TALIA:the ghost
1408 Words
When the gates of the Valentino estate slowly opened, Talia looked through the window of the black sedan and smiled.
Home.
After weeks of white hospital walls, the smell of medicine, and nurses constantly checking on her, seeing the familiar golden gates of the Valentino mansion felt strangely comforting.
The car stopped in front of the mansion.
Before the driver could even open her door, Talia heard shouting from outside.
“She’s here!”
“Everybody, move!”
“Don't let Dad ruin the surprise!”
Talia blinked.
“What are they doing?”
The driver smiled.
“I believe your brothers have prepared something.”
Talia slowly stepped out of the car.
The moment her feet touched the ground, colorful confetti suddenly exploded above her.
“WELCOME HOME, TALIA!”
She jumped.
“What—”
Her brothers burst into laughter.
Her youngest brother ran toward her but stopped several feet away.
“Welcome home!”
Talia stared at him.
“You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“That was the point.”
“Talia!”
Her mother hurried down the steps and immediately embraced her.
“My baby.”
“Mom, I'm okay.”
“I know you're okay. I still missed you.”
Talia smiled and hugged her back.
Then she noticed the decorations.
The entire entrance had been transformed.
Flowers covered the staircase. A huge banner hung above the doorway.
WELCOME HOME, TALIA.
There were ribbons, photographs, balloons, and even a large table covered with beautifully wrapped gifts.
Talia stared.
“Are all those for me?”
Her second brother folded his arms proudly.
“Every single one.”
She walked toward the table.
“This is excessive.”
“No,” her eldest brother replied. “This is what happens when you nearly scare the entire family to death.”
Talia picked up a box.
“What is this?”
“Open it.”
Inside was a beautiful watch.
Her eyes widened.
“Wow.”
“There's more.”
She opened another.
A new phone.
Another.
A collection of books she had been searching for.
Another contained beautiful clothes.
Then came perfume, jewelry, headphones, shoes, and several other gifts.
Talia looked at her brothers.
“You're all insane.”
Her youngest brother grinned.
“We've been waiting for you to say that.”
Everyone laughed.
Then Talia noticed her father standing quietly near the doorway.
Alessandro wasn't laughing.
He was simply looking at his daughter.
His eyes softened.
“You're really home.”
Talia walked toward him.
“I'm home, Dad.”
He pulled her into a careful embrace.
“Good.”
For a moment, he said nothing.
Talia could feel how tightly he was holding back his emotions.
“I missed you,” he finally whispered.
Talia smiled against his shoulder.
“I missed you too.”
That evening became one of the happiest nights Talia had experienced in a long time.
The entire family ate together.
Her brothers argued over who had chosen the best gift.
Her mother kept putting food on Talia's plate despite her protests.
And Alessandro kept watching his daughter with a quiet smile.
For the first time since the ambush, the Valentino household felt completely peaceful.
Talia slowly began to recover.
At first, even walking around the estate tired her.
She hated that.
Every morning, she would stare at the training grounds through the window.
“Soon,” she would whisper.
Her brothers wouldn't let her train.
“Doctor's orders.”
“I feel fine.”
“You said that before.”
“I am fine.”
“You were stabbed.”
“That was weeks ago.”
“Exactly. And you're still recovering.”
Talia would roll her eyes and walk away.
But she listened.
Days became weeks.
She grew stronger.
She walked farther.
Then she began light exercises.
Eventually, she returned to serious training.
One morning, she stood in the training room and completed an entire session without feeling pain.
She stopped and looked at herself in the mirror.
A smile slowly appeared.
She was back.
That afternoon, she entered her father's office.
Alessandro looked up from his desk.
“No.”
Talia hadn't even spoken yet.
She frowned.
“You don't know what I'm going to say.”
“I know that expression.”
“What expression?”
“The expression you make when you're about to ask for something dangerous.”
Talia smiled.
“I want a mission.”
Alessandro leaned back.
“Talia.”
“Dad.”
“You just recovered.”
“I've fully recovered.”
“You're certain?”
She nodded.
“Completely.”
He studied her for a long moment.
Then he sighed.
“Fine. But you don't take unnecessary risks.”
“I won't.”
“And you follow the plan.”
“I will.”
“And—”
“Dad.”
“What?”
“I understand.”
Alessandro smiled.
“Then let's see what you've learned.”
The mission arrived two days later.
Talia studied every detail carefully.
Unlike before, she wasn't rushing.
She didn't want to prove anything.
She wanted victory.
When she finally left for the mission, Alessandro stood at the entrance of the estate.
“Come back safely.”
Talia smiled.
“I will.”
Hours later, she returned.
Her brothers rushed toward her.
“How did it go?”
Talia calmly removed her gloves.
“Perfect.”
Her eldest brother stared.
“Perfect?”
“Complete victory.”
The room erupted in celebration.
Her mother hugged her.
Alessandro simply smiled.
“I knew you could do it.”
Talia felt something warm in her chest.
She had returned from the hospital afraid that she might never be the same.
Now she knew she was stronger than before.
But somewhere beyond the Valentino estate, other people had noticed her transformation.
In a dark room, several men sat around a long table.
A blue snake emblem was displayed on the wall.
A man dropped a photograph onto the table.
Talia Valentino.
“We've been watching her,” he said.
Another man picked up the photograph.
“She defeated the group we sent to test her.”
“She didn't just defeat them,” another replied. “She made them look helpless.”
Silence followed.
Finally, the leader spoke.
“Then she's a threat.”
A man looked toward him.
“What do you want us to do?”
The leader's eyes narrowed.
“Find her.”
“And if we do?”
The leader slowly smiled.
“Then the Blue Viper will decide what happens next.”
But they soon discovered something unexpected.
Talia was almost impossible to track.
She didn't follow predictable routines.
She changed locations without warning.
She appeared when nobody expected her and disappeared before anyone could follow.
Every attempt to locate her failed.
Weeks passed.
The Blue Viper became increasingly frustrated.
One night, their leader slammed a folder onto the table.
“Where is she?”
Nobody answered.
“We've searched everywhere!”
Still nothing.
Then one of the men quietly spoke.
“Perhaps we're looking for the wrong person.”
The leader turned.
“What do you mean?”
The man placed another photograph on the table.
A blurred image of Talia walking through a crowded street.
“She doesn't disappear,” he said.
“She simply makes sure nobody notices where she goes.”
The leader stared at the photograph.
For the first time, a hint of concern appeared in his eyes.
“What do they call her?”
The man hesitated.
“Her enemies have started calling her the Ghost.”
Meanwhile, Talia stood alone on the balcony of the Valentino mansion.
The city stretched before her, filled with thousands of lights.
Her phone vibrated.
She looked at the message.
BLUE VIPER ORGANIZATION HAS IDENTIFIED YOU AS A TARGET.
Talia stared at it.
Then she smiled.
“So they've finally come.”
She deleted the message and slipped the phone into her pocket.
Behind her, she could hear her brothers arguing about dinner.
Her mother was calling them.
Her father was laughing.
Talia turned toward the sound.
She wasn't afraid.
The Blue Viper could hunt her.
They could search for her.
They could send their strongest people.
But they had made one serious mistake.
They had chosen a target who knew how to become invisible.
And Talia Valentino had no intention of being caught.
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