MasukVale Grand looked different at night.The abandoned hotel stood beneath the darkness, its broken windows reflecting the faint glow of the streetlights.Damian's car stopped several meters from the entrance.Two security vehicles arrived behind them.Adrian stepped out first.He looked around.“Nothing.”Damian got out.“That's what worries me.”Amelia joined him.Victoria followed, clutching her father's letter.Nathan remained in the second vehicle with the documents.Damian looked at everyone.“We stay together.”Adrian nodded.They entered the hotel.The lobby was silent.No footsteps.No movement.No sign of Edward.Then Amelia noticed something.“Look.”A light was on at the far end of the hallway.Damian walked toward it.The light came from the old conference room.He opened the door.Empty.Except for a table.And a single chair.On the table was an envelope.Damian picked it up.His name was written on it.DAMIAN VALE.He opened it.Inside was a photograph.The same four men
For several seconds, nobody spoke.The name at the bottom of Marcus's letter seemed to hang in the air.Damian stared at it.He had seen it before.Years ago.In his father's old business records.A name connected to a man everyone believed had died.But now,Marcus had written it.Jonathan had a photograph of him.And someone had just been ordered to bring him back.“What are you thinking?” Amelia asked.Damian folded the letter carefully.“That this is bigger than Jonathan.”Adrian nodded.“I agree.”Victoria looked between them.“My father said someone destroyed our families.”She swallowed.“But he didn't say who.”Damian looked at the house.“Maybe he couldn't.”“Why?”“Because he knew the person was still powerful.”Adrian's expression hardened.“Then we need to find him before they do.”Damian shook his head.“No.”Adrian frowned.“No?”“We need to find out who we're looking for first.”Amelia nodded.“Otherwise we're walking into another trap.”Victoria looked at the letter.“
The drive to Vale Grand was silent.Damian kept both hands on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road.Amelia sat beside him.Victoria was in the back seat, holding the small key her father had left behind.Adrian was following them separately.Nobody knew who had entered the hotel.Nobody knew what they were looking for.But Damian knew one thing.They had to get there first.When they finally arrived, the old hotel stood exactly as they had left it.Dark.Silent.Abandoned.Except for one thing.A light was glowing on the third floor.Damian stopped the car.Amelia stared at the building.“Someone is inside.”Victoria swallowed.“My father used to bring me here when I was a child.”Damian looked at her through the mirror.“Did he ever mention an underground room?”“No.”She looked at the hotel.“But he always told me never to go below the ground floor.”Adrian pulled up behind them.He stepped out.“I've already contacted security.”Damian nodded.“Let's go.”---The front do
Damian read the message again.WHEN THE VALE FAMILY COMES LOOKING FOR ITS SHARES, GIVE THEM TO JONATHAN.He couldn't stop staring at the words.Amelia stood beside him.“Damian.”He finally looked up.“If Marcus Hale transferred his shares to Jonathan, then Jonathan isn't trying to steal Vale Group.”Daniel nodded.“He's trying to restore the original ownership.”Damian's jaw tightened.“Then why threaten me?”“Because you weren't listening.”“Listening to what?”Daniel pointed at the document.“The agreement.”Damian looked down.“Which agreement?”“The one your father signed before Meridian was dissolved.”Daniel pulled another document from the box.“This.”Damian took it.His eyes moved across the page.Then stopped.THE ORIGINAL SHAREHOLDERS MAY RECLAIM THEIR ASSETS IF THE COMPANY IS EVER CONTROLLED BY A SUCCESSOR WHO WAS NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT.Damian's expression hardened.“I'm the successor.”“Yes.”“And because I wasn't part of the original agreement…”“Jonathan c
The following morning, Damian woke before the alarm.He lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling.Twenty-nine years.Three families.One company.And a man named Daniel Mercer who apparently knew how it all began.Beside him, Amelia stirred.“You're thinking again.”Damian turned toward her.“How did you know?”“You have that look.”“What look?”“The one you get when you're trying to solve a problem before breakfast.”He smiled.“I'm going to see Daniel Mercer today.”“I know.”“You're coming?”She raised an eyebrow.“You really thought you were going alone?”Damian laughed quietly.“No.”“Good.”She sat up.“But before we leave, I want breakfast.”“Of course.”“And you're making it.”His smile disappeared.“Why?”“Because you woke me up with your worrying.”“That isn't how marriage works.”“It is today.”He shook his head.“Yes, ma'am.”---By nine o'clock, they were on their way.Adrian had sent them the address.A quiet neighborhood far from the city center.No security guard
Damian remained silent long after the call ended.Amelia watched him.“The company was created by your family?”He nodded slowly.“Twenty-nine years ago.”“And Jonathan owned it?”“Apparently.”She studied his face.“Damian…”“I know what you're thinking.”“No, you don't.”He looked at her.“You're thinking I should simply give him the company.”Amelia shook her head.“I wasn't going to say that.”“Then what?”“That we need to know the truth before deciding what belongs to whom.”For a moment, Damian said nothing.Then he smiled faintly.“That is exactly why I married you.”Amelia rolled her eyes.“Don't try to distract me.”“I wasn't.”“You were.”He laughed softly.Then his expression became serious again.“Let's go home.”---By the time they returned to the house, the rest of the family had already gathered.Adrian was sitting at the dining table with Nathan's documents spread before him.Victoria stood near the window.Elena sat quietly beside Mara.Noah was on the floor, playing
The words slammed into Damian like a physical blow.“Don’t touch her.”For a second, nobody moved.Amelia’s body trembled weakly in Adrian’s arms, her face pale enough to terrify everyone in the room.“Move aside,” Damian said coldly.Adrian ignored him completely.“Get water,” he told Sophie calml
Amelia’s heartbeat stopped for a second.No.Not now.Not tonight.Sophie looked between the door and Amelia in confusion before opening it wider.Standing outside was a tall man dressed in a dark coat, rainwater still glistening faintly on his shoulders. His sharp features carried the calm confide
Damian Vale did not sleep that night.By three in the morning, the entire top floor of Vale Corporation remained brightly lit while executives and assistants moved nervously through the hallways like soldiers preparing for war.Nobody dared ask questions.Nobody dared mention Amelia.But everyone c
For one terrifying second, Damian thought he misheard.The noise of the ballroom faded into the background.“What did you say?”On the other end of the call, the hotel manager sounded nervous.“Mrs. Vale collapsed near the west entrance. Security said she nearly fainted in the rain.”Damian’s grip







