I am Valentino Scarlatti. Power is not given; it is taken, shaped, controlled. Veridia’s dynasty, a shadow-forged legacy. My father’s cruelty? A lesson learned, then unlearned. I command an empire, fear and reverence my tools. Yet, one constant remains: my childhood friend. A bond forged in shared pain, a connection unbreakable. She thinks she can slip from my grasp. Foolish. I built her world; I control it. What is mine, stays mine.