Our First Harm: Betrayal

The House of Valerian is built on a foundation of power, influence, and a devastating secret. In Betrayal, the third installment of the series, the dynasty faces its reckoning.

When patriarch Conrad Valerian, the calculating CEO of pharmaceutical giant Sterling-Valerius, is arrested in a public spectacle, he feels no fear-only a clarifying rage. He knows an empire like his doesn't fall to outside forces; it rots from within. His hunt for the "snake in his own garden" begins, and his eyes fall on his own family.

At the heart of the storm is Dr. Eleanor Valerian-Hayes, Conrad's sister and the company's chief scientist. She is the keeper of the truth about Neurocalm, their blockbuster new drug: it's not a miracle cure, but a chemical lobotomy, capable of inducing suicidal psychosis. Trapped in a gilded cage by her brother, Eleanor is forced to lie in depositions, bury the horrifying primate study data, and watch as the company prepares to unleash a nightmare on the public.

Leading the charge against them is prosecutor Ben Carter, who possesses a treasure trove of damning evidence, and Dr. Marcus Thorne, an FDA whistleblower. Thorne's explosive congressional testimony about the corrupt "Revolving Door" between the agency and Big Pharma has made him a hero to some and a target for a powerful enemy. But to win the war, they need an insider. They need Eleanor.

As the federal indictment looms, Conrad moves to "amputate" every weak link. He sidelines Eleanor, stripping her of operational authority and placing her under surveillance. He tests his son and heir, Julian, demanding he sign off on an act of profound cruelty designed to shatter Eleanor's spirit. When Julian refuses, the family's loyalty finally fractures, casting him out and placing him under his father's watchful, controlling eye.

Pushed to the brink, Eleanor is confronted by Marcus, her old friend and mentor, who implores her to "burn the prison down." But Conrad delivers a final, devastating checkmate: a veiled, intimate threat against her daughter's life. He believes he has chained Eleanor with fear. He fails to realize he has just forged a sword.

Betrayal is a chilling corporate and legal thriller that explores the impossible choices of those trapped inside a corrupt system. It is a story of profound moral compromise, the fracturing of a powerful family, and the terrible, personal cost of a conscience that refuses to stay silent.