The city never slept.Lights blinked like restless eyes, watching, whispering, judging.
Adrian Vance stood by the window of his penthouse, his reflection merging with the skyline — a ghost of his former self staring back.
In his past life, this view had made him feel powerful.Now it only reminded him of how naive he'd been.
He opened his palm. The heirloom ring gleamed faintly, catching the neon lights outside.His father's ring.His promise.His burden.
I lost everything once because I trusted the wrong person.This time, trust will be earned, not given.
He turned toward his desk — the same one that once held the documents of his downfall. A sleek laptop sat open, displaying an encrypted message window.
Sender: Unknown.Message:"Still alive, huh? If you're really who you say you are, prove it. Meet me. Midnight. Dock 47."
Adrian smirked. He remembered this name from before — Luna Crest.A ghost in the network. Hacker, informant, and one of the few people who'd helped him after he'd already lost everything.In his last life, he'd met her too late.This time, he'd find her first.
He grabbed his coat and slid the heirloom ring onto his finger.It fit perfectly — as if time itself had been waiting for this moment.
At Dock 47
The night air carried the sharp scent of salt and oil. Waves slapped against the wooden planks, echoing through the quiet dockyard.
A shadow waited beneath a broken streetlight — hooded, motionless, but aware.
"You came," the figure said, voice soft but edged.
"I don't believe in coincidences," Adrian replied. "Only second chances."
A small laugh escaped her. "You talk like someone who's died before."
Adrian's eyes glinted in the dark. "Maybe I have."
Luna lowered her hood. She was young — mid-twenties — with silver-streaked hair and piercing violet eyes that looked like they'd seen too much.
"What do you want from me, Mr. Vance?" she asked.
"Information," Adrian said simply. "And partnership. There's a storm coming — I plan to stand on top of it."
Luna tilted her head, assessing him. "And what makes you think I'll help you?"
He reached into his pocket and tossed her a flash drive."Because that file contains every password, account, and security flaw your old employer hid from you. The same people who erased your brother's name from the database."
Her expression froze.No one was supposed to know about that.
"How did you—"
Adrian stepped closer, his voice low. "Let's just say this isn't my first time living this life."
A silence hung between them — electric, dangerous, full of possibility.
Then Luna smiled, the first true smile he'd seen since waking up in this second chance."Fine," she said. "Let's rewrite fate."
Adrian nodded. "We'll start with the Moore family."
As the wind carried their words into the night, the city lights seemed to flicker — as if destiny itself had shivered.
This time, Adrian Vance wasn't waiting for betrayal.He was hunting it.