To his side, Valeria readied her tactical equipment. Eyes were hard. Focused. A gun clipped to her hip. A dagger in her boot. Her voice was not much more than a whisper above the rotor wash of the inbound helicopter."You really think he's dead?"Kc didn't respond right away. His eyes remained fixed on the distance. "Dead men don't leave shadows, but this one never remained underground."She edged closer. "Even after all… if Sebastian's still alive, I'll kill him myself."He turned to her, his voice low. "He won't take you again."There was a flash of something in her eyes. "You don't think he'll try it?""He won't survive if he does."They boarded the chopper.SUBTERRANEAN COMPLEX — LEVEL B2The blast of their entry charge echoed down the rusty corridors. Chemical fumes and the scent of old things filled the air. Metal groaned in the darkness, and walls were littered with bits of experiments that were never intended to be.Reina cleared the corridor with her rifle. "This place smells
ISLAND SAFEHOUSE – 4:07 AMThe fire-lit room was deathly quiet—except for the quiet hiss of firewood burning in the hearth.Valeria sat cross-legged on the ground, her fingers wrapped around a pendant that had once felt mundane. But now she knew. The way it vibrated softly against her skin. The way it glowed—soft silver in the light of the fire.It wasn't jewelry. It was a key.And a curse.She didn’t hear Kc approach. But she felt him. His presence had become a force in her life—like breath, like gravity.He knelt behind her, shirt damp with sweat, blood still drying along his jawline from training. He touched her shoulder. “You haven’t slept.”She didn’t look at him. “Neither have you.”Kc sat beside her, his eyes drawn to the pendant. “You’re remembering again.”Valeria tightened her fist around the chain. “No. I’m understanding.”She finally turned to him, her voice heavy but sure. “The Montecillo fortune. The estate. The legacy Sebastian wants to control—it was never his. It was
Valeria stood still. Not because she was scared of him—but because for the first time, she heard something in his voice that scared her more than violence.Truth.Not the truth he distorted through deceit. But the one she'd hidden deep, under layers of lies and forgotten memories.What she was.Heir.Bloodline.Weapon.Kc's voice cut in the moment. "Valeria, we must leave! Immediately!"But she couldn't budge."You are Montecillo," Sebastian went on, his voice in every corner and nowhere. "You were not bred for a peaceful existence. You were destined to lead. And the only way to end this war is to accept what you are."Her breath hitched."This isn't power!" she bellowed into the darkness. "This is madness! You're attempting to claim something that never belonged to you!"“I’m not trying to own you,” Sebastian said. “I’m trying to save what’s mine. And without you. it all crumbles.”She stepped backward, heart pounding, mind spiraling.Kc grabbed her wrist. “Don’t listen to him.”But
The night before the wedding. Brilliant attorney and trillionaire CEO of Page and Associates Law Firm stood in front of the magnificent penthouse window over a city that Kc Page ruled over, all that gleaming in promises from that very skyline which was made under precise and thoughtful plans of the one. He will be married the next day and will become a father the soonest after that. Life unfolds precisely to plans.And his phone rang.And his phone rang.One call. One silence, before the storm."Kc… "The voice on the other end was tight, trembling. His best friend, Ethan."It's Vanessa."A cold heart. "What about Vanessa?"A pause, of its own. The kind where something can't be said."There was. an accident."The world cracked. Kc clutched at the edge of his desk, his knuckles white."What kind of accident?" His voice was unnervingly calm, but something inside him was already breaking.Ethans breath shuddered. "She—she didn't make it, Kc."The words were a blade, twisting deep into hi
Valeria blinked rapidly, her hands trembling. She knew he meant every word. The realization settled like a stone in her chest."You want to know what I’m going to do to you, Valeria?" Kc’s voice dropped, menacing and low."I'm going to destroy you. Bit by bit. Until there's nothing left of the flawless, untouchable Valeria Jayne. I'm going to make you beg for mercy. And when you do, I'll make sure you remember me."His lips curled into a cruel, vicious smile. "You can't escape me."Valeria swallowed hard, a tear slipping down her cheek. She didn't speak. She couldn't. The words wouldn't come.Kc took one last, long look at her before he turned, his footsteps heavy as he strode toward the door.Before he left, he paused, his back to her."Oh, and Valeria," he called without turning around. "I want you to know one thing. You're going to wish you were never born."With that, he walked out, leaving Valeria shattered and broken, a woman who had never known true terror until now.Cold forma
A voice sliced through the silence.Kc didn't let go."You are hurting our model!" Manager Kim's voice was firm, protective. He stepped forward, placing himself between Kc and Valeria. "This is unacceptable!"For a long second, silence hung in the air.Then, without a word, Kc let go.Valeria fell back onto the bed, coughing violently, clutching her throat.Kc turned on his heel, his steps slow, controlled, deadly.Valeria sat there, unable to do anything as he left the room. The door shut behind him, clicking into place.Her body slumped in defeat, fingers pressing against bruises forming on her throat.Her heart pounded hard against her ribs.This was not over.It was just the beginning.When she was about to leave the hospital, she thought KC had just left after their confrontation. The fresh air felt foreign to Valeria as she stepped outside. She was free. She could leave. She had to—"Get in the car, now," Manager Kim ordered, guiding her toward the vehicle. "We’re leaving before
