Heir In The Shadows

EPISODE 36

The hall still hummed with voices after dinner. Crystal glasses clinked, laughter spilled in corners, and cigar smoke curled under the glittering chandeliers. For a family reunion, it was less warmth and more a display of power—men in tailored suits, women draped in jewels, every conversation carrying a trace of calculation.

At the edge of it, Jax leaned closer. His voice was low, meant for Luciano alone.

Jax: “Where do we sleep tonight, amore?”

Luciano: “My room. Always mine. Always yours.”

When they reached the carved oak doors, Jax stilled him with a hand on his chest.

Jax: “Go. Be with them. Your parents, Isabella… they’ve waited too long for you.”

Luciano (frowning): “And leave you here, in this den of wolves?”

Jax (with a crooked grin): “Wolves don’t scare me, Luci. I’ll be fine. What matters is you giving them what they’ve missed.”

The way he said it—steady, selfless—made Luciano’s throat tighten. He brushed his lips against Jax’s in a fleeting kiss, reluctant to pull away.

Downstairs, the music of voices thickened. Luciano spotted his parents near a marble column, his mother’s posture elegant as ever, his father’s presence commanding without trying.

Luciano (softly): “Mamma. Papà.”

Elena turned first, her hand flying to her mouth before she pulled him into her arms.

Elena (teary): “Luciano… my son. You’re here.”

Enzo clapped a hand to his shoulder, squeezing hard.

Enzo: “It’s about time.”

Elena glanced over his shoulder.

Elena: “And Jax?”

Luciano: “Upstairs. He insisted I spend this time with you.”

That answer made her pause, eyes softening with something close to approval.

Elena (quietly): “He loves you. I saw it tonight… in how he wouldn’t let the insults touch you.”

Enzo’s jaw tightened.

Enzo: “Unlike that bastard, Dax—”

Elena (snapping): “Enzo. Don’t say his name.”

Luciano’s eyes hardened. He straightened, the steel of a true De Luca slipping into his voice.

Luciano: “Don’t compare them. Don’t reduce Jax. He is not just anyone, Papà. He’s everything. No gold, no bloodline, no De Luca power can measure against him.”

Enzo froze at the conviction in his son’s tone. Slowly, he lowered his voice.

Enzo: “Luciano… the only ones we’ve never been able to measure against… is the Kingmaker’s Mafia. Don’t tell me—”

Luciano (cutting him, sharp and calm): “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

Elena gasped, hand gripping her son’s arm.

Elena: “Dio mio… the Kingmaker? That’s who he is?”

Luciano (nodding): “The one and only.”

A long silence followed. Enzo’s face was pale with the weight of it.

Enzo (whispering, almost to himself): “No wonder… the way he carried himself. That aura. That calm. To stare your Nonno in the eye without flinching—only a man like that could.”

Elena’s eyes softened, voice breaking through the tension.

Elena: “If he makes you happy, then I don’t care who he is, what empire he belongs to. He’s welcome. Always.”

Luciano (voice husky): “Grazie, Mamma. You don’t know what that means.”

His gaze caught on Isabella across the hall, laughing with Marco and Antonio.

Luciano: “I should see my sorella.”

Enzo (nodding): “Go. They’ve missed you too.”

As Luciano walked away, Enzo murmured to his wife, pride lacing his voice.

Enzo: “That’s my son. He didn’t just find love—he found power.”

Elena (smiling faintly): “He found someone who makes him whole.”

---

Luciano slipped into the circle of his sister and cousins.

Isabella (grinning wide): “Finalmente! There you are. We were just talking about how your Jax is stupidly handsome. Honestly, brother, you didn’t warn us properly.”

Luciano raised a brow, smirking despite himself.

Marco: “Is he the one you promised us?”

Luciano: “Yes.”

Antonio (teasing): “Perfect. But… can I steal him instead?”

Luciano (deadpan): “Try, and you’ll have no hands left.”

The three burst out laughing. Isabella tugged him into a side hug.

