Lucian-

The sun was merciless that morning, blazing down on the turf of Velmira FC’s private training grounds. We have semifinals coming. I jogged out with the rest of the squad. The Coach barked drills. Sweat beaded across foreheads. Cleats dug into grass. Normal day. Until it wasn’t. “Boys,” barked the club’s

operations head, “meet your new dietary supervisor. Miss Danny.” I froze mid-stretch. There she was. Danny.

Those emerald eyes. That effortless poise. Hair tied back in a low ponytail. Simple black trainers, white polo shirt tucked into navy slacks. A clipboard in her hands, like she’d been running the place for years. She gave a polite smile to the team, completely unfazed by the dozen elite athletes sizing her up.

“My job is to keep you from eating junk and dying before thirty,” she said dryly. “Any complaints, take it up with your arteries.” A few of the guys chuckled. I just stared. My mind replayed the night before. Her voice. Her face. That fire behind her calm. What the hell is she doing here? As if reading my thoughts, she can read them, Danny’s(River) gaze flicked to me—brief, unreadable, surgical. Then it moved on. “Vale,” Coach called. “Go get your updated meal plan before the warm up.” I approached the table slowly. Her head was down, scribbling something.

“You are stalking me now?” I muttered, just low enough for only her to hear. She looked up at me. “No,” Danny replied without blinking. “I’m feeding you.” I blinked.”Huh?” , caught off guard by her boldness. She handed me a folder without another word and turned to the next player. And just like that, she walked past me again. But this time, she was staying. In his club. In his routine. In his space. And I couldn’t shake the strange feeling blooming in my chest. Not attraction. Not yet. But something more dangerous. Curiosity.

****

-River-

The stadium lights had dimmed. Players had disappeared into tunnels. Staff were dispersing in clusters, but I moved like a shadow silent, unnoticed, intentional. I found a narrow hallway that led to an unused guest suite tucked at the far end of the ground level. It was dimly lit and quiet, untouched, like time had skipped over it. Perfect. I slipped inside, locking the door behind me. I pulled out my Air Buds and fit one into my left ear. Two soft taps. A low crackle, then a familiar voice.

“Report,” came Honey, my handler— clipped, efficient, all edge. My childhood friend who survived that horrific disaster with me. She was a boy before the surgery she had a few years ago, now she is a wonderful woman, always keeping me safe from any other unnoticeable threat around me. I kept her voice steady. “Rex reporting,[my agency name] Initial contact complete. I approached him directly. No suspicion.”

“Lucian Vale?” “On it. I've entered his world. It won't take me long to get him.” I paused, “And make sure my documents seem real this time in case they do my profile check.” Lucian is really smart, so as his family and manager, I'm sure they will do a background check for me.

“I always do sweety.” She replied and chuckled.

I drifted to the window, staring out at the empty field. Just minutes ago, Lucian Vale had stood there golden under stadium lights, face dusted with sweat and secrets. A man admired by millions, but unknowable to the few who mattered. I exhaled, the sound barely audible.

“I’m in position now,” I murmured. “He won’t see what is coming to his world. I’ll get close to him. Whatever it takes.” “You are sure you’re ready for this?” Honey asked, voice lower. “You’ve been out of the field for a while.” She said. A flicker of something passed through me. Pain, maybe. Or memory. Of my childhood.

“This is the last one,” I said softly. Silence on the line. “If I do this,” I continued, “it ends. Justice, for the ones we lost. For our families. For our friends. For Cernova.”

My voice cracked just slightly before I covered it with cold steel. “And then No more assignments. No more blood.”

Honey didn’t answer right away. When she did, the softness was gone. “Then make it count. Keep your alias clean. No mistakes.” I tapped once. The line went dead. I stood in the quiet again, alone in a borrowed room in a country that wasn’t mine. My fingers clenched the edge of the table. To get to Dominion Vale[Lucian's father]... I have to get to Lucian first. Not just a meeting. Not a handshake. I had to matter to him enough that he would invite her in. To his house, his world, his family. Lucian Vale was the golden boy, the façade. But Dominion? Dominion Vale was the ghost in the shadows. The quiet architect behind empires, oil pipelines, political plays, and whispers of war. He was on the list. The classified one. I hadn’t seen his name directly on the documents they stole back in Cernova, but too many wires led back to him. Shell companies, black funds, encrypted messages routed through his enterprises.

I leaned her forehead against the cool glass and closed my eyes. I could still hear my brother’s voice giggling in the marketplace, tugging on my sleeve. I can still smell the smoke that buried my home. still feel the silence after the bombs fell. I exhaled slowly. “I’ll walk into the lion’s den,” I whispered, eyes burning, “and they’ll never know until it’s too late.”

The field was quiet, wrapped in a hush that only the late hours could bring. Lucian was out there alone, his form cutting through the darkness, each movement sharp and focused. The rhythmic thud of the ball was the only sound echoing through the emptiness. I watched from the edge of the field, my arms folded, hoodie wrapped tight against the cold. He hadn’t noticed me yet—or maybe he had and didn’t care. Either way, I took a moment just to study him. The way he moved. The frustration stitched into every pass. The sweat soaking through his shirt like he was trying to outrun something only he could see.

I finally stepped onto the turf. “You planning to break your legs before the match even starts?” I said.