Elda Korugane had lived through wars, coups, betrayals, and the slow death of trust in political circles. But nothing — nothing — hit her like the revelation that had just reached her ears.
Luciano Moretti… was no Moretti.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEe4ZXQFBVN
He was a Valgrave.
She stood frozen, unable to breathe, as the reality sank in. The boy she had raised after the supposed death of his parents, the boy she had watched grow through bruises and harsh words, the boy she believed she’d at least protected in her own way — his whole life was a fabricated prison.
Her shock twisted into a white-hot rage.
Her eyes cut like knives toward Adrian Valgrave.
“You bastard! You made your own blood live as someone else! Do you know what kind of life he’s had? Not a shred of respect. Treated like garbage. Like a bastard who didn’t belong anywhere! What sort of man does that to his own nephew?!”
Her voice cracked. Years of command didn’t stop the tremor in her tone. Tears burned down her cheeks, unstoppable now. She turned sharply on Isolde and Damien.
“And you two… have you no conscience at all for your cousin? None?!”
The twins stared at the floor. Their silence said enough — they knew they had failed him.
Elda’s fury shifted again, locking on the third figure in the room: Gianluca Moretti.
“You… what did that boy ever do to deserve what you gave him? The brutal training? The humiliation? You treated him worse than an enemy recruit!”
Gianluca’s voice was flat, dismissive.
“He’s the shame of Valgrave.”
The words were acid. Isolde and Damien’s heads snapped up, murder in their eyes, but Elda moved first. Her hand lashed out, cracking against his face, and before he could recover, her fists were flying. Years of restraint shattered; she struck him again and again until his breath came ragged and blood streaked his mouth.
“Shame of Valgrave? You’re the shame! You think titles mean anything when you’ve destroyed the soul of a child?” she spat, shoving him back into his chair.
Her breathing slowed, but her voice was raw.
“What will that boy do when he finds out his whole life was fake? What’s left for him then?”
The silence broke with a sharp chime. A call.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rFVUCK29R
The moment she saw the ID, her heart dropped.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKk2Pzsk6pJ
Howard Valgrave.
She answered.
“Howard.”
His voice was cold, precise.
“Elda… you have no right to lecture anyone when you yourself treated your own grandchildren the same way.”
Elda’s reply was immediate, sharp as glass.
“Mr. Valgrave, I never touched their birthrights. Not as Korugane. Not as Rathore.”
Howard didn’t waver.
“One month. Solve this mess or step down as Head of COMA.”
Her jaw tightened. She had fought tooth and nail to build COMA into what it was. She had taken lives, sacrificed alliances, endured being both feared and hated — all for the organization’s strength. And now… her position hung by a thread.
Her voice was steady when she answered.
“…Yes, Mr. Valgrave.”
An hour later
The Ravenfall team was assembled. Isolde and Damien stood with them, tension hanging thick in the air.
Elda’s expression was ice.
“This is now a COMA priority mission. You will find out who killed the three Heads also Elior, Kaia, and the Valgrave professor. You will uncover every connection between them. You have full access to COMA resources. ARGUS will assist you. All permissions granted. You have one month. No excuses.”
She scanned their faces.
“If the mission turns, abort immediately and return. Understood?”
The answer came together: “Understood.” Even the Valgrave twins, voices low but firm, joined in.
Elda’s eyes flickered toward Luce, standing silent at the edge of the room. Guilt pulled at her chest, but she said nothing. Adrian, however, hadn’t taken his eyes off the young man for a single second.
Later that night
Adrian had Gianluca dragged into a private chamber. No guards. No interruptions.
The first punch landed before Gianluca could speak. The second broke skin. By the third, blood sprayed against the wall.
“We told you to look after Luce because of internal Valgrave problems,” Adrian snarled. “And what did you do? Tortured him. You bastard! You know how me and my father have been living with that guilt? And then you call him the shame?”
Another strike.
“Making you Head of Valgrave University… that was the real shame.”
Isolde and Damien eventually pulled Adrian back, saving Gianluca from being beaten to death on the spot. But his fate was sealed. By dawn, he was stripped of his titles — no longer Head of Valgrave University, no longer leader of the Moretti clan. And, in a cruel twist, Adrian ordered he be treated exactly as he had treated Luce for years.
The next morning
The headlines were everywhere.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmS5fzO0GU
Howard Valgrave Appointed ( himself ) as New Head of Valgrave University.
Ravenfall read it in silence. The weight of the name was too heavy to ignore. Gianluca Moretti had been overthrown in a single night.
Elda saw the confusion on their faces and allowed herself a bitter smile.
“That bastard… removed so easily.”
But she knew what this meant — Howard now had his hand on the university, and soon, maybe even COMA itself. Her own authority could be next.
Meanwhile
Luce sat in his quarters, staring at his comm device. His finger hovered over Gianluca’s contact. He pressed Call.
One ring. Two. Three.
No answer.
Only silence.
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.