Blood & Thrones

Prologue – Two Kings Cannot Rule the Same World

There was an unwritten law in the world of power.

The Business World belonged to Vivian Chater.

The Underworld belonged to Adrian Vance.

As long as they stayed on opposite sides...

The world remained peaceful.

But peace never lasts forever.

---

At the age of twenty-four...

Vivian Chater became the youngest CEO in history after taking over Chater Global Corporation.

Within five years...

Every multinational company feared negotiating against her.

She never smiled.

Never forgave.

Never lost.

People called her...

"The Emerald Queen."

---

Meanwhile...

The Mafia world had a devil.

Adrian Vance.

At thirty...

He ruled over hundreds of mafia families spread across continents.

Governments feared him.

Politicians avoided provoking him.

Even rival mafia kings lowered their heads before him.

His icy ruby-blue eyes alone were enough to silence a room.

He was known by one title.

"The Crimson King."

---

Everyone believed...

Vivian and Adrian would never cross paths.

They were wrong.

---

Chapter 1 – The First War

Three years ago...

The world's largest artificial intelligence company—

NovaTech Industries

—was put up for acquisition.

Every billionaire wanted it.

Including...

Vivian Chater.

And Adrian Vance.

---

The auction hall fell silent.

"$90 billion."

Vivian spoke calmly.

"$95 billion."

Adrian replied without even looking at her.

"$100 billion."

"$120 billion."

"$150 billion."

People stopped breathing.

No one had ever witnessed two monsters fighting over a company.

---

Vivian finally looked toward him.

Crystal green eyes met icy ruby-blue ones.

Neither blinked.

Neither smiled.

She said coldly,

"So... you're Adrian Vance."

He answered,

"And you're Vivian Chater."

"I've heard you're ruthless."

"I've heard the same about you."

---

"$180 billion."

Vivian announced.

Adrian leaned back.

"$250 billion."

The room exploded in whispers.

Vivian's fingers tightened.

For the first time...

Someone had cornered her.

She stood up.

"I withdraw."

Adrian won.

But before leaving...

Vivian stopped beside him.

"I don't lose twice."

Adrian didn't even turn.

"You already have."

Those six words became the beginning of a war.

---

– Fire Against Fire

Within months...

Vivian destroyed three companies secretly owned by Adrian.

She exposed corruption.

Cancelled billion-dollar contracts.

Bought his shipping routes.

Every business move hit him like a bullet.

---

Adrian responded differently.

Every businessman who betrayed Vivian disappeared from the market overnight.

Her suppliers suddenly refused to cooperate.

Her cargo ships were mysteriously delayed.

Her competitors gained confidential information.

She knew...

Only one person could be behind it.

Adrian Vance.

---

One morning...

Vivian entered the boardroom.

Her assistant announced,

"Ma'am... Vance Corporation has acquired East Crown Holdings."

Silence.

Vivian slowly looked up.

"That company belonged to us."

"Not anymore."

Her emerald eyes became colder.

"Prepare a counterattack."

---

At the same time...

Inside Vance Tower...

Alen, Adrian's trusted P.A., placed a file on the desk.

"Boss..."

"Miss Vivian has acquired our European logistics chain."

Adrian continued reading.

"Recover it."

"They won't sell."

Adrian finally raised his eyes.

"Then buy everyone around them until they have no choice."

"Yes, Boss."

---

The Queen's Declaration

Six months later...

Every financial newspaper had only one headline.

"CHATER GLOBAL DECLARES WAR ON VANCE CORPORATION."

The world panicked.

Stock markets trembled.

Governments prepared emergency meetings.

No one wanted these two titans fighting.

Because when giants fought...

Everyone else suffered.

---

During an international CEO summit...

Vivian walked inside wearing a black suit.

The hall instantly became silent.

A few seconds later...

Adrian entered through the opposite door.

The atmosphere froze.

---

Someone nervously laughed.

"So... perhaps today we can make peace?"

Vivian answered first.

"I don't negotiate with criminals."

Adrian looked at her expressionlessly.

"I don't negotiate with arrogant queens."

The hall fell completely silent.

---

Vivian stepped closer.

"One day, Adrian Vance..."

"I'll destroy everything you've built."

Adrian closed the distance between them until only inches separated them.

His voice was calm.

"If that day comes..."

"You'd better finish the job."

"Because if you fail..."

"I'll leave you with nothing."

Not wealth.

Not power.

Not a single ally.

---

The room watched in stunned silence as the two most feared rulers in the world stood face-to-face, neither willing to back down.

Outside, the media called it a rivalry.

Inside the halls of power, everyone knew the truth.

This wasn't business.

This wasn't politics.

