The new Vale estate was not as large as the original, but it was sharper. Leaner. Built not on luxury, but legacy.
Nora Vale stood at the highest balcony, her hands resting lightly on the railing.
Below her, the reborn heart of the family empire thrived — energy grids, transport links, and digital commerce platforms all pulsed with activity.
The Vale name, once drenched in scandal and fire, now ran at the core of half the continent's infrastructure.
She had done that.
Not as a daughter.
Not as a survivor.
As the head of the family.
Behind her, a familiar voice called out.
"You're glaring again."
She turned to see Noah rolling toward her in his hover-chair, a tablet on his lap, stylus twirling between his fingers.
His right side was mostly paralyzed — a lingering cost of the system's final days. But his eyes were still sharp, and his mouth was still far too fast.
"I'm thinking."
Nora said.
"Dangerous. Should I alert the board?"
He quipped.
