Location: St. Monarch University – The Citadel Accelerator Program
Only 15 students were accepted.
All heirs. All killers in suits.
The room smelled like wealth and hidden knives — where smiles cost millions and betrayals were written in LLCs.
And when Damien Vale entered, the room shifted.
Not loudly.
Not visibly.
Just… uneasily.
As if the air recognized him before the people did.
Check-In – The Citadel Lounge (Accelerator Welcome)
Check-In Complete
– Reward: $6,000
– New Passive: "Legacy Pressure"
→ When standing among generational elites, you emit a sense of old power — unnerving those with lesser blood
Bonus Feature Activated: Subsurface Portfolio Tool
→ You may now manipulate stocks through system-routed shell firms
Narration — The Subtle Storm
He introduced himself softly.
"Damien Vale. Independent investor. AI & capital strategy."
He smiled.
But his eyes didn't.
And across the room?
Zeke, posing as a guest speaker, froze.
His fingers twitched.
His spine tightened.
That voice. That cadence.
That can't be—
But Damon never looked at him.
Never acknowledged a thing.
Zeke left early.
And texted Nova.
Zeke: "He's here."
Nova: "You sure?"
Zeke: "No. That's what's messing me up."
Nova: "Then we make sure."
Meanwhile – Old Enemies Begin to Whisper
A son of a former cartel lieutenant recognized something in Damien's walk.
A disgraced CEO — whose father Damon bankrupted — narrowed his eyes when Damien corrected him in public.
The whisper came quick:
"He reminds me of someone…"
"No, it couldn't be."
"But what if it is?"
Family Thread — A Private Observation
Miles away, a woman sat watching a video clip of Damien Vale in class.
Long fingers. Measured tone. Eyes like her own.
Damon's stepmother.
She whispered:
"That's not possible.
We buried him."
And yet… she couldn't look away.
Final Scene – Nova's Silent Standoff
Nova entered the lecture hall late.
Sat near the back.
Felt him before she saw him.
Damien didn't turn.
Didn't flinch.
But as the lecture ended, he stood slowly.
Their eyes met for the first time in five years.
No mask.
But no confirmation.
Just a silence that screamed.
And then he walked past her… without a word.
Nova stared after him, hand trembling.
"It's you.
I don't care what name you use.
I'll make you look me in the eyes and admit it."