The Northvale Key

Episode 9

Retribution for the Counterfeit Jewelry

Cassian did not wait for his heartbeat to return to normal. In the total darkness, broken only by the red glow of emergency lights, he released the box from Mr. Chen and dashed. His sharp senses caught the sound of shoes scuffing against the thick carpet of the side corridor.

Thud!

Cassian slammed into the silhouette of the gloved man just as he was about to disappear behind the emergency stairwell door. The attacker jolted, attempting to throw a punch, but Cassian was faster. He grabbed the man’s wrist—the one still wearing the tracking watch as Mr. Chen had warned—and twisted it until there was a sickening bone-deep click.

"Let... her... go..." Cassian growled, his voice hoarse and cold.

The man groaned, dropping Lianna, who was half-conscious from a chloroformed handkerchief. Just as Cassian was about to land a final blow, the building lights flickered back on with a blinding brightness. The sirens stopped. The Valerian security team swarmed in from all directions.

"What is happening here?!" the Old Matriarch roared, appearing with a pale face and heavy breathing.

Cassian immediately pulled his hand back, slumping into his original, clumsy-looking posture. He held Lianna, who was still dazed. The gloved man had already been secured by four security officers, his face hidden behind a medical mask.

"I... I saw him dragging Lianna into the dark," Cassian murmured softly, his face painted with a perfect mask of fake fear.

The Old Matriarch looked at the man with disgust, then turned to Cassian with a gaze full of hatred. "The security here is terrible! Take this bastard to the police. And you, Cassian... don't you think you're a hero just because you happened to be in the right place by accident!"

One day later.

The hall of Lianna's new jewelry gallery at Silver-Gate was supposed to be a symbol of her new triumph. However, the atmosphere there felt incredibly tense. Dozens of elite guests and business journalists stood around the glass displays, where the first collection of the Valerian Charity Project was showcased.

Viona Ashworth stood in the middle of the room, crossing her arms with a mocking, slanted smile. Beside her, a stout man in an expensive three-piece suit held a specialized gem microscope. He was Mr. Marcus, the owner of Imperial Gem, the largest jewelry store chain in the region.

"Do you want me to be honest, Miss Viona?" Marcus said loudly, intentionally letting his voice echo through the gallery. "These items... are embarrassing."

Lianna, standing behind the display case, turned pale. "What do you mean, Mr. Marcus? All these pieces were made by talented local craftsmen using premium materials."

"Premium materials?" Marcus burst out laughing, then dropped a sapphire necklace back onto the velvet cloth. "This is high-grade counterfeit trash. This sapphire is more accurately called bottle glass. Are you swindling the city's wealthy in the name of charity, Lianna?"

Disparaging whispers began to spread among the guests. Several journalists started taking photos, the camera flashes feeling like slaps to Lianna's face.

"Trash products from a desperate CEO," Viona chimed in, her voice sweet yet lethal. "Lianna, you should have consulted an expert like Mr. Marcus before trying to sell flea-market-grade crafts in Silver-Gate."

Lianna gripped the edge of the table. "They are authentic. I supervised the process myself—"

"A claim from an amateur is useless in the court of the jewelry industry," Marcus cut her off harshly. "Imperial Gem officially declares that this gallery is circulating counterfeit goods. Your charity's reputation dies this very day."

Cassian stood in the shadows of the gallery pillars. His hands were in his pockets, clutching his Syndicate phone. His jaw tightened. Insulting him was one thing, but destroying Lianna's blood, sweat, and tears for this noble cause? That was an economic death sentence.

You've crossed the line, you little Stark dog, Cassian thought. He was no longer looking at Marcus, but at his screen.

Identity: Mr. North. Order: Aggressive Liquidation.

"Identify Imperial Gem's debts," Cassian whispered to the system in his ear.

"Connecting to the global treasury," the AI's cold voice responded. "Imperial Gem has two hundred million dollars in matured debt secured through corporate bonds in the secondary market. Ninety percent of their shares are pledged to the Stark-Consortium Bank."

"Buy up all that matured debt in thirty seconds," Cassian ordered. "Activate a forced margin call on the stock exchange through Syndicate liquidity. I want Imperial Gem dead before this exhibition is over."

"Received, Mr. Northvale. Instant liquidity execution is in progress."

In the center of the hall, Marcus was just about to pull out a formal document containing fake certificates to hand to the press when the phone in his pocket rang violently. Not once, but five times in a frantic succession.

Marcus's face, which had been flushed with arrogance, suddenly turned ashen. He answered his phone with a trembling hand. "What? The Central Bank canceled our credit facility? What do you mean the exchange has implemented an automatic freeze?!"

