Assassin's Last Billionaire

-River- “Rex reporting. Target neutralized.” The words left my lips like vapor, barely a whisper in the comms, but final. The man collapsed, a lifeless heap at my boots, blood soaking through his white collar like wine on snow. I stepped over him without pause. No need for a second glance. I've been chasing him for 2 months, sad for him, but not really. Another one erased from the ledger. Another step toward the truth. One step closer to vengeance. They burned my family alive in a war they didn’t start. And now? I’ve become the war itself. “Mission complete. File closed.” I tapped the comms. Silence. By the time I reached the rooftop, the adrenaline was leaking from my veins like smoke through cracked glass. I unzipped the black bodysuit halfway and lit a cigarette with hands that didn’t usually tremble. But tonight… they did. A red glow pulsed in my encrypted inbox. Another ghost to chase. NEXT MISSION Location: Velmira, UKN Target: Maheer al-Qari Status: Shoot on sight Access Point: Lucian Vale I narrowed my eyes at the screen. Lucian Vale. Football god. Son of a billionaire weapons tycoon. Media darling. A man who hides secrets in his smile and sins in his bed. To the world, he’s just the star striker of Velmira FC. To me? He’s a door. A door I’m about to break open with a kiss, a lie, and a bullet. I typed back, *Mission accepted*. This is the final war. And I’m the storm he didn’t see coming. Later that night… The mattress beneath me felt like stone. The ceiling above cracked, tired, silent. But my mind screamed. I closed my eyes. We were in the yard. Summer heat. My little brother Leo chasing a deflated football, slipping, laughing. “Worst footballer in Cernova,” I teased. “I’m just acting,” he grinned. “You’re the real clown.” Mother waved from the kitchen, apron splattered in tomato sauce. Father mumbled at the gate. Mira painted her nails with a broken mirror, and Sofya twirled in a rainbow scarf, rehearsing lines from a play no one would ever watch. It was a perfect day. Warm. Whole. The kind of day that convinces you the world is safe. Then Leo’s face changed. He turned, walked inside. Something in his eyes was wrong. I followed. “Leo?” Empty room. “Mom?” No answer. “Dad?” Silence. The house was wrong. Still. The pot on the stove had stopped boiling. Even the air forgot how to breathe. I ran back outside. “MIRA?!” And then— White. Blinding. The scream of fire. The sky cracked open like a throat begging for help. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t move. I jolted upright, lungs raw, heart clawing out of my chest. Sweat clung to my skin. The scent of smoke, fake but real enough, curled into my nose. I pressed a shaking hand against my ribcage. The fire was gone, but it was never really gone. The past always knew where to find me. I sat in silence, arms wrapped around my knees. Let the tears fall. Just this once. No time for weakness tomorrow. Assassins don’t cry. But the girl who lost everything still lived in my bones. **** I dressed with surgical precision. Black cargo pants, loose hoodie, boots. Cold water across my face. No mirrors here, I didn’t need one to know I looked like hell. I picked up the glowing tablet again. INFO: LUCIAN VALE His picture popped, not bad! Son of Cassian Vale—CEO of Thornevale Industries, a global defense monster masked in polish and politics. Ofcourse because his mother is a politician. Underneath their polished tech and clean headlines hid off-record contracts, unmarked weapons, and governments willing to buy silence with blood. This was the web. And I’ll slit the throat of every name I find. “Oh…Vale, I'm coming to destroy you.” I whispered looking at his profile. **** The Dominion Football League: Quarter Finals. Velmira FC [2 – 2] Titanova United Eighty-eighth minute. The stadium was chaos. Voices rose like a battle cry. Banners waved. Smoke flared. Chants became thunder. Lucian Vale sprinted across the pitch, sharp, vicious, beautiful in motion. The ball was an extension of him. The defenders couldn’t touch him. With a flick of his foot, he sent the ball flying, slicing the air in a deadly curve. GOAL. The stadium exploded. “VALEEEEEE!” the announcer howled. Lucian didn’t scream or cheer. He just raised his arms, eyes closed, soaking in the roar like a king returning from war. He was the spider in the center. Or the bait. They said he was charming. Ruthless. Addicted to control. Good. I know how to manipulate men like him. I’ll crawl into his world like poison in champagne. And when he lets his guard down, I’ll find out who protected Maheer. Who funded the death of my country. Who sold my family for war profits.And then? I’ll slit the throat of every name I find. Lucian Vale player on the field. Player off it. Too cocky. Too desired. He won’t see me coming. “VALE…..VALE…..” Crowd is cheering him like f*****g God. The tightness in his jaw. The stillness in his joy. His teammates swarmed him, but his eyes scanned the crowd like a predator. And then he saw her. Elena. Front row. Designer scarf. Perfect lips. Watching him like she owned him. He didn’t look thrilled. He looked… tired. Which meant… Opportunity. The reporters attacked as he walked off the pitch, camera flashes, questions slicing the air. “What was on your mind in that final moment?” “Are you dedicating this win to someone special?” “Lucian, are you seeing anyone new?” He wiped sweat from his brow. “The goal was on my mind. Nothing else.” God, he was good. A liar wrapped in silk and sin. But not for me. “And what about love?” one reporter pushed. Lucian’s jaw flexed. He didn’t answer. Just stared past them. But why is this making me feel cocky. And that’s when our eyes met. Sharp. Brown. Brutal. I didn’t blink. Neither did he. He looked like war, sweat glistening down his throat, jersey sticking to every ridge of his body. Blood on his forearm. Mud on his thighs. Every inch of him a weapon. And yet, there was something hollow behind the strength. He didn’t know it yet, but he’d just locked eyes with a ghost. I’m going to break you open, Lucian Vale. And when I’m done with you, You’ll wish I was just another girl chasing your name. But I’m the end of your world!