This was a blood-soaked war between two sovereigns who refused to bow.

And in wars between monsters...

There were no innocent bystanders

A Hundred Failed Assassinations

From the day they declared war...

The rules changed.

It was no longer just business.

No longer just the mafia.

It became personal.

They didn't hire assassins.

They didn't send mercenaries.

They wanted only one thing—

To kill each other with their own hands.

Because only then would victory feel complete.

First Attempt

It was midnight.

Heavy rain poured over the city.

Adrian received intelligence that Vivian would personally inspect one of her cargo ports.

He went alone.

A black pistol rested in his gloved hand.

Standing atop a warehouse, he watched her step out of her car.

Their eyes met across the rain.

Vivian slowly pulled out her own pistol.

Neither hesitated.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bullets echoed through the port.

Containers exploded into sparks.

Before either could land a fatal shot...

A fuel tanker, struck by a stray bullet, erupted into flames.

The explosion separated them.

By the time the fire was under control...

Both had vanished.

Second Attempt

Three months later...

Vivian infiltrated one of Adrian's underground casinos disguised as a dealer.

She walked silently behind him.

A dagger gleamed beneath her sleeve.

Just as she raised it—

The lights suddenly went out.

The entire building lost power.

Within seconds...

Gunfire erupted everywhere.

Rival mafia members had launched an attack.

Chaos swallowed the casino.

When the emergency lights returned...

Adrian was gone.

Vivian clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"...Lucky."

Third Attempt

Adrian cornered Vivian inside a private elevator in her headquarters.

There were no guards.

No cameras.

Only the two of them.

The elevator stopped between floors.

Adrian drew a knife.

"So..."

"No bodyguards today."

Vivian calmly reached into her coat and revealed her own blade.

"I was about to say the same."

The confined space became a battlefield.

Metal clashed against metal.

Each strike aimed for the other's heart.

Each movement was precise.

Neither gained the upper hand.

Suddenly—

The emergency brake failed.

The elevator dropped several floors.

Both were thrown to opposite sides as the safety system activated just before impact.

The doors forced themselves open.

Security rushed in.

Neither wanted witnesses.

Without a word...

They walked away in opposite directions.

Fourth Attempt

During an international summit in Switzerland...

Vivian stood alone on a balcony overlooking the snowy mountains.

Adrian silently approached from behind.

His pistol was already aimed.

"I finally found you alone."

Without turning around, Vivian replied,

"I've known you were behind me for the last thirty seconds."

She spun around instantly.

Her gun was already pointed at his forehead.

The cold wind howled between them.

Finger on trigger.

Finger on trigger.

One movement...

One bullet...

One death.

Then—

Boom!

A helicopter nearby lost control because of a sudden mechanical failure and crashed into the courtyard below.

The explosion shook the entire palace.

Smoke covered everything.

When it cleared...

Neither was there.

Fifth Attempt

Adrian secretly entered Vivian's penthouse at three in the morning.

Moonlight illuminated the room.

She appeared to be asleep.

He silently walked toward her.

His hand tightened around the knife.

"This ends tonight."

Just as the blade descended—

Vivian suddenly opened her eyes.

She caught his wrist with surprising speed.

"I was wondering how long you'd take."

She had never been asleep.

She had been waiting.

The bedroom instantly became another battlefield.

Furniture shattered.

Glass walls cracked.

Neither showed mercy.

Then—

The fire alarm activated.

Someone in the neighboring apartment had accidentally started a kitchen fire.

Automatic sprinklers flooded the penthouse.

Security teams rushed upstairs.

Adrian disappeared through the balcony.

Vivian stood there, drenched, breathing heavily.

"...Coward."

A voice echoed from the darkness below.

"Finish your sentence after you learn to kill me."

She smirked despite herself.

"...Arrogant bastard."

After Two Years...

They had crossed blades...

Exchanged bullets...

Thrown punches...

And stood on the edge of death countless times.

Yet somehow...

Fate refused to let either of them die.

People began whispering strange rumors.

"Maybe they're cursed."

"No..."

"They're simply impossible to kill."

One afternoon, Alen entered Adrian's office carrying a thick file.

"Boss..."

Adrian didn't look up.

"What?"

Alen sighed.

"I've counted."

Adrian finally raised an eyebrow.

"Counted what?"

"The number of times you and Miss Chater have tried to kill each other."

"...And?"

Alen placed the file on the desk.

"One hundred and twenty-seven."

Silence.

"...One hundred and twenty-seven attempts."

Adrian stared at the number without expression.

Alen rubbed his forehead.

"At this point, Boss... I'm beginning to think fate itself is interfering."

Adrian closed the file.

His voice was as cold as ever.

