PHOENIX

5| PLANS CHANGE, JACKSON. EVEN MINE.

After finishing dinner with his sister and her little brother, Jackson knew he should probably return to his hotel. It was what the cautious, disciplined version of himself would have done without hesitation. He had already spent far more time in one place than he normally allowed, and every additional hour increased the risk of someone recognizing him or somehow tracing his movements. Years of living in hiding had taught him that lingering anywhere was dangerous, no matter how safe it seemed.

Yet, despite all the warnings echoing in the back of his mind, he found himself reluctant to leave.

It wasn't because he feared returning to the lonely silence of his hotel room, although that certainly played a part. It was because, for the first time in years, he had been given something he thought he had lost forever, a piece of his family. Sitting across from Sue throughout dinner had reminded him of a version of himself that had existed long before betrayal, before running for his life, before becoming a man forced to hide behind different names and different faces. She made him remember that once upon a time, he had simply been Jackson, an older brother trying to survive the foster care system alongside a cheerful little girl who somehow always managed to smile despite everything life threw at her.

Thirteen years.

That was a long time for two siblings to know absolutely nothing about each other's lives.

Jackson had spoken about himself only enough to satisfy Sue's curiosity without revealing the dangerous truth surrounding his disappearance. In return, she had cleverly avoided talking about herself, steering the conversation toward lighter topics, funny childhood memories, and Ethan's endless collection of amusing stories. At first, Jackson had allowed it because he had simply been grateful to sit with someone who still cared about him. But as the evening wore on, he realized something wasn't right.

He knew almost nothing about what had happened to Sue after they had gone their separate ways. The realization bothered him more than he expected.

He wanted to know how she had spent the past few years. He wanted to know whether life had been kind to her or whether it had hurt her the same way it had hurt him. More importantly, he wanted to understand why she was still here.

Singapore.

That dream alone was enough to convince him that something significant had happened.

When they were teenagers, Sue had talked about studying there with an excitement that never faded. She had collected brochures, researched universities, learned about the culture, and spent countless nights planning the life she wanted to build overseas. Jackson remembered teasing her about it because she could somehow turn every conversation into one about Singapore.

One day, she would say with complete confidence, she would be living there.

One day, she would graduate from one of its universities.

One day, she would make all of her dreams come true.

That dream had never been a passing fantasy.

It had been a promise she made to herself.

And Jackson knew Sue well enough to understand something very important.

She wasn't the kind of person who abandoned her dreams simply because life became difficult.

If anything, hardship only made her fight harder. She would have crossed oceans barefoot if it meant achieving something she truly wanted. Which meant only one thing.

Something had happened. Something big enough to force her to let go of the dream she had cherished for years. And Jackson intended to find out what it was.

His thoughts drifted toward Sue, who was currently sitting on the living room floor with Ethan.

The little boy was giggling uncontrollably as Sue pretended to lose a game they were playing, dramatically falling backward onto the carpet every time Ethan declared himself the winner. She laughed just as hard as he did, making exaggerated faces that sent him into another fit of laughter. Watching the two of them together, Jackson couldn't help smiling.

She was a natural. Not just as an older sister. As a caregiver. As someone Ethan clearly adored.

The little boy's face lit up whenever she spoke to him, and every few seconds he reached for her hand or climbed into her lap without a second thought. Their bond wasn't something that could be forced. It had been built through countless ordinary moments that Jackson had never witnessed. Then he remembered something Ethan had casually mentioned during dinner.

"Sue comes home late sometimes."

At the time, Jackson hadn't thought much about it. Now the comment lingered in his mind. Children rarely lied about everyday things. If Ethan said Sue often came home late, then she probably did.

Which raised another question.

Where was she going?

What kind of work kept her away until late in the evening?

Again...

Something didn't add up.

Eventually, Ethan's endless energy began to fade. His laughter became quieter. His eyes grew heavy. Within minutes, he was rubbing them with tiny fists while struggling to suppress sleepy yawns.

Sue smiled knowingly.

"I think someone's finally losing his battle with sleep."

"I'm not sleepy," Ethan protested immediately before letting out another enormous yawn.

Jackson laughed.

"Sure you aren't."

Ethan glared at him with all the seriousness a little boy could manage.

"I'm not."

Another yawn escaped him.

Sue couldn't help laughing.

"Come on, tough guy." She scooped him effortlessly into her arms. "Let's get you to bed."

