Ashes never forget

The attack came on the first night of winter, when the estate was wrapped in silence and the sea beyond the cliffs had disappeared beneath thick fog Without warning the lights across Vesper House failed, leaving the halls in darkness Within moments, the fire alarms echoed through the mansion Flames spread from one wing to another with terrifying speed trapping servants and guards as smoke swallowed the grand corridors that had once been filled with laughter.

Every Single newspaper declared that the entire Vesper family had perished in the fire The gates were sealed, the ruins abandoned,and the world mourned for only a few days before moving on No one knew that one heir had survived... or that, in the darkness beyond the cliffs, a wounded boy silently watched his home disappear in ashes, burying not only his family, but also the name Noah Vesper

SIX YEARS LATER

Tall Glass skyscrapers reflected the pale winter sun and the financial district buzzed with the confidence of people who believed money could solve every problem

They had never met 'Adrian Vale'

The black Rolls Royce stopped in front of Vale Capital International, the newest and already most feared investment company in the country

An assistant hurried to open the rear door

Polished leather shoes touched the pavement first

Then a tall man stepped out His expression revealed nothing but only quiet control

"Good morning, Mr. Vale."

He acknowledged them with a simple nod before walking to the top floor

To the world, he was Adrian Vale a billionaire investor whose companies never failed

Only a handful of people knew the truth

He was the Noah Vesper

His office overlooked the entire city

On his desk rested an old wooden chess knight the only thing he had kept from his past

A knock sounded

"Come in."

Elena Cross,his trusted assistant and one of the few survivors loyal to the Vespers entered carrying several folders

"Our investigation is complete," she said

She placed the files before him

"Lucien Ardent became CEO three years ago."

"The Ardent Group has expanded rapidly."

"He has no public scandals."

She paused for some time

"But...according to our surveillance,he hasn't smiled in years."

Noah silently opened the first file

Every page contained years of research financial records, security schedules, company structures, personal habits, and hidden weaknesses

He hadn't spent six years seeking revenge,

He had spent six years preparing for it

Noah walked to the window, looking down at the city that had buried his family

Without turning around,he spoke

"What's the first rule?"

Elena answered immediately.

"Never attack the king first."

"The second?"

"Take away everyone protecting him."

Noah nodded

"The Ardent family believes they won six years ago."

A faint smile appeared on his face

"So I'll let them keep believing it."

He closed the file bearing the Ardent name

"They won't lose everything in a single night."

"They'll lose it one piece at a time."

Outside, snow continued to fall

Across the city Lucien Ardent unknowingly signed the first document that would begin the slow destruction of his empire

The game had finally begun....

Morning sunlight reflected off the glass walls of Ardent Group Headquarters,the tallest building in the financial district

"The meeting may begin," he said

One executive stood and began presenting the company's latest investment proposal

"Our next acquisition requires an additional three billion dollars With this investment,we can dominate the overseas pharmaceutical market within-"

The conference room door opened

Lucien looked up

His secretary entered with a troubled expression.

"Sir... there's an urgent matter."

The room fell silent.

Lucien frowned.

"What is it?"

She placed a file before him

"Our target company..."

"...has already been purchased."

The directors exchanged confused glances

"What?"

"By whom?"

The secretary swallowed

"A company called Vale Capital International."

Lucien's brows furrowed

"I've heard of them."

"They've been buying struggling companies for the last three years," one director said. "No one knows where their money comes from."

Another director scoffed

"Probably another rich investor trying to make a name for himself."

Lucien remained silent

Something about the name unsettled him

That afternoon, Lucien ordered an investigation

"I want everything on Adrian Vale."

His chief of security nodded

"Yes, sir."

"I want to know where he came from, who he works with, and what he wants."

Three days later...

The report arrived

Lucien flipped through every page

Swiss citizen

Graduated from Oxford

Founder of Vale Capital

No criminal record

No scandals

No suspicious transactions

Everything was perfect

Lucien slowly closed the file

"No one has a life this clean."

His secretary looked surprised.

Lucien stared out the window.

"I don't know.....but it feels like I've heard his name before."

That evening...

Adrian stood alone in his office as snow drifted outside,

His phone buzzed once

A single message appeared on the screen

Lucien Ardent has begun investigating you

Adrian smiled faintly

"Right on time."

He picked up the old wooden chess knight from his desk

"The first move....is always the easiest."

He gently placed the knight onto the center of the chessboard

Outside two of the city's most powerful men had not yet met

Yet the game between them had already begun

And neither of them realized that every move from this point onward had been planned long before they ever sat across the same table

Luciens company started falling down in stocks because of the Vale Capital International company

Rivalry between both the companies grew one strike after another.....

Noah's plan doesn't involve killing Lucien.

Instead, he orchestrates the collapse of the Lucien's empire using information.

Over several weeks, Adrian anonymously leaks evidence of corruption committed by senior Ardent executives not crimes Lucien ordered, but crimes that had been hidden from him. Investors pull out trusted board members accuse one another of betrayal and Lucien's inner circle fractures

One day..

When Lucien finally confronts Adrian in a private conference room, Adrian closes the door and quietly says,

"Do you remember the Vesper estate?"

Lucien freezes

Adrian places an old wooden chess knight on the table

Lucien's face loses all color

"Noah..."

Adrian removes a black glove, revealing the burn scars across his hand that represented his fire

"I came back to make you watch your world burn the way mine did."

Lucien doesn't deny the past

He lowers his head

"If killing me will end this..."

Adrian interrupts him

"No."

"Death is too easy."

"You'll live."

Lucien quietly hands over every controlling share of Ardent Group and resigns as CEO

He doesn't fight which shocked adrian as in Noah more than anything as he was fully ready for a battle

Instead of fighting back Lucien simply says

"I've been punishing myself for six years."

That answer shakes Noah more than any weapon could

Before leaving, Lucien gives him a sealed file.

"If you truly want your revenge from the one who killed your family....read this."

Lucien left the room leaving a shaken up Noah behind who didn't know what to belive and what to not because he spent whole 6 years planning his revenge he can't just trust his enemy all of a sudden but the lingering feeling for lucien never left him...so he decided to give it a chance to give his love for Lucien another chance...

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***