It was raining over the city, washing the streets in silver and glitters of the water droplets.

Beyond the glitters stood the Veridian Mansion, the mansion of the Buisness tycoon.

The fourteen-year-old boy was running through the garden, his black hair getting in front of his eyes, but he took no notice.

𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐬.

He had only one thought.

𝑅𝑢𝑛.

Behind him came shouting.

"Search the grounds!"

"Don't let him escape!"

"If the heir lives, everything is over!"

Lucien's heart was pounding very fast.

Only an hour ago, he had been laughing with the servants while preparing for his father's birthday party. The mansion was being decorated, guests were chatting, and he was running here and there, supervising everything.

Then the screams began.

The party hall was thrown into a bloody battleground.

Men wearing black masks came inside and shot the guard without hesitation.

Lucien was desperately searching for his parents,

Instead...

He found his father lying on the floor.

He found Elias Carter standing near his father's ice-cold body.

"Elias!"

Elias served the Veritas family for thirty years as their chief of security.

His suit was stained in blood.

One sleeve was torn.

"They have reached the west wing," he said urgently.

"We don't have much time."

Lucien wasn't able to grab things fast, but Elias dragged him away.

"Young master, Mrs. Veritas told me to... Protect you."

"But, what about mom...?"

Lucien's breathing became unstable.

Before Elias could answer...

Another explosion shook the mansion.

The ceiling collapsed on the hallway behind them. The lights flickered. There was smoke in the air.

Elias grabbed Lucien's shoulder.

"Listen to me carefully."

His voice was shaking a little.

"The people attacking us today are not ordinary assassins."

Lucien looked at him in confusion.

"They knew about our every security checkpoint."

"They disabled our surveillance system."

"They entered through the private entrance only trusted people knew."

Elias clenched his fists.

"There was a traitor."

Lucien froze.

"A... Traitor?"

Elias nodded.

"Someone your father trusted betrayed the family."

Those words hurt more than anything.

Someone close to them...

Someone who smiled at them...

Betrayed them.

Elias hurried towards a large bookshelf and pressed a hidden switch behind the books.

A pathway opened.

"This secret passage leads outside the mansion."

Lucien stood motionless.

"I'm not leaving."

"You must."

"I won't!" he shouted. "My parents are still here!"

At that moment footsteps echoed.

Slow...

Leading towards them.

Elias looked towards the entrance before turning towards Lucien.

"If you stay today..." he said, trying not to sound emotional.

"The Veritas family will truly disappear tonight."

Lucien lowered his head.

Tears rolling down his face.

He wanted to fight.

He wanted to save his parents.

But he was only fourteen years old.

Elias took out a silver ring from his pocket and gave it to Lucien.

The Veritas family emblem was engraved on it.

"Keep it safe."

"It is the proof of who you are."

"And one day..." he took a deep breath before answering.

"... You'll find why your family had to die."

The footsteps reached outside the room.

Someone tried to force the door open.

Elias drew his pistol.

"... Go."

Lucien hesitated.

"Elias..."

The old man smiled.

"Live long enough to..."

"Make them regret this night."

After saying this, Elias pushed Lucien into the passage.

The hidden door closed.

Darkness surrounded him.

Lucien slammed both fists into the door.

"Elias!"

No answer came.

Then came he sounds of gunfire.

Then Silence.

Lucien stood frozen.

His fists pounded against the cold steel door.

"Elias!"

His voice echoed through the narrow tunnel.

"Elias, open the door.

No one answered.

The silence terrified him more than the gunfire could.

His breathing became uneven.

His legs became weak and gave out beneath him.

He slid down the damp floor, covering his mouth to stop himself from crying.

Everything had happened so quickly.

Just an hour ago...

His father had been greeting guests with his usual smile.

Now, everything was gone.

Lucien squeezed the silver ring until it dug into his skin.

"I'll come back..."

He whispered through his trembling voice.

"I promise."

Taking a deep breath he forced himself to stand up.

The tunnel stretched into complete darkness.

He had no choice.

He began walking.