"Fate doesn't interfere."

"It delays."

Meanwhile, across the city, Vivian's executive team nervously informed her that Adrian had once again survived another deadly encounter.

She looked out through the glass walls of her office at the skyline.

"So," she murmured quietly, "you survived again."

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips before disappearing.

"Good."

"I don't want anyone else to kill you."

"When Adrian Vance dies..."

"It will be by my hand."

– The Child Who Shouldn't Exist

The annual International Business Alliance Summit was unlike any other meeting.

The world's most powerful CEOs, investors, government representatives, and corporate chairpersons had gathered in one room.

Outside the conference hall, security was so tight that even world leaders would have struggled to enter without authorization.

Inside...

The atmosphere was freezing.

At one end of the twenty-meter conference table sat Adrian Vance, dressed in a tailored black suit, his expression as cold as ever.

On the opposite end sat Vivian Chater, equally composed, wearing a dark emerald pantsuit that matched her piercing green eyes.

Between them...

The world's most influential executives remained silent.

No one wanted to become collateral damage.

A senior chairman nervously cleared his throat.

"Shall we begin discussing the Horizon Energy merger?"

Before anyone else could speak...

Vivian's icy voice cut through the room.

"There is nothing to discuss."

Every eye turned toward her.

She looked directly at Adrian.

"Withdraw your bid."

Adrian didn't even glance up from the documents in front of him.

"No."

"It belongs to Chater Global."

"It belongs to whoever acquires it."

"You bribed the board."

"You manipulated the shareholders."

"You threatened them."

"I convinced them."

Vivian let out a cold laugh.

"You call blackmail 'convincing' now?"

"And you call corporate sabotage 'competition'?"

The room grew even quieter.

One executive whispered,

"Not again..."

Another silently closed his laptop.

Experience had taught them that once Adrian and Vivian started arguing...

Nothing productive would happen.

Vivian stood.

"I warned you before."

Adrian slowly rose to his feet as well.

"And I ignored your warning."

Their voices remained calm.

Which somehow made everything even more terrifying.

Vivian slammed both hands onto the table.

"You've crossed every line."

Adrian folded his arms.

"I haven't reached the interesting part yet."

"You arrogant bastard."

"You'll have to be more original."

"You think you're untouchable?"

"I know I am."

The tension finally snapped.

In one swift motion...

Vivian drew a black pistol from beneath her blazer.

At the exact same moment...

Adrian pulled out his own pistol.

Click.

Two guns.

Two monsters.

Two cold pairs of eyes.

Both aimed directly at each other's foreheads.

The entire conference hall froze.

Someone gasped.

Another CEO quietly slid beneath the table.

A minister whispered,

"Security..."

But no one dared move.

Everyone knew...

If either Adrian or Vivian fired...

The other would fire as well.

This would become a massacre.

Seconds passed.

Neither lowered their weapon.

Neither blinked.

Adrian spoke first.

"So..."

"This is how it ends."

Vivian's finger rested on the trigger.

"I've been waiting for this day."

Just as both were about to pull the trigger...

Bang!

The conference hall doors suddenly flew open.

Everyone instinctively turned.

A tiny figure stood in the doorway.

A little girl.

Around five years old.

She wore a white dress beneath a small black coat, as though she had wandered in from somewhere completely different from this battlefield.

For a heartbeat...

No one reacted.

Then every face in the room changed to stunned disbelief.

Because the child looked...

Impossible.

She had dark jet-black hair, soft and slightly wavy.

Her skin was as pale as freshly fallen snow.

And her eyes...

Crystal, ruby-like ocean blue.

Exactly like Adrian's.

Not merely similar.

Identical.

It was as though someone had shrunk Adrian Vance into the form of a little girl.

Even Adrian's usually unreadable expression flickered with surprise.

Alen's eyes widened.

"...Boss..."

Vivian stared silently.

The resemblance was undeniable.

The little girl looked around the room with frightened eyes.

When she spotted Adrian...

Relief washed over her tiny face.

"Papa!"

Before anyone could react, she ran across the enormous conference hall.

Her little shoes echoed against the marble floor.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

She reached Adrian...

Wrapped both tiny arms tightly around his waist...

Buried her face against him...

And hugged him with all the strength her little body possessed.

Her small shoulders trembled.

Her voice shook with relief.

"Papa..."

"I'm so relieved you're okay..."

"You don't know how scared I was..."

"I thought..."

"I thought something happened to you..."

She hugged him even tighter.

"Please..."

"Please don't leave me again..."

The room fell into absolute silence.

Even breathing seemed too loud.

Adrian slowly looked down at the little girl clinging to him.

His expression returned to its usual icy calm.

