Kc Page was no man of patience.Not where revenge was involved.Not when her name came into play.And certainly not when Sebastian Cruz's name did.The office was dark, the golden glow from the city skyline throwing long shadows on the floor. Kc leaned against the window frame, pockets in his hands, eyes narrowing as he observed the traffic below. The world continued moving, but his mind remained fixated in one spot—Sebastian.A name that felt like acid on his tongue.Behind him, Liam exhaled, shuffling through a thick file on the desk. "You wanted everything on Cruz? Here it is. Every transaction, every offshore account, every questionable business deal. The guy’s been untouchable for years, but if there’s a weakness, we’ll find it." Kc did not turn. "And the night Vanessa died?" His tone was husky, bitten by barely controlled rage.Liam hesitated. "That's the problem. We're certain he set it up, but the son of a bitch tidied up behind himself. No direct links. No hard facts. Only ru
He marched in uninvited, his mass overflowing the space."What in tarnation are you doin' here Kc?" Valeria growled, stepping back instinctively. He shut the door, metal crashing loudly. He walked through the room with all the urgency of a sloth."Like a cat playing with a dead mouse.""You're supposed to be workin' on Sebastian, not bustin' into my bedroom.""I am workin' on him."His tone was flat, too flat. "But you and I have to have a word first Valeria."Valeria folded her arms over her chest. "There's nothing to say.""Then why aren't you saying, 'get out' Kc?"Valeria's nails pressed into the palms of her hands. "Because I know you won't." Kc smiled, pleased with her answer. "Clever girl.""What do you want?""You."Her breath caught. "Excuse me?""You heard me." He moved forward, still looking at her. "You've been keeping your distance ever since you discovered the truth. You think I'm going to back down and let you pack your belongings and leave?" "That's what I'm doing,"
Valeria's breath was stolen from her by Kc's words, held in suspended animation before her like an unacceptable burden. Blue eyes blazed into hers, recalcitrant and bold, as if challenging her to deny him."You don't get to do that," she spat, rage suppressed in shaking breath.He smiled, slowly and sensually, his lips curving into the shape. "Watch me I always reminded you."Valeria could feel the cold trickle down the base of her neck."This is not possible," Valeria struggled to say, trying to push him in the chest, but he was not moving. "You can't stand there and say you own me!""Can I?" he taunted, shifting to the side. "Who's going to stop me Valeria? You?"He laughed harshly, unamused, his hand running up her arm, searing as it traveled. "You have every opportunity to get away, Valeria. And you don't."Her own heart slamming against her chest walls. "Because you're always in my way!"Kc exhaled a rough breath, his own pleasure conquered by something nastier—something jealous.
Valeria was suffocating. The atmosphere around them was stifling, constricting—one heavy with unuttered words, feelings too tangled to untangle. She could not draw air into Kc's angry gaze, the dark vacuity of his eyes leaving her numb.Her fists were balled against the material of his shirt. "Why, Kc?" Valeria pleaded, her voice breaking with the urgency of it all. "Why are you doing this to me Kc? I've already shown I had nothing to do with the murder of Vanessa! I've endured enough! I lost everything—my career, my pride—due to your fanaticism!"Kc's teeth clenched together, his body rigid as if he held something malevolent, something deadly. "You think it's that easy?" His voice was a growl, the whisper gentle but it was the power of a storm about to unleash. "You think I can just release you? That I can just erase you?"Valeria's breasts trembled and dangled in her unbalanced respirations, the nails burying into his collar. "I don't want to be entombed inside this anymore, Kc! I do
The lights of the city became blurry as Valeria ran through streets, her limbs moving instinctively while her thoughts were a torrent of confusion. She had walked away. She had finally succeeded.The anguish she felt made her question whether perhaps some part of her had just been left behind.Becoming ice-pocky, she gripped her coat tighter against the chill that nipped at her skin. Kc's words and desperation and possessiveness pressed down on her so that it felt like a ghost she couldn't exorcise."You don't get to leave me like this, Valeria!"She shivered at the recollection, her breathing catching. She had witnessed him shatter before her, witnessed the battle in his eyes between love and dominance. And yet, she had still departed.It was the right thing to do for Valeria.And yet, why did it seem like the hardest thing she had ever done?She had to escape. Far away.Her thoughts tumbled with possibilities, but she knew she couldn't just vanish—not yet. Kc would find her. He alwa
Meanwhile… While watching the city from his seat in the office, Sebastian leaned back in his chair, taking a swing ahead for whiskey after another.His brain was always on razor-sharp focus, three moves ahead. There was a knock on the door, breaking his chain of thought."Come in." It was a man who had just walked into the room in a very dark deep suit with a stern face. "We have a problem."Sebastian's eyebrow rises. "I take it you mean Kc Page." The man nodded. "He's straying further than we agreed on. He's in too close."Sebastian sighed, setting his glass down. "That man does not know when to leave well enough alone."The man hesitated, then replied. "He's spoken to Valeria too."Sebastian's eyebrow rose, his hand wrapped around the rim of his desk. "Did he so?"He reclined, a wry smile spreading across his face. "How interesting."There was a pause before he went on speaking. "See that he doesn't get any nearer."The man obeyed. "And Valeria?"Sebastian's smile grew wider. "Tel
