Chapter 1: The Threat
The first death threat arrived at 8:17 a.m., hidden beneath Adrian Vale's morning briefing.
Adrian adjusted the cuff of his tailored black suit and skimmed through the stack of documents on his desk.
Quarterly reports.
Merger proposals.
Investment updates.
Then
A cream-colored envelope without a stamp or sender.
His assistant, Clara, frowned. "That wasn't there five minutes ago."
Adrian slid a finger beneath the seal and unfolded the single sheet inside.
The message contained only one sentence.
You will die in seven days.
His expression remained unreadable.
Clara, however, paled instantly.
"Mr. Vale..." Her voice trembled. "Should I call security?"
Adrian folded the paper neatly and placed it back on the desk.
"No."
"But—"
"Anyone desperate enough to send anonymous threats wants attention."
He rose from his chair, towering over the city skyline stretching beyond the glass windows of Vale Holdings.
"They won't get it from me."
Clara hesitated. "What if it's serious?"
Adrian picked up his watch.
"Then they should have been more creative."
He walked toward the elevator, the threat already forgotten.
Or so he thought.
By noon, Vale Holdings' boardroom had become a battlefield.
"The acquisition is too risky," one executive argued.
"It's exactly the kind of risk that built this company," another snapped.
Adrian sat at the head of the polished table, listening in silence.
The room quieted the moment he looked up.
"We proceed with the acquisition," he said.
No one dared challenge him.
As the youngest CEO in Vale Holdings' history, Adrian had transformed the company into a global empire.
He wasn't known for mistakes.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
He declined the call.
It rang again.
And again.
Irritated, Adrian answered.
"What?"
The voice on the other end was distorted.
"You ignored the letter."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"Who is this?"
"You should check your car."
The line went dead.
For the first time that day, unease settled in Adrian's chest.
An hour later, Adrian exited Vale Holdings under the watchful eyes of reporters.
"Mr. Vale! Is it true you're acquiring Sterling Tech?"
"Are you planning to expand overseas?"
"Have you considered marriage?"
Ignoring them all, Adrian climbed into the backseat of his car.
"Home," he instructed.
His driver nodded.
Rain began to fall.
Adrian loosened his tie and glanced out the window.
His thoughts drifted back to the threat.
You will die in seven days.
Ridiculous.
He had competitors.
Enemies.
People who hated him.
Fear had no place in his life.
Then the car jerked violently.
The driver cursed.
"Sir—"
The brakes failed.
The sedan sped through a red light.
Horns blared.
Tires screeched against rain-slick asphalt.
"Control the car," Adrian ordered sharply.
"I'm trying!"
Another truck barreled toward them from the opposite lane.
Closer.
Closer.
Too close.
For the first time in years, Adrian Vale felt something he refused to acknowledge.
Fear.
The driver swerved.
The world spun.
Metal screamed.
Glass shattered.
Darkness swallowed everything.
And somewhere in the chaos, Adrian heard a woman's voice.
Cold.
Certain.
Almost familiar.
"I told you he wouldn't listen."
Then everything went black.
