When she reached the perfect position, Aurora spotted a man with a long rifle, his scope trained directly on Valerio. She inhaled, tightened her grip and fired.

BANG!

The sniper was thrown backward. Aurora ducked just as return fire tore through the air above her. She slid down the opposite side of the vehicle roof, rolled, and covered her head in one smooth, fluid sequence. The tide of the firefight shifted.

The new guards finally caught up. They fired, took cover, and fought the way only people who truly wanted to stay alive could. As the enemy line began to falter, Leonhardt turned and fled toward his car.

Vixen raised his pistol. "I'll take the shot-"

Valerio lifted a hand calmly. "No."

Vixen froze.

From behind the debris, Aurora watched him breathing hard, her body flooded with adrenaline. She saw how Valerio stood unmoving in the middle of the battlefield, as if the chaos itself bent around him. And for the first time, Aurora understood something. Valerio Blackthorn was not merely a mafia boss. He was a threat that made other threats kneel. And serving as a guard for a man like that wasn't just a job. It was a warning that every day, every mission, every conflict would always demand blood.

When the fighting finally subsided and the last enemy retreated, Aurora rose to her feet. Her body bore minor wounds, but her eyes remained sharp. She swept the area, then returned to formation.

Valerio walked past her. For the second time that day. But unlike before, he paused.

"Move," he said without looking back. "We're not finished."

Then he walked on. Aurora followed in silence. A light rain began to fall as Valerio's convoy left the industrial zone that had just become a sea of blood. Flickering streetlights reflected off wet asphalt, casting long shadows across the road. The black vehicles sped forward, still locked in perfect formation like a unit returning from war.

Aurora sat in the back of the guard vehicle with two other recruits, their faces pale. Their bodies trembled. Their breathing was uneven. Aurora remained calm.

The graze on her shoulder had stopped bleeding, leaving only a dull heat as it dried. Adrenaline still coursed through her veins, keeping her alert.

She knew one thing for certain. That fight... wasn't the last. And she had to survive. When the convoy entered the vast grounds of the Blackthorn mansion, the guards disembarked and formed two lines. Valerio stepped out of the limousine with an easy stride as if he had just returned from dinner, not a firefight capable of wiping out half the district. Vixen followed, then stopped in front of the recruits.

"All of you. With me," he said shortly.

He led them toward the east wing a building of dark glass and reinforced steel doors that sealed automatically. This was the internal training and evaluation center, where new recruits were judged worthy of advancement... or erased from the living roster.

Aurora followed the line, taking in the room. Bright white lights. A long table. Large monitors mounted on the walls. Several technicians sat behind computers, waiting. Vixen tapped the digital screen. Footage from the earlier firefight played instantly. The recruits' faces drained of color as they watched how close they had come to dying again and again.

The recording showed Aurora climbing onto the vehicle roof, firing at the sniper, rolling down, and rejoining formation without hesitation. One technician glanced at Vixen, raising an eyebrow.

"That woman... she's not recruit-level."

Vixen only shrugged. The other recruits stared at Aurora with a mix of fear and awe.

"I don't like long speeches," Vixen began the inspection. "Today, every one of you made mistakes."

He pointed at the screen, freezing the frame on a male recruit crouched behind a car.

"Marcus. You changed position without orders. If Aurora hadn't kicked you out of the enemy's firing line, your brains would be on the asphalt."

Marcus swallowed hard. Vixen switched to another clip.

"And you three too slow sealing the perimeter. Do you think the enemy waits for you to get ready before attacking?"

Several recruits lowered their heads. Then the footage paused on Aurora shooting the sniper. The room fell silent. The technician slowed the playback. "This is insane," he muttered. "She fired while mid-jump?"

Vixen didn't look surprised. He turned to Aurora.

"You."

Aurora straightened. "Yes."

"Who trained you?"

"No one," Aurora answered flatly.

Vixen narrowed his eyes. "Don't lie. People like you don't exist without someone shaping them."

Aurora met his stare without flinching. Her eyes said: Believe it or don't. That's your problem. Vixen didn't press further.

"I don't care about your past," he said finally. "Starting today, all of you will be trained. And you will learn to follow orders not just charge in on instinct."