***

The underground passage seemed endless.

Cold water dripping from the ceiling.

The air smell of damp concrete and rust.

After every few steps, Lucien would look behind, hoping Elias, or his mother would somehow appear.

But no one came.

After what felt like hours, a faint light appear ahead.

Lucien pushed open a metal hatch.

Fresh air runged into his lungs.

He climbed out into an abandoned warehouse, nearly a kilometre away from the mansion.

Rain continued to pour from the sky.

From the warehouse entrance, he could see smoke rising above the city.

His heart sank.

The Veritas mansion was burning.

Bright flames consumed the hone where he was raised.

Fire trucks surrounded the property.

Police vehicle blocked every entrance.

Television helicopters circled overhead, broadcasting the disaster live.

Lucien stood there shocked.

His entire world disappeared before his eyes.

The rain hid the tears running down his face.

"No..."

His voice cracked.

"This can't be happening..."

He took a step forward.

Then another.

Before he could leave the warehouse, a hand grabbed him and pulled him inside.

It was Elias.

Lucien's eyes widened.

"Elias..."

Without thinking, he threw his arms around the old man.

"I thought..."

"I thought you..."

He winced in pain.

Lucien stepped back.

Only then did he notice the blood soaking through Elias' jacket.

A bullet had grazed his side.

His face was pale, but he remained standing.

"We don't have time," Elias said quietly. "They'll be searching everywhere."

Lucien looked towards the burning mansion once more.

"My parents..."

Elias lowered his eyes.

"I'm sorry young master," his voice was filled with grief.

"I couldn't save them..."

The words shattered the last piece of hope Lucien had been clinging to.

His knees gave away.

He collapsed onto the wet pavement.

The rain mixed with his tears.

He didn't scream.

He didn't cry out loud.

He simply stared at the burning mansion with empty eyes.

Minutes passed before Elias finnally spoke.

"Your father knew this day would come."

Lucien slowly looked up.

"What...?"

Elias reached inside his torn black jacket and took out a small, black flash drive.

He placed it onto Lucien's trembling hands.

"Mr. Veritas told me that if anything were to happen to him..."

"... I was to give this to you."

Lucien stared at the tiny device.

"What's on it?"

"I don't know."

"He only told me one thing."

Elias looked directly onto Lucien's eyes.

"𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞."

A cold chill ran down Lucien's spine.

Not the media.

Not the police.

Not the beard of directers.

Not even family and friends.

Someone close to the Veritas family had betrayed them.

And that person was still out there.

Waiting.

Watching.

Lucien closed his fingers around the flash drive.

The frightened, fourteen-year-old died at that time.

In his place stood someone else.

Someone who had lost everything.

Someone with nothing left to fear.

He looked at the flames one final time.

His voice was quiet.

Steady.

"I won't ask for justice."

"I'll uncover the truth myself."

"And when I find the people responsible..."

He clenched the silver ring in his hand.

"𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠..."

"... 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞."

The rain continued to pour.

Far away, the mansion collapsed into fire.

Behind the smoke and flashing police lights...

A pair of unseen eyes watched Lucien from a black luxury car.

The figure smiled faintly.

"So,"

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝."

The car slowly drove away into the night.

𝔼𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 1

Three days later...

The country had already moved on.

News channels no longer spoke about the victims.

Instead, every broadcast repeated the same thing.

"𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗱."

"𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗔𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀."

Lucien switched off the T.V. Before the reporter could finish.

The room fell silent.

He sat in an abandoned apartment on the outskirts of the city. The curtains remained shut, leaving only a faint beam of sunlight come into the room.

For three days...

He hadn't spoken.

He hadn't eaten.

He simply stared at the silver ring resting in his palm.

His mother's last gift.

Then came a knock.

"It's me," Elias said.

Lucien unlocked the door.

Elias entered carrying a paper bag filled with groceries and medicine. His bullet wound was healed, but he was still having trouble walking.

"You need to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"You said that yesterday also."

Lucien looked away.

"Starving yourself won't bring them back."

Elias sighed.

"No."

