Theo's chair consisted of a plush, luxurious, throne-like cushion framed in gold. A polished mahogany desk lay in front of him, scattered with memos and map printouts.
His rented penthouse was nothing short of opulent, with a modern feel to its exterior and a smart and solid IoT system that ensured he wouldn't get up to do much. .
"Alexa, open the curtains please."
An animatronic voice emanated from the ceiling, it's soft pitch resonating throughout the office-like room.
"Of course, Theo. Opening curtains now."
The fine fabric of the curtains folded in on itself, revealing a floor-to-ceiling window that filtered soft sunlight and let it bathe the room in yellow.
Theo clapped his hands, and the white office lights went off, replaced by the dull yellow light of his headlamp.
Once again, Theo was happy that Diego Vasquez was also rich, just unknown among the nobles due to his poor background.
Among the rare middle class society of Imperial city, Diego had been one of the few individuals who clawed their way from poverty to an elite life.
That was meant to be Theo's backstory, but he didn't give it much care, and was ever grateful for his dad taking that angle.
He half-expected King Aurelia to make him impersonate a commoner, or even worse, a pauper.
Theo would've never forgiven him if he did that.
But for now, he should've been happy.
Being wealthy should've always been enough to make the young prince happy.
But that was not the case, as money did not always equate to happiness.
Only more responsibilities and less control over one's life.
Theo sighed.
The mood was right for other things, a quick dinner in the jacuzzi, a drive around the city…
But he was stuck doing paperwork.
He had spent the last few hours after settling down to organise an official report for his dad, which was required of him to do everyday.
This was his dad's way of keeping an eye on him, but that was not a problem for Theo, as sooner or later, he would employ a staff to take care of the officious duties.
He just had to lay low, and laying low for now meant getting everything in order for the cause.
His report so far stated that he had safely arrived under the guise of Diego Vasquez and up until that point, had not raised any suspicion of his true identity.
His report would also state that he had not found a solid location of the girl. Theo smiled at the thought. His delegated soies were slow. His father would have to wait.
But sadly, that was not to be the case.
As Theo would eventually find himself including the location of Zara Blake as part of the report.
KNOCK! KNOCK!!
There was a rattling at the door, the sound of knuckle bouncing on the warm metal.
"Come in!" Theo responded. He's already know the identity of the person even before he entered.
Francis was dressed in a stylish waistcoat, a white tailored shirt, a dark trouser, and a dark bow tie that settled cleanly on his neck.
He appeared tremendously neat and well-groomed. Even the hair strands on his moustache were nearly combed.
This was how Francis usually always looked, so to Theo, there was nothing specifically new about this encounter.
But it was what Francis brandished in his palm that made Theo a bit puzzled.
A black card, brandished with the logo of an animal Theo couldn't quite make out in gold.
"May I speak with you, Sire?" Francis asked politely, as was customary.
"Yes, yes go on." Theo answered without hesitation.
"If it may please you. I do have a proposed location of our fallen heiress."
Those words made Theo's heart sink.
It was too soon. At this rate he might as well end up marrying before the week runs out.
Nevertheless, he was curious as to where she was.
#
"She's going to a business gala tomorrow. An estimated 70% of Imperial City's nobles will be there. You should go there, sire."
Theo took the small black card from Francis, scouring over the details.
He wanted to ask how Francis would've gotten an invite, but there was no point asking.
Francis was someone who always got shit done. He was a man of action, not words. Theo knew this already, which was why he didn't seem surprised.
Francis even might've already made table reservations ahead of schedule.
He opened the card and opened a letter, specks of gold glittering on the surface.
Of course, given the status of the people inviting him, Theo could tell that it was actual gold.
But it was the content that Theo was more particularly interested in. .
Apparently, it was a gala that had a variety of investors from the neighboring province, Apex, who wanted to profit from shares within the Imperial City market and industry.
Imperial City, being the capital of Nexus province, was the leading city in all sectors of the global industry: tech, finance, engineering, agriculture, etc.
A neighboring state, Bayford County, was not so far behind in this aspect.
This was why nobles from that state would be there too.
In summary, it would've been the biggest gathering of wealth the world had ever seen for years.
The entire building itself, with the people inside, would've been worth quadrillions of dollars.
But that was not what bothered Theo.
Being in a huge gathering like that with no name was sure to raise suspicion.
A lot of people there had enough connections to start a war, so if he raised too much doubt on his identity, people would do some digging on him, and one way or the other, find out that he's a fraud.
They might even find out his royal heritage as the heir to the Nexus throne.
He would have to be extremely careful on this particular outing.
Somehow, among the midst of people with billions of dollars, he wasn't supposed to stand out.
One may have thought that an easy idea, but it was harder than it seemed.
He would have to be flashy and proud enough for others to assume he's a money-spoiled brat like all the rest of them, but not so much that he began to raise suspicion that he's better than them.
"No, better wasn't the right word." Theo thought.
'Wealthier' was a better suited term.
He was after all, ten times more endowed in the pockets. Their kind were babies to him in terms of money.
But he couldn't show that.
He eyes skimmed through the contents of the letter, skipping most of the body all the way down to where the invitees' name and industry was stamped and sealed in red.
"Frost Industries."
A leading industry that specialized in a variety of sectors within the global market.
Heading the industry was a known figure, a multi billionaire in his late 20s like Theo himself.
A certain Kai Frost.
Theo already knew all about him from the papers and media.
But in their world, that didn't count as knowing anybody.