“That could work,” Cassie said, clearly considering. “From the back staircase, he would be able to get here within a minute or two.”

“He would be close enough but not too close to generate inappropriate rumors.”

“Believe me, if there is one thing I know about Levi, it’s that he prefers to be invisible if at all possible.”

A knock sounded on his door. “Come.”

Darius entered, a look of apology lighting his face when he saw Cassandra. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I can come back.”

“It’s okay, Darius,” Alejandro said. “What is it?”

“I have that information for you.”

That information, meaning the latest background check on the man her daughter was in love with. “Cassie, can you excuse us for a minute?”

“Of course.” Cassie stood. “I need to get back to work anyway. I’ll bring that contract over for you to review as soon as I finish it.”

“Thank you.” Alejandro waited for Cassie to leave the room before he took the file Darius held. “Anything new?”

“I’m afraid so.” Darius clasped his hands in front of him. “I’m sorry, sire. This new information was not easy to find.”

Alejandro flipped open the file and scanned the first page. “You think Dr. Lewis is the one who leaked my medical condition?”

“Inadvertently, yes. We believe the CIA intercepted an email between Dr. Lewis and Dr. Marois,” Darius said. “Since Dr. Lewis’s specialty is assisting high-profile patients with terminal cancer, we believe his presence raised a red flag with someone in the American intelligence community.”

“So, the CIA knows I’m dying.”

“It appears so.” Darius clasped his hands together. “You will find more information in the file that I believe reveals another matter of which you need to be aware.”

“Thank you, Darius.”

Darius bowed his head and left the room.

Alejandro flipped the page to read through the report on Levi. He made it only to the second line before the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. He read through the information twice, hoping to find proof that the data could be faulty, but the facts remained. Levi was keeping secrets, and the man who Cassie hoped to build a future with was about to break his daughter’s heart.

* * *

Levi crossed the flagstone that made up the patio outside the ballroom doors. He examined those doors now, checking the new motion detectors to ensure they were functioning properly and weren’t noticeable. He could easily imagine a royal ball on the other side of the glass, the doors open and couples in formal attire spilling outside to enjoy the ocean breeze.

From where he stood, the Mediterranean spread out before him, the palace grounds high enough to provide protection against flooding but low enough to make the water appear in reach. In truth, the private beach was a fifteen-minute walk, which explained the paved path that connected the beach with the palace. Golf carts appeared to be the preferred mode of transportation to the beach, but during his first two weeks here, Levi had yet to see anyone make use of the sandy stretch of land.