"But revenge requires someone alive."

Silence filled the room.

After a few minutes, Lucien finally picked a bottle of water.

It wasn't much, but enough to satisfy Elias.

The old man placed a folder on the table.

"I found this."

Lucien frowned.

"What's this?"

"Everything I could gather before the police sealed the Veritas Mansion."

Lucien immediately opened the folder.

Inside were photographs.

Financial reports.

Board meeting records.

List of company shareholders.

Nothing unusual.

Until a photo caught his attention.

It was taken in a charity gala six months ago.

His father stood in the center smiling for the camera. Around him were many influential buisness leaders.

He recognized every face...

Except one.

A tall man wearing a black suit stood slightly behind the others.

His face was partially hidden.

Yet everyone else seemed to be watching him instead of the camera.

"Who is he?"

Elias leaned closer.

"I don't know," he frowned seeing the photo. "He wasn't invited."

Lucien flipped the photo over.

Behind the photo was, in his father's writing was written something.

𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦.

Lucien's heartbeat quickened.

His father had noticed him.

Which meant...

He was connected to everything.

Elias opened another folder.

"I also found this."

He slid a pen drive across the table.

"The one your father left."

Lucien inserted the pen drive into an old laptop.

For sometime the screen remained black.

Then...

A message appeared.

𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗭𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗗𝗘.

Lucien frowned.

"I don't know the password."

"What about your birthday?"

Lucien typed it.

𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗘𝗗.

His father's birthday.

Denied.

Company's founding date.

Denied.

Nothing worked.

Frustrated, Lucien slammed the laptop shut.

"There has to be another way!"

Elias stared at the ring thoughtfully.

"The ring."

Lucien looked down.

"The ring?"

"Your father designed it himself."

Lucien removed it.

Inside the band...

Tiny numbers were engraved.

119023

He typed them.

The screen unlocked instantly.

They both stared in disbelief.

Dozens of folders appeared.

Security footage.

Bank transactions.

Audio recordings.

Private emails.

But...

One folder was highlighted in red.

𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦... 𝗥𝗨𝗡

Lucien clicked it.

The screen flickered.

His father's face appeared.

It wasn't a business interview.

He looked exhausted.

His tie was loose.

He had dark circles under his eyes.

If anyone saw this recording, they would know he had been living in fear.

He looked directly into the camera.

"𝐿𝑢𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛... 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠..."

"𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑖'𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦."

Lucien's eyes filled with tears.

Hearing his father's voice felt unreal.

"𝐿𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦."

"𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑒."

"𝑆𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠."

"𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠... 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑠... 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑒𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡."

"𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠..."

The screen glitched.

Static covered the screen.

The recording froze.

Then disappeared.

A single message replaced it.

𝗙𝗜𝗟𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗨𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗗

"No..." Lucien whispered.

"No!"

He tried opening it.

Nothing.

The remaining data had been erased.

He clenched his fists.

"They destroyed it..."

Elias stared at the screen.

"Not all of it."

Lucien looked up.

"What?"

"The beginning survived," he told him. "It means your father wants you to know one thing."

Lucien took a deep breath.

"They are much bigger than the Veritas Group."

Elias nodded.

"And they know how to erase evidence."

Lucien slowly closed the laptop.

His expression changed.

The grief was still there...

But something else had taken his place.

Purpose.

"They'll find me."

Elias understood immediately.

"What are you planning on doing?"

"I'm going to disappear."

"For how long?"

Lucien looked towards the city from the window.

"As long as it takes."

"When I'll come back..."

"... They won't recognize me."

Outside the rain had finally stopped.

But the people responsible for destroying the Veritas family had no idea...

That the boy they had failed to kill had just declared war.

 ---

Lucien closed the laptop slowly.

His father's last message echoed in his mind.

Who were those people?

And why had they destroyed the Veritas family?

Elias walked towards the window and carefully pulled the curtains aside.

"There are two SUVs parked on the street since morning."

Lucien's expression hardened.

"They found us."

"I'm afraid so."

Without wasting time, Elias unplugged the laptop and placed it into the backpack.

