Chapter 18 
The warehouse was drowned in shadows, illuminated only by a few flickering, dim bulbs hanging from the ceiling.
The heavy metal doors groaned open.
 "Boss, we're set," 
Alex said, stepping aside.Zyan’s eyes were cold and lethal the kind of stare that made grown men instinctively take a step back.
 He walked into the warehouse, his footsteps echoing sharply against the concrete floor. 
His gaze immediately locked onto the table, where an array of weapons was laid out neatly. He paused, scanning them before his fingers wrapped around the handle of a small, wicked-looking knife.
He dragged a metal chair across the floor. The loud, agonizing screech echoed through the empty space. 
He stopped in front of the woman tied to the chair in the center of the room. 
Her head hung low, her breathing ragged and uneven. Zyan sat down, his eyes fixed entirely on her.Slowly, the woman shifted. She raised her head, trying to see him through the curtain of messy hair covering her face.
Zyan twirled the knife in his hand, his expression unreadable. "Now," he said, his voice a quiet, deadly whisper. "Let's talk."He lunged forward, dragging the tip of the blade across her arm. The woman’s scream shattered the silence of the warehouse.
***********
The door to Zyan’s office flung open without a knock.
"I found a new lead," Kiara announced, striding into the room.Zyan looked up from the documents on his desk, a faint smirk playing on his lips at her sudden burst of energy.
 "A new lead?" 
"Yes. Look at this." She dropped a thick stack of photographs and files onto his pristine desk. 
"My stepbrother, Christopher, has been repeatedly reported for sexual assault and harassment. But because of the Vale name, he always gets away with it."
Zyan leaned back, his eyes scanning the files. 
"I found a woman who commented on one of his Instagram posts, calling him out. Instead of support, she got death threats from his fans. But I managed to track her down," Kiara explained, her voice hardening. 
"And these are the other girls he’s targeted. Their families were too terrified of his status to speak up."Zyan picked up one of the photographs, studying it carefully.
 "So, what’s the plan? A simple report won't do any harm to a Vale."
"Reporting him to the police won't work," Kiara said, her eyes flashing with a cold, ruthless light. 
"I’m going to make him dig his own grave."Zyan intertwined his fingers, resting them on the desk. 
The corner of his lips curled into a dark, amused smile. 
"Then let's watch him dig."
**********
Few days after 
"I can't promise that you won't be frightened during the process," Kiara had told the blonde girl, Mia, in a quiet café. Mia’s hands trembled as she curled them into fists. "I understand. I’m willing to go through it. It’s nothing compared to what he did to my sister. I need to make him pay. I need him to regret he was ever born."Kiara reached out, giving Mia’s hands a reassuring squeeze. "We will make him pay.”
Christopher Vale was sitting inside an upscale coffee shop, casually scrolling through his phone, completely oblivious to the trap closing around him.Two young girls walked in one blonde, one brunette.
 The blonde approached the cashier. "Excuse me, can we please use your restroom?""I’m sorry," the cashier replied apologetically.
 "The restroom is only for customers. But there's a public one just around the back of the building."
"Oh, okay. Thank you." The blonde smiled, turning to her friend. 
"Wait here. I’ll be right back.
"Christopher’s eyes had been glued to them since they walked in. He watched the blonde girl walk out the back door alone. A predatory gleam flashed in his eyes.
 A few moments later, he stood up and casually strolled toward the back alley.He leaned against the brick wall beside the public restrooms, waiting.
 When the blonde girl finally stepped out, she saw him and immediately squeezed the hem of her dress, walking as fast as she could to ignore him.Christopher immediately stepped directly into her path, blocking her way.
 "Where are you going, sweetheart?" he drawled, giving her a sickeningly cheeky smile. 
"Don't you know who I am?"
"I don't know you. Please, let me pass," she said, her voice trembling.
Christopher's expression instantly hardened into a cruel sneer. 
"You see? That attitude is exactly what pisses me off.
"He stepped closer, invading her space. The girl instinctively backed away, hitting the brick wall.
 "Please…."
Smack.
Christopher raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face. Tears instantly spilled from her eyes as she collapsed to the dirty pavement, clutching her dress.
 Christopher crouched down, grabbing her wrist.
 "Be a good girl and do what I say, or I'll make you," he hissed.The girl shook her head, terrified, letting out a muffled sob.
Meanwhile, her friend, Chloe, had begun to worry. She had been waiting too long. Stepping out the back door to check on her, her eyes widened in horror.She saw her friend on the ground, with Christopher hovering over her.
Her heart hammered against her ribs. 
She knew she couldn't physically fight a grown man, but she wasn't going to just stand there. Pulling out her phone, she hit record.
 Her hands shook, but she kept the camera steady, capturing his face, his grip, and her friend's tears. Once she had enough, she turned and sprinted back into the coffee shop.
"Help! Please, help me!" she screamed, bursting through the doors.
 "There's a man out back! He’s attacking my friend!"
She shoved her phone in the cashier's face, showing the video. The cashier’s face went pale. "Call the police!" he yelled to the staff.
Within seconds, a dozen customers and employees rushed out the back door. When they rounded the corner, they found Christopher trying to drag the terrified girl up by her hair.
"Get away from her!" a massive guy from the kitchen roared. He lunged forward, delivering a brutal punch straight to Christopher’s jaw.Christopher crashed to the floor, his lip splitting open. He scrambled up, spitting blood, completely bewildered.
 "What the hell is wrong with you people? Do you know who I am?!" he slurred, looking around at the angry crowd. 
He darted his eyes around, looking for an escape route, but two large men from the staff immediately tackled him to the concrete.
"He's trying to run!" one of them yelled, pinning Christopher's face to the ground.
A few female customers rushed to help the blonde girl up, wrapping a jacket around her shaking shoulders. Sirens wailed in the distance.
 Within minutes, the police arrived, slapping cold steel handcuffs onto Christopher’s wrists.But his public humiliation was only just beginning.
By noon, the video had spread across social media like wildfire. By evening, every major news outlet had picked up the story.
BREAKING NEWS: FIRST SON OF THE VALE CAUGHT ON CAMERA ASSAULTING A YOUNG WOMAN.
THE VALE HEIR UNMASKED: IS THIS THE REAL FACE OF THE ELITE?
ARE ALL THE VALE CHILDREN THIS WAYWARD?
The scandal exploded. Emboldened by the viral video, previous victims began posting their own stories online, sharing how the police had covered up Christopher's crimes and how he had walked free every single time.Vale Corporation’s stock began to dip.
That night, Kiara sat quietly in Zyan's office, watching Christopher's name trend at number one on every social media platform.
**********
Earlier that day 
"I can't promise that you won't be frightened during the process," Kiara had told the blonde girl, Mia, in a quiet café. Mia’s hands trembled as she curled them into fists. "I understand. I’m willing to go through it. It’s nothing compared to what he did to my sister. I need to make him pay. I need him to regret he was ever born."Kiara reached out, giving Mia’s hands a reassuring squeeze. "We will make him pay.”
End of flash back 
 A small, satisfied smile touched her lips. This was exactly what she wanted. She wasn't going to destroy the Vale family in one single move.
 She was going to take them apart, piece by bloody piece.
The office door clicked shut. Zyan walked over, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.
 
 "Two down," Zyan murmured, his voice a low, velvet rumble. "But I have to admit, Kiara... watching you destroy them is incredibly attractive.
Kiara looked up, her breath catching slightly at the intense, possessive look in eyes