She could cry all she wanted.She could kneel and beg, she could throw herself at his mercy.It would never be enough.Because Vanessa was still dead.And so was their child.And until he made sure Valeria Jayne felt the same pain he felt.This was far from over.Not even close.Valeria wants to genuinely apologize to the mourning parents of Vanessa. Valeria knelt on the cold tile floor, shivering. The sterilized smell of antiseptic mixed with the unbearable scent of death, hugging her in a noose. She could not breathe. Her swollen eyes stared at the lifeless body of Vanessa covered in a white sheet except on her face. A face that would never smile again, never speak, and never wake up.And next to her. Vanessa's parents. Her mother, her eyes red-rimmed, overflowing with tears, sat without speaking, her fingers curled around the edge of the steel table on which lay Vanessa. Her father slumped into his chair, shoulders collapsing as if the air had been sucked out of him. Their daughter
It was a cold, harsh night.Valeria's legs crawled leadenly, her every step weighed with the burden of regret pressing against her chest. Her legs trembled under her, fighting to support her in the face of the suffocating pain inside her heart.When she came out of the morgue, her vision was downward-cast, the tears streaming out involuntarily veiling her sight. She had apologized but that was never enough. Never was anything going to be enough.With her, Manager Kim also came in silence. The usually composed and professional man appeared. shattered. He could see in Valeria the shreds of the woman he remembered—the woman who built an empire of beauty, elegance, and grace, now nothing but a hollow, shaking shell.The parking lot lay before her, lit by the cold glow of the streetlights. The finished, black cars, the polished, shiny cars, only made her think about what she had lost—and what she had gained. The life of an innocent woman. The life of an unborn child.But there was somethi
Valeria stood still. Not because she was scared of him—but because for the first time, she heard something in his voice that scared her more than violence.Truth.Not the truth he distorted through deceit. But the one she'd hidden deep, under layers of lies and forgotten memories.What she was.Heir.Bloodline.Weapon.Kc's voice cut in the moment. "Valeria, we must leave! Immediately!"But she couldn't budge."You are Montecillo," Sebastian went on, his voice in every corner and nowhere. "You were not bred for a peaceful existence. You were destined to lead. And the only way to end this war is to accept what you are."Her breath hitched."This isn't power!" she bellowed into the darkness. "This is madness! You're attempting to claim something that never belonged to you!"“I’m not trying to own you,” Sebastian said. “I’m trying to save what’s mine. And without you. it all crumbles.”She stepped backward, heart pounding, mind spiraling.Kc grabbed her wrist. “Don’t listen to him.”But
ISLAND SAFEHOUSE – 4:07 AMThe fire-lit room was deathly quiet—except for the quiet hiss of firewood burning in the hearth.Valeria sat cross-legged on the ground, her fingers wrapped around a pendant that had once felt mundane. But now she knew. The way it vibrated softly against her skin. The way it glowed—soft silver in the light of the fire.It wasn't jewelry. It was a key.And a curse.She didn’t hear Kc approach. But she felt him. His presence had become a force in her life—like breath, like gravity.He knelt behind her, shirt damp with sweat, blood still drying along his jawline from training. He touched her shoulder. “You haven’t slept.”She didn’t look at him. “Neither have you.”Kc sat beside her, his eyes drawn to the pendant. “You’re remembering again.”Valeria tightened her fist around the chain. “No. I’m understanding.”She finally turned to him, her voice heavy but sure. “The Montecillo fortune. The estate. The legacy Sebastian wants to control—it was never his. It was
To his side, Valeria readied her tactical equipment. Eyes were hard. Focused. A gun clipped to her hip. A dagger in her boot. Her voice was not much more than a whisper above the rotor wash of the inbound helicopter."You really think he's dead?"Kc didn't respond right away. His eyes remained fixed on the distance. "Dead men don't leave shadows, but this one never remained underground."She edged closer. "Even after all… if Sebastian's still alive, I'll kill him myself."He turned to her, his voice low. "He won't take you again."There was a flash of something in her eyes. "You don't think he'll try it?""He won't survive if he does."They boarded the chopper.SUBTERRANEAN COMPLEX — LEVEL B2The blast of their entry charge echoed down the rusty corridors. Chemical fumes and the scent of old things filled the air. Metal groaned in the darkness, and walls were littered with bits of experiments that were never intended to be.Reina cleared the corridor with her rifle. "This place smells