The flash of light from cameras, the thudding beat-pulsing music, the waft of expensive scents into the air—this was her place.Valeria stood in the wings, heart thumping against the ribcage in slow, labored breaths. The past few months had been a living hell—running and hiding out and literally living in fear of life. Tonight was different, though.Tonight, she took herself back. Standing tall in her plain, form-hugging black evening dress, she stared into the mirror. The woman gazing back at her was not the demure, abused kid Sebastian had sought to break. She was Valeria Jayne—the catwalk diva. And she was there.At her side, Manager Kim jittered with her earpiece, watching Valeria in the mirror. "You sure this is a good idea?" she dared, her voice taking on a concerned tone. "You can still back out."Valeria braced her shoulders, determination set in the line of her jaw. "No." Her response was adamant. "I need this."Kim groaned and shook her head. "You're gutsy, I'll give you cr
Valeria stepped out of the fashion show building, hugging herself as the night breeze touched her skin. The adrenaline rush of the catwalk still coursed through her veins, but the moment she saw Kc backstage, it all crumbled.She had barely managed to escape him last time.And now?He was waiting. Lurking.Manager Kim walked beside her, face scrunched in irritation. "You should've let me handle him," she complained.Valeria snorted a laugh. "Kc isn't the kind of man who can be 'handled,' Kim."Kim breathed deeply, her head shaking. "You're not angry enough about this. He just showed up, glared at you like a damn hawk, and then cornered you backstage." She faced Valeria full-on. "He's not over you."Over me? Valeria considered. He never loved me anyway.She had been an obsession.A twisted, destructive one.Kim's phone rang. She picked it up, furrowing her brows. "We need to get out of here Valeria."Valeria's gut contracted. "What?"Kim pulled her toward the parked car. "I just heard—
The private plane swooped down into the midnight haze of dawn over Los Angeles, the engines roaring like the final notes of an opera. Valeria Jayne huddled near the window, forehead pressed against the glass, watching as the skyline of her history returned before her eyes.It was the city that formed her.It was the city that tried to break her.And now, the city she would take back.Kc Page beside her, his fingers wrapped around hers in unspoken comfort. The warmth of his touch informed her that broken things could once again be lovely."You're not saying anything," he said softly, stroking her knuckles with his thumb.Valeria's eyes looked up at him, shimmering like the ocean they gazed over from this vantage after a hot sun-scorched day. "I'm just. trying to remember who I was the last time I saw this place. I shattered going out."He nodded. "And now you're strolling back in flames for blood in your veins."She smiled weakly. "More embers than flames. But you. you stayed the flame
She edged near the bars, her breathing a warm whisper in the chill of the courtroom. "I survived because of you. I never became you.".He laughed then—hard, harsh, deep-bone. "You think living makes you virtuous? No, sweetheart. It only makes you deadlier. That's why they'll fear you in return.""No," she spat, eyes blazing. "They'll notice the difference. I don't use people as weapons. I won't hide behind shadows.""You already have."The words burn her like a slap. She takes a hard breath, but doesn't step back."You used Sebastian," Lazarus rose, his voice venomous and calculated. "You had him burn for you. Asked me to rescue him, Valeria. Vowed it like a child. And I saw him fall—for you.""You're lying.""Am I?" He smirked. "Tell me, did he ever speak to you of what he saw in you? That flash of cruelty he worshipped? That darkness one day he thought would take my place?"Her fist closed, nails digging into the meat of her palm."He told you you were hope," Lazarus continued, now i
Valeria's hands were balled into fists. "You never understood. Any of you never did. You manipulated lives, fates of people, and for what? So you'd control everything?"Instinctively, Lazarus sneered. "Control. Power. Is not that what you have always wanted too, Valeria? Do not act like you do not know. You inherited it all from your mom, and now you're going to save the world? Please. It's in your blood. All that greed, all that lust."Her stare was locked onto his, a battle unto itself. "Perhaps," she finally said, her voice precisely that: a statement of fact, "but at least I'm attempting to mend the damage you've done. I'm no longer able to abide lies. And I'm not letting you get away."A silence. And then Lazarus leaned forward, his eyes piercing blue and glaring at her, and whispered, "And what do you think you're going to do to me? Think the law's going to be able to cover you? Your little empire is going to be intact once I'm dead? You've won? It never works out like that, Vale