Ethan rested his head against her shoulder almost immediately.

"Will you still be here when I wake up?" he mumbled sleepily to Jackson.

Jackson smiled warmly.

"I'll try."

Satisfied with the answer, Ethan closed his eyes.

Within minutes, Sue disappeared upstairs carrying him.

The house became noticeably quieter. Jackson remained seated in the living room, absentmindedly looking around while waiting for her return. A few minutes later, soft footsteps echoed down the staircase. Sue walked back into the room wearing a gentle smile.

"He's asleep already. Though, I'm not surprised. He always fights sleep." She laughed. "And he always loses."

Jackson smiled.

Some things never changed.

Even as children, she had always loved taking care of others.

Sue settled onto the couch opposite him, curling one leg beneath herself.

For a few moments, neither of them spoke.

Then she tilted her head slightly while studying his face.

"You know..." she began thoughtfully, "...you may have changed your face..." Her smile widened. "...but there are so many other things about you that haven't changed."

Jackson raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She nodded. "The way you sit. The way you constantly watch the room. The way your eyes move every few seconds without you even realizing it. And whenever you're thinking too much, you press your thumb against your index finger."

Jackson immediately stopped the unconscious habit.

Sue laughed softly.

"You see?" She shook her head. "For someone who truly knows you..." She smiled knowingly. "...it wouldn't be nearly as difficult to recognize you as you think."

Jackson remained silent. She wasn't wrong. Plastic surgery could change a person's face. It couldn't erase years of habits. It couldn't rewrite body language. It certainly couldn't hide the tiny unconscious gestures that made someone uniquely themselves.

Sue leaned back. "Remind me again..." Her smile became more curious than teasing. "Why exactly did you have plastic surgery?"

Jackson held her gaze for several long seconds. Then he quietly shook his head.

"It doesn't matter why I did it." His tone wasn't harsh. It simply carried the unmistakable weight of a subject he refused to discuss.

"What matters right now..." He leaned forward slightly. "...is you."

Sue sighed almost imperceptibly. "I had a feeling we'd circle back to this."

Jackson ignored the comment. "Why aren't you in Singapore?"

She looked away for a moment. "Plans change, Jackson." She shrugged casually. "Even mine."

Jackson immediately shook his head.

"No."

Sue blinked.

"No?"

"Not plans." He looked at her with the quiet certainty only an older brother could possess. "Dreams." His voice softened. "I know my little sister. You don't give up on your dreams. You hold onto them tighter than anyone I've ever met."

He smiled faintly. "You would've argued with the entire world if someone told you Singapore wasn't possible."

She looked down at her hands.

"So don't tell me your plans changed." He gently continued. "Tell me what happened."

Sue forced a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"It's a long story." She shrugged again. "I really don't want to bore you with something like that."

Jackson watched her carefully.

There it was again. Another shrug. Another attempt to dismiss something that clearly mattered. Anyone else might have accepted the answer. He wasn't anyone else. He had known Sue for too long.

Every forced smile. Every change in her voice. Every attempt to make something sound insignificant. He recognized them all. And he knew exactly what she was doing. She was hiding something.

"No," Jackson said quietly but firmly. "You won't bore me." His voice carried an unmistakable determination. "I asked because I genuinely want to know."

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "Why did you stay?"

She remained silent.

He continued before she could interrupt.

"And don't tell me it was because of Ethan." His tone remained gentle, never accusing. "You can raise your little brother anywhere in the world. You could've taken him with you if that's what you wanted."

He looked directly into her eyes. "You've talked about Singapore for as long as I've known you. You spent years planning that future. You worked toward it. You sacrificed for it. You believed in it."

He slowly shook his head.

"People don't simply wake up one morning and abandon a dream they've carried for years." His voice became quieter. "Not unless something happens."

A long silence settled between them. Jackson didn't look away. Neither did Sue.

Finally, he spoke again, his voice filled with both concern and the protectiveness of an older brother who had spent years unable to look after the little sister he loved.

"So tell me the truth, Sue." He held her gaze steadily. "What happened? What was so powerful... so life-changing... that it made you stay behind and give up the one dream you wanted more than anything else?"

Sue drew in a long, shaky breath, but the words refused to come.

