The air in the villa grew thicker the moment Lucien Drake stepped in.
Six-foot-three. Dark gray eyes. Jaw clenched like a man used to war, not words. His presence was magnetic—silent but suffocating.
Caden greeted him with a stiff nod. "Didn't think you'd actually come."
Lucien shrugged. "I got curious about the girl who's threatening Bram's empire."
Alethea stepped into view, her expression unreadable. "And now that you've seen me?"
Lucien's eyes roamed her figure, lingering without shame. "I'm still deciding if you're brilliant... or suicidal."
Alethea walked closer, heels clicking like a countdown. "Good. Keep wondering. It keeps men like you from becoming dangerous."
He smirked. "Men like me were born dangerous."
Tension crackled. Caden cleared his throat. "Enough. We don't trust each other yet, and that's fine. But we've got a bigger enemy. Bram is shipping classified data to Monaco. We need it stopped."
Alethea leaned against the grand piano. "What's the plan?"
Lucien stepped forward. "I go back undercover. Keep my position close to Bram, feed you intel. But there's a condition."
She raised a brow. "Name it."
Lucien's voice lowered. "No secrets between us. If I'm risking my life for your little revolution, I want full access—to the files, to the plans... and to you."
Caden bristled. "That's not happening."
But Alethea only smiled. "He can have access. But access doesn't mean control."
Lucien's grin was sharp. "We'll see."
---
That night, as the villa slept under moonlight and security drones, Alethea wandered to the balcony. A soft wind brushed her silk robe as she stared out at the vineyard.
A whisper came behind her. "Still awake, Vione?"
It was Marco.
She didn't turn. "You shouldn't be here."
He stepped beside her, his voice low. "I had no choice back then. Bram threatened my family. I left to keep you safe."
"You didn't even say goodbye."
"I know. And I'll never forgive myself."
She looked at him finally—eyes fierce, unyielding. "You don't get to walk back in and expect redemption."
"I don't want redemption. I want revenge. And I want you."
The words hung in the air.
Before she could reply, the glass door opened.
Lucien.
He paused, eyes flicking between them.
"Well," he said dryly. "Looks like I arrived at an inconvenient time."
Alethea turned cold. "Get used to it. This war doesn't pause for feelings."
Lucien walked away with a grin.
Marco's fists clenched. "I don't like him near you."
"And yet, you have no right to stop him."
Alethea walked back inside, letting the silk robe trail behind her like a queen's cape.
Her mind raced.
Three billionaires.
One throne.
And her rules.
The secret venue was located beneath a luxurious hotel in Zurich, accessible only by retina scan and coded invitation. Men in suits and women in diamonds filled the underground chamber. But they weren't here for champagne.
They were here to buy power.
Weapons. Secrets. Souls.
Alethea stepped out of the black Rolls Royce, dressed in a plunging black velvet gown. Her mask covered half her face, but her presence couldn't be hidden. She looked like sin carved into elegance.
Lucien stood beside her, eyes scanning the crowd. "You sure you're ready for this?"
"I was born ready," she said coolly. "Let's get this over with."
Inside, the air was tainted with wealth and wickedness.
Item 003: A vial of synthetic neurotoxin. Item 004: A corrupted list of offshore account holders. Item 005: A live security code to Bram's Monaco vault.
That was their target.
Alethea lifted the glass of wine to her lips as bidding began. Marco's voice crackled in her earpiece. "Be careful. The man guarding that code is Viktor Kovac. Former military. Bram's dog."
Lucien leaned in. "Change of plan. I'll create a distraction. You get that code."
"No," she said firmly. "This time, I go in."
She slipped past velvet ropes and guards with the grace of a serpent in silk. Inside the private chamber, Kovac stood with a cigar and two armed men.
"Who are you?" he barked.
She smiled. "Entertainment."
Before they could react, she twisted her body, delivering a precise blow to the guard's throat. Gunshots rang—suppressed but sharp.
Lucien crashed through the opposite door, tackling Kovac as Alethea reached for the drive. But Kovac grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground.
"You think a pretty girl like you can play in our world?"
Her heel jabbed into his knee. "I'm not playing."
He dropped to the floor. Lucien finished him with a clean shot.
Breathing heavy, Alethea grabbed the drive. "Let's go."
They exited through the service tunnel as sirens blared above.
---
Back at the villa, Caden slammed his fist on the table. "You disobeyed the plan!"
Alethea set the drive down, eyes cold. "I got results."
"You risked everything—"
"She saved me," Lucien interrupted. "Don't blame her for succeeding."
Caden's jaw tightened. "Next time, you follow orders."
Alethea stepped closer, her voice low. "I don't follow orders. I give them."
Marco entered, calm but tense. "We have a bigger problem. Bram just found out we were there. And he knows Alethea's alive."
Silence fell.
Lucien looked at her. "Time to disappear again?"
Alethea looked out the window at the dark vineyard. "No. Time to start the war."
Rain fell hard in Marseille.
The sea clashed violently against the cliffs, mirroring the storm inside Alethea's chest. She stood on the balcony of their temporary safehouse, gripping a worn photograph in her hand—two girls, smiling, arms around each other.
One of them was her.
The other… was the girl she buried in her past.
Marco approached silently. "That photo again."
She didn't turn. "Her name was Elira. My sister… not by blood, but by something deeper. She died because of me."
"You never told me you had someone like that."
"No one knows. Not Lucien. Not even Caden. She was my shadow, my anchor. Until Bram took her from me."
Marco leaned on the railing. "You think this is why Bram's after you?"
Alethea's jaw clenched. "No. He doesn't know she existed. But someone does. Because I received this last night—"
She handed him a small envelope. Inside: another photo. Elira, alive. Bound and bruised. The timestamp: 48 hours ago.
Marco's eyes darkened. "This is impossible. You said she—"
"I saw her fall. Off the damn cliff. I heard her scream."
"She's alive," he said softly. "And someone wants you to suffer."
Lucien barged in. "We have a problem. The drive was a trap. Bram traced it. He's not just after you now, Alea. He's hunting all of us."
She turned sharply. "Let him come."
"No, you don't get it," Lucien said. "Bram partnered with an old ghost. Someone who knows you better than we do."
Alethea's breath caught. "Who?"
Lucien slid a file onto the table.
Name: Dr. Felix Rainer
Alias: The Architect
Marco muttered, "That man builds minds like machines. We thought he died three years ago."
Alethea backed away, her heartbeat surging. "He didn't die. I saw him last… in the facility where I was trained."
Marco's eyes widened. "You were part of his program?"
She nodded. "I was his masterpiece."
Silence engulfed the room. The past she had buried was no longer a secret—it was coming back, bloodthirsty.
Lucien whispered, "He's programming killers now. And you, Alethea… you're next on the list."
Alethea stared at the flickering photo of Elira on the screen.
If Elira was alive, she'd burn the world to get her back.
And if The Architect wanted war…
She'd remind him exactly what he created.
TBC..................