The entire room fell silent as Marcus suddenly fell to his knees on the marble floor, dropping his gem microscope until it shattered into pieces. "Two hundred million in debt... pulled instantly by a new creditor? Who... who is North-Spirit Capital?!"

Just then, on the large TV screen on the gallery wall broadcasting financial news, scrolling text appeared: Imperial Gem Declared in Default. Stocks Plunge 99%. Forced Asset Sale Underway This Minute.

Viona jumped back, staring at Marcus as if he were a leper. "Mr. Marcus? What is this? How could your company collapse in five minutes?"

Marcus did not answer. He crawled across the floor toward Lianna, but Lianna was not his target. His terrified eyes caught sight of Cassian in the corner of the room. Cassian only stared at him with a hollow gaze, one hand holding a phone, the other turning a silver key with a lion symbol.

It was as if Marcus had just seen a demon. He knew who Mr. North was—the man who had just liquidated him.

"Please..." Marcus stammered, cold sweat soaking his entire body. "Whoever you are... have mercy on me..."

News of Marcus's ruin spread as fast as a plague. Within hours, the Old Matriarch received reports that the only way Valerian would not be dragged down by its affiliation with the Imperial Gem scandal was if Viona withdrew her false accusations and made a humiliating public apology.

That evening at the Valerian Group lobby office.

The atmosphere was incredibly tense. The entire staff gathered, forming a circle in the center of the hall. The Old Matriarch sat on her temporary throne, her face looking ten years older. In front of her stood Cassian, who was holding a water bottle for Lianna.

"Do it, Viona," the Old Matriarch hissed, her voice cold enough to freeze the room. "Your father begged me so he wouldn't be imprisoned for the market manipulation conspiracy Marcus committed. There is only one way to clear the Ashworth name."

Viona stood frozen. Her eyes were puffy, and her beautiful face was now filled with suppressed rage. Slowly, under the sharp gaze of hundreds of employees she had stepped on for so long, Viona walked toward Cassian.

"Viona, not to me," Cassian whispered in a terrifyingly flat tone. "Apologize to my wife."

Viona swallowed hard. She turned toward Lianna, who was still confused by the whirlwind of events. With her body trembling, Viona bowed her head until it nearly touched the floor in front of Lianna and Cassian's feet.

"I... I apologize," Viona's voice was hoarse. "Your jewelry is authentic. Mr. Marcus lied to me..."

"I apologize for looking down on you."

Total silence followed. Never in the history of the Ashworths had a core member prostrated themselves to apologize to a mere 'Record Keeper'.

Lianna could only gape, her hand clutching Cassian's shirt tightly. "That's enough, Viona. Take this as a lesson. I don't want to see you like this."

The Matriarch tapped her cane against the floor. "Enough! Everyone, disperse! Viona, you will clean the gallery tomorrow as an ordinary unpaid intern!"

As the crowd dispersed, Cassian felt someone pull his jacket sleeve hard. He turned to find the Matriarch staring at him with a look entirely different from usual. Her aged eyes were now filled with a suspicion that hungered for answers.

"Cassian Northvale," the Matriarch’s voice trembled slightly. "Tell me just one thing. Was the fall of the Imperial Gem merely a coincidence at the exact moment that wretched man insulted your wife?"

Cassian gave a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "Perhaps God isn't fond of arrogant people today, Grandmother."

"God doesn't liquidate two hundred million dollars in debt through the secondary market, Cassian!" the Matriarch hissed softly so Lianna wouldn't hear. "You know something about The Northvale Key, don't you? Something my grandfather used to search for..."

Cassian was about to answer when the main lobby doors suddenly swung wide open. Ten men in special tactical uniforms marched in with rifles slung across their chests. In their midst, Kenneth Stark strode forward in a sharp navy blue suit, carrying a silver briefcase with a gold logo.

"Forgive me for interrupting this touching family drama," Stark's voice echoed arrogantly. "Matriarch, I am not here to negotiate. I am here to take ownership of the Valerian Group, which I purchased from your minority shareholders ten minutes ago. And by the way..."

Stark stopped right in front of Cassian, staring at him with a bloodthirsty smile. He placed his briefcase on the floor and snapped it open. Inside the case, there was no money, but rather a stack of ancient documents stained with dried blood.

"Do these belong to your father, Cassian? The Northvale m******e investigation files?"

Cassian's world seemed to freeze. His heart pounded violently against his ribs. Stark had just revealed a nuclear weapon right in front of his face.