They handed Valentina everything: a U.S. passport, a birth certificate with her name printed cleanly in serif font: Valentina Smith, a Social Security card, and an official Certificate of Citizenship processed through emergency protocols. Even a tiny plastic ID with her picture on it, though the woman in the photograph looked like a ghost who hadn’t yet learned how to smile.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2mVwkQG3p
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uQf9RJLni
It's supposed to mean something; it's her identity, returned to her after twenty years lost in blood and gunpowder. But as Captain Roger Brown placed the folder into her hands, she stared at it with a blank expression, like it was someone else’s life printed on that paper. Not even the weight of the folder brought her back to herself.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaMS6oWWHw
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBH6S6o69pa
“They’re still alive,” he told her gently, watching her closely. “Your parents. Your siblings. They still live in Texas. Same house. We ran the records twice.” She didn’t blink. Didn’t flinch. The room was cold with silence.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4P3BVJPza
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24D2iFQFsn
“You want to meet them?” Roger asked cautiously. “We can arrange that.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAAxumkeV4
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDlh13HfQS
Valentina looked down at the certificate of birth. Her finger traced the line marked “Father’s Name,” then “Mother’s Name.” She tilted her head, reading the names of the people who sold her.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FJHAJ2UyI
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdItA5j79gS
“I just want to see them,” she said. Her voice was soft but firm. “I don’t need to talk. I just want to remember the faces that threw me away.” There was no rage in her tone. No forgiveness either. Just stillness. A kind of dead calm only someone forged in war could hold for so long.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lQxZ2islR
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gPBZRV5qW
Within six months, she's with the army. The army gave her a new life—one filled with things she had never known she’d missed. They trained her for peace, not war. She learned how to use a smartphone. Learned to scroll, swipe, and tap. She was taught how to Google things, how to watch YouTube videos, how to order food online, and how to use social media.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hSHV0OWUx
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5glaGf1sPW
Twitter confused her. Instagram seemed like a weapon of mass distraction. TikTok made her raise an eyebrow and say, “Why are they all dancing?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSwShdLNTg
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARmG96WvFW
They taught her how to blend in, how to wear jeans, and how to speak without sounding like a commander. She learned the slang. Watched videos about pop culture. Memorized idol group names. “I like her,” she said once, pointing to a female K-pop singer in a music video. “She reminds me of someone in my dream.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLWMa8KxzK
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XvobyOe7b
They taught her how to behave in public—how not to threaten people who bumped into her on the sidewalk. How not to reach for a knife when someone raises their voice. How to smile when someone complimented her hair. But violence, that part was hard.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGACQWl4P0x
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgRxZwOUht
“I can’t hit them back?” she asked, genuinely confused, after a simulation of a hostile encounter in a civilian setting.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgawvPCO0l
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIyalFjLtT
Captain Roger Brown exhaled, already tired. “Valentina, those people are civilians. If you use your strength against them, you’ll hurt them. Maybe worse.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYabFC1gdY
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffZo32ijSa
Valentina frowned. “So… if they’re not civilians, I can shoot?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1uWNobNjw
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSpffDc5wi
“No!” Roger raised a hand. “No shooting. No stabbing. No killing unless they are an immediate threat to you or others. Only self-defense. Understand?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtark4h1i8S
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRbX85ZrZF
She paused for a long moment. Then nodded slowly. “I… think yes.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfCdc9A65B
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kNMz7pd20
“And definitely no killing. That’s murder. They’ll put you in jail.” One of the younger soldiers beside them added.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsFa5cYK2G
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzaA1NyuFd
“Do they give people food in jail?” One of the younger soldiers beside them added,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfA52ikAn41
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NBNNG1C6b
Roger’s brow furrowed. “What? Uh—yeah. They do. Why?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36Ov7qFA2w
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUKgTTVzYI
“At least they feed you,” she said flatly. “Back there, in the war zone, I had to find my own food. Rats. Dogs. Pigs. Or take rations from dead soldiers. If I got caught, they beat me. If I starved, I failed the mission. Jail sounds… better.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjivMCwgYS
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tWW6jhRUv