"Take only what you need."

"What about you?" Lucien asked.

Elias smiled faintly.

"I've protected the Veritas family my whole life."

"I'm not backing now."

...****************...

Fifteen minutes later...

The apartment door burst open.

Armed officers marched inside.

"Clear every room!"

"Search everything."

But the apartment was empty.

The officer picked up a photograph lying on the table, showing the Veritas family together and smiling.

"They escaped."

A man standing behind the officer removed his gloves.

Unlike other officers, he was wearing a charcoal-grey suit instead of the uniform.

His face remained calm.

Almost emotionless.

He glaced at the family photo before putting it back on the table.

"So..."

"The boy is smarter than I expected."

An officer bowed.

"Should we continue searching for him, sir?"

The man smiled.

"No."

"He has nowhere to go."

"Eventually..."

"He'll come looking for us."

Without saying anything else, the man turned and left.

...****************...

A bus headed towards the northern countryside sped along the highway.

Lucien sat at the back, wearing a black hoodie and a baseball cap covering his face.

For the first time in his life...

No one recognized him.

Behind him, Elias unfolded a road map.

"We're going somewhere safe."

Lucien stared out the window.

"Where?"

"To a friend of your father."

"I thought father trusted no one."

"He didn't, but there was one exception."

Lucien looked at him.

"Who?"

"A man named 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐬."

"He retired years ago."

"What does he do now?"

Elias folded the map.

"He owns a small bookshop."

Lucien frowned.

"A bookshop?"

"You'll understand when you meet him."

...****************...

Later that evening.

The bus stopped at a quiet mountain town.

Unlike the busy capital, the streets here were peaceful.

Children played outside despite the chilly weather.

No one knew who Lucien was.

For the first time in his life...

Lucien felt invisible.

They both stopped in front of a modest two-story shop.

A wooden board hanging on top said:

𝐇𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬.

The lights were still on.

Elias knocked three times.

Nothing happened.

He knocked two more times.

Several seconds later...

The door opened.

An elderly looking man came out with neatly combed gray hair, looking at them on the rim of their glasses.

Then his settled on Lucien.

For a long time he didn't said anything.

Then he sighed.

"So..."

"Adrian couldn't protect you after all."

Lucien's heart skipped a beat.

"You know my father?"

Victor stepped aside.

"I knew your father long before he became the CEO of Veritas Group."

"Come inside."

As the door closed behind them, Lucien noticed something unusual.

The bookstore wasn't just filled with books.

One wall was covered with newspaper clippings.

Another displaced photo's of powerful CEO's, Judge's and Politicians.

Each photograph had handwritten notes beside it.

Some names were crossed out.

Others were circled in red.

Lucien looked at Victor.

"What is all this?"

The old man removed his glasses.

"Its a record."

"A record of people whose lives were ruined by the same people who destroyed your family."

Lucien's pulse quickened.

"You know who they are?"

Victor nodded.

"I've been hunting them for 23 yrs."

He walked towards a locked cabinet and removed a thick black file.

Dust covered its surface.

Across the front, written in silver letters, was one word;

𝗢𝗕𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗡

Victor remained silent for a long time before opening the file.

Inside were dozens of photographs.

Some showed businessman.

While, others showed some politicians.

A few newspapers clipping about mysterious company bankrupt, disappearances and unexplained deaths.

Victor placed one photo in front of Lucien.

It was Damien Cross.

"Your father's Chief Financial Officer."

Lucien's eyes narrowed.

"He betrayed us."

Victor nodded.

"He gave Obsidian access to Veritas Group's internal system. Without him, they couldn't have destroyed your family so easily."

Lucien's grip tighten around the silver ring.

"So... He's the reason my parents are dead."

"No," Victor corrected quickly.

"He's only the first domino."

Victor quickly turned pages.

At the top was a single word.

𝗢𝗕𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗡

"They aren't a company, they are a network."

"Powerful businessman, politicians, investors... They are the one who control everything from the dark."

"They erase evidences."

Lucien stared at the file without saying a word.