Aurora almost laughed. It was precisely because she hadn't followed orders that she was still alive. But she said nothing. She wasn't foolish. Then the door opened. Everyone fell silent. Valerio Blackthorn entered. The atmosphere shifted instantly cold, dense, suffocating. Even the overhead lights seemed reluctant to touch him.

Aurora felt a strange pressure in her chest. Not fear. Alertness. Valerio didn't bother scanning the recruits. He walked straight to the monitor, watching the slow motion footage of Aurora killing the sniper. His gaze was dark. Calculating.

"What's her name?" he asked softly. The voice was gentle but gentle like a freshly sharpened blade. Vixen answered, "Aurora Vale."

Valerio turned toward her. Aurora felt her breath hitch as those black eyes locked onto hers. This wasn't just an assessment of skill. Not merely a calculation of threat. It was reading. Peeling her apart. Searching for something beneath the surface.

"You don't hesitate," Valerio said quietly. "Your shots are clean. Your instincts are fast. And... you don't wait for orders."

Aurora held her breath.

"Is there something you'd like to explain?" he asked.

Aurora answered honestly without fear, without disguise: "If I had waited for orders, you would be dead."

The room froze. One recruit dropped his pen. Vixen's eyes widened. Very few people dared speak to Valerio like thatnespecially on their first day. Valerio wasn't angry. He wasn't offended. Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. Amused. Or perhaps... intrigued.

He stepped closer, closing the distance. Aurora restrained the instinct to raise her weapon. Valerio stopped one meter in front of her.

"Not many people dare speak to me so directly," he said.

Aurora replied flatly. "You asked. I answered."

"And your answer was correct," Valerio said. "You saved my life."

There was a brief pause. A dangerous one. Then Valerio turned away.

"From now on, you're part of the core team."

Vixen stiffened. "Boss... she's just a recruit-"

"She's faster than my senior team," Valerio cut in. Vixen closed his mouth. The other recruits stared at Aurora with a mix of envy, fear, and reluctant respect. But Valerio wasn't finished.

He looked at Aurora over his shoulder. "And burn one thing into your memory..."

Aurora lifted her chin, listening. Valerio's gaze settled on her impossible to define. There was danger there. Interest. Threat. And something else... something even Aurora couldn't read.

"Don't move without my order," he said coldly. "Next time you act on your own, I'll be the one who puts a bullet in you."

Aurora held her breath.

"Understood," she answered shortly.

Valerio walked past her, and something strange happened. As their bodies brushed by, Aurora felt a surge of cold or heat? crawl up her spine. Something that made her instincts want to strike and, at the same time, want to... step closer. No. That couldn't be allowed. Aurora forced her thoughts back into focus.

As Valerio walked away, a single sentence echoed in her mind: That man wasn't just a target. He was a danger capable of destroying her. Vixen dismissed the meeting, and the recruits filed out with tangled emotions. Aurora left last.

As she stepped into the corridor, Vixen called her name. "Aurora."

She turned. Vixen looked at her seriously, without his usual edge of humor.

"You need to be careful."

Aurora frowned. "About what?"

Vixen stepped closer, lowering his voice. "About Valerio."

Aurora met his gaze, waiting. "There are two kinds of people who catch Valerio's attention," Vixen said quietly.

Aurora stayed silent. "The first: enemies he intends to kill."

"The second: people he keeps close... for reasons that are never good."

Aurora returned his stare without flinching. "I didn't come here to be either of those."

Vixen gave a thin smile. "That's exactly the problem. You don't get to choose."

Aurora said nothing. She continued down the hall toward her new room in the mansion. But even after the door closed behind her, she couldn't erase one crucial fact: Valerio Blackthorn had started paying attention to her. And attention from a man like that... could mean survival. Or a very slow death.

Night swallowed the city whole. Skyscrapers loomed like giant shadows, their dim lights flickering as if watching something never meant for ordinary eyes.

After the port ambush and the intense evaluation in the training room, the recruits dispersed to their quarters. But for Aurora, the night didn't simply end. Her body was tired, but her mind remained sharp and there was something she couldn't ignore.

Valerio Blackthorn. He wasn't just a mafia boss. Aurora had seen every kind of criminal, street lord, and gang leader throughout her life. But Valerio... There was something different about him. Something cold, precise, lethal and somehow... compelling. Danger had never looked so captivating.