Her words hit them like a punch to the gut. Roger had seen hardened killers, war survivors, and broken souls with a thousand-yard stare. But Valentina, the young woman isn't broken. She's built from brokenness. A body of shattered glass held together by purpose alone. He turned away, just for a second, to hide the pity in his eyes.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIbsjzCjZA
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrPNa2Mcll
Roger knew she needed a purpose—something to keep her tethered to this strange new civilian world. He offered her three paths, each carefully selected: security guard, sports teacher, or chef. But for Valentina, the choice was immediate.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LzcrtF2md
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCo5HH5C1tl
“I’ll take the guard,” she said. “It’s easier. I know how to fight.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwropXrAEu
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtfRd0GHTD
He took her to the Romano Corporation’s private training facility in lower Manhattan—a slick, high-security complex where the elite of the elite were vetted. She didn’t know who the Romanos were exactly, only that they were powerful enough to move armies with a phone call and could control city policies without ever stepping into the public eye.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxy2dGMdTp
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMa8qeTC2wY
The moment Hendrix Peterson, Roger’s old comrade and now the head of security, saw her, he grinned like a wolf. “This the girl?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxuxL7fdlY
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVT7RMX0vH
Roger nodded. “She’ll surprise you.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJaSME6l19
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPrS1TQHlD
They threw her into a quick combat test against three of Hendrix’s best men. Trained. Conditioned. Arrogant. And she floored all three within two minutes.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CIzcLWfRz
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7YaPBSlzI
The first took a kick to the solar plexus that sent him into the wall. The second tried to grapple her from behind and ended up on the floor with a dislocated shoulder. The third didn’t even see her coming—just felt the sharp twist of his wrist and the flat crack of her palm against his temple.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0aCEqicq3
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKZHkO1UaE
No blood. No wasted motion. Just precision. Cold, calculated, merciless. The gym fell silent. Hendrix let out a loud, appreciative whistle. “Jesus Christ, Rog. Where the hell did you find her?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkktXmykG6e
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhoBnlnQlCY
“In the middle of nowhere,” Roger replied, crossing his arms, proud and a little amused. “She’s got more training hours than all your boys combined. And she’s still learning how not to kill people.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkC2L9Mfau
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ESixEzKil
Hendrix laughed and slapped Roger on the back. “She’s perfect. Pretty and deadly—my favorite combination. I’ll send her straight to headquarters. The boss’s daughter’s been begging for a new bodyguard. She’s more than enough.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3day4LHUX
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8FWxPTYAg
Later that day, Roger handed Valentina a plain envelope. Inside: a newly activated bank card, an insurance card, a tax ID, her freshly printed company badge, and five crisp $100 bills.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ542yGDFRMT
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8AuIXGHEj
“Food money. It’s not much, but it’ll last you until your first paycheck,” he said, offering a warm smile. “Romano Corp. will handle your housing. Private room in one of their buildings downtown. You’ll have everything you need.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2qXbLUWNM
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡix0pB19UC0
Valentina took the envelope carefully, as if it might vanish if she blinked. Then he handed her a folded piece of paper. “This is your family’s address. In case you ever want to see them.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZJxxCkxH1
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoC9Lbewjv
She didn’t say anything right away. She just stared at the address. Her fingers creased the edge of the paper slowly, mechanically. “Thanks.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrwDftgT7m
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1GohJ1H9d
He ruffled her hair affectionately. Her newly grown-out brown waves were silky soft—thanks to Dr. Rebecca’s six-month regimen of scalp treatments, skin care, and full-body recovery protocols.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VTOV5thsD
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyVGBLl4bs
The Valentina that stood before him now barely resembled the wild-eyed soldier he’d met in the desert. Her skin, once burned dark by sun and sand, had returned to its original tone: warm, light, glowing faintly under the afternoon sun that poured in from the window.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yo7kVA5iT
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyA9W22bCsm
“You clean up real nice, kiddo.” Roger said, and she gave him something rare—a smile. Small, but real.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGWBUx3JEw
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LpJu56TR3
Roger chuckled. “Visit sometimes, alright? You’ve got people now.” Valentina nodded.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡue0XtB5Y9o
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQYFhxqpOx
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfneoM6d7C
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRWpmVrDVo
Valentina stepped out of the military transport vehicle with the weightless grace of a predator released into unfamiliar territory. Dressed in a sleek, jet-black ensemble—a tight, short-sleeved shirt hugging her toned torso, paired with fitted black jeans that emphasized her long, powerful legs—she cut a figure both arresting and untouchable.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjE9pL5zqeS
