Night fell over Milan, painting the skyline in deep gold and shadow.
High above the city, inside a glass penthouse, a man stood silently near the window.
The lights of the streets below reflected in his eyes.
Calm.
Patient.
Dangerous.
Behind him, a laptop screen still displayed the financial trap from the Valentino network.
He had seen it the moment it appeared.
He had taken the bait.
But only because he wanted to.
The man picked up a chess piece from the desk.
A black king.
He rolled it slowly between his fingers.
"Clever move," he murmured.
"Very clever."
Across the country, inside the Valentino estate near Lake Como, alarms suddenly flashed across the security screens.
Luca looked up sharply.
"We got him."
Ares stepped closer.
"Location?"
"Confirmed in Milan."
Elara watched the monitor carefully.
The signal blinked from the top floor of a luxury building.
Ares recognized the address instantly.
His jaw tightened.
"That building belongs to someone powerful."
Luca frowned.
"You know him?"
Ares didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stared at the screen like a hunter who had just seen his prey.
"Yes."
Elara's voice lowered.
"Who is it?"
Ares finally spoke.
"A ghost."
Luca blinked.
"…That's not helpful."
Ares' eyes darkened.
"Because he was supposed to be dead."
Silence filled the room.
Elara felt a chill run down her spine.
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
Luca leaned closer to the screen.
"Name?"
Ares spoke slowly.
"Sebastian Vale."
The name seemed to freeze the air itself.
Elara looked at him.
"The same Sebastian who helped you build the empire?"
"The same one."
"But he died."
"So everyone believed."
Across the city skyline of Milan, the man in the penthouse smiled faintly as his phone buzzed.
A notification appeared.
Valentino Network Tracking Attempt Detected
He chuckled softly.
"So you found me."
He walked toward the glass wall overlooking the city.
"Faster than I expected."
Then he picked up the black king again and placed it on the chessboard.
"One step closer."
Back in the estate, Luca stared at Ares.
"If Sebastian Vale is alive…"
Ares finished the sentence quietly.
"…then this war never ended."
Elara's voice turned steady.
"Then we end it properly this time."
Ares looked at her.
For a moment, the room fell silent.
Then he nodded.
"Yes."
Outside, the night deepened.
And somewhere in Milan, the man who was supposed to be dead prepared to move his next piece.
Because the devil had finally realized—
his old enemy had returned from the shadows.