Aurora brushed back her still damp hair after a quick shower, pulled on a black shirt and lightweight tactical pants. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she sharpened a small folding knife, her thoughts drifting where they shouldn't. Why did he look at me like he knew every secret I had? Why did it feel like he was watching even when he wasn't in the room? The thoughts unsettled her. Aurora didn't like being unsettled.

Knock! Knock!

The sound came from the door. Aurora straightened instantly, set the knife aside, and stood. Her hand reached for the pistol on the table, holding it behind her back as she cracked the door open.

"Yes?"

A senior guard stood outside, expression blank. "The boss wants to see you."

Aurora raised an eyebrow. "Now?"

"Now." No emotion.

She holstered her pistol, grabbed a light jacket, and followed him out. The mansion corridor was silent. Yellow lights cast a dim glow, turning every corner into a shadowed place where a killer could hide. The guard didn't speak again, walking briskly toward the west wing where Valerio's private office was located.

Aurora kept her steps even, but her mind was already mapping every possibility. Why is he calling me in the middle of the night? A test?

Something worse? Or... something personal? No. She shook her head slightly. Assumptions were dangerous.

They stopped in front of a large black wood door. The guard knocked once.

"Enter," Valerio's voice came from inside.

The guard opened the door and stepped aside. Aurora went in. The door closed immediately behind her.

The office was vast, its walls lined with bookshelves, a large window overlooking the dark city. The dim yellow light sharpened Valerio's silhouette. He stood with his back to her, staring out as if watching over a world he already owned.

He didn't turn when he spoke. "Sit."

Aurora chose to remain standing. "I'm more comfortable standing."

"Not a request. An order."

She summoned every ounce of control not to snarl and sat in the chair opposite the massive desk. Only then did Valerio turn. His gaze was sharp dark blue, like the night itself. Aurora didn't blink.

"You don't sleep?" Valerio asked.

"I don't sleep early."

"Good." He reached into his pocket and placed a black folder on the desk. "Because I have a mission for you."

Aurora focused instantly. Valerio sat back in his black leather chair, fingers interlaced.

"After the port incident, it's clear someone leaked the meeting schedule."

Aurora remained silent.

"That information was known to only four people," Valerio continued. "Including me."

"And you suspect one of them is a traitor?" Aurora guessed.

Valerio smirked faintly. "I suspect everyone."

He slid the folder toward her. "This is your target. You'll escort them. From a distance. Unseen. And if they make a single suspicious move..."

Valerio lifted his index finger, pressed it lightly against Aurora's temple, then slowly pulled it back as if squeezing an invisible trigger.

"...you eliminate them." Aurora stared at the folder. "Is this... our target, or one of your people?"

"My person," Valerio said without blinking. "One of the four."

Aurora tightened her grip on the folder. "You want me to watch and kill your own man?"

"I never said my family was clean."

Valerio's tone was calm. Terrifyingly so. Aurora opened the folder and froze. The face in the photograph belonged to someone she had met just hours ago. One of the senior guards. Dorian Holt. Calm. Loyal. The kind of man who looked far too obedient to ever betray anyone.

Aurora looked up. "Why me?"

Valerio leaned back. "Because you don't know anyone here. You have no interests. No blind loyalty."

Something cold crept into Aurora's chest.

"And besides," Valerio added softly, "I want to see how you react when you're ordered to kill someone who's supposed to be your ally."

Aurora fell silent.

"If you hesitate," Valerio's gaze bored into her, "you're no different from them."

"Oh?" Aurora leaned forward. "And what does that make me?"

"Weak." Valerio didn't blink. "And weak people don't live long under me."

Aurora clenched her jaw. "I won't hesitate."

"Good." Valerio stood and slowly walked around the desk, stopping close behind her. "Because one thing needs to be clear..."

He halted directly behind her. His breath was almost against her neck.

"...you work for me, Aurora Vale. You move when I order you to. And you stop when I tell you to stop."

Aurora felt her heart pound anger mixed with adrenaline surging through her veins.

"You're testing my limits?" she said quietly.

"I want to know if you have any," Valerio replied.

Aurora turned her head slightly, looking at him over her shoulder. "If I kill someone who turns out to be innocent, that means it's your mistake."

Valerio let out a soft laugh. "I'm never wrong."

Aurora snorted. "Until the day you are."

