Owned by the Villainess
Evelyn
[EVELYN - Vale Industries Headquarters - Morning]
The elevator opens. Twelve suits rise in unison. Power trembles like perfume in the air.
Evelyn Vale didn't enter rooms she conquered them. Every head turned when her stilettos clicked across the marble floor of Vale Industries' skyscraper headquarters, the sound slicing through silence like a blade. No one dared whisper. No one dared breathe. Not when the daughter of Vincent Vale - the man who owned half the world was present.
She wore black like mourning was fashionable. A sculpted Alexander McQueen blazer hugged her curves, its gold buttons gleaming like war medals. Her blood-red lipstick was the only hint of color, and it spoke louder than most people ever dared.
Today, she was late. Not because she overslept. Evelyn didn't sleep much. Power didn't rest. She was late because she could be.
The boardroom fell into a hush as she stepped inside, her assistant Elise trailing behind her with a leather portfolio and barely contained anxiety. The twelve board members - all men older than her, many with more experience, none with more power - stood when she entered. They always did. Not out of respect. Out of fear.
Evelyn Vale / FL
"Sit," Evelyn commanded, her voice cool, precise, lethal.
At twenty-eight age, Evelyn Vale had inherited the unofficial crown of New York's most untouchable elite.
Whispers followed her like perfume - that she had no heart, that she crushed rivals without blinking, that she'd once frozen her ex-fiancé out of every major financial institution for cheating on her with a junior analyst. The analyst was now waitressing in Wyoming. The ex-fiancé had fled to Singapore. Evelyn hadn't blinked.
Today's meeting was about acquisitions - specifically, Vale Industries' plan to consume a boutique cybersecurity firm called LUXEN. It was a minor player, unassuming on the surface, but Evelyn had read between the lines. Someone had been using their infrastructure to quietly gather data on the Vale empire. A mistake.
Barlow(CFO)
"M-Ms. Vale. We're having difficulties with the LUXEN acquisition-"
Evelyn Vale / FL
"Difficulties?"
Barlow(CFO)
"The owner won't return our calls. He's... attached."
Evelyn Vale / FL
"Sentimental fools shouldn't run companies."
I flick the file open. He built LUXEN alone. No partners. No board. Just code and ego.
Evelyn Vale / FL
"If he won't sell, bury him. I want his servers obsolete and his clients gone by next quarter."
Elise(Assistant)
"You have the gala tonight-"
Evelyn Vale / FL
"No speeches."
Elevator doors shut. Silence returns. The Queen has left the floor.
[Unknown Location - Same Time]
Monitors glow blue in a dark room. He leans back, one hand around a coffee mug, the other flipping through code like it's poetry.
Unknown
"There she is." said to himself
He freezes the frame - Evelyn Vale on a security cam feed from her own building.
Unknown
"I wondered how long it would take you to find me."
Lines of data stream across the screen. LUXEN's firewall. His firewall. He built it to keep them out.
Unknown
"But now you're knocking."
He taps a key. The screen goes black.
Unknown
"Let's see how you like being hunted, Miss Vale."
Author
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Dangerous
[EVELYN - Penthouse - Night]
The penthouse was silent. As always.
Evelyn didn't allow staff inside when she was home. She didn't like being watched. Her life was already too full of vultures.
Floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped around the building like glass armor, offering a view of a city she already owned. She sipped neat scotch from Baccarat crystal as Manhattan lit up below her like a circuit board of power.
> Dinner next week. Russian investors. Smile for once.
Evelyn Vale / FL
"Smile? How quaint." muttering.
Evelyn didn't respond. Vincent Vale didn't ask. He commanded. And Evelyn? She only obeyed when it was useful.
Her reflection stared back at her from the glass - sharp eyes, cruel mouth, perfect posture. People called her soulless, a villainess in lipstick and Louboutins.
She wasn't offended. They were right.
She'd learned early that softness got you eaten. And love? Love was a luxury people like her couldn't afford. Not when the world was waiting for a single crack in her armor.
She looks at the empty glass. Frowns.
She turned away from the window.
[Lower Manhattan - Night]
Somewhere across the city, in a shadowed office lined with monitors, a man leaned back in a chair, watching data stream across the screens. Phone to his ear.
The name was unlisted in the Fortune 500, but whispered in every underground room that mattered. Tech mogul. Dark money. Ghost billionaire.
