The corridor was silent.
Not the peaceful kind of silence.
The dangerous kind.
The kind that comes before something terrible happens.
Elara stood still, watching Adrian carefully.
But the man in front of her… didn't feel like Adrian anymore.
His posture had changed.
His breathing had slowed.
His eyes had turned colder than ice.
Luca shifted uncomfortably.
"…Boss?"
Adrian didn't answer.
The radio in his hand crackled again.
Elias' voice returned, calm and mocking.
"So… you're quiet now."
"Did I hit a nerve?"
Adrian slowly raised the radio.
"You talk too much."
Elias chuckled.
"That's what people say when they don't have answers."
Adrian's voice dropped lower.
"I have answers."
"Then tell me."
A long pause filled the corridor.
Then Adrian spoke.
"One answer."
A click echoed as he switched off the radio.
Elias' voice disappeared.
Elara frowned.
"You just cut him off."
"Yes."
"He wanted a reaction."
"And you didn't give him one?"
Adrian looked toward the dark hallway ahead.
"No."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I gave him a location."
Luca blinked.
"…Wait."
"You WHAT?"
Before Adrian could answer—
A loud explosion shook the entire mansion.
The floor trembled violently.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Alarms screamed throughout the estate.
Elara grabbed the wall for balance.
"What was that?!"
Luca rushed to the nearest security panel.
His eyes widened.
"Oh hell."
Adrian walked over calmly.
"What did he hit?"
Luca pointed at the screen.
"The west garage."
Elara's heart dropped.
"That's where—"
Adrian finished the sentence.
"—the underground tunnels connect."
Luca ran a hand through his hair.
"That bastard just opened a backdoor into the estate."
Gunfire suddenly erupted from somewhere below them.
Security teams shouting.
More alarms.
The radio came alive again.
Marco's voice yelled through static.
"Boss! We've got enemies pouring in from the west tunnel!"
Adrian picked up the radio.
"How many?"
"Too many!"
"Twenty? Thirty?"
Marco paused.
"…Closer to fifty."
Luca stared at Adrian.
"…That's an army."
Adrian's expression didn't change.
"Good."
Elara blinked.
"Good?"
Adrian turned toward the staircase leading down.
"If Elias wants Ares…"
His voice became dangerously quiet.
"…then he'll meet him."
Luca groaned.
"I knew tonight would get worse."
They moved quickly toward the lower levels.
Smoke filled parts of the hallway now.
Emergency lights flashed red.
The mansion felt like a battlefield.
As they reached the underground level—
Gunfire exploded again.
Three security guards were pinned behind overturned vehicles in the garage.
Attackers flooded through the broken tunnel entrance.
Adrian stepped forward.
Two quick shots.
Two enemies dropped instantly.
"Fall back," he ordered the guards.
The guards didn't argue.
They retreated immediately.
Luca moved to the side of a concrete pillar and opened fire.
Elara took cover behind a vehicle.
The attackers were well trained.
They spread out fast.
Returning fire with precision.
Bullets ricocheted across the garage.
Adrian stepped out from cover.
Calm.
Controlled.
Deadly.
He moved through the battlefield like he had done this a thousand times.
One shot.
Another.
Another.
Each bullet found its target.
Elara watched him fight.
And for the first time—
She understood the stories.
The rumors.
The whispers of the underworld.
This wasn't just Adrian Valentino.
This was the man who built the empire from blood.
This was Ares.
An attacker rushed from the side.
Before Elara could warn him—
Adrian grabbed the man's arm, twisted it brutally, and slammed him into the concrete wall.
The man collapsed unconscious.
Luca whistled.
"Remind me to stay on your good side."
Adrian didn't react.
More attackers poured in from the tunnel.
Luca counted quickly.
"Still thirty left!"
Adrian stepped forward again.
"Then we reduce the number."
Gunfire roared again.
Enemies dropped one by one.
But they kept coming.
Then suddenly—
Everything stopped.
The attackers froze.
One by one, they stepped aside.
Making a path through the tunnel.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the darkness.
Elara felt her chest tighten.
Someone was coming.
A tall figure stepped out of the shadows.
Black coat.
Calm expression.
Eyes filled with quiet intelligence.
Luca whispered.
"…That must be him."
The man looked around the destroyed garage.
The fallen men.
The bullet marks.
Then his gaze finally landed on Adrian.
He smiled slightly.
"So."
His voice was smooth.
"Nice to finally meet you."
Adrian didn't move.
"You're Elias."
"Yes."
Elias stepped forward slowly.
Studying him.
"You look different from the rumors."
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
"Disappointed?"
Elias shook his head.
"No."
"Curious."
He gestured at the bodies around them.
"Your reputation wasn't exaggerated."
Elara stepped beside Adrian.
Elias glanced at her.
"Ah."
"The famous Elara."
She didn't respond.
Elias looked back at Adrian.
"You built a beautiful empire."
"But I didn't come to destroy it."
Luca muttered.
"That's funny, because it really looks like you did."
Elias ignored him.
His eyes locked onto Adrian again.
"I came for something else."
Adrian's voice was cold.
"What."
Elias' smile widened slightly.
"You."
Silence filled the garage.
Elias continued.
"The underworld believes Adrian Valentino is the king."
"But I know better."
His voice dropped.
"I know the truth."
Elara felt tension rise beside her.
Elias spoke slowly.
"You're not Adrian."
"You're the man behind the mask."
The garage felt colder.
Then Elias said the name again.
"Ares."
A long silence followed.
Then Adrian finally spoke.
"You've been chasing ghosts."
Elias shook his head.
"No."
His eyes sharpened.
"I've been chasing the only man who ever destroyed my plans."
Elara frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Elias looked at her calmly.
"You really don't know?"
She glanced at Adrian.
Elias smiled again.
"Of course."
"He never told you."
Adrian's voice hardened.
"Enough."
But Elias continued.
"Ten years ago…"
"Before Adrian Valentino existed…"
"There was a war in the underworld."
His eyes burned with quiet excitement.
"And the man who won it…"
He pointed at Adrian.
"…was him."
Elara felt the truth settle slowly.
Ares wasn't just a name.
It was a past.
A past Adrian had buried.
But Elias had just dug it up.
Elias spread his arms slightly.
"So tell me, Ares."
The next words echoed through the destroyed garage.
"Are you still the same monster…"
"…or have you gone soft?"
Adrian raised his gun slowly.
His eyes were completely emotionless now.
Then he spoke.
Five simple words.
Cold.
Deadly.
"You're about to find out."