Valeria's hands trembled as she fumbled for her phone, her chest convulsing as her heart pounded against her at top speed. She could still feel Kc's rage lingering above her, suffocating her, consuming whatever last vestige of strength was left in her. As soon as he had shoved out of her condo unit, she collapsed onto the floor, panting, convulsing her whole body.She pushed the phone to her ear, her fingers frozen. As soon as the call went through, she collapsed utterly."Manager Kim," she wept, her words barely intelligible. "K-Kc… h-he was at my condo… he visited me."There was a moment of silence on the other end before Manager Kim's voice cut through, taut with alarm. "What?! When? Are you injured?""N-no, but—" Valeria couldn't catch her breath, holding her chest as fear took hold. "He was angry, Kim. He wants me to pay. He… he won't let up." Her voice broke, Kc's rage overwhelming her.Kim cursed. "I told you to call me Valeria, if he ever showed up anywhere around you! You don
Valeria slid into a seat, her hands trembling in buckling the seatbelt. "Kim. wh-what if he finds me?" she whispered, her voice hardly audible.Briefly, Kim clenched his teeth as he got into the driver's seat and turned on the car. "Then we'll be set in motion."As they sped away into the night, Valeria stared outside, her heart heavy with dread about what lay ahead.Would she ever escape Kc’s wrath?Meanwhile…Kc sat in his office, holding a glass of whiskey so hard it almost broke in his hand. His head was a jumble of sorrow, anger, and a pain so hollow it refused to let go.His phone vibrated on the desk. He ignored it.Then it rang again.He took a harsh breath before answering. "What?"A low voice came back. "You let her go."Kc's face darkened. "What are you talking about?""Valeria. She's fleeing."Kc sat bolt upright, his whole body stiffening. "Where?" "She departed her condo a few minutes ago. She's not heading home, Kc. She's in hiding."His hand around the phone clenched.
Valeria's own breath was trapped as Kc's hold on her collar tightened and she was brought closer until she felt the heat of his breath against her skin. His eyes, once intelligent and good, now black holes of fury and desperation. She was having trouble breathing, her body shaking in his arms."I ought to kill you," Kc snarled, his own voice low and frigid. "I should end your rotten existence here and now. Don't you see what you have taken from me?"Her own eyes welled with tears, but she was not going to weep. She was going to be strong."I did not do it," she wheezed. "I swear to you, Kc.She could not quite say the words as he drew her in, having her confront his intense, black eyes."Shut. Up." Kc's tone sliced through the air like a blade. "You don't get to speak. You don't get to beg. Do you know how my wife and my unborn son felt when you crashed into their car? Do you know how much terror they felt in their last minutes?" His fingers sank deep within the fabric of her shirt,
Kc gave a cold, emotionless laugh, his eyes flashing with contempt. "Human rights?" His venomous voice dripped with bile as he made a threatening movement forward. "Did my child and wife deserve to live, Valeria? Did they get a chance to beg for their lives when you stole from them their future?She shook her head forcefully, her whole body shaking. "I didn't steal anything! Someone sabotaged my car! Why won't you listen to me?!"His visage was curled into a scowl, breathing harsh and unpredictable. "Because it doesn't count!" he bellowed. "Vanessa died. My child died. And you—you get to stand here alive, crying, playing the victim!""I am a victim!" she screamed. "I lost everything too! My career, my dignity—my life is crumbling, Kc! And you—" She fought to gulp down the sobs. "You're only making it worse."Kc's hand darted out, his fingers wrapping around her chin, supporting her face up to meet the hard, merciless glint in his eyes. "Good," he grunted. "Because I am not through wit
The hotel room walls appeared to shut in on Valeria as she grabbed her throat, her body trembling uncontrollably. The bruises Kc had inflicted on her flesh were but a minor consideration compared to the agony he had seared into her heart. Even now, Valeria could hear venom-spiked words whose every syllable dripped with hate: "You can't run and you can't hide. You will suffer, Valeria."A bitter sob ripped from Valeria's throat as she placed her forehead against the cold marble floor.Her tears were overflowing. She was trapped.Even here, hidden behind pseudonyms and security doors, she wasn't safe.Not from Kc.Not from his rage.Not from the nightmare that just wouldn't end.Her fists clenched, nails pressing into the meat of her hands as she forced herself to take a breath. "I have to know the truth."Because if she didn't, Kc would be the one ending her life before she ever stood a chance of defending herself. Her cell phone rang from the bedside stand, breaking the silence. H
Kc's hand around his pen grew tight until his knuckles whitened. The clucking of lawyer's lingo in the boardroom didn't reach him. His thoughts were elsewhere.On her.Valeria believed she could flee. That she could vanish into the night and get her name cleared.She was mistaken.For no matter where she ran, no matter how far she attempted to get away, he would find her.And when he did—she would suffer.The mere thought sent a wry smile to his mouth."Atty. Page?"Kc's head jerked up, annoyance flashing in his eyes.Marcel shifted uneasily under his icy stare. "Sir, the Roosevelt case summary requires your signature."Kc let out a harsh breath, grabbing the folder in silence. He riffled through it indifferently, signing his name at the end.It was a case that should have commanded his whole attention. A case any lawyer would kill to work on. But for now, Roosevelt and corruption were nothing.All that mattered was she.He closed the folder with a loud snap, making some of the junior
She did not know what was ahead of her.The warehouse in front was looming, rusty metal walls about to fall. Salty air clung to the stench of the sea around it, and a tight silence hung over the grounds like a rope.Kim stood back at an uncertain distance. "Something doesn't feel right."Valeria's heart pounded. "We have no choice."They emerged slowly from the car towards the warehouse. Valeria's hands were sweating as she held the handle and swung open the heavy door, which groaned.Shadows fell over themselves in the poorly lit space as a foreboding light poured out of one, solitary light bulb.And there, leaning against a fire pit of crates—Was Joel.Blood caked on his forehead. Shallow, raspy breathing whistled past his lips.Valeria reached him, hunching next to his mangled form. "Joel! Hold on!"His eyes opened in a flutter. "You… you came…"Kim knelt beside them. "Who hurt you?"Joel gritted his teeth, attempting to move, but agony coursed through his frame. "They—they knew I
City lights faded into the distance as Kc's vehicle rushed along the empty road, the air between him and Valeria heavy with tension, suffocating to swallow. They'd said nothing—nothing since they'd gotten out of the warehouse, nothing since Joel crashed to the ground, nothing since the truth was torn from him once more.Kc's knuckled white grip on the steering wheel clinched tighter, teeth locked in agony. His brain was in an uproar with questions, fury, and suffering that nearly tore him asunder. Joel was his only hope.And he was dead now.He yanked on the brakes at a red light, and the abrupt jolt of it made Valeria catch her breath next to him.She spoke to him, her voice trembling. "Kc… you're going too fast. We just barely escaped in one piece—""Shut up." Icy voices.Valeria sat rigid, her fists clenched on the seatbelt. Valeria was frightened, she had reason to be it's because of Kc.He wheeled to confront her, his black eyes blazing with pent-up rage. "Did you know Valeria?"
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