He wasn't supposed to exist.
And yet, there he was smirking slightly as a digital profile of Vale Industries blinked to life.
Killian Hart / ML
"She's accelerating the acquisition."
Unknown
"She's dangerous." (on phone)
Killian Hart / ML
"So am I."
A pause. He lights a cigarette, exhales smoke into the air.
Killian Hart / ML
"She thinks she's the predator." smirk.
Killian Hart / ML
"She hasn't even seen the trap yet."
[EVELYN - Charity Gala Later - That Night]
Flashbulbs. Champagne. Shallow air. Evelyn walks through the crowd like she owns it. Because she does.
Random Socialite
"Evelyn, darling! That speech was-"
Evelyn Vale / FL
"There was no speech."
Random Socialite
"Exactly! So mysterious!"
She slips away, bored. Eyes scanning the room, but not for anyone in particular. No one ever matters.
Evelyn Vale / FL
All of them smile with knives.
They whisper behind pearls.
They want me to fall.
They always do. (said internally)
[KILLIAN - Underground Server Room - Same Time]
He's alone with the hum of machines, cross-referencing Vale Industries data. LUXEN is bait. He made sure of it.
Killian Hart / ML
"Now you're looking, Evelyn."
A picture of her flashes on-screen again.
Killian Hart / ML
"But you're not the only one who knows how to play with fire."
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Code : Ghost
[EVELYN – Vale Industries – Morning]
Her heels echo like war drums across the executive floor. She walks towards the conference room with Elise following behind her.
Elise(Assistant)
“Ms. Vale. Cybersecurity has flagged something… unusual.”
Elise(Assistant)
“They believe LUXEN’s founder is watching us. In real time.”
Evelyn stops. Turns. One brow lifts.
Evelyn Vale / FL
“Explain.”
Elise(Assistant)
“Our breach attempts triggered false leads, dummy data, and tracking pings. He anticipated the attacks. Set traps.”
Evelyn Vale / FL
“Where’s the legal team?”
Elise(Assistant)
“Conference Room C. They’re waiting for your—”
Evelyn Vale / FL
“They’re stalling. Come.”
[EVELYN – Conference Room C – Minutes Later]
The room rises when she enters. A half-dozen men in suits, a few younger women typing fast. Silence falls like ash.
Lead Analyst
“We initiated a Phase II penetration test last night. LUXEN responded by mirroring our attempts. Reversing probes. Recording pathways.”
Evelyn Vale / FL
“He’s studying us.”
Lead Analyst
“Not just studying. He’s rewriting our approach in real time.”
Evelyn Vale / FL
“He’s showing off." said in a cold voice.
They exchange uneasy glances.
Evelyn Vale / FL
“And I don’t reward arrogance.”
[EVELYN – Private Office – Afternoon]
She closes the door behind her. Removes her blazer. Pours a glass of water she doesn’t drink. The file on her desk glares up at her like a challenge.
File Header:
Subject: Killian Hart.
Founder of LUXEN. No photo. No LinkedIn. No trace.
Evelyn Vale / FL
“Ghosts aren’t real.” said to herself.
Private military contracts.
Disappeared for five years.
Emerged with LUXEN, already fully formed.
Evelyn Vale / FL
“You didn’t build a company. You built a fortress.”
Elise(Assistant)
“Your father’s office wants confirmation for next week’s dinner. Moscow reps flying in Sunday.”
Evelyn Vale / FL
“Confirm. Also, increase our data allocation to track private military affiliations. Use black-budget archives if necessary.”
Elise(Assistant)
“That might raise flags.” hesitant.
Evelyn Vale / FL
“Let them wave.”
[EVELYN – Penthouse – Night]
The city glitters below. She watches it in silence, one hand wrapped around a glass of single malt. Her phone lies face down beside her.
She doesn’t need to check it. She already knows what’s there.
> LUXEN anomaly – Failed infiltration attempt logged at 3:12AM
She reads it anyway. Three times.
Evelyn Vale / FL
He’s not defensive.He’s waiting.Tracking.Inviting. (thinking)
She sets the glass down. Her reflection watches her from the window.
Evelyn Vale / FL
“I don’t like games I didn’t invent.”
She opens her laptop. Starts typing commands into a private program. No delegation. No assistants. This is personal now.
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