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTuMlWQTKV
Her matte-black combat boots thudded against the pavement, worn smooth from half a lifetime of battle. The duffel bag slung over her shoulder was the last remnant of the world she'd just left behind.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6W4U0zB5f
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5sQOBXSjT
Six months in the military base had transformed her into something impossible to ignore. She's no longer just the war-forged specter that Roger had found in the desert. Now, she looked like a woman carved from the silence between gunshots—mysterious, poised, lethal.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC08PuVc7uP
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1n94p9h16
Inside the Romano Corporation’s Chicago branch, a towering structure of steel and mirrored glass that glinted like a blade, Valentina stepped into the reception lobby. The marble floor echoed beneath her boots. Heads turned immediately.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6kNIzkbJf
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssdXAWZWxS
The receptionist glanced up from his desk. Young, tall, freckles scattered like dust over porcelain skin, and a red mop of curly hair, he had the kind of face that warmed rooms. He blinked when he saw her, his mouth subtly parting.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOy8q657Ty
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqQxq3ECRE
“Uh, hello—welcome to Romano Security Division. How can I help you?” He asked, professional but clearly thrown off, eyes scanning her from head to toe, then flicking back with slight guilt to meet her eyes.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXSdHzylcO
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqhC5blcaB
“I’m here to report for duty. I need to speak with Hendrix Peterson.” Valentina informed him.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOytT1b3td1
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQU1dOBIT4
“Hendrix?” he repeated, blinking. “You mean the head of security?” She didn’t reply, only raised a brow, her cold green eyes unflinching.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iOc9vXdgx
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lTYOBFMZr
“Wait—are you the new recruit from headquarters?” he asked, still staring at her with disbelief. “You're... Valentina?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnUeIV4AjB
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUolN9FsGQa
“Yes,” she replied flatly. “Valentina Smith. Please contact Hendrix.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NLQRfFl1X
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYVAj6rPJ0
The young man scrambled to comply, fumbling his radio while trying not to gawk. Moments later, two security personnel arrived to escort her—both seasoned men with holsters and the kind of confidence that came from years in the field.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjyNpra41U
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41p3c9s5op
“She’s the new one?” One whispered, half to himself.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkg8gUJkc5
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEL582VCo9e
Valentina caught it. She didn’t flinch, but the corner of her mouth twitched in subtle irritation. She became the eye of the storm as they moved through the building—people whispering, watching, some openly skeptical, others simply stunned.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtKCy86nwZ
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXI3CZZVGUh
Most expected someone with muscles like steel cables and a shaved head, not a lithe, breathtaking woman with smooth skin, silken brown hair, and an air that could freeze a battlefield. When the elevator doors opened on the top floor, Hendrix Peterson was already waiting.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd46g7eq5N7
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHlrqkGSBY
A mountain of a man with a rugged, thunderous presence—Hendrix had the look of someone who could level a riot with one hand and cook a steak with the other. His face split into a grin the moment he saw her.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFeM4oH0NA
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHR9EDQgz7n
“Valentina! You look even more dangerous than Rog said.” He gave her a once-over, not with lust but admiration—the kind only a warrior gave another. “Come in. We’ve got work to do.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RKKDs9KvR
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtIPfWI0Wk
“Yes, sir,” she said crisply.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsM74ZV37iF
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6QYYqpK4K
“Come on, relax a little. You’re not on the front lines anymore.” He handed her a clipboard with paperwork. “Flight’s at eight. You’ll be sent straight to New York HQ. However, we must first complete the uniform fitting, HR, shoes, and clearance update. Standard onboarding.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3jAtBQFNW
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL48dAlnxtR
She nodded, already scanning the paperwork with swift, precise eyes. Then she paused, glancing at the men who had escorted her in—both of whom were still trying to make sense of what they’d just walked through.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCd697SE7I
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAp56hkUXLK
“They don’t believe I have the skills,” she said, voice even. “Permission to fight them?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oT0N2FNmF
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoGvpp0WNJ
Hendrix laughed so loud the windowpanes quivered. “Oh, hell yes. Give 'em a show.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BkK0hJVfP
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WNdany9BX