Instead, she lowered her eyes, blinking rapidly as they filled with tears she had clearly fought to keep hidden for a long time. A mixture of sadness, frustration, and old grief flickered across her face, emotions so deeply intertwined that it was impossible to separate one from the other. She looked away from Jackson and toward the kitchen, but it was obvious she wasn't really seeing it. Her mind had drifted somewhere else entirely, somewhere buried deep within memories she had spent years trying not to revisit.

Jackson remained silent. He had asked for the truth. Now he understood why she had been so reluctant to give it.

The room fell quiet except for the faint ticking of the wall clock.

Sue slowly stood from the couch and began walking aimlessly around the living room. She folded her arms around herself before unfolding them again, then brushed an imaginary speck of dust from the coffee table. She walked toward the window, stopped, sighed, and turned back around.

She wasn't pacing because she didn't know what to say. She was pacing because she knew exactly what she had to say. She simply didn't know how to relive it.

Jackson watched her quietly. He recognized that kind of hesitation. Some stories weren't difficult because they were long. They were difficult because telling them meant reopening wounds that had barely managed to close.

"You know..." Jackson said gently, breaking the silence without rushing her, "...you don't have to hesitate with me."

Sue stopped walking. Slowly, she turned to face him.

"You can tell me anything." His voice remained calm and reassuring. "You don't have to carry it by yourself."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then Sue gave a tiny nod.

When she finally looked at him again, Jackson saw determination in her eyes. But beneath that determination... There was heartbreak. The kind that never completely disappeared no matter how much time passed.

She slowly returned to the couch and sat down, clasping her trembling hands together in her lap.

"So much happened after you left for college," she began quietly. Her voice was steady at first, though only because she was forcing it to be. "I don't even know where to start."

Jackson remained silent, allowing her to tell the story in her own time.

She stared at her intertwined fingers.

"It didn't happen all at once. It started little by little."

She swallowed. "At first, I noticed my adoptive parents behaving differently."

Her brow furrowed as she recalled those days.

"They became... secretive. They would suddenly stop talking whenever I walked into a room. They started taking phone calls outside. If I asked questions, they always had excuses."

She smiled bitterly. "I convinced myself I was imagining it. I kept telling myself they were probably planning some surprise or dealing with adult problems they didn't want me worrying about."

She shook her head. "But eventually... I couldn't ignore it anymore."

Her eyes slowly lifted to meet Jackson's.

"I found out they weren't just keeping secrets. They were hiding me."

Jackson frowned slightly. "Hiding you?"

Sue nodded.

"My biological parents had been looking for me."

The words hung heavily in the air. Jackson blinked. For several seconds, he couldn't even process what he had heard.

"They'd been searching for me for years." Her voice cracked slightly. "And my adoptive parents knew. They knew my real parents were alive. They knew they were desperately trying to find me."

She lowered her head again. "And they never told me."

Jackson felt anger beginning to build inside him. He remembered how desperately Sue had wanted to know where she came from. How often she wondered whether her biological family had ever loved her. To discover they had been searching all along... It was almost impossible to imagine.

"I was furious," Sue admitted. "I couldn't even think straight. I spent my entire childhood believing I'd been abandoned. I believed my parents didn't want me. I believed they'd simply given me away and forgotten I ever existed."

A tear escaped down her cheek.

"So when I found out they were actually alive..."

She laughed bitterly through the tears.

"I was angry. So unbelievably angry. I wanted answers. I wanted to know why."

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"So I started looking for them."

Jackson listened without interrupting.

"I remember rehearsing everything I wanted to say." Her voice grew quieter. "I planned to scream at them. I wanted them to explain why they had abandoned me. I wanted them to tell me why I wasn't worth keeping."

She smiled sadly.

"I spent weeks imagining that conversation." Her smile disappeared. "But..." She closed her eyes. "When I finally found them... They told me the truth."

Silence settled over the room. Jackson leaned forward slightly.

"My adoptive parents didn't just foster me for years and then adopt me." Sue whispered the next words so softly they barely sounded real. "They stole me."

Jackson froze.

"What?"

She nodded slowly, tears falling freely now.

"They kidnapped me when I was still a baby. My biological parents never gave me away. They never abandoned me. They never stopped loving me. They never stopped searching."

Every word seemed to weigh more heavily than the last.

"My parents spent years going from police station to police station. They put up missing posters. They hired investigators. They chased every lead they could find. They never celebrated a birthday without wondering where I was. They never celebrated Christmas without leaving a present for the daughter they hoped would come home one day."

