Chapter 82: Chapter 81: The Gala Invitation

The next morning, Julius woke up much later than usual. The heavy duvet was warm, and the bedroom was completely quiet.

He shifted on the mattress, reaching his hand out, but the space beside him was already cold. For a few peaceful moments, Julius simply lay there in the silence, staring up at the ceiling and enjoying the rare feeling of safety.

When he finally got out of bed, dressed in a casual shirt and trousers, he walked down the long upstairs hallway. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, the rich, savory smell of frying eggs and fresh coffee guided him toward the kitchen.

The sight waiting for him in the doorway made him stop dead in his tracks.

Harrison was standing right beside the old family housekeeper, actively helping her turn over some food in a pan. The morning sunlight poured through the wide kitchen windows, lighting up the entire room.

The sleeves of Harrison’s white shirt were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his thick forearms, and his dark hair was slightly messy from sleep.

For some strange reason, the scene hit Julius much harder than it should have. Harrison looked less like a terrifying underworld force and more like a regular man. Julius just stood there in the frame of the door, staring silently.

The old housekeeper noticed him first. A knowing, warm smile immediately appeared on her wrinkled face, but she didn’t say a word.

Harrison eventually looked up from the stove. His movements paused as his dark eyes locked onto Julius. For several seconds, neither of them said anything, the quiet kitchen filling with the sound of sizzling butter.

Then, a familiar, slow smirk tugged at the corner of Harrison’s lips. "Baby, I know I am handsome, but the staring is becoming a little concerning. Your food is getting cold."

Julius felt his cheeks warm up. He quickly cleared his throat and walked straight toward the dining table, pretending nothing had happened. "I was just checking if you were burning down the house."

He sat down, and Harrison brought over a plate full of breakfast, sitting directly across from him.

They had only been eating for a few minutes when the sound of boots echoed from the corridor. Marcus walked into the dining room, holding an envelope with a dark gold seal.

He looked tired, but his posture was completely rigid as he placed the envelope right next to Harrison’s coffee mug.

"The Med Gala invitation arrived from the main committee this morning, boss," Marcus reported.

Harrison picked it up, tearing the gold seal open casually without even looking at the design. He glanced at the card inside for a brief second before sliding it back onto the table. He looked up at Julius. "Good. Julius is attending the event with me tonight."

Julius nearly choked on his piece of toast. He quickly took a sip of water, his eyes widening. "What?"

Harrison raised an eyebrow, his expression perfectly calm. "What do you mean, what? We are going."

Julius stared at him, setting his fork down. "You already decided this without even asking me? Just like that?"

"Of course," Harrison said smoothly, cutting a piece of his food. "It is a high-society event. Every major player in the financial and corporate world will be in that ballroom. It is the best place for us to see who reacts when we walk into the room together."

Marcus quietly muttered under his breath from the edge of the table, "The entire city is going to lose its mind when they see you two."

Julius immediately snapped his head toward him. "Marcus."

Marcus instantly straightened his spine, his face going completely blank. "I said nothing, sir." He turned around quickly and escaped up the stairs before Harrison could say a single word to him.

Once the dining room was quiet and they were alone again, Julius leaned across the table, keeping his voice low. "Since we are talking about drawing people out, I need to tell you about the trap I set at my company yesterday afternoon."

Harrison paused, looking at him with curiosity. "What trap?"

Julius explained his strange instructions to the hiring manager. He told him about the sudden personal assistant recruitment, the order to accept every suspicious, incomplete application, and the fake job opportunity.

"It is designed to lure Sarah or one of her direct contacts out of hiding. If she is desperate for information on the drive, she will try to insert someone into my private office."

When Julius finished speaking, Harrison set his cutlery down. He looked genuinely impressed, his dark eyes softening with approval. "That is actually a smart trap, Julius. You are forcing them to make a move on your terms."

Julius leaned back in his chair proudly, a small smile on his face. "Of course it is. I am an Alpha, Harrison. I know how to manage an asset."

Harrison let out a low groan, rubbing his temple. "You really need to stop using that alpha excuse for every single thing you do."

Julius completely ignored the comment, feeling a sense of accomplishment. He reached across the table. "Give me your secure phone. I want to call Daniel."

Harrison handed over the phone without a word. Julius dialed the number and waited until Daniel’s tired voice came through the speaker. Julius quickly explained the situation and used Harrison’s server link to transfer every single suspicious applicant file they had gathered overnight.

"I want every single profile checked, Daniel," Julius commanded seriously. "Every details, every previous address, every employment record. Everything."

"Give me twenty minutes, boss," Daniel replied from the other end of the line, his tone instantly switching to serious work mode. "If there is a fake name in this batch, my system will flag it."

The call ended. Julius and Harrison finished their breakfast in a tense silence, waiting for the timer to run out.

Exactly twenty minutes later, the phone in Julius’s hand began to vibrate violently. He immediately answered it and put it on speaker. "Daniel? What did you find?"

"Most of the applications are completely clean, just regular people looking for a corporate job," Daniel explained, his voice sounding sharp over the line. "Except for one. One specific profile stands out. Not because of what is written on the page, but because of what isn’t."

Julius and Harrison exchanged a quick, dark look. "Go on," Harrison ordered.

"The applicant’s name is listed as a temporary clerk, but the home address listed on the form no longer exists," Daniel said. "I ran a deep geographical check on the coordinates. That specific residential building was completely demolished five years ago. A massive headquarters stands there now. Nobody should be using that address on a live resume."

The dining room became entirely silent. The hum of the refrigerator felt unusually loud.

Daniel’s voice grew even more serious through the speaker. "I don’t know who this person truly is yet, because their background file is heavily encrypted from the inside.

But they are hiding something massive. And if my calculations are right, this applicant is definitely connected to the shadow group searching for your father’s drive."

Before ending the call, Daniel delivered one final, heavy warning. "And boss? The Med Gala is tonight. If the people in this city see the Enigma and the Alpha walking into that ballroom side by side, it will make a massive headline tomorrow morning. There will be very powerful, very dangerous people in that crowd. If our enemies decide to make a move against you, that crowded gala is the perfect place to do it without raising immediate alarms."

The warning hung heavily in the air as the call disconnected.

Harrison slowly lowered his gaze, looking directly into Julius’s eyes. He reached across the table, his large, warm hand covering Julius’s fingers, his grip tightening with an intense, protective strength. When he spoke, his voice was ice cold, completely devoid of any fear.

"Dangerous or not, we are going tonight," Harrison said, his eyes darkening into a pitch-black stare. His fingers squeezed Julius’s hand even tighter. "And if anyone dares to touch you tonight, baby... they won’t live long enough to regret it."