Everything makes sense now.

The lies.

The fire.

The media.

The police.

It had all been planned.

Victor closed the file.

"If you chase them now, you'll be dead before you even reach Damion."

Lucien lowered his head.

His reflection simmered in the silver ring on his finger.

"I'm not strong enough..."

"Not yet," Victor replied.

"But you can become strong enough."

The room fell silent.

Finally, Lucien stood.

"I'll disappear."

Victor looked at him.

"When I return..."

"Lucien Veritas will no longer exist."

...****************...

𝐒𝐢𝐱 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫.

The headquarters of 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 buzzed with excitement.

Employees lined the lobby as luxury cars pulled up one after another.

Today's meeting was important.

A mysterious young businessman had arrived to discuss a billion-doller partnership.

The elevators flew open.

A tall man stepped out wearing a perfectly tailored black suit.

His black hair was neatly styled.

His expression was calm.

Cold.

Unreadable.

No one recognized him.

Not a single employee realized...

That the heir they had failed to kill Six years back had just walked back into their lives.

Lucien smiled faintly as he looked at the company logo.

"𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯."

𝑬𝑵𝑫 𝑶𝑭 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 2

The revolving doors of 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 opened.

Employees hurried through the marble lobby, each occupied with meetings, phone calls and deadlines. No one paid attention to the young who had just walked inside.

He wore a tailored black suit.

His black hair was neatly styled, and his sharp silver eyes scanned every cornor of the building.

Six years had changed everything.

The frightened fourteen-year old-boy who had escaped from a burning mansion was gone.

In his place stood a man who had spent six years preparing for one purpose.

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞.

The receptionist greeted him with a polite smile.

"Good morning sir, may I have your name?"

He smiled back.

"Luc--"

He stopped himself.

"My apologizes."

"My name is 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐨."

The receptionist nodded her head after checking her computer.

"Mr. Cross is expecting you. The boardroom is on the Twenty-eight floor."

"Thank you."

The elevator doors closed.

Lucien stared at his reflection in the polished steel.

Different hairstyle.

Different clothes.

Different name.

But the same promise.

"𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦..."

"𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨."

****************

The Boardroom doors opened.

Damion Cross stood at the head of the table, surrounded by directors and investors.

"Mr. Romano!" Damion greeted him warmly. "We've heard impressive things about Romano Capital."

Lucien shook his head.

"The pleasure is mine."

For a brief second, Damion frowned.

There was something familiar about this young man's eyes.

Before he could think further, Lucien smiled.

"I believe we have things to discuss."

For the next hours, Lucien spoke calmly about investments, expansion plans, and overseas partnership.

Every director listened carefully.

Damion was impressed. He wouldn't stop smiling.

"This partnership could double our profits."

Lucien simply nodded.

"That's the idea."

After the meeting ended, Damion walked him to the elevator.

"I look forward to working with you."

Lucien met his eyes.

"So do I."

The elevator doors closed.

Only then Lucien allowed himself a small smile.

The contract wasn't fake.

It was far worse.

Every clause had been designed to lure Cross Holdings into a financial trap. By accepting the deal, Damion had unknowingly exposed years of hidden transactions that Lucien had spent Six years recovering.

****************

Three days later.

Every news channel interrupted its regular programming.

𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦

𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗱

Documents proving years of money laundering and illegal offshore account had been anonymously delivered to the Financial Crimes Bureau.

Police vehicles surrounded the Cross Holdings.

Employees rushed outside in confusion.

Reporters crowed the entrance.

Damion pushed through the crowd in disbelief.

"This isn't possible!"

"We destroyed those records..."

He froze.

Destroyed?

Why did he say that out loud?

Before he could react, two Officers approached.

"Damion Cross?"

"You're under arrest."

Cold metal handcuffs clicked around his wrist.

As camera's flashes, Damion searched desperately through the crowd.

Across the street...

A black Sedan waited.

It's tinted window slowly rolled down.

Inside sat Lucien.

Their eyes met.

Recognition struck Damion like lightening.

His face became pale.

