The rain outside the Valentino estate had turned into a storm.
Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the massive mansion for brief seconds before darkness swallowed it again.
Inside, the war had reached the second floor.
Smoke hung in the air.
Broken glass covered the marble floors.
And somewhere in the mansion, the intruders were still advancing.
Adrian moved through the hallway like a shadow.
Silent.
Precise.
Dangerous.
Behind him, Elara and Luca followed carefully.
"Security teams?" Adrian asked quietly.
Luca pressed a finger to his earpiece.
"Still fighting on the east side… but we lost contact with two units."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"That means they're splitting our defenses."
Elara looked around the hallway.
Every light was flickering.
Every sound echoed too loudly.
"This place feels like a battlefield."
Adrian didn't look back.
"It is."
They reached the grand staircase that connected the upper floors of the estate.
Adrian stopped.
Something wasn't right.
Too quiet.
Luca noticed it too.
"They should already be here."
Adrian slowly stepped forward.
His voice low.
"Stay sharp."
Then—
CLACK.
The sound echoed beneath Adrian's boot.
Everyone froze.
Elara looked down.
A thin metal wire stretched across the marble floor.
Her eyes widened.
"Tripwire."
Too late.
The explosion hit instantly.
The stairwell erupted with blinding light and deafening force.
Marble shattered.
Wood splintered.
The blast wave threw all three of them across the hallway.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
Just ringing.
Dust filled the air.
Adrian groaned as he pushed himself off the ground.
Blood trickled from a cut near his eyebrow.
"Elara!"
"I'm okay!" she coughed from behind the broken pillar.
Luca rolled onto his side, shaking debris from his jacket.
"Damn… that was a military-grade trap."
Adrian stood slowly.
"They knew exactly where we'd walk."
Elara's voice turned sharp.
"Which means someone inside the estate told them."
Silence.
Adrian's eyes darkened.
"A traitor."
Luca cursed under his breath.
"That's impossible."
"Nothing is impossible," Adrian replied coldly.
Then—
Footsteps echoed from below the staircase.
Heavy.
Slow.
Confident.
Adrian raised his pistol instantly.
Elara followed.
A tall figure emerged from the smoke below.
Black coat.
Dark gloves.
Calm posture.
He stopped halfway up the ruined stairs.
And smiled.
Adrian's expression hardened immediately.
"You."
The man tilted his head slightly.
"Hello, Adrian."
Elara looked between them.
"You know him?"
Adrian didn't take his eyes off the stranger.
"Yes."
The man stepped into the dim red emergency light.
His face became clear.
Sharp features.
Cold gray eyes.
And the expression of someone who enjoyed chaos.
"My name," he said calmly,
"is Viktor Kain."
Luca muttered under his breath.
"Never heard of him."
Viktor chuckled softly.
"That's the point."
Adrian's voice dropped lower.
"You're working for Elias."
"Of course."
"Then you're already dead."
Viktor smiled wider.
"See… that's the interesting part."
He slowly removed his gloves.
"I'm not here to kill you."
Adrian frowned slightly.
"Then why are you here?"
Viktor's eyes gleamed.
"To test something."
Elara's grip on the gun tightened.
"Test what?"
Viktor looked directly at Adrian.
"A rumor."
Silence.
"A rumor?" Adrian repeated.
"Yes."
Viktor began walking slowly up the broken staircase.
Each step careful.
Each movement deliberate.
"They say the man who runs this empire isn't the real monster."
Adrian didn't react.
Viktor stopped a few steps away now.
Close enough to see the tension in Adrian's shoulders.
"They say the real monster…"
His voice dropped slightly.
"…died fifteen years ago."
Luca frowned.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
But Viktor ignored him.
His eyes stayed on Adrian.
"You see… some people believe Adrian Valentino built this empire."
He smiled faintly.
"But others…"
His voice turned softer.
"…remember a different name."
Elara felt a chill run down her spine.
"Ares."
The word hung in the air like a shadow.
Luca slowly turned toward Adrian.
"Boss…?"
Adrian didn't move.
His expression remained calm.
Cold.
Unreadable.
Viktor watched him carefully.
Waiting.
Studying.
Then he laughed quietly.
"So it's true."
Adrian finally spoke.
His voice dangerously quiet.
"You came all this way for a story?"
"No."
Viktor's smile disappeared.
"I came to see if the legend still breathes."
Adrian stepped forward.
One step.
Just one.
But something changed in the air.
Something heavier.
Darker.
"You're standing in my house," Adrian said calmly.
"You set explosives in my halls."
"You killed my men."
His voice lowered.
"And you think this is