey estate, it was mysteriously quiet, save for the shrill laughter of Aunt Elora.

Servants hung around the balcony as if nothing had occurred.

Lady Celesta was led inside by the family’s caretaker, but Kairo lingered on the porch, caressing the letter.

Just then, Isaac, one of the servants ran towards him, waving a package.

“A woman dropped this for you while you were away,” The boy smiled. “I think one of your admirers.”

Kairo observed the package. It was one of those deliveries usually sent through couriers; marked, stamped, and signed.

“I heard they're selling off the Estate,” Isaac continued, “Our master got his hands dirty.”

Kairo simply nodded in response.

It was a good thing the Estate servants still saw him as Kairo the houseboy. Good, it should remain that way.

The parcel contained two old photographs.

One was of a woman holding twin baby girls, both wrapped in blankets and scrawled on the back, in familiar handwriting, were the chilling words:

“They are yours. The legacy begins again.”

Kairo’s voice barely escaped his lips as he muttered:

What did you do, Father?

Another was a recent photograph from the gallery which revealed the veiled woman in the front row,

the mysterious woman with a scar on the chin who sat silently all along.

In the early hours of the next day, his television buzzed with a news alert and the screen flashed:

“Lord Roland: A Billionaire Emerges, Shaking Global Markets”

The news report described the Billionaire as an unknown figure who had suddenly acquired massive shares in several powerful corporations, sending shockwaves through the business world.

Analysts embellished his accomplishments with fancy media phrases and coloured their speculations heavily.

Kairo’s attention lingered on the screen for some time.

Whoever the billionaire was not his business, what was on his menu was to find Adira, whoever or whatever she was.

His father, once a titan of industry, now a shadow in his memories, had left behind a cryptic clue.

A child lost to the shadows. What did that mean? Was Adira that child?

Why had no one ever mentioned her?

Celesta entered quietly, eyes tired but concerned. “You didn't sleep well, I guess.”

“I haven’t” Kairo admitted.

She sat close to him on the bed and his body was so warm.