"... Lucien..."

Lucien didn't smile.

He simply adjusted his cuff links.

Then the window rolled up.

The Sedan drove away.

His revenge...

Had finally begun.

...****************...

Three days before, Lucien returned to Victor's bookstore.

Victor looked up from his desk.

"Well?"

Lucien placed the signed contract between the Obsidian file.

"The first step is complete."

Victor skimmed through the documents and smiled.

"You've become exactly what your father hoped."

"No."

Lucien looked towards the rain outside.

"I've become what Obsidian created."

Victor's smile disappeared.

"There will be no turning back after now."

Lucien answered without hesitation.

"I've Buried my old self."

Victor opened another folder.

"The evidence is ready."

Lucien looked over every page carefully.

Years ago he would have rushed to expose Damion.

Now...

He was patient.

"No mistakes," he said quietly.

"They must believe this happened because of Damion's own greed."

Victor nodded.

"Then they will turning on eachother."

"Exactly."

Lucien slipped the final document into the file.

"The best revenge isn't killing your enemy."

"It's making his allies destroy him."

...****************...

The black Sedan drove away.

Lucien sitting inside smiled.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed.

An unknown message popped up.

"𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆."

Instantly, a second message followed.

"𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻... 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝗔𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲."

Lucien stared at the screen.

Victor, sitting beside him in the Sedan, looked over his shoulders.

"A trap?"

Lucien locked the phone.

"Maybe."

He looked back at the Cross Holdings as police cars pulled into the parking lot.

"... Or the first person who's been waiting for me."

The real game...

Was only beginning.

"You don't have to go."

Lucien looked at the message once more.

"If this is the trap,' Victor continued. "Then they already know you're alive."

Lucien gave a faint smile.

"They probably knew for years."

"Then why reveal yourself now?"

"Because I wanted them to."

Víctor turned to him in surprise.

Lucien leaned at his seat.

"Damion wasn't just on whom I wanted my revenge."

"He was a bait."

...****************...

That night...

Rain poured over the deserted harbor.

The address lead to an abandoned warehouse standing at the very end of the city.

Lucien stepped inside alone.

The warehouse was silent.

Only the sound of rain could be heard.

Suddenly--

"Right on time."

A young man stepped out from the shadows.

He was wearing a long black coat, his brown hair damp from the rain.

His calm ember eyes met Lucien's without fear.

"You must be the one sending messages."

The stranger smiled.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't come."

Lucien remained expressionless.

"I don't like wasting my time."

"So..."

"Tell me what you know about Obsidian?"

The stranger looked him for several seconds before answering.

"My name is 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐞."

"I don't care about your name, I care about answers."

Cassian chuckled softly.

"Straight to business."

"I expected nothing less from the heir of the Veritas."

Lucien's eyes instantly turned cold.

"Only three people knew I was alive."

"How do you know about it?"

Cassian reached his coat's pocket.

Lucien instinctively stepped back.

Instead of a weapon...

Cassian handed an old photo to Lucien.

Lucien took it.

It shows his parents at a charity banquet years ago.

Standing behind them...

Was a younger Cassian.

Lucien frowned.

"You were there."

"My father attended the banquet."

Cassian answered quietly.

"He worked with Obsidian."

Lucien's grip tightened.

"So you are one of them."

"No."

"My father was."

"I wasn't."

Silence filled the warehouse.

Cassian continued.

"When your company fell..."

"... Mine wasn't spared either."

"My father knew too much."

"He disappeared three months later."

Lucien studied his face.

There was no fear...

Only anger.

The same anger he had carried for six years.

Cassian took another step forward.

"You and I have the same enemy."

Lucien's expression remained same.

"Then why help me?"

Cassian looked towards the rain outside.

"Because revenge is impossible alone."

He pulled a thin black folder from his coat's pocket and handed it to Lucien.

Inside were confidential documents.

Financial records.

Photographs.

Secret meeting schedule.

At the last page...

One name was circled in red.

𝗦𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁.

Lucien looked up.

"The founder of Obsidian?"

