Kofi Adeyemi came to Planet Synn to win one woman, and a stranger was already working to ruin his name. He stood in the great hall of Synnai's family home, holding a velvet box. Inside lay a choker of amethyst and topaz, with a matching bangle. He had chosen it for her kin, to earn their trust. He had bought the land for her dream homestead. He had crossed the stars for her. All he needed now was her favor. But her people watched him with cool eyes. A man stood near Synnai's elders, speaking low. He wore the easy smile of someone who belonged here. He was the suitor her family already favored. "Offworlders promise mountains," the rival said, loud enough for all to hear. "Then they vanish when the bill comes due. What does this one truly own? A fine coat and sweet words." The elders murmured. Synnai looked at Kofi, waiting. Kofi did not raise his voice. He set the velvet box on the table and opened it. The jewels caught the light. "A gift for your family," he said. "Not to buy you. To honor you." The rival laughed. "Trinkets. Any drifter can borrow jewels for a night." Kofi had planned for this. He lifted a small disc from his coat and set it spinning above his palm. Light bloomed into a map of the sky. Then it narrowed to a single structure: three glass domes stacked tall, each ringed like the planet Saturn. "My headquarters," Kofi said. "I built it. I own it. Every ship in my fleet launches from its top dome." He turned the image. Now it showed a domed manor beside a still lake rimmed with pale sand. "My home. There is a room in it already set aside for her art." The hall went quiet. The rival's smile thinned. "And the land," Kofi went on. He touched the disc. A green valley appeared. "Bought in Synnai's name. For the homestead she has always wanted. The deed is signed. It waits only for her yes." The eldest of Synnai's kin leaned forward. She studied the images, then studied Kofi's face. "Words are cheap," she said. "Deeds are not. This one has shown his." The rival stepped forward. "My family has known yours for—" "Enough," the elder said. She closed her hand, and the disc went dark. "You have shown us doubt. He has shown us proof. Leave us." The rival's face burned. He looked once at Synnai, who did not look back. Then he turned and walked out of the hall. Synnai crossed the floor to Kofi. She did not take the jewels. She took his hand. "You honored my family," she said. "Now I want to know the man, not the towers." Kofi felt the win and the warning at once. The suitor was gone. But Synnai had set a harder test. Proof had opened the door. Now she wanted his heart.

The next morning, Synnai's family called Kofi back to the great hall. The eldest kinswoman waited at the long table. She did not look impressed. "You own towers and land," she said. "But any man can inherit coin or buy it with lies. A husband must provide. He must earn, again and again. Show me you are not just rich today. Show me you will feed this family tomorrow." The other elders nodded. Kofi understood the trap. His empty words would not help. New deeds would, and he had none to sign this morning. He felt the courtship stall. He needed proof that his wealth kept flowing, not a photograph of wealth already won. Kofi set a small metal device on the table. Its screen lit up. "This holds every partnership I have built," he said. "Not gifts. Not inheritance. Work." He touched the screen. Rows of names scrolled past. "Shipping houses. Mining colonies. Food growers across four systems. Each one pays me because I deliver. Every month brings new contracts." The elder leaned close. She scrolled the records herself. The list did not end. "These are current?" she asked. "Signed this season?" Kofi pointed to the dates. "Signed last week. I closed two more during my voyage here." The elders murmured. One counted the active deals under her breath and stopped at forty. "And I did not come alone," Kofi said. He raised a hand. A broad man stepped through the hall doors. He stood nearly as tall as Kofi, built thick as a loaded freighter. Golden tattoos wound up his arms and caught the light. His eyes swept the room once, marking every exit, every face. He said nothing. He did not need to. "This is Onus," Kofi said. "He runs my security. Where Synnai goes, her safety goes with her. If she is ever in danger, Onus reaches her before the threat does." Onus gave the elders one short nod. Then he returned to watching the doors, still and certain. The elders traded glances. Here was more than money. Here was a man who built systems and kept them running. The eldest sat back. She studied the scrolling contracts, then Kofi's face, then the quiet guard at the door. "You do not only hold wealth," she said slowly. "You make it. And you guard what matters." She closed the device and slid it back. "You have answered me. The courtship stands." Synnai had watched from the side. Now she crossed to Kofi. Her eyes moved over the records, over Onus, over him. Something new burned in her look, closer to hunger than to doubt. "You keep surprising my family," she said. "The other suitors are nothing beside this." Kofi smiled, but he saw the next hurdle already. Her family was won. Synnai wanted the man, not the ledger. She stepped closer and lowered her voice. "Enough proving. Tomorrow you show me you, alone. No towers. No contracts."