Chapter 36 Chapter 36
ISLA
“He isn’t lying. Stefan, how have you been spending your days?” I asked with a smile, and I saw it; it was fast, a flash of panic in his eyes before he masked it.
“My days are spent handling business," he said.
"Really? Then I hope you keep having good days," I said, smiling.
“Are you sure of this, Nephew?” Anton asked.
“Yes, Uncle, I am. She has been doing things she shouldn't be doing. I confronted her, and she made her choice," Nikolai said.
“Very well then, and the business?” Katrina, his aunt, asked.
“Everyone will continue where they are, but Stefan, the construction company books have been inconsistent in the past few weeks. Can you tell me why?” Nikolai asked, and Katrina looked at her son.
“The business has been running normally; I checked the books myself, and they are in order. It must be on your end.” Stefan said, and I smiled.
“What do you think, Natalie?” Nikolai asked, looking at me.
“Have him removed and replaced until it is fully investigated.”
“You don’t have any authority," Stefan yelled.
“SHUT UP," Anton yelled at his son.
“You better not have done anything stupid,” Katrina said. Stefan walked out of the house without a word.
"Nephew, we’ll continue, and please let me know what that idiot is up to," Anton said.
"Have your cousins been doing things they shouldn't? especially mine," Victor asked.
“I haven't dug that deep, but I will inform you all if I do find anything," Nikolai said.
“Very well then, when you find anything, let us know," Victor said as he stood up, straightening his jacket. His wife followed suit, and they all walked out one by one. After they left, I stayed there; Ares came to me and leaned against my leg. I rubbed his head, my mind thinking about Lorenzo Moretti. From the way Nikolai reacted when he heard he was back in Riverside City, that meant he would know about Natalie De Luca and would look for an opportunity to meet me, and I would give him an opportunity.
“The box is in the basement." He said, his voice dragging me out of my thoughts.
“What?”
“The box you retrieved is in the basement," he said, standing up. I was about to tell him to join me while I opened it and was stopped by the sound of heels clicking against tiles. When I looked to the left, Sophia was walking in, wearing a short black dress, more like lingerie, with red heels, open hair, and a full face of makeup. When she saw me, she stopped short; I saw the annoyance before she masked it.
“I haven’t seen you in days." She whined and threw herself into his arms, and he just stood there. She looked at me and smirked; her smirk lasted for two seconds because her eyes landed on Ares.
I stood up and began walking to the kitchen, Ares following along behind me. When I walked in, Maria was peeling vegetables.
“Madam?” she asked, about to stand up, so I waved her off.
“Where is the door to the basement?”
“Oh, it's in the gym.” She said, and I nodded. As I was walking out, Nikolai stopped me. “I’m heading out; I'll be back later," he said. At this point I wasn't even annoyed, hurt, or bothered by him.
“Okay, and?” I asked, and his eyes narrowed, and he stared at me. I didn't stay any longer. I walked out and called Wesley to join me in the basement. The basement was unlike normal basements that were stuffy and filled with cobwebs.
The basement was clean, the air fresh, and there were rows and rows of shelves; it was brightly lit, and in the middle of the floor was the box I had brought back from Zurich.
I walked over to the box and looked at it; there wasn’t a lock or anything. I saw the small metal plate at the top, and I pressed my thumb to it, and I felt it. It was quick; a needle pricked my thumb, and suddenly the box opened.
Inside, it wasn't just a pile of papers. It was a masterclass in organization. They had packed it into smaller, reinforced titanium cases, each one labeled with the Valerius crest. On top of the boxes was a ring, not just any ring—it was a signet ring. I picked it up; this was my father’s. I stared at the Valerius crest until it burned into my vision.
It was a golden hawk caught in a mid-dive, its talons clamped tight around a heavy, shattered iron chain. The bird looked savage, its wings spread wide against a shield of the same black my dagger was made of, and it had a deep crimson color, framed by silver laurel leaves that looked more like daggers than branches.
My eyes drifted to the Latin scrawled on the ribbon below: Vincit Qui Se Vincit—He conquers who conquers himself. It wasn't just some pretty logo; it was a warning that the Valerius bloodline couldn't be caged.
Alistair had spent years trying to keep me in chains, but looking at this hawk, I knew I was born to break them. I ran my fingers over the crest. I reached in, my hands shaking as I started pulling out the pieces of my stolen life.
"Wesley, please help me lift them out.”
“Yes, Madam," he said and began lifting the boxes out and placing them on the floor. I sat down in the middle of all the boxes. The first one was small, lined with velvet.
My original birth certificate was a heavy, cream-colored document from Zurich. No Natalie, no aliases. Just Isla Elena Valerius; there was a certified lab report from a Swiss clinic, sealed in plastic, matching my markers to Julian and Elena. My passport was there; it was a diplomatic Swiss passport issued to me as an infant. It had a tiny photo of a baby with gold curls and wide, curious eyes. Me, before the fire, before I lost my entire life.
I opened the second box; it was stuffed with heavy parchment and property deeds, all stamped with the Riverside City Gold Seal.
I read it, The Waterfront Deed, the original title for the twelve miles of deepwater coastline. Alistair called it the "Rhodes Docks," but the paper in my hand said they belonged 100% to Julian Valerius, not me.
The second paper was the estate title, the deed to the massive mansion Alistair and Blair lived in. It wasn't a sale deed; it was a family trust grant. Alistair was literally a squatter in my house.
The third stack was unfamiliar to me; I read it over. It was a Worldwide Land Papers deed for a villa in Lake Como, a penthouse in Paris, a vineyard in Tuscany, and a private island in the Maldives. Alistair hadn't even touched these because they required the Valerius blood code to access.