A heavy silence filled the room. Valerio studied her, as if deciding whether her words warranted anger... or deeper interest.

"I look forward to that day," Valerio said at last. "Because that day will decide whether I kill you... or keep you."

Aurora stood. "Give me the mission details."

Valerio regarded her for a moment, then pulled out his phone and sent a file.

"Live location. Timing's on your phone. He thinks he's on a routine assignment watching the northern warehouse. You'll stay off the radar. If he meets someone he shouldn't-"

Valerio lifted a finger, pressed it lightly to Aurora's temple, then slowly pulled it back like an invisible trigger. "-eliminate him."

Aurora took the folder. "And if he doesn't meet anyone?"

"Then," Valerio stepped closer until only inches separated them, "you follow him tomorrow. And the day after. And after that. Until you find the answer."

Aurora didn't look away.

"But remember, Aurora..." Valerio's voice dropped, low and cutting, "...if Dorian isn't the traitor, then whoever leaked my information is still free. And that person will hunt anyone who gets too close to me."

Aurora lifted her chin slightly. "Including me?"

"Especially you."

She didn't need him to say the rest. Because you've drawn the attention of someone you should never have drawn.

Aurora nodded once. "Understood, boss. The mission starts tonight."

She turned and headed for the door. But before she stepped out, Valerio spoke again.

"Aurora."

She stopped without turning. "Don't be the one who dies at the end of this mission."

Aurora smiled faintly. "I don't plan on dying. Not yet."

"Good," Valerio said quietly. "Because I'm not done testing you."

Aurora closed the door behind her. At 02:17 that night, Aurora was already on the rooftop of a parking structure, her body concealed behind a concrete wall, watching the warehouse Dorian was assigned to guard. Dim lights illuminated the entrance. Dorian stood below, like any ordinary guard.

Aurora scanned the area through a compact scope, tracking every movement within a two hundred meter radius. Seconds ticked by. Rain began to fall. Dorian barely moved standing, smoking, then walking toward the back of the warehouse. Aurora followed from above, a shadow trailing another shadow.

She descended using the side fire ladder, landing silently in the rear yard. Dorian slipped inside. Aurora entered through a broken window on the left side. Her steps were soundless. Her breathing slow. The warehouse was dark, thick with the smell of metal and rotting wood. Dorian stopped in the center of the room. Aurora raised her pistol. Then-

Click!

The lights snapped on. Aurora narrowed her eyes. Dorian was already aiming his gun straight at her hiding place.

"Come out," Dorian said coldly. "I know you followed me."

Aurora slowly rose from behind the wooden crates. Dorian watched her with an unreadable expression. And his first sentence made her freeze.

"How long does Valerio plan on testing our loyalty?"

Aurora stiffened. That wasn't the voice of a traitor. That was the voice of someone who knew far more than he should. She didn't lower her gun. Neither did he.

"You think I'm the traitor?" Dorian asked calmly.

"I think you're hiding something."

Dorian smirked. "We all hide something from Valerio."

Aurora didn't move. "Prove you're not the enemy."

Dorian stared at her for a long moment. Then he spoke quietly words that made Aurora's body slowly go cold.

"Aurora... I'm not the one who leaked the information." He lowered his gun, inch by inch. "Because that person... has been watching you since the day you entered the mansion."

Aurora tightened her finger on the trigger. "Who?"

Dorian swallowed, his eyes sharp with warning.

"The one who wants Valerio dead. The one who wants everyone close to Valerio dead." He took a step closer. "The one who... wants you dead, Aurora."

Aurora steadied her weapon. "Name."

Dorian shook his head. "I only have one clue."

Aurora waited.

"He's not an outsider." Dorian's breath hitched. "He's... on the inside. Someone who stands very close to Valerio."

Aurora's heart slammed against her ribs.

"Very close..." she repeated softly. "Who?"

Dorian finally answered. And the single name made Aurora feel like her body froze in place.

"Vixen."

Silence swallowed the warehouse not the absence of sound, but the kind of silence that held its breath along with Aurora. The name hung in the air. Aurora stared at Dorian without blinking, her gun still raised. Outside, the rain intensified, pounding against the metal roof like war drums.

"Say it again," Aurora said slowly.

"Vixen," Dorian repeated. "He's the one. He leaked the meeting information."