January 05, 2026
Unknown Location | 15 Years Ago
The night stretched on, cold and unfeeling, much like the woman who lurked in its shadows.
Perched on a steel beam high above the ground, Freya Lenore remained motionless. The darkness clung to her like a second skin, her presence unnoticed even as she loomed over the heavily guarded estate below. The dim glow of the security lights flickered against her suit, but her position was perfect-no cameras, no blind spots.
Beneath her, guards patrolled in tight formations. Their movements were methodical, professional. Military-grade training. These weren't the type to be caught off guard.
Her blue eyes-sharp, calculating-swept across the perimeter. The faint hum of her earpiece broke the silence.
"Silent Blade, do you have eyes on the target?"
Freya barely moved, only adjusting her rifle's scope. Through the glass window of an office, she spotted her mark.
Senator Wilhelm Krause sat comfortably behind his desk, sipping a glass of whiskey, completely unaware of the death sentence hovering above him. His graying hair was slicked back, his expensive suit unwrinkled. The arrogance in his posture told her everything she needed to know-he was a man who believed himself untouchable.
Freya's lips barely parted. "Visual confirmed."
"Proceed with caution. No alarms. Make it look clean."
Orders. She followed them without hesitation.
Securing the silencer onto her weapon, she inhaled slowly, aligning the shot.
One bullet. One kill. One second.
The gun barely made a sound. A faint thip-then the senator's head snapped forward, his lifeless body slumping onto his desk. Blood seeped into the fine wood, staining unfinished documents.
Freya didn't wait to admire her work. By the time the first scream rang out from below, she was already gone.
April 12, 2041
Titan Vale Corporation Headquarters | 15 Years Later
"Why am I here?"
Freya stood stiffly in the middle of a lavish office, arms crossed, exuding the same icy composure she had fifteen years ago. Her sharp blue eyes flickered with something dangerously close to regret as she took in the sight before her.
Nevaris Vale-her employer, the youngest trillionaire in history, the so-called Demon of Contracts-was currently slouched in his expensive leather chair, completely absorbed in a video game.
Not a complex strategy game. Not a business simulation.
No.
A fighting game.
"Freya, check this out!" Nevaris grinned as he rapidly tapped buttons on his controller. "I just pulled off a 17-hit combo!"
Freya stared. Not in admiration. Not in disbelief. Just stared.
"...And this is what you do with your trillion-dollar empire?" she asked flatly.
Nevaris paused, blinking up at her. "It's called stress relief."
Freya pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling. "You were supposed to be in a board meeting an hour ago."
"Oh." He blinked again, as if just realizing the time. Then he shrugged. "I mean, technically, I'm still working. Playing games sharpens the mind."
Freya's patience, already hanging by a thread, snapped.
She stalked over to his desk, snatched the controller from his hands, and turned off the screen in one swift motion.
Nevaris gasped as if she had just committed an unforgivable crime. "Freya!"
"Get. Up."
"You're heartless," he muttered, dragging himself out of his chair like a man carrying the weight of the world.
"And you're lazy."
"Not lazy," he corrected. "Efficiently selective about what I focus on."
Freya narrowed her eyes. "Get in the meeting room. Now."
"Ugh, fine." Nevaris stretched lazily, ruffling his already messy black hair. His tan skin contrasted against the crisp white of his unbuttoned dress shirt, giving him a look that was both effortlessly wealthy and utterly unprofessional.
Freya sighed. This man is the reason the business world fears Titan Vale Corporation?
As Nevaris strolled toward the door, hands in his pockets, he glanced at her with a smirk. "You know, you're the only person in the world who talks to me like this."
"That's because I'm the only person in the world who still has the patience to deal with you."
He chuckled. "Lucky me."
Freya followed him, her steps measured and silent.
Fifteen years ago, she had been the most feared assassin in the underworld. Now, she was playing babysitter to the world's most unpredictable CEO.
And yet somehow, she had a feeling this job was going to be far more dangerous.