"No."

"The man who gave the order to erase the Veritas family."

Lucien slowly closed the file.

His heartbeat remained steady.

After six years...

He finally got the name of the man who ruined everything.

Lucien looked at Cassian.

"Then tomorrow..."

"We finish what I started."

Cassian nodded.

"And after that, we bring Obsidian down."

"So, What will you do now?"

Cassin asked.

Lucien looked at Sebastian Ashcraft's photo before putting it in his pocket.

"For six years, I wanted him dead."

"But dead is too easy."

Cassian smiled faintly.

"You've changed."

"No."

Lucien said with the same cold expression.

"I've become patient."

...****************...

The next morning, the country's largest business summit was held at Ashcraft Grand Hotel.

People from all around the world gathered.

At the center of it all stood Sebastian Ashcraft, smiling confidently as camera's flashed around him.

He believed Obsidian was untouchable.

He had no idea Lucien was already inside.

Disguised as Luca Romano, Lucien entered the ballroom, alongside Cassian.

Victor watched everything through the cameras from a nearby security room.

"The servers are connected, Victor spoke through Lucien's earpiece.

"Whenever you're ready."

Lucien nodded.

He walked directly towards Sebastian.

"Mr. Ashcraft."

Sebastian turned with a practiced smile.

"Mr. Romano, I'm pleaded to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is mine."

They shook hands.

Sebastian's eyes caught the glimpse of the silver ring in Lucien's hands.

His smile faded.

"...That ring..."

"It belonged to the Veritas Family."

Lucien removed his sumglasses.

Silver eyes met blue.

Recognition washed over Sebastian.

"... You..."

"Impossible..."

"You should be dead."

Lucien took a step forward.

"You made one mistake six years ago."

"You left the heir alive."

Before Sebastian could say anything, every television in the ballroom flickered.

The Obsidian symbol appeared.

Then thousands of confidential files appeared on the screen.

Bank transfers.

Secret contacts.

Bribery records.

Orders signed by Obsidian members.

Hidden camera footage.

Every crime committed over the last twenty-years.

Gasps echoed through the ballroom.

Journalists started recording.

Politicians backed away in panic.

Victor's voice came through the earpiece.

"It's done."

"The files have also been sent to every major news agency."

Sebastian's face turned pale

"... No."

"This can't be happening."

Security guards rushed towards Lucien.

Before they could reach, Police officers stormed into the ballroom.

"No one moves!"

"Sebastian Ashcraft, you're under arrest for fraud, conspiracy, bribery, organized crimes, And the murder of Adrian and Eleanor Veritas."

Handcuffs clicked around Sebastian's wrists.

He struggled desperately.

"You have no proof!"

Lucien calmly pointed towards the giant screens.

"I think the whole world should saw it."

The ballroom turned into chaos.

One by one, Obsidian's members started to flee.

None escaped.

...****************...

Hours later...

The rain had stopped.

Lucien stood alone before the ruins of the Veritas Mansion.

The broken fountain remained where it had been six years ago

He placed the silver ring on the stone wall.

"We did it."

"I'm sorry it took so long."

A gentle breeze passed through the empty garden.

For the first time since that horrible night...

Lucien smiled.

Footsteps approached from behind him.

Cassian stopped beside him.

"So..."

"It's over."

Lucien nodded.

"The revenge I lived for is finally complete."

Cassian looked at the ruined mansion.

"What will you do now?"

Lucien remained silent for a long time.

Then he looked towards the sunset.

"For years..."

"I only knew how to survive."

"Maybe..."

"It's finally time I learn to live."

Cassian smiled.

"Then don't do it alone."

Lucien looked at him.

For the first time, there was no hatred in his eyes.

Only peace.

He gave a small smile.

"I suppose..."

"... I could have a partner."

The two walked away from the ruins together.

Behind them, the sun sunk.

But for Lucien,

𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑾𝑨𝑺 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻 𝑶𝑭 𝑨 𝑵𝑬𝑾 𝑩𝑬𝑮𝑰𝑵𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗡𝗗.

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