The Northvale Key

Episode 15

Cassian didn't waste a second. His hands moved like lightning, grabbing the briefcase from the back seat before Lianna could even react.

"Cassian! What are you doing?!" Lianna screamed, startled to see her husband snatch the bag so roughly.

Cassian didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on a gap in the stitching at the bottom of the bag. There was an incredibly faint, almost invisible red pulse. He immediately rolled down the car window and hurled the bag with all his might toward a large ditch by the side of the road.

A few seconds later, a muffled explosion echoed from the ditch. It wasn't fire that emerged, but a plume of corrosive green smoke that instantly scorched the surrounding grass. It wasn't an explosive bomb; it was a highly lethal gas canister designed to destroy documents and the nervous system.

Lianna slammed on the brakes. Their car came to a sudden halt on the deserted road. Her breath hitched, and her face went pale as she stared at the smoke in the rearview mirror. "That bag... my bag... Cassian, what was that?"

"Your laptop battery short-circuited, Lianna. I was already suspicious back at the restaurant because it smelled strange," Cassian lied, his voice carefully controlled to sound shaky, as if he were afraid too. The Coven really wanted to eliminate her slowly.

Lianna leaned her head against the steering wheel, her body trembling violently. "None of this makes sense. The attack in the parking lot, Stark’s threats, and now this? I... I don't know who I can trust anymore."

Cassian gently touched his wife's shoulder. "You can trust me, Lianna. Always."

Lianna looked up, meeting Cassian's eyes. There was deep hesitation there, but also a thirst for security. "Thank you, Cassian. But... I need a real professional to accompany me to the office tomorrow. Grandmother has already arranged a new assistant for me."

***

One week later.

The executive floor of the Valerian Group now had a new resident who always stood right by Lianna's side. His name was Theo, a thirty-year-old man with an MBA from Wharton and a flawless track record at a London finance firm. Theo was the definition of the Matriarch’s ideal man: handsome, brilliant, and from a distinguished family.

"Miss Lianna, I have prepared the risk analysis for the warehouse development project in the West sector," Theo said, his voice soft yet full of confidence. He placed a thin tablet on Lianna's mahogany desk.

Cassian stood in the corner of the room, holding a tray of coffee. He had returned to being a spectator, a role Lianna had implicitly assigned him since Theo's arrival.

"Thank you, Theo. This is far more detailed than anything we've ever had before," Lianna praised. She glanced briefly at Cassian. "Cassian, you can put the coffee over there. Oh, and please organize the archives in the next room."

"Of course, Lianna," Cassian replied flatly. "But, Lianna... before you sign that contract, have you checked the logistics insurance clauses? The Western route is currently vulnerable due to Stark Capital’s sabotage."

Lianna sighed, her fingers massaging her temples. "Cassian, please. Theo has already performed a thorough audit. He’s an expert in this field. Your strategic input last week did help, but this is on a different level."

Theo gave a thin smile, one that carried a hint of pity for Cassian. "Mr. Cassian, I appreciate your concern for your wife's company. But in asset management, we move based on macro data, not just the hunches of administrative staff."

"Hunches sometimes save lives, Mr. Theo," Cassian remarked calmly.

"Enough," Lianna cut in firmly. "Theo, proceed with your plan. We will transfer the ten-million-dollar deposit this afternoon to secure the land."

Cassian left the room without another word. In the quiet corridor, he reached for his secret phone.

"Agent D. Check Theo’s background. And monitor the fund movement to the West sector. Something smells fishy," Cassian whispered.

"Acknowledged, Master Northvale. Submitting report in five minutes."

The report arrived sooner than he expected. On his phone screen, shocking data was displayed. Theo was indeed a Wharton graduate, but he had a five-million-dollar gambling debt at an underground casino owned by Kenneth Stark’s alliance.

"So you're the rat sent to steal the rest of Lianna’s money," Cassian murmured coldly.

Two hours later, chaos erupted in the CEO's office. Lianna’s screams could be heard all the way to the archive room. Cassian immediately stepped inside. He found Lianna staring at the monitor with a pale face, while Theo stood in the corner with a look of feigned confusion.

"The money is gone! The ten million dollars was sent to the vendor’s account, but the vendor says they never received anything!" Lianna cried out, her voice cracking with panic. "The destination account was automatically closed right after the funds arrived!"

"Miss Lianna, I... I swear I entered the correct account number," Theo said, his voice trembling. "There might have been an external system hack. I’ll contact the IT team immediately."

"IT won't find anything, Theo," Cassian's voice cut through the argument. He walked into the room with a stride far more commanding than usual.

Lianna turned toward her husband. "Cassian, now is not the time—"

"Sit down, Lianna," Cassian commanded. His tone was so dominant that Lianna obeyed without even realizing it. Cassian walked to the main computer and began typing with impossible speed.

"What are you doing? Don't touch that!" Theo barked, trying to grab Cassian's hand.

Cassian used just one hand to shove Theo's shoulder, but the force of it sent the athletic man flying toward the sofa. "Stay there, or I'll make sure you can never gamble again for the rest of your life."

Theo’s eyes widened. How did this loser know about his gambling debts?

"Lianna, look at this," Cassian said, pointing at the screen. "Theo used a mirroring protocol. He rerouted the transfer through a shell bank in the Caymans before directing it to his personal account. The ten million dollars isn't lost; it’s waiting for withdrawal confirmation in a holding account under his mother’s name."

Lianna stared at the screen, seeing the lines of code and transfer evidence Cassian had exposed. "Theo... you... you did this to me?"