Isabella (soft, wistful): “I missed this. I missed you.”

Marco: “The old days, sì. We’ve been too long apart.”

Isabella (eyes sparkling): “Where is he now?”

Luciano: “Resting upstairs.”

Antonio: “And you’re down here, why?”

Luciano (fondly): “Because it was his idea. He wanted me with you.”

Isabella (swooning): “A thoughtful one. Dio, you really won the jackpot.”

Their laughter wrapped around him like a blanket he hadn’t realized he’d missed. For the first time in years, Luciano felt the ache of belonging.

---

But not everyone smiled.

Across the room, Uncle James stood with a glass of wine, watching. His lip curled. He stalked to Don Vittorio’s chair, voice low but seething.

James: “This is an embarrassment. Luciano brings a street rat into these halls, and the family embraces him like a prince. It’s shameful.”

Don Vittorio didn’t answer immediately. His sharp eyes stayed fixed on the grand staircase where Jax had disappeared earlier.

Don Vittorio (cold, deliberate): “I will handle it. Jax will leave Luciano… and he will do it on his own.”

---

The De Luca estate was quieter now. The grand hall had emptied, leaving only the echoes of glasses and footsteps fading into the night. A few servants cleared away the remnants of dinner, their movements soft and practiced.

Upstairs, Luciano was still with Isabella and his cousins, their voices carrying down the corridor in bursts of laughter and nostalgia. Jax remained in the guest room Luciano had given him—alone, or at least appearing to be.

The Kingmaker was never truly alone.

He’d shed his jacket, sitting by the tall window with a tumbler of whiskey in hand, staring out at the vast gardens. His thoughts were quieter now, though not entirely at peace. The estate was too polished, too heavy with history and judgment. He knew wolves when he smelled them.

The knock came soft at first.

Jax (without turning): “Come in.”

The door opened, and instead of Luciano, a man stepped in—tall, lean, with the sharp nose and familiar arrogance of old money. Uncle James.

James (smirking): “So. The infamous lover of my nephew.”

Jax (dry, taking a sip): “Depends who’s been doing the talking.”

James closed the door behind him, pacing like a predator testing the edges of its cage.

James: “Word reaches us that you’re… an underground fighter. Is that true?”

Jax (flatly): “It’s one of the many things I am.”

James (chuckling): “How quaint. And tell me, do you think fists and street dust are enough to protect my nephew? To match a family like ours?”

Jax finally turned, eyes steady, no flicker of intimidation.

Jax: “I don’t need to match your family. I need to protect him. And I will.”

James’ jaw ticked, his smirk faltering at the steel in Jax’s tone. He leaned closer, voice low and venomous.

James: “Luciano deserves someone who can bring power, alliances, respect. Not a man who brawls in back alleys. When he tires of you—and he will—I’ll make sure the family cleans up the mess.”

Jax set his glass down, rose to his full height. He didn’t raise his voice, but the air shifted, heavy as thunder.

Jax: “You mistake me for someone seeking your approval. I’m not here for you, or your family name. I’m here for him. And I don’t break easy.”

The silence stretched. James’ smirk faltered again, replaced with something sharper—anger, maybe even a trace of unease.

Then came another knock. This time, the door creaked open and Don Vittorio’s consigliere, an older man named Carlo, stepped inside. He looked between them, eyes narrowing.

Carlo: “The Don wishes to speak with you. Alone.”

James sneered, clearly displeased at being interrupted. He gave Jax one last look—cold, appraising—before brushing past Carlo and leaving the room.

Carlo lingered.

Carlo (measured): “You have made an impression, Signore Jax. Not all are convinced it’s a good one. Be careful.”

Jax didn’t flinch. He merely adjusted his cuffs and murmured—

Jax: “Tell your Don I’ll hear him out. But I don’t bend.”

Carlo’s lips twitched, not quite a smile, before he nodded and disappeared back into the hall.

Jax exhaled, turning back to the window. He could already feel the storm brewing. This was no longer just a family reunion—it was the opening move of a test. And he never failed tests.

---