Chapter 84 A shadow in Elevator
The meeting ended without a formal dismissal, yet everyone knew it was over the moment Fundano turned his back and faced the wide glass windows overlooking the city, his silhouette heavy with thoughts that none of them dared interrupt. Deborah rose slowly from her seat, the weight in her chest refusing to ease as she followed the Valmere brothers out of the conference hall, the echo of the words alive and near repeating relentlessly in her mind.
Outside the room, the corridor felt colder than before, not because of the air conditioning, but because of the realization settling into everyone’s bones that the danger they were facing did not come from outside enemies anymore, but possibly from someone already standing within their world.
Caelum broke the silence first as they walked, his voice low and sharp, controlled only by sheer will. “If he’s really alive, then this isn’t just about Fundano anymore. This is about succession, power, and bloodline legitimacy. Whoever that son is, he threatens the entire structure. That heir is really going to change everything when he is back.”
Lucio nodded slightly, his expression unreadable, but his eyes were already calculating possibilities faster than words could follow. “And if someone knows where he is..... then that person either wants protection… or destruction. Anonymous messages don’t come without intent. By the way.... I forgot Fundano Son's name....what is it again? Lu... luuut.. uh damn i forgot already. ”
Knight slowed his pace deliberately, falling a step behind so he could watch the corridor behind them, his instincts screaming louder with every second. “It's Lukas..... and.......or they want us divided, but who knows,” he said quietly. “If we start suspecting everyone, the damage will do itself. So better leave it to Rionessi and Fundano. They know what they are doing.”
Deborah listened, but her thoughts were elsewhere, drifting toward an unsettling feeling she couldn’t explain, a strange awareness that the truth was closer than they realized, perhaps closer than she wanted it to be. She stopped walking suddenly, forcing the brothers to turn back toward her.
“What if... he doesn’t know who he is? Like he didn't know anything that he is an heir, a valmere, come from a rich family?” she asked softly, her voice calm but firm enough to pull their attention completely. “What if Fundano’s son is already living his life under another name, another identity, without knowing the blood running through his veins?”
The hallway fell silent again.
Caelum stared at her, tension tightening his jaw. “That would mean he’s being protected by someone powerful… or manipulated by someone who benefits from his ignorance. We still need to figure it out.”
“And that would make him dangerous without even realizing it,” Lucio added, his tone thoughtful but grim.
Before anyone could respond, a sharp vibration broke the stillness as Knight’s phone buzzed in his hand. His eyes flicked down to the screen, and whatever he saw there made his posture stiffen immediately.
“We just got movement,” he said, lifting his gaze slowly. “Rionessi’s people traced a secondary signal connected to the anonymous message. It didn’t give us a name, but it gave us a location pattern.”
Deborah’s breath caught. “A location where?”
Knight hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering. “Near our territory. Close enough to watch us… close enough to blend in. Really close huh.”
Caelum’s lips curled into a cold, humorless smile. “So... the ghost finally decided to cast a shadow.”
At that moment, further down the corridor, an elevator chimed softly as its doors slid open. A man stepped out, dressed impeccably, posture confident, face calm in a way that felt practiced rather than natural. He didn’t look lost, nor did he look rushed, yet his eyes flicked briefly toward the Valmere brothers and Deborah, lingering just long enough to feel deliberate.
Deborah felt it instantly.
That sharp, inexplicable pull in her chest, the same feeling she had felt ever since Fundano’s name had been spoken earlier that day, tightening now with an intensity she couldn’t ignore.
The man nodded politely in passing, his expression neutral, his presence unremarkable to anyone else walking that corridor.
But the moment he disappeared around the corner, Deborah exhaled shakily.
“Did you feel that? Caelum?.... Knight?” she asked quietly.
Knight turned his head slowly, his eyes darkening. “Feel what?”
She swallowed, choosing her words carefully. “Like… someone just walked through the center of this without anyone noticing.”
Caelum followed her gaze toward the empty hallway, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. “If Fundano’s son is truly near,” he said slowly, “then he won’t come like a storm. He’ll come like silence. And I am pretty sure he won't come now.”
And somewhere within the Valmere company, unseen and unnamed, the truth took another step closer to the surface, unaware.... or perhaps fully aware that the moment it was revealed, nothing would remain the same again.