"That’s a lie! He’s just a clerk, how could he possibly understand international banking systems?!" Theo screamed frantically.

Cassian didn't waste any time. He sent a brief message through his watch. Execute reverse liquidity. Return the ten million to Valerian with compensation interest.

The next second, Lianna’s phone rang. A notification arrived from the corporate bank.

"The funds have been returned... plus two million dollars as a 'system error fee'?" Lianna read the message, her hands shaking. She looked at Cassian, her eyes full of unanswerable questions. "How did you... how did you do it?"

"I just followed the digital trail this amateur left behind," Cassian replied, his eyes flashing as he looked at Theo.

"Amateur?! I’m a Wharton graduate!" Theo roared.

"Wharton didn't teach you how to hide money laundering from the Northvale Syndicate," Cassian whispered in Theo's ear as he dragged the man toward the door. "Leave now before Agent D arrives and makes you disappear permanently."

Theo didn't wait to be told twice. He bolted out of the Valerian building as if the devil himself were chasing him.

Silence filled the CEO’s office. Lianna was still seated in her chair, staring at the computer screen that still displayed the evidence of Theo’s crime. She slowly turned toward Cassian, who was tidying up his cold coffee.

"Cassian," Lianna called softly. "Who are you, really?"

Cassian paused, looking at his wife with the gentle gaze he always showed her. "I'm just your husband, Lianna."

"The man who will always keep you from falling."

Lianna stood up, stepping toward Cassian until they were only inches apart. She could smell the scent of sandalwood and archive dust on his clothes, but there was an aura of power she had never noticed before.

"You've saved me so many times this week," Lianna whispered. "From that falcon statue, the gallery building, the Mr. Chen incident, and now this... You're not just a record-keeper, are you?"

"I've learned a lot from the documents I read, Lianna. Knowledge is power," Cassian tried to provide a plausible excuse.

Lianna shook her head slowly. She reached for Cassian's hand and gripped it tightly. "No. Theo was the person I trusted most professionally, and he betrayed me. Meanwhile, you... the person I always sidelined, were the only one standing there when I fell apart."

Tears began to stream down Lianna's cheeks. "Forgive me for underestimating you. Forgive me for trusting other people's titles more than my own husband's love."

Cassian pulled Lianna into his embrace. "Don't apologize. The world is cruel, and your job is to be a strong leader. My job is to be the foundation that will never falter beneath your feet."

Lianna released the embrace, looking into her husband's eyes with utter sincerity. "Starting tomorrow, I don't want any other assistants. I want you sitting at the desk next to mine. Not as an administrative assistant, but as my chief strategic advisor. I need your genius, Cassian. I can't lead Valerian alone anymore."

Cassian gave a thin smile. This was the progress he wanted, but also the greatest risk to his identity as 'Mr. North.' "Are you sure? Grandmother won't like seeing me in the inner circle."

"I don't care what Grandmother likes anymore," Lianna stated firmly. "This is my autonomous department. My rules."

Just as the two of them were immersed in that emotional moment, the CEO's office door slammed open. Great-Grandmother marched in, face flushed red, holding a late-afternoon newspaper that had just been published.

"Lianna! What have you done?! You fired Theo?!" Great-Grandmother screamed. But her steps faltered when she saw Cassian holding Lianna's hand in a very dominant pose.

"He wasn't just fired, Grandma. He tried to rob us," Lianna replied without a single tremor in her voice. "And Cassian was the one who caught him."

Great-Grandmother glared at Cassian with pure hatred. "You... you little rat. You must have used dirty tricks to frame Theo just so you could get closer to the company's money."

"Grandmother, enough!" Lianna stood in front of Cassian, acting as a shield for her husband. "From this day on, Cassian is the second-in-command of this Autonomous Department. If you object, feel free to take back that fifty-million-dollar fund from Mrs. North—if you dare."

Great-Grandmother choked on her own words. She stared at Cassian for a long time, as if she were looking at an arch-enemy who had just risen from the grave. "You will regret this, Lianna. And you, Cassian... don't you ever think you've won."

After Great-Grandmother left, Lianna looked back at Cassian. "She won't stop harassing you."

"I know," Cassian replied calmly. "But there is something more urgent you need to know."

Cassian reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small silver coin—the thorn coin he had taken from the scout's body the night before. He placed it on Lianna's desk.

"What is this?" Lianna asked, touching the cold coin.

"A death mark from the Coven Entity," Cassian's voice suddenly grew cold. "They are no longer attacking our company, Lianna. They are already inside our home."

Lianna's face turned pale once again. "What do you mean?"

"Call your mother," Cassian commanded. "Ask her who the man is currently repairing the water pipes at the Ashworth house. If my suspicion is correct, that house is going to explode thirty minutes from now."

Lianna immediately grabbed her phone with trembling hands, realizing that their recent professional victory was only the beginning of a truly bloody nightmare.

Episode 16

Quick, Lianna! Call them now! Cassian’s voice boomed in the quiet CEO's office.

Lianna flinched, her fingers trembling as she grabbed the phone on the mahogany desk. Yes, Cassian. I’m calling now.

The call connected. Mrs. Ashworth’s voice sounded relaxed on the other end. Hello, Lianna? Why are you calling so late at night?

Mom! Mom, where are you? Lianna's voice rose, her eyes glancing at Cassian, who stood rigid with a clenched jaw.

I'm in the living room. A plumber just arrived, said there's a leak in the main line. Why does your voice—

Mom, get out now! Get all the servants out of the house! Right now! Lianna shouted.

Lianna, what are you talking about? The plumber just went into the basement—