The penthouse was quiet when Brevis returned.
Too quiet.
The broken glass had already been cleaned, and most of the damage from the fight earlier was gone. But the air still carried the heavy tension of everything that had happened.
Brevis stepped out of the elevator and walked slowly into the living room.
Luna was still standing near the window.
She hadn't moved much since he left.
The city lights reflected in the glass behind her, outlining her figure in a soft glow.
Brevis studied her silently for a moment.
"You watched everything," he said.
Luna didn't turn.
"Yes."
Brevis removed his coat and tossed it onto a chair.
"You could have come down."
"That wouldn't have helped."
Brevis walked closer.
"He wanted to see you."
"I know."
"Why didn't you?"
Luna finally turned around.
Her expression was calm—but there was something deeper in her eyes now.
Something heavy.
"Because Adrian doesn't need to see me to win," she said quietly.
Brevis raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds dramatic."
"It's the truth."
Brevis leaned against the edge of the table.
"You're afraid of him."
Luna shook her head slowly.
"No."
"Then what?"
Luna hesitated.
Then she said softly,
"I'm afraid of what he'll do."
Brevis studied her carefully.
"You still care about him."
The words hung in the air.
Luna's reaction was immediate.
"No."
But the answer came too quickly.
Brevis noticed.
"That wasn't convincing."
Luna crossed her arms.
"You're reading too much into this."
Brevis tilted his head slightly.
"Am I?"
Luna walked toward the couch and sat down.
Her expression hardened.
"Five years ago," she said quietly, "Adrian wasn't the man you met tonight."
Brevis didn't interrupt.
"He was… different."
"How?"
Luna stared at the floor for a moment.
"He saved my life."
Brevis frowned slightly.
"That's unexpected."
"I was nineteen," Luna continued.
"I had no family. No money. No place to go."
Brevis listened carefully.
"One night," Luna said, "I got into trouble with the wrong people."
"Let me guess," Brevis said.
"They didn't survive."
Luna almost smiled.
"No."
"They would have killed me."
Brevis waited.
"But Adrian appeared."
Her voice softened slightly.
"He stopped them."
Brevis crossed his arms.
"And after that?"
"He took me with him."
"To work for him."
"Yes."
Brevis studied her face.
"You trusted him."
"Yes."
"And he trained you."
Luna nodded.
"He taught me everything."
Brevis's voice lowered slightly.
"Fighting."
"Yes."
"Strategy."
"Yes."
"Survival."
"Yes."
Brevis watched her carefully.
"You were close."
Luna didn't answer.
But the silence said enough.
Brevis finally spoke again.
"You loved him."
The words landed quietly.
But heavily.
Luna closed her eyes for a moment.
Then she nodded.
"Yes."
Brevis looked away briefly.
For some reason, that answer bothered him more than he expected.
"And him?" Brevis asked.
"Did he love you?"
Luna gave a small, bitter smile.
"In his own way."
"That doesn't sound healthy."
"It wasn't."
Brevis leaned back against the table again.
"So what changed?"
Luna's eyes darkened slightly.
"The list."
Brevis nodded slowly.
"You stole it."
"Yes."
"From him."
"Yes."
Brevis frowned.
"Why betray someone you loved?"
Luna's voice became colder.
"Because Adrian changed."
"How?"
"At first, he only worked for powerful people."
"That sounds normal for someone like him."
"But later…" Luna continued.
"…he started becoming like them."
Brevis listened quietly.
"The Valen Syndicate offered him power," Luna said.
"Money. Influence. Control."
"And he accepted."
"Yes."
Brevis sighed quietly.
"Power corrupts."
Luna nodded.
"And Adrian was already dangerous."
Brevis looked toward the window.
"So you stole the list."
"Yes."
"To stop him."
"Yes."
Brevis glanced back at her.
"And then you ran."
"Yes."
Brevis was silent for a moment.
Then he asked something unexpected.
"Did he try to stop you?"
Luna looked at him.
"Yes."
"What happened?"
Luna hesitated.
Then she spoke quietly.
"We fought."
Brevis raised an eyebrow.
"You fought Adrian Kross?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"I won."
Brevis actually laughed.
"That must have hurt his pride."
"It did."
Brevis walked toward the window again.
"That explains why he's chasing you."
Luna stood up slowly.
"He's not chasing me because of pride."
Brevis turned.
"Then why?"
Luna's eyes met his.
"Because Adrian doesn't let people leave."
Brevis's expression darkened slightly.
"Not even someone he loved."
"Especially someone he loved."
The room fell silent again.
Outside, the city buzzed with life.
Cars moved through the streets.
Lights flickered across buildings.
But inside the penthouse—
Everything felt still.
Finally Brevis spoke again.
"You're still hiding something."
Luna frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Brevis stepped closer.
"You told me about the list."
"Yes."
"You told me about Adrian."
"Yes."
"But something about this story still doesn't add up."
Luna crossed her arms.
"You're suspicious."
Brevis nodded.
"Always."
He stopped directly in front of her.
"Adrian didn't look like a man chasing revenge."
Luna didn't answer.
"He looked like a man trying to reclaim something."
Luna's voice became quiet.
"Brevis—"
"Tell me the truth."
Luna shook her head.
"You don't need to know everything."
Brevis leaned slightly closer.
"Yes, I do."
"Why?"
Brevis held her gaze.
"Because this war just entered my city."
The tension between them thickened again.
Luna sighed quietly.
"You're stubborn."
"That's been established."
She looked at him for a long moment.
Then she said something that made Brevis freeze.
"Adrian didn't just train me."
Brevis frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Luna's voice dropped slightly.
"He also made me into something else."
Brevis waited.
"What?"
Luna's silver eyes met his.
"A weapon."
Brevis didn't react immediately.
But inside—
His curiosity had just doubled.
Because Luna Vale was even more dangerous than he thought.
And Adrian Kross…
Was the man who created her.