Selena placed a hand on Adrian's shoulder, "This family is divided. Some will test you. Some will manipulate you. A few might surprise you."
"And you?" Adrian asked.
Her eyes met his. "I'm on your side. That much should be obvious by now."
Victor turned away, already done with the conversation. "Get some rest, Adrian. Tomorrow, you meet the wolves."
As Selena guided him toward a corridor lined with doors that probably cost more than his entire apartment, Adrian glanced back once.
"That was one of your cousins, he should be older than you by ten years but around these parts, he just likes to be a funny and jovial person, out there he's feared." Selena said as they walked.
"Well I don't know him but I've heard his name a couple of times to know that he's feared outside but he feels so different here" Adrian replied as he continued to look around.
The city lights glittered below like a promise and a warning. He had been chosen.
And now, he would have to survive the cost of it.
After walking down the hall, Selena stopped in front of a full-length mirror and finally let her gaze roam over him without restraint.
She judged him instantly like an ex she never wanted anything to do with again.
"You're dressed in rags."
Adrian blinked. "But these are clean."
"Boy, that makes them clean rags then," she replied calmly. "Its just a case of different problem but the same offense."
She turned and walked down the corridor, her heels clicking with military level precision. Adrian followed closely behind, irritation prickling beneath his skin.
They entered a room the size of his entire apartment.
In there, Floor-to-ceiling wardrobes lined the walls, each section illuminated softly. Suits, jackets, shirts, shoes, neatly arranged not by color but by purpose. Boardroom. Negotiation. Public appearance. Casual outings.
Adrian stopped short.
"This is..…a lot. Is this like a store or…."
"Well this is nothing," Selena said. "For you, this is the minimum required to stop people from dismissing you before you open your mouth and yes it's a store for visitors we have once in a while."
She pulled out a charcoal suit and held it against him. "This would make you look….feared like Victor."
Then she pulled out a navy suit. "This makes you look obedient."
Then a black suit. "This makes you look like a threat."
She tossed all three aside.
"But," she added flatly, "you're not ready for any of those."
Adrian frowned. "What do you mean? Then why bring me here?"
"Because public image is a weapon," she said. "And right now, you don't have have the slightest idea on how to hold one without cutting yourself."
She opened another section where there were simpler clothes. Crisp shirts. Tailored trousers. Neutral tones. Nothing loud. Nothing that screamed wealth.
Adrian felt his shoulders loosen without realizing it.
"I'll take these," he said, pointing to a gray button-down and black slacks.
Selena arched a brow. "You're turning down six-figure tailoring for these?."
"I don't want to stand out."
Her eyes sharpened. "You are standing out. Your name already does that for you."
"I mean…..I don't want to look like I'm playing dress-up," he said quietly. "Well at least not yet."
Selena studied him in silence, something calculating passing behind her eyes.
"Hmph…..Interesting," she murmured. "Most people rush toward power the moment they smell it."
"I've survived over twenty long years by staying small," Adrian replied. "I'm not about to just unlearn that overnight."
She handed him the clothes. "Get changed pretty boy."
As he moved toward the adjoining room, her voice followed him in a cold, precise manner.
"You disappearing wasn't an accident, Adrian."
He froze.
"What?"
She didn't raise her voice but didn't soften it either.
"Why are you standing there? Didn't I tell you to change what you're wearing?" She asked as she shot a cold glare at him.
"But…."
She cut him before he could finish, "Make a mental note of this," she said, "Rule number one, always mask your emotion. Number two, learn to do more than two things at a time no matter the situation."
She then added "The fire. The missing records. The closed case. We figured it was all engineered."
His pulse spiked. "You're saying..."
"I'm saying someone either decided it was safer for you to vanish than to exist as a Vale or they just wanted you out of an equation that didn't add up well for them."
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Adrian stared at the clothes in his hands. Its simple, neutral and safe look reminded him so much of himself.
"Who?" he asked.
Selena met his eyes through the mirror. "Not one person, think more of it like a faction."
"A faction?" His laugh was hollow. "I worked doubles at a restaurant and a club. I lived in a box. And they still…."
"Power doesn't care about how small you feel," she cut in. "It only cares about what you could become."
Silence stretched between them.
In that moment, Adrian felt a shift in his personality. He changed slowly, mechanically.
When he stepped out, the clothes fit perfectly, clean lines that gave quiet confidence. He looked like himself, just…..sharper.
Selena nodded once. "Good choice. Now you look easily forgettable."
"Thanks?," he muttered.
"It's a compliment," she said. "People underestimate what doesn't announce itself."
Adrian looked at his reflection again.
He didn't look rich, he didn't look dangerous and very important, he didn't look like an heir yet.
"What do we do next?" he asked.
Selena turned toward the door. "Next, we teach you how to survive in a family that tried to erase you."
She paused, glancing back at him.
"And eventually," she added, "you'll stop caring whether you stain your hands doing it."
"Working at the club, I realized one thing. Victory, fame, money, power....they're all celebrated in the open but gained in the dark." he said as he stared into her eyes.
She just gave a slight nod and walked away. Adrian followed her out, unaware that this was the last night he would choose restraint over power.