The night air over Milan was cold and quiet.
From the top floor of a towering glass skyscraper, the city lights looked like a sea of gold.
Inside the penthouse office, a man stood beside the window.
Tall.
Sharp.
Perfectly composed.
His reflection in the glass showed calm eyes and a faint, dangerous smile.
Sebastian Vale.
The man the world believed had died three years ago.
He adjusted the cuff of his black suit slowly, as if he had all the time in the world.
On the desk behind him, a large screen displayed the security systems of the Valentino network.
Every movement.
Every response.
Every reaction.
He had been watching for years.
And now—
the devil had finally noticed him.
Sebastian picked up a glass of whiskey from the desk and swirled it slowly.
"Welcome back to the game, Ares," he murmured.
Across the country, inside the estate near Lake Como, tension filled the strategy room.
Ares stood perfectly still.
The name Sebastian Vale had changed everything.
Luca paced slowly across the room.
"I still can't believe this."
"Elaborate," Ares said calmly.
"He died."
"Yes."
"There was a funeral."
"Yes."
"There were witnesses."
"Yes."
Luca threw his hands up.
"Then how is he alive?"
Ares looked at the screen again.
"Because Sebastian never loses."
Elara studied Ares carefully.
"You knew him better than anyone."
Ares nodded once.
"He helped build the Valentino empire."
"Then why would he destroy it?"
Ares' voice turned colder.
"Because he believes it belongs to him."
Silence followed.
Then Luca's tablet suddenly vibrated.
A new alert appeared.
"Uh… we have something."
Ares turned immediately.
"What."
Luca opened the file.
It was a video message.
Encrypted.
Anonymous.
Elara frowned.
"He sent this."
Ares nodded.
"Play it."
The screen flickered.
For a moment, there was only darkness.
Then the image cleared.
A man appeared on the screen.
Perfect posture.
Black suit.
Cold smile.
Elara felt her breath catch.
Because the man in the video looked directly into the camera.
Directly at them.
Sebastian Vale.
Alive.
Very alive.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Hello, Ares."
The room went silent.
Sebastian's voice was calm, almost amused.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to notice me."
Ares didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Sebastian leaned slightly closer to the camera.
"You built something impressive while I was gone."
He smiled faintly.
"But I think it's time I take it back."
The video paused for a moment.
Then Sebastian added one final sentence.
"Oh… and Ares?"
His eyes darkened slightly.
"This time I'm not coming for your empire."
Ares' gaze sharpened.
Sebastian's smile grew colder.
"I'm coming for the one thing you can't afford to lose."
The screen suddenly went black.
Silence filled the strategy room.
Luca exhaled slowly.
"Well…"
He looked at Ares.
"This just became personal."
Ares' expression turned completely still.
Dangerously still.
His voice dropped to a quiet whisper.
"It already was."
Beside him, Elara felt the shift in the room.
The war had truly begun.
And this time—
the enemy knew exactly where to strikes.