Heir In The Shadows

EPISODE 17

Morning at the Estate

The first rays of dawn slipped through the tall windows, spilling soft golden light across the estate. The air was quiet except for the distant chirping of birds and the faint clinking of dishes being prepared in the kitchen.

Jax was already awake. He hadn’t slept much—his mind looping endlessly between Damon’s betrayal and the strange calm he felt in Luciano’s presence. He sat at the head of the long oak breakfast table, a cup of black coffee before him, untouched. His eyes were sharp, but underneath them lay the shadows of exhaustion.

The doors opened, and Luciano entered.

He looked fresh, composed, as though he hadn’t wrestled with sleep the entire night. His shirt sleeves were rolled casually to his elbows, and his hair was damp, as if he had just showered. But it wasn’t the careful polish of his appearance that caught Jax’s attention—it was the way his gaze softened the moment it landed on him.

“Good morning,” Luciano said smoothly, his voice carrying the warmth of someone who felt far too comfortable in another man’s home.

Jax gave a curt nod, his tone deliberately formal.

“You’re an early riser.”

Luciano smirked faintly, pulling out the chair beside him instead of one further down the table.

“Comes with the business. Besides—couldn’t leave without sharing a meal with my host. Would be rude.”

The chef arrived, setting down plates—eggs, toast, and something more elaborate Luciano had requested the night before. Jax arched a brow when he saw it.

“You remembered.”

“Of course.” Luciano cut into his food smoothly, his eyes flicking up to meet Jax’s. “A man like you… it’s easy to notice the little things. What you like. What you don’t. It’s all written in the way you live.”

Jax said nothing, though a faint crease appeared between his brows. He finally lifted his coffee to his lips, trying to mask the unease that crept in at Luciano’s words.

Luciano leaned back in his chair, studying him.

“You’re holding it all in, aren’t you? The betrayal. The anger. The… emptiness.”

Jax’s jaw tightened. His voice was calm, but there was steel beneath it.

“And what do you expect me to do? Break down? Spill my soul to you like some penitent child? That’s not who I am, Luciano.”

Luciano smiled faintly, not mocking but knowing.

“No. That’s not who you were. But maybe… it’s who you need to be now. At least with someone.”

The silence stretched. Jax stared at his plate, then at Luciano, trying to read him, to see if this was just another game.

The breakfast ended in near silence, but not a strained one. The clinking of cutlery against porcelain and the occasional sip of coffee filled the air like a rhythm between two men who did not need words to understand the gravity of the moment.

When Jax finally set his cup down, he leaned back in his chair, his gaze calm yet distant.

“I have business to take care of,” he said, his voice even, almost casual. “Make yourself at home while I’m gone.”

The words hung in the air, subtle but heavy. For Jax, it was just a statement. But for Luciano, it was everything. A door had been opened—however slightly—and to a man like him, that sliver of acceptance meant more than an outright declaration.

Luciano’s lips curved into a faint smile, not one of arrogance but of quiet triumph. He kept his tone smooth, careful not to reveal too much of the satisfaction blooming in his chest.

“You don’t have to bother yourself, Jax. I also have business to take care of. Looks like we’ll both be busy today.”

For the first time that morning, Jax’s eyes softened, just briefly, before he rose from his seat. The maids moved swiftly to clear the table as the two men made their way toward the grand doors of the estate.

Outside, the sun had fully claimed the sky, casting its golden light over the gravel drive where their cars were already waiting. Jax’s sleek black car stood side by side with Luciano’s equally commanding vehicle. Two empires, two legacies, parked together in a silent show of power.

They stepped out at the same time, the estate guards and Luciano’s men standing at attention. For a moment, their eyes met—Jax’s guarded and unreadable, Luciano’s warm but layered with unspoken promise.

Luciano slipped on his sunglasses, his signature smirk playing faintly at his lips.

“Until later, then.”

Jax gave a curt nod.

“Until later.”

Almost in sync, they slid into their respective cars. Engines roared to life, the sound reverberating through the morning air like the prelude to something larger—something inevitable.

The gates opened wide, and both vehicles rolled forward. Though they drove in separate cars, their departure felt like a shared moment—two paths running parallel, destined to collide again.

And as they pulled out into the world, both men carried with them the same unspoken truth: something had shifted. Jax had let him in, if only partially, and Luciano would do whatever it took to turn that small crack into a doorway wide enough for him to step through completely.

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Damon’s Spiral

Across the city, the penthouse that once symbolized love was now a prison of regret. Damon sat slumped on the edge of the bed, sheets tangled, eyes red from days of sleepless nights.

The phone on the nightstand was littered with unanswered calls and ignored texts—all to Jax. His desperation grew heavier with each silence.

Finally, he picked himself up and went to Eli.

When Eli opened the door, irritation flashed in his eyes. “Damon, what the hell are you doing here again? You’ve been like this for days. I thought you said you only wanted Jax’s money. That’s what you told me from the start.”

Damon’s lips trembled, his composure crumbling. “I was wrong, Eli… I was so wrong.” His voice cracked, hands clenching at his sides. “I thought that’s what I wanted. After all those years with Jax, I told myself it was about the comfort, the luxury… his money. But that wasn’t it. That was never it.”

Eli scoffed, folding his arms. “So what—now you suddenly love him again? After everything?”

Damon’s knees gave out, and he collapsed onto Eli’s couch, tears spilling freely. “I don’t suddenly love him, Eli. I never stopped. All I wanted—was him. Not just his money, not just the lifestyle. I wanted his love. I wanted all of him.” His voice broke into a sob. “And I ruined it. I destroyed the only man who ever truly gave a damn about me.”

Eli stared at him, uncomfortable, his expression shifting between annoyance and disbelief. “Damon… you need to get a grip. Jax isn’t coming back.”

But Damon didn’t hear him. He buried his face in his hands, trembling. “I want him back, Eli. I’d give anything to undo this. Anything…”

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