Chapter 144: The mess

Daniel had made this decision himself. Having been given a free hand by the Chairman, he had deliberately refused to allow the Arden officials a private meeting with Kai. There were several reasons behind his decision, but a few of them were particularly concerning.

The woman who had witnessed Kai’s fight back then had deep connections with Arden’s military and its hunter society. If she had seen even half of what Hannah had witnessed, there was little doubt that Arden would spare no effort in trying to recruit Kai. At the very least, they would attempt to establish a favourable impression and secure a channel of communication with him.

Fortunately, Kai had begun residing in one of the most secure settlements, which was also relatively easy to keep under surveillance, following Adam’s suggestion. This had already allowed them to foil twelve separate attempts to spy on Kai or approach him through less than legitimate means.

However, Daniel knew this couldn’t continue indefinitely. As long as Arden remained determined to establish contact, there would be more attempts. The only way to put an end to this situation was to arrange an encounter under circumstances they could control.

That was why he had proposed the formal gathering. Officially, it would be a celebratory event to commemorate the alliance between the two nations. In reality, it would serve as an opportunity for the Arden delegation to satisfy their curiosity without being granted the private audience they so desperately wanted.

The President himself had entrusted Daniel with handling the matter between Arden and Kai. He had made his position abundantly clear. Kai was an invaluable asset to Balendhall, and retaining him within their borders was a priority.

Daniel had no intention of mishandling such a responsibility.

That was precisely why he had approached Kai so cautiously.

And now, he waited for an answer.

Sitting before him was the hunter who had occupied the thoughts of countless high-ranking officials in recent days. Yet, from the moment Kai had entered his office, Daniel had found himself observing a man who seemed rather different from the rumours surrounding him.

Well, he would be lying to say that he had never placed much faith in those accounts until now.

When he had encountered Kai outside Blue Mountain, the young man had given him the impression of someone with exceptionally cold judgement. He had seemed like the sort of person who wouldn’t hesitate to tear the world apart if it meant ensuring his family’s safety.

Yet the man sitting in his office today was quite different. He appeared somewhat awkward, far less guarded than expected, and surprisingly polite.

That only made Daniel more certain of one thing. Allowing the Arden officials to have a private meeting with Kai would be a mistake.

"I understand." Kai finally broke the silence. "If it’s just a normal gathering, I can spare an hour or two."

Daniel couldn’t quite suppress the relief that washed over him.

Had Kai refused the proposal, managing Arden’s increasingly persistent demands would have become considerably more difficult.

"Understood. If you need any assistance with preparations for the celebration, Adam will take care of it."

Ordinarily, the Chief of Surveillance wouldn’t be assigned something as trivial as helping a hunter prepare for a formal gathering. However, Daniel had noticed two things during their conversation. Kai was visibly uncomfortable around unfamiliar officials, and his trust in Adam was considerably greater than that placed in anyone else within the Association.

Daniel preferred not to take unnecessary risks.

If having Adam handle the arrangements made Kai more comfortable, then so be it.

"When is it, by the way?"

"In three days. I’ll have the details shared with you shortly."

Kai nodded in understanding. He didn’t have anything planned for the next few days, and hopefully, his girls would have recovered by then. There was no reason to make things difficult over something that would only take an hour or two.

"Now, about the reason you came here."

Daniel reached into his breast pocket, took out his phone, and gently slid it across the desk towards Kai.

Kai glanced at it, initially unsure of what the man intended. However, the moment his eyes fell on the screen, they widened in surprise.

The Chairman was already on the call.

And judging by the call duration, he had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes.

Kai immediately looked up at Daniel.

"How... did you know?"

His first thought was that Adam must have informed the vice-chairman about his visit. That would have been the most reasonable explanation.

However, Daniel’s response was considerably more surprising.

"It’s actually the Chairman who called me. He mentioned that you might want to speak with him."

"...!"

Kai’s lips parted slightly as he stared at the man.

Just what in the hell was going on?

Before he could gather his thoughts, Daniel rose from his chair.

"I’ll be waiting outside, Hunter."

With that, he walked out of the office, deliberately giving Kai some privacy to speak with the Chairman.

Kai watched him leave before turning his attention back to the phone.

Taking a deep breath, he finally accepted the call.

And the very first thing that came out of his mouth was:

"How did you know?"

A short chuckle came from the other end of the call.

"It’s because I had a feeling Hunter Kai had created a situation. Or should I say, made quite a mess?"

Kai frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

There was a brief silence on the other end before the Chairman spoke again, his tone noticeably more serious.

"Hunter Kai, there are certain things in this world that we shouldn’t meddle with. Some matters are best left alone, allowing time to decide their fate."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"Your partner, Miss Jean, was one such matter."

°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. The old man knows a lot.

Drop a comment, if you have been enjoying the story so far please drop a comment or review.

It’s going to be an interesting gathering.