Without softening his voice, he gently but firmly tried to remove her hands.

"Look."

The child looked up.

"I'm not your father."

His voice was cold.

"And I'm certainly not anyone's 'Papa.'"

He stepped back slightly.

"So you've mistaken me for someone else."

"Now leave."

The words struck the child like a physical blow.

Her ruby-blue eyes widened.

Confusion filled her tiny face.

"...Papa?"

She blinked several times.

Then, instead of crying...

She smiled brightly.

"Oh!"

"I know!"

She nodded confidently.

"You forgot again!"

She placed both tiny hands on her hips exactly the way Adrian often did when annoyed.

"It's okay."

"I forgive you."

Everyone noticed it.

That gesture...

That posture...

It was frighteningly similar to Adrian's.

She beamed.

"My name is Adria."

She proudly pointed to herself.

"Adria Adrian Vance."

Then she giggled.

"But Papa and Mama always call me..."

"'Addy.'"

Silence.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

The words echoed through the hall.

Adria Adrian Vance.

Alen almost dropped the files in his hands.

One elderly chairman actually fainted.

Adrian's gaze hardened.

"I've never seen you before."

"I have no daughter."

The little girl's smile slowly faded.

She looked genuinely confused.

"But..."

"You named me yourself..."

She tilted her head.

"Papa..."

"Why aren't you believing me?"

She thought for a moment.

Then her little face brightened again.

"I know!"

"You can check my left shoulder!"

She pointed toward it.

"The Phoenix!"

"You always said I inherited it from you."

Everyone's attention shifted to Adrian.

His eyes narrowed.

Very slowly...

He reached forward.

With great care, he moved aside the fabric covering her left shoulder.

The room collectively held its breath.

There...

Perfectly visible against her pale skin...

Was a crimson Phoenix-shaped birthmark.

Its shape.

Its size.

Its position.

Everything...

Exactly matched Adrian's own birthmark on his left shoulder.

Not similar.

Identical.

Adrian instinctively touched his own shoulder.

For the first time in years...

His expression showed genuine shock.

Alen whispered under his breath,

"Impossible..."

Before anyone could process it...

The little girl suddenly noticed something else.

Vivian was still holding her pistol.

Pointed toward Adrian.

Fear instantly filled Addy's eyes.

"No!"

She rushed back to Adrian.

She threw her tiny arms around him protectively.

Standing in front of him as much as her small body allowed, she looked at Vivian with pleading eyes.

"Mama!"

Her little voice trembled.

"Please don't fight Papa!"

"Please..."

"Don't worry..."

"When Papa calms down..."

"He'll apologize to you..."

"He always does..."

"But please..."

"Don't fight..."

Her lower lip quivered.

"I don't like it when Mama and Papa fight..."

The conference hall erupted into shocked murmurs.

"Mama...?"

"Did she just call Miss Chater... Mama?"

Vivian herself stood frozen.

She stared at the child as though trying to solve an impossible equation.

Addy turned toward Vivian again.

Seeing that Vivian still looked unconvinced, she quickly wiped her tears with the back of her tiny hand.

"Mama..."

"If you don't believe me either..."

She stretched out her right leg.

"You can check my right ankle."

"The blue rose."

"You always kiss it before bedtime because you say it's Grandma's family mark."

Vivian remained motionless.

Before she could react...

Alen glanced at Adrian, who gave the slightest nod.

Carefully, respectfully, Alen knelt in front of the child.

He gently lifted the hem of her dress just enough to reveal her right ankle.

The moment he saw it...

His eyes widened.

A beautifully shaped blue rose birthmark rested just above her ankle.

Alen slowly stood.

His voice was unusually quiet.

"Miss Vivian..."

"I believe..."

"This is your family's birthmark."

He swallowed.

"It's exactly as you've described it in your family's records."

Vivian's fingers loosened around her gun.

For the first time in years...

Her composure cracked.

The executives looked from Adrian...

To Vivian...

Then to the child standing between them.

The resemblance wasn't limited to appearance.

Even the way Addy crossed her arms when waiting for an answer...

The way she tilted her head...

The calm confidence in her voice despite the tense situation...

It all echoed Adrian's mannerisms.

Yet every now and then, when she frowned in concern or gently pleaded, there was something unmistakably Vivian-like in her expressions.

It was as if the child carried pieces of them both.

No one in that room could explain what they were witnessing.

But one terrifying question echoed in every mind:

How could a five-year-old girl bear Adrian Vance's name, Adrian's birthmark, Vivian's family mark... and call the two most bitter enemies in the world "Papa" and "Mama"?

And perhaps the most unsettling truth of all...

Neither Adrian nor Vivian had any memory of ever having a daughter.