The morning wind had been dry and bitter.Kc stood at the lip of the helicopter pad, the blade he'd honed now sheathed at his back. His team stood beside him—Ty, Reina, Dax—battle-hardened, quiet, clad in armor from head to toe. This wasn't a mission like any other. This was the endgame.Valeria stood at his side, her eyes blazing with determination. She was dressed in tactical equipment fitted to her body, streamlined and quiet, a pistol at her hip, and a knife in her boot."You ready?" Kc asked without turning to look at her.Valeria nodded. "I've been ready since the day he tried to kill us.""No," Kc turned to her, his eyes sweeping hers. "I mean really ready. For what we might find."You mean… what's left of him?" she breathed.He paused. "There's part of me that wants him dead. Just a body to tell the nightmare is over. But if he lives—if he's changed—we can't risk pause."Valeria came forward, her voice barely above a whisper. "Then let's make the nightmare end tonight.The hel
The sun was barely rising, throwing a pale gold over the tops of the sea. The island still showed the wounds from last night's war—charred leaves, discarded shell casings littering the ground like abandoned tales. But in the small wooden hut under the cliffs, Kc and Valeria huddled in the quiet of survival.Valeria shifted, wrapped in the sheets, her head on Kc's chest. She felt the slow thud of his heart, powerful and unyielding, like a promise. The cuts on his body were a chart of all the fights they had engaged in—together."Couldn't sleep?" she whispered, her throat dry."I did," Kc replied, running his fingers through her hair. "But every time I closed my eyes, I was seeing you bleeding again. I was seeing him smiling through the fire."Valeria's fists gripped the blanket's edge. "He's dead. You saw that yourself.""Ah," Kc growled. "And yet. something inside me refuses to let me rest."She leaned up and eyed him, her eyebrows creased. "You think he's alive Kc?""I do not know. M
MEANTIME.The acrid smell of smoke hung over everything, flavored with ash and copper.Buried under the fallen beams and broken glass of the compound they had believed was reduced to rubble, a body moved.Coughing. Gasping. Shrouded in blood but alive.Sebastian's eyelashes fluttered up, visible only under a layer of dirt and smoke. Every bone in his frame rebelled, every muscle twisting with agony—but he lived. Somehow. Lived.He tried to voice a word, but a harsh croaking emerged from his lips.Then—a figure. Lean, set in shadows, moving across the smoldering detritus like a specter."Bad luck," the man panted, kneeling beside Sebastian's broken form.Sebastian's gaze went icy. "Who…""I'm Lazarus," the man replied with a twisted grin. "And I rather think we have an enemy in common."Sebastian spat blood. "They think I'm dead."Lazarus drew closer to him, voice frosty and distant. "Let them. It's best.""Why. help me?" Sebastian snarled, agony tightening each word."Because, Sebasti
The tempest raging outside had vanished, but the tempest raging within them had just begun to cease.In the faint light of the little room, bandages swathed and guns lying next to the bed, Kc and Valeria were entwined in each other's arms. The smell of rain, smoke, and salt still clung to their skin. Her slow hands caressed the reddening bruises on his ribs, his hand on the nape of her neck as if she would disappear if he released it.They both understood each other's mind without a word. There was no space between them for secrets, fear, or doubt anymore. Only common breaths in silence and heartbeats keeping time neither of them wanted to spend without.Valeria looked up at him with thick lashes, her voice barely above a whisper. "You still shake."Kc's jaw clenched, but he spoke the truth. "I still see it… the fire, your scream, the way you fell. I see it every time I blink."Her lips grazed the curve of his throat. "And I see you bleeding. Holding me like the world could end and yo
Batting her hand away he moved down and began to flicker his tongue upon her clit. This had the effect of making her moan louder and move to get her sensitive clit deeper onto his tongue. Pleased that it worked, He moved away and let her pleasure subside."No! Don't stop! Please, Kc!""Did you want more?" he asked already knowing her response.Her eyes widened at the response. It was unbelievable to her. Didn't he know how good he made her feel?"Yes! Yes! Of course, you wonderful fool!"Smiling, he crawled over her and kissed her deeply. At first she was somewhat reluctant but then melted into him. Her love for him reached out and embraced his passionate fire. She reached around him with her arms and pulled him to her, their hot skins touching.As she pulled him closer to her, Kc positioned his cock into her wet cunt. It was so slippery only his tip entered her. Valeria didn't respond at first but softly moaned and kissed him deeper as he began to enter her. Deeper and deeper we went
"Give it to me! Please...I want it but please be gentle." "I will no worries," Kc had to admit he wanted her too. Nothing would satisfy him more than plunging deep into her. Feeling every sweet drop of her wetness on his skin and to also feel her warm silken folds wrapping him and welcoming his presence. But his ultimate goal was to lavish her with an abundance of foreplay before the consummation of their mutual love. Torn by the conflict between his loving heart and his wanton lust he decided to compromise."Ok. But just a little bit. You don't want to spoil your appetite."Adjusting his position over her, Kc placed his cock between her moist pussy lips. Its hot tip parted her skin and delved into its silky wetness. Her breath came in short gasps as she felt every inch of his hard manhood slide into her. Deeper and deeper he plunged. The warm satisfying embrace of her sweet womanhood was like paradise to him. It seemed that the ecstasy would never end. Then his long shaft stopped a