Valeria's POV
The morning after Adrian's quiet promise felt like a weight lifting from my shoulders. It wasn't gone, not by any means, but it was lighter. Somehow, despite the looming threat of the Relic and the power it contained, the air seemed less suffocating. I hadn't realized how much I had needed Adrian's words—his unwavering belief that we could face this together. It was as if, for the first time in ages, someone had reminded me what it meant to feel human.
Yet, even as I stood before the mirror, my reflection a slight blur in the glass, I couldn't shake the unease that tightened my chest. The power of the Relic was still there, its presence constant, but I could no longer hear its whispers. Or perhaps I didn't want to. Perhaps, somewhere deep inside, I feared what would happen if I let myself listen again.
The phone buzzed on the marble countertop beside me, cutting through the silence like a distant thunderclap. I reached for it absently, glancing at the screen.
It was an email from Siren Industries.
Valeria, the subject read, The Board is requesting an immediate meeting.
I didn't need to read the rest of the message. The tone was professional, cold, detached. A summons, nothing more. There was no warmth, no sense of camaraderie that might have been expected after all these years. No doubt, my recent decisions, my disappearance, my absences, had left a mark on my reputation.
The sense of guilt crept in again. You abandoned them. The thought was like a slap in the face. My mind had been consumed by the Relic, by everything that had been unraveling inside me, but Siren Industries—the legacy I had inherited, the empire I had built with my own hands—had been neglected.
And for what?
The answer was simple, even if it wasn't something I wanted to face. I had let my personal demons take the forefront. The power inside me, the Relic's dark promises, the pull of Adrian's strength and care, they all intermingled until everything else felt irrelevant.
And now, I had to make a choice.
I quickly tapped the reply button and drafted a short response.
Understood. I'll be there within the hour.
A sharp breath left me. My fingers trembled slightly as I hit send. I didn't have the luxury of avoiding what was coming. There was no escape from the responsibilities I had been given, from the people I had promised to protect. The future of the company—my company—was at stake. The Relic could wait for a moment longer.
But what if it doesn't? That voice whispered again, insistent. What if it won't let you go?
I shut the thought away, grabbing my coat from the back of the door. I couldn't afford to let the darkness of the Relic claim more of my time.
---
The streets outside were busy, bustling with the morning rush. But as I stepped into the back of the sleek black car, I could feel the pulse of the city vibrating beneath me, almost as if it were alive—teeming with secrets, with stories, with betrayals that had yet to unfold. The world I inhabited was a world of deception, of power plays, and I had no delusions of being free from it. The Relic had seen to that.
As the car drove toward Siren Industries' headquarters, I watched the buildings blur past. The towering skyscrapers felt like giants, their gleaming glass surfaces reflecting a world that no longer seemed like mine. It wasn't the same world I had conquered when I first built my empire.
It was a reminder of how far I had fallen.
Siren Industries wasn't just a company; it was my lifeblood. The architecture, the board meetings, the media presence—it was all an extension of who I was. But now, with the darkness of the Relic settling like a heavy fog in my bones, I didn't know if I could keep it all together.
By the time the car stopped outside the towering glass building that housed the heart of the company, I felt like an impostor in my own life. I was no longer the Valeria Grey who had commanded boardrooms, who had made impossible deals, who had left no room for weakness. I was a shadow, wearing her face but nothing more.
I stepped out of the car, my heels clicking sharply on the marble steps that led into the lobby. The guards gave me a respectful nod as I passed through the entrance, but their eyes lingered longer than they should. I had been gone for too long. The whispers of my absence were no doubt spreading like wildfire among the employees. And they were right to be curious.
I made my way to the elevator, my mind racing through every possibility. The meeting with the board would be a spectacle—a trial in which I would have to prove I still had control, prove that I was the woman who could lead this company, no matter what had happened in the past few days. The question was whether they would still see that in me.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft hiss, and I stepped inside. The reflection staring back at me in the glass was a stranger. My eyes, once sharp and calculating, now seemed distant—haunted by something darker than any boardroom rivalry.
The boardroom was grand, filled with polished mahogany tables and chairs so comfortable they almost seemed out of place in a room meant for decisions that could alter the course of industries. The members of the board were already seated, their expressions ranging from suspicion to concern, some barely bothering to hide the judgment in their eyes.
I took my seat at the head of the table. I could feel the weight of their gaze on me—watching, waiting, probing for any sign of weakness. But I had no intention of giving them that satisfaction.
"Valeria," one of the board members, a man named Eli, spoke first. His tone was cool, businesslike. "We've been concerned about your absence these past few weeks. Siren Industries needs a leader, and we need to know that you're capable of continuing to steer this company forward."
I met his gaze evenly, letting his words roll over me. I wasn't sure if I was more angry or more amused at his presumption. These people had no idea what had been happening behind the scenes, how the company they relied on had become secondary to the storm raging inside me. But I couldn't show them that. I couldn't let them see the cracks.
"I'm here now," I replied calmly. "And I intend to ensure that Siren Industries remains at the top, as it always has been. Nothing will change that."
They exchanged looks, murmurs running through the room. But I could sense their doubt. I could hear the unspoken question in the air: Is she still the woman we remember?
I leaned forward, my gaze hardening. "I've been dealing with personal matters. But rest assured, I'm more than capable of handling this. This company will continue to thrive under my leadership. If any of you doubt that, now is the time to speak up."
The room fell silent.
I had said my piece. The game had begun, and I had no choice but to play.