"I blew up the Core. I sacrificed every real asset. If Lazarus has proof—let him bring it. Not shadows. Not rumors. Proof.".A reporter shouted, "What if he does?"Valeria answered, "I will take care of it. But I will not let a man like him write my mother's redemption or my family's destruction."A second hand rose. "And what about your safety? He's threatened us before."KC took a step forward now. "Valeria has the full protection of U.S. intelligence allies and the tech tribunal. But more than that—she has allies who won't quail at Lazarus Vane's name."Tension eased somewhat.Then Valeria said, "And if he wants war, he'll find I don't fight shadows."The room fell into hushed silence.She turned, left the stage.KC was close on her heels. "You were fantastic.".She nodded, speaking softly. "Let's hope it was enough."LATER THAT NIGHTKim faced Valeria across the study in the estate."We followed the trace from Lazarus's broadcast," Kim stated. "Somewhere outside of Cairo. But when
The atrium's glass panels sparkled with Geneva morning light. The reek of dust still lingered in the air, but the structure was no longer rubble—it was reborn.Valeria gazed from the tall windows, coffee going cold in her palms."Looks like… it's over," KC replied, coming to stand beside her, eyes cast over the horizon. "Think so?"“No,” Valeria murmured. “But the storm here has passed. For now.”She set the mug down and reached for her comms unit. The screen flared to life, and she scrolled through her encrypted contacts until she landed on Kim Avarelle – U.S. Division Head.She hit call.After a few rings, Kim’s voice crackled through. “Valeria?”“Hi, Kim. I’m calling to say…” Valeria glanced at KC. “We are coming home.”There was a moment of quiet, and then suddenly, laughter filled the air with excitement. “You’re serious? After all this time?”“Everything’s stable now,” she replied. “The Geneva base is secured, the files are locked down with global oversight, and the remaining te
Geneva — Two Weeks AfterThe Headquarters of the Montecillo Foundation did not tower over the horizon like it had before. Its glass front, which had previously symbolized technological and power progress, was now reduced to an exposed skeleton of pipes and supports shrouded in scaffolding and caution tape. The explosion that ripped its servers apart with the Core's final detonation reduced it to mere rubble.And yet it was being reconstructed.And they were too.Valeria stood amidst the remains of what used to be her mother's office—her haven. The winds had shifted. The stench of ash had dissipated, giving way to fresh concrete and glass in wait to rebuild.She clutched a blueprint. Not of a fortress. Not of a Core. But of a research center built for transparency, learning, and ethics.No more secret vaults.No more secrets.Just light.Kc came in, sleeves rolled up, a construction helmet under the arm. "They've okayed the new floor plan," he told her, handing over a clipboard.Valeri
Kc nodded slowly. "Then let us finish it."Valeria put both hands on the sphere. Her voice thundered, firm and unyielding:"Override protocol: Core dismantle sequence. Authorization—Valeria Montecillo. Code zero-zero-zero… end."The orb writhed furiously, light flashing in wild surges. Sparks flew like fireflies. Metal creaked. Steam exploded from hidden vents."WARNING: System destabilization imminent."Kc drew her away. "We have to go!"But Valeria stayed an additional second—witnessing the creation her mother had built dissolve into smithereens.And then she spoke in a low voice, as a promise to the ghosts of the wiring,"Rest now, Mom. It's over."BOOM!The globe burst in a blast of flames and silver light. The ground trembled at their feet as they escaped from the room, the ashes of the Core blazing.EXT. GENEVA – FEDERAL INTELLIGENCE BUREAU – DAYRain had turned into cold drizzle.Valeria stood at the feet of the tall government building, soaked to the bone, but unshaken. Her co
THE CORE CHAMBER — INSIDE MONTECH VAULTSmoke wrapped around the walls like snakes. The Core beat behind her—vibrant, alive.Valeria's hands were clenched at her sides, her breathing slow, shaking breaths. Not because she was afraid.Because she was angry. Because she was heritage. Because she was blood."I see it now, finally," she spoke, voice low but resolute. "You're not the mastermind behind anything, Sebastian. You were just a shadow. A coward sneaking in my mother's light."Sebastian's mouth curled, even though blood had begun to line his teeth. "Still using borrowed fire, I see.""You're nothing more than a parasite," she growled, advancing, the light of the Core flashing in her eyes. "You clung to the greatness of my mother, fed on her drive, and now you expect to steal our legacy like a pilfered crown?You have the nerve to stand there and act like you know what this power is?" he growled, taking a step forward. "You, who disappeared for years, who stuck your head in the san
He nodded. "Then it's time we stop running."Kc's words hung there, suspended in the air like a flame burning with fury.Valeria searched his face, and for the first time, she saw not only the man who had chased her, not only the man who had cursed her life—but the man who would now sacrifice his own life to protect it."We go to Geneva Kc," Valeria whispered.Kc nodded once again. "We go to claim what's yours."Valeria stared at the screen packed with layers of encrypted files—bank accounts, deed titles, tech patents—all that had belonged to the late Celeste Montecillo, her mother.Kc stood beside her, his arms crossed, reading over the data."So this is what Sebastian wants," he whispered. "Power to topple a government, remake nations."Valeria ground her jaw. "But it was never meant for him."She halted, voice trembling with emotion. "It was meant to defend, not kill. That's why my mother hid it. That's why she never told anyone—not even me.""You don't believe you're ready for thi