chapter 7
626 Words
Power was rarely visible.
The people who truly controlled Blackthorn City were never the ones standing on stages.
They were the ones pulling strings from the dark.
And no one understood that better than Darius Valek.
High above the city, in an office hidden within one of Blackthorn's oldest towers, Darius sat alone.
Several screens glowed before him.
News reports.
Market shifts.
Security footage.
And at the center of them all—
Vaelora Nyx.
Kaelor Veyn.
Darius watched silently.
Then smiled.
Not because either of them was winning.
But because neither of them understood they were already playing his game.
"Interesting," he murmured.
A man standing nearby lowered his head.
"Sir, should we proceed with Phase Two?"
Darius's eyes remained on the screen.
"Yes."
The man hesitated.
"And if they discover us?"
For the first time, Darius laughed.
A quiet sound.
Dangerous.
"If they discover us," he said softly, "it means they're finally worthy."
—
The next morning, Vaelora arrived at Nyx Industries.
The moment she stepped from her car, she noticed something unusual.
People were staring.
Not the normal kind.
Not respect.
Not fear.
Concern.
Ryven met her at the entrance.
His expression was grim.
"There's been an incident."
Vaelora continued walking.
"What kind?"
"A warehouse explosion."
She stopped.
For exactly one second.
Then continued forward.
"Casualties?"
Ryven's jaw tightened.
"Three injured."
Vaelora's eyes darkened.
Someone had crossed a line.
Business warfare was one thing.
Innocent lives were another.
"Cause?"
Ryven handed her a report.
"Unknown."
Vaelora scanned it quickly.
The evidence was too clean.
Too convenient.
Almost as if someone wanted her to find it.
Which meant it was a trap.
—
Across the city, Kaelor received similar news.
One of his financial centers had been attacked overnight.
Systems destroyed.
Millions lost.
No clear culprit.
Selene stood across from his desk.
"Nyx Industries?"
Kaelor shook his head immediately.
"No."
Selene frowned.
"How can you be sure?"
Kaelor looked at the report again.
Because if Vaelora wanted to hurt him—
She would make sure he knew it was her.
This was different.
Cowardly.
Hidden.
Indirect.
Not Vaelora's style.
"Someone else is involved," he said.
—
That evening, Selene sat alone in her apartment.
A glass of untouched wine rested on the table beside her.
Her attention wasn't on the city.
Or the attacks.
Or even Darius.
It was on a photograph.
Vaelora Nyx.
Selene stared at it.
Long.
Silent.
Then crushed the corner of the photo between her fingers.
Every report.
Every conversation.
Every strategy meeting.
Vaelora.
Vaelora.
Vaelora.
The name was becoming impossible to escape.
Kaelor spoke about her too often.
Watched her too carefully.
Respected her too much.
And Selene hated it.
Not because Kaelor loved Vaelora.
He didn't.
Not yet.
But because Vaelora occupied space in his thoughts.
Space Selene believed belonged to her.
Her grip tightened.
The photograph bent.
Then tore.
Slowly.
Carefully.
A cold smile touched her lips.
"If she disappeared..."
The thought lingered.
Dangerous.
Tempting.
For the first time, Selene considered something she had never dared consider before.
Removing Vaelora permanently.
—
Later that night, Vaelora left her office alone.
Against Ryven's advice.
Against protocol.
Against common sense.
She preferred it that way.
Control meant trusting herself.
Not security teams.
Not bodyguards.
Not luck.
The underground parking garage was quiet.
Too quiet.
Vaelora immediately noticed.
Her footsteps slowed.
A shadow moved.
Then another.
Four men stepped from the darkness.
Armed.
Prepared.
Waiting.
Vaelora's expression didn't change.
One of them smiled.
"Miss Nyx."
She looked at him calmly.
"You're making a mistake."
The man laughed.
"No."
He raised his weapon.
"We're fixing one."
The garage fell silent.
And for the first time since the war began—
Someone had come not to threaten Vaelora Nyx.
But to kill her.
- Writer