Her voice trembled violently. "They never gave up on me."

Jackson felt his throat tighten. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain those parents must have endured. Or Sue's guilt after discovering she had spent years resenting people who had loved her unconditionally all along.

"When they found me..." A genuine smile appeared through her tears. "They welcomed me home. There wasn't any anger. No blame. No resentment. My mother hugged me for nearly ten minutes without letting go."

Her smile widened slightly as she remembered.

"She kept crying and apologizing. Apologizing." Sue laughed softly through the tears. "As though losing me had somehow been her fault."

Jackson felt a lump forming in his own throat.

"My father wouldn't stop looking at me. He kept smiling. Every few minutes he'd start crying again."

She wiped another tear away.

"It was the happiest day of my life."

She paused and looked down.

"My mother was already pregnant." She smiled faintly. "She was expecting Ethan. I finally had my family back. I finally had my parents. I finally had a little brother on the way."

Her smile slowly faded.

"I thought... I thought everything was finally going to be okay."

She stopped speaking.

Jackson already knew from the look on her face that it hadn't been.

"Ethan was born about two months after I found them." She smiled sadly. "He was perfect. So tiny. So beautiful. I remember holding him for the first time and thinking life was giving me a second chance."

Her voice broke completely. "But..." A long silence followed. "My mother died a few days after giving birth."

Jackson's eyes widened. He had somehow assumed that was the case but he hadn't expected it to had been that soon.

"And..." She struggled to breathe for a moment before forcing herself to continue. "My father..." She swallowed painfully.

"He died shortly afterward. Succumbed to his wonds, the doctors said."

The room became completely silent. Even the ticking clock seemed impossibly loud.

Sue lowered her head as tears streamed freely down her face.

"I had only just found them." Her shoulders trembled. "I had waited my entire life to meet my real parents. I finally got them back..."

A sob escaped before she could stop it. "...and then I lost both of them almost immediately."

She covered her face with both hands. "When everyone else was mourning the parents they'd known for years..." Her voice was barely audible. "I was mourning the parents I had only just begun to know."

Jackson felt his own chest tighten painfully. There were no words capable of easing that kind of loss. No reassurance could erase it.

Sue slowly lowered her hands, revealing eyes swollen with tears.

"And just like that..." She gave a hollow laugh that contained no trace of amusement. "I was left completely alone." She glanced toward the staircase where Ethan slept peacefully, unaware of the painful history that had shaped his life. "It was just me..." Her voice softened into something almost maternal. "...and Ethan. The two of us. Trying to survive without the only two people who had spent years fighting to bring us together. They died in a fire that was set in the building where my dad was working. My mother went there to give him lunch, but she had no idea the building was going to catch fire.

"I've been doing my research ever since because I knew even from then that the building didn't just catch fire, someone started that fire, and they wanted to kill people inside that building.

"I found some information about people who came to that building that day, and you were one of them. I vowed that I would make them pay for what they did to you and my parents.

"The Roy family has been ruling this town for a very long time. It is time for someone to put an end to it, and I will gladly do it.

"I will kill them one by one, but before that, I will take everything from them so that they will regret what they've been doing all these years.

"I'm not the only one who lost my parents in that fire. There are so many people who lost their parents too, their loved ones, but none of them are doing anything.

"I'm going to avenge them all, and if that means I have to forget about Singapore for a while, then so be it. I don't see a reason why I should go to college when I can use my time to ruin the Roy family and everything they love."

Jackson looked at her, dumbfounded. He wasn't expecting this. He knew how dangerous it was for Sue to go against Roy and his family. He had spent years training to take them down, and he knew the danger that came with facing a powerful family like the Roys.

"Do you know what you're saying? Roy is a very powerful man, and everyone knows that. Why would you want to provoke someone like that? You're not just putting your life in danger, but Ethan's as well. I will not allow you to do that."

Sue's eyes flashed with defiance. "I didn't ask for your permission, Jackson. I told you because you asked, not because I want you to tell me what to do and what not to do.

"You were in that fire; you should be more understanding. In fact, you should be planning your revenge. But don't worry, your sister is going to avenge you."

Oh, he was going to get his revenge. He was going to make every one of them pay.

"Sue," he began, his voice laden with concern, "you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. The Roys... they aren't just powerful; they're ruthless. I've seen firsthand what they can do, and I've spent years preparing to bring them down. But this is dangerous, and I can't let you put yourself at risk."

