The elevator doors opened silently, revealing a view that made even the most jaded hearts pause.
From the top floor of Vale Tower, the city stretched beneath them like a glittering ocean of lights, buildings reflecting gold and silver hues from the setting sun. Wind swept gently through the open balcony doors, carrying with it the faint scent of sea salt and something distant—power. Pure, unspoken, undeniable power.
Aiden stepped out carefully, his polished shoes clicking against the marble floor. His fingers clenched the edge of his suit jacket, but his face was calm. Perfectly calm.
Lucian Vale waited.
Tall. Silent. Imposing. The man who commanded fear and respect throughout the country. Whispers about him existed in every circle of the elite: his reputation untouchable, his intelligence unparalleled, his ruthlessness legendary.
Yet he stood there now, his hands folded behind his back, his sharp eyes fixed on Aiden, observing. Patiently. Almost as if he had been expecting him all along.
"Mr. Vale," Aiden began, voice steady, devoid of hesitation. "I presume you know why I asked to meet you."
Lucian's lips twitched slightly, a small smirk barely noticeable. "I have a few guesses. But please, enlighten me."
Aiden inhaled, steadying himself. He had rehearsed this speech countless times since awakening in this second life. Every word, every tone had been meticulously crafted. He would not stumble. Not this time.
"I am proposing a marriage," Aiden said finally, his tone calm, almost cold. "To you."
For a fraction of a heartbeat, Lucian's composed facade wavered. His eyes narrowed, scanning Aiden as though trying to read something buried deep beneath the surface.
"A marriage?" Lucian echoed, voice even. "You are the heir of one of the wealthiest families in the country. And yet… you want to marry me?"
"Yes," Aiden replied without flinching. "You are… untouchable. Feared by the elite. Powerful beyond imagination. Political influence. Business control. Reputation. You are a force Sebastian Hale cannot touch. And I intend to use that."
Lucian's smirk returned, faint but sharp, as if Aiden had just handed him a rare gift. "So this is… a strategic proposal?"
Aiden's lips curved slightly. "Strategic, yes. But not without reason." He paused, letting the words settle. "Sebastian Hale ruined me once. In my first life, I gave him everything. My trust. My wealth. My influence. And he betrayed me. I will not allow him—or anyone like him—to ever have the same power over me again. You, Mr. Vale, are untouchable. You are… a shield, and a sword. Together, we will be unstoppable."
Lucian's eyes flickered. A small, almost imperceptible shift. "You speak as if you know me."
"I do," Aiden said simply. "Better than anyone. I watched, I learned, I remembered. And I made a decision. I will not make the same mistakes again. I will not let anyone—especially Sebastian—control me."
The silence that followed was thick, almost suffocating. The city lights seemed to dim in comparison to the tension between the two men. Lucian's hands remained behind his back, but his body shifted slightly, his height, his presence, making Aiden acutely aware of the distance he had just crossed—not in the room, but in the game of power that would now define their lives.
"You want me to marry you," Lucian finally said, voice low, almost a growl. "Not because you love me… but because it is convenient. Strategic. Safe."
Aiden's gaze did not waver. "Correct."
Lucian's smirk deepened, this time with an edge of amusement. "Interesting. Most people who propose strategic marriages do so with greed. You… bring something else."
"What?" Aiden asked.
"Confidence. Fearlessness. Determination. And something I have… rarely seen." He tilted his head slightly, eyes never leaving Aiden's. "A desire for control that matches my own."
Aiden's pulse quickened. He could feel the subtle undercurrent beneath Lucian's words—the appraisal, the curiosity, the recognition. This man had seen him before, even if Aiden did not yet understand how. And yet, despite the fearsome reputation, there was a… warmth. Almost. Only barely.
"I will not lie," Lucian said slowly. "Marrying me is not simple. I do not tolerate weakness. I do not tolerate mistakes. You understand that, correct?"
"I understand," Aiden said simply, his eyes flashing. "And I will not fail."
Lucian stepped closer, and for the first time, Aiden felt the weight of the man fully—not just the power, the influence, the fear—but the sheer presence. Lucian was not merely a figure of politics or business. He was a force of nature, immovable, unshakable. And yet, he waited for Aiden's next move. Patiently. As if he had been expecting this exact proposal for years.
"You have balls," Lucian said, voice low, almost amused. "Most people wouldn't dare approach me like this."
"I'm not most people," Aiden replied without hesitation.
A flicker of a smile touched Lucian's lips. "No, you are not. Very well. I accept your proposal. On one condition."
Aiden's brow furrowed slightly. "Condition?"
Lucian's eyes locked on his, sharp, deliberate. "You do not falter. You do not betray. You do not underestimate me. I am not a shield merely for your revenge. I am… your equal. And if you fail to understand that, there will be consequences."
Aiden's chest tightened—not with fear, but with anticipation. "Agreed."
A silence hung between them, charged, heavy, and yet… intimate in its own way.
"You know," Lucian said finally, his voice softer, but still commanding, "that you do not need me to destroy Sebastian."
Aiden's lips pressed into a thin line. "True. But you make it… easier."
Lucian's gaze lingered on him. Longer than necessary. Almost unreadable. And then, without another word, he turned and gestured toward the private balcony.
"Come. I want you to see something."
Aiden followed, stepping out into the wind that swept over the tower. The city lights stretched endlessly below, a sea of gold and silver. The air was cool, sharp, electric.
"You will rule beside me," Lucian said quietly. "Not behind me. Not under me. Beside me. And together… we will ensure that no one—especially Sebastian Hale—can ever harm you again."
Aiden's lips curved into a faint, almost unnoticeable smile. "Good. Because I have waited a long time for a second chance. And I will not waste it."
Lucian's eyes softened, just a fraction, and he reached out. Not to touch, but to acknowledge. "Then let this be the start of our… arrangement. And perhaps… something more."
Aiden's pulse quickened. "Something more?"
Lucian did not answer directly. Instead, he gave a single nod toward the skyline. "We have time. But know this… once we step into this game, there is no turning back."
Aiden swallowed. He had known that before. But this time, he would not falter. He had been weak before. Naïve. Blind.
No longer.
He looked up at Lucian Vale—the man who had loved him long before he even knew the man's name—and allowed a small, fierce smile to touch his lips.
"I am ready," he said.
Lucian's smirk returned, faint but sharp, approval in the way he held himself. "Good. Because we begin tonight."
The evening descended like a curtain over the city, and Aiden returned to the engagement hall—not to celebrate, not to play the part of a heartbroken fiancé, but to watch, to plan, and to execute the first steps of the revenge that had been denied to him in his previous life.
Sebastian, unaware of the storm building, continued with the evening, charming the guests, basking in his imagined victory. But Aiden's eyes were cold. Calculating. Focused.
He would not make the same mistakes again.
He would marry Lucian Vale. He would crush Sebastian. And he would reclaim everything that had been stolen from him.
And in the quiet, distant corner of the room, Aiden caught a glimpse of a man he had never truly noticed before. Tall. Dark. Imposing. Observing. Watching. Waiting.
Lucian Vale.
And something stirred in Aiden's chest—curiosity. Respect. Perhaps even… anticipation.
But that was not the point. Not yet.
The point was power. Control. Revenge.
And with Lucian by his side, Aiden knew, without a doubt, that this time, Sebastian would have nowhere to run.
The first move had been made. And the game had only just begun.