Sue's eyes flashed with defiance. "I've already lost too much, Jackson. I'm not going to sit back and do nothing. They took everything from us, and now it's time they pay."

"Do I need to tell you again that it is dangerous? Sue, I know what I'm talking about, and as your brother, I'm telling you to let it be. Has it ever occurred to you that they set that fire to destroy someone who got to know their secrets?"

"I don't care. No matter what, I must make them pay, and there is nothing you can say to make me change my mind."

Jackson sighed, trying to find the right words to convey the gravity of the situation. "I know why they set that building on fire because I was there. They wanted to kill me, and they had no reason to spare others because it would also create more witnesses. It had nothing to do with your parents or everyone that was there.

"They wanted me. They wanted me dead, and for years they've made peace with what happened in that building because they are convinced that I died. If you keep on digging, not only will they kill you and Ethan, but they will also know I survived too. Think about what you're doing and how it is going to affect all of us."

Sue looked at him as if he had grown another head. "They wanted to kill you? Why?"

Jackson took a deep breath, the memories flooding back painfully. "I found out about their secrets, and to protect their businesses, they had to kill me. What made it even worse was that Melissa, my then-girlfriend, was the one who started the fire. She didn't even think twice before telling her men to burn me along with everyone in that building."

Sue's eyes widened in shock. "Melissa? The girl you said you were going to marry?"

"Yes, the very same. It was the first time I saw her true nature. It was like I had never known her, like she was a stranger. Like I was a stranger to her. They are dangerous people, Sue. Very dangerous."

Jackson hated talking about that day because it always meant he had to talk about Melissa. After her betrayal, he swore never to mention her again. It had been years, and he knew he should have forgotten about her by now, but no matter how many times he tried to keep her out of his head, she was always there, purposefully tormenting him, making him question every day why he had fallen in love with her in the first place.

He had worked very hard to be where he was today, and if he kept thinking about how good Melissa was to him before that fire, he might end up changing his mind about getting revenge, something he couldn't afford to do.

At first, it was just for him, but now it was for his sister and her parents. They had nothing to do with what happened between him and the Roy family, yet they suffered for it. Jackson knew he had to find a way to convince Sue to let him handle this alone because he understood the danger that came with revenge.

In pursuit of destroying your enemy, you often end up destroying yourself too. He didn't want that for Sue. She still had a bright future ahead of her. He knew those words too well because, even though his mentor was the reason why he could fight the way he did, he still reminded him every day that revenge doesn't erase the past.

"Sue," Jackson began, his voice firm but gentle, "I understand that you want to avenge your parents, but the way you're going about it is wrong. Please listen to me and stop everything you're doing."

Sue's eyes flashed with determination. "Jackson, I can't just sit back and do nothing. They took everything from us. I need to make them pay."

Jackson took her hands in his, looking deeply into her eyes. "I know. I feel the same way. But I've spent years preparing for this, gathering information, training. This isn't something you can rush into. The Roy family is powerful and ruthless. They won't hesitate to kill you or Ethan if they find out what you're planning."

"But I can't just let it go," Sue insisted, her voice trembling with emotion. "They need to be held accountable."

"They will be," Jackson assured her. "But you have to trust me. Let me handle this. I can't bear the thought of losing you, too. You're all I have left."

Sue looked away, her resolve wavering. "But what if something happens to you? What if they find out you're still alive?"

Jackson squeezed her hands. "That's a risk I'm willing to take. I've lived in the shadows for too long, and it's time for me to face them. But I need to know that you're safe. Promise me you'll stay out of this."

"I can't promise you that because I'm not going to stop Jackson, make peace with that. You know I invited you here because I missed my brother and I wanted to talk to you but now I think you have overstayed your welcome. Shut the door on your way out."

She didn't wait for him to say anything else, she went straight to her bedroom leaving him standing where he was. Jackson shook his head.

His sister has always been stubborn but he never expected her to be this stubborn.

I don't know any other way to protect you than to ask you to stay away and forget you ever planned on destroying those people. I can't even tell you that I'm going to make sure they pay for everything they did because I don't want to put you and Ethan in any danger than you already are.

He left their house and went back to the hotel to try and have some sleep, in the morning he is going to try and find a way to convince Sue to let him handle things.