Heir In The Shadows

EPISODE 9

After dinner, the night air greeted them with a cool breeze, carrying the faint scent of the city. Luciano walked beside Jax, hands in his pockets, every step measured and calm, though his eyes never strayed far from the man at his side.

They reached Jax’s car, the sleek black vehicle parked beneath the soft glow of a street lamp. For a moment, neither spoke. The silence was heavy, but not uncomfortable—at least not for Luciano.

“Thanks for dinner,” Jax finally said, his voice low but steady. He turned slightly, meeting Luciano’s gaze. “You didn’t have to do all this.”

“I wanted to,” Luciano replied, his tone smooth but lacking the teasing edge from earlier. He leaned lightly against the car, a hint of a smile on his lips. “You deserve more than scraps, Jax. More than always carrying the weight of others.”

Jax’s expression flickered, the truth in those words cutting deeper than he wanted to admit. Still, he kept his guard up. “Don’t read too much into this. Dinner was good. That’s all.”

Luciano tilted his head, studying him. “I’m not asking for more. I just… don’t mind the long ride. As long as the road includes you, I’m ready for it.” His voice was softer now, sincere.

Something tightened in Jax’s chest, but he forced it down. He pulled open the car door, his tone clipped but not unkind. “Goodnight, Luciano.”

Luciano’s smile widened, not triumphant but patient, the kind of smile that said he was willing to wait. “Goodnight, Jax.”

Jax slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. As the car pulled away, Luciano stood beneath the streetlight, watching the taillights disappear into the distance.

He knew—this wasn’t going to be easy. Jax was a fortress built on loyalty, and somewhere inside that fortress was a man who was hurting more than he let on.

Luciano exhaled slowly, determination glinting in his eyes. I can wait, he thought. As long as the ride includes Jax, I’ll be there—no matter how long it takes.

---

Jax had barely closed the penthouse door behind him when he felt the tension thick in the air. Damon stood by the window, phone in hand, his jaw tight, eyes flashing with barely contained anger.

Without a word, Damon shoved the screen at him. “This. Is this why you’ve been avoiding me?”

Jax’s eyes flickered down to the photo — him and Luciano at dinner, leaning close, caught in a moment that looked far more intimate than it had been. His chest tightened. He should have known something like this would happen.

“Damon,” Jax exhaled, running a hand through his hair, trying to keep calm. “It’s not what you think.”

Damon let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Not what I think? Jax, it looks pretty damn clear to me. While I’ve been trying to—” His voice cracked, but he pushed through. “You’ve been entertaining someone else.”

Jax’s patience thinned. “Entertaining?” His tone hardened. “He invited me to dinner. That’s it. Nothing happened. Nothing is going to happen.”

But Damon wasn’t hearing it. He stepped closer, his anger mixing with something more raw — fear, maybe jealousy. “You’ve been pushing me away for weeks, Jax. Don’t stand here and act like I’m imagining things.”

Jax clenched his fists at his sides. The last thing he wanted was for this to explode, but Damon’s refusal to listen was lighting every fuse inside him. He swallowed back the sharp retort on his tongue, tried once more to steady his voice.

“There’s nothing between me and Luciano. Believe it or don’t, but I’m not explaining myself over and over just because you don’t trust me.”

When Damon still wouldn’t back down, Jax’s restraint snapped. He shoved past him, muttering, “I can’t do this right now,” and stormed out of the penthouse.

The slam of the door echoed in the silence Damon was left in, phone still clutched in his hand, heart burning with a mix of anger, fear, and something dangerously close to regret.

---

Jax gripped the steering wheel tighter as the city lights blurred past. The echo of Damon’s accusations still rang in his ears. Dinner with Luciano — something so trivial, so meaningless — had been twisted into betrayal. Captured. Sent to Damon. Someone was watching him. Tracking him. And the irony wasn’t lost on him: a man carrying the weight of a trillion-dollar empire, accused of infidelity when in truth, he was the one being betrayed.

He thought of Damon’s face, twisted in jealousy, the phone thrust in his face. A cheater hates when he is being cheated on, Jax mused bitterly. His lips curved in the faintest, humorless smirk. Damon was drowning in his own lies, yet had the audacity to question his loyalty.

The farther he drove, the more the city melted away. High-rises gave way to sprawling estates, then dense forest-lined roads. Finally, the gates loomed ahead, tall and steel-forged, flanked by armed guards. As they opened, the hidden world revealed itself.

His mansion wasn’t just a house — it was a fortress. Acres of sculpted gardens stretched outward, fountains glistened under the moonlight, and the marble façade of the estate rose like a palace carved into the earth itself. Power radiated from every stone, every blade of grass.

The moment his car rolled to a stop, men appeared — black suits, polished shoes, movements sharp and disciplined.

“The Kingmaker has returned,” one of them announced, voice carrying across the courtyard.

In seconds, the silence was broken by hurried footsteps. Guards, advisors, even staff poured out to greet him, lining themselves in perfect order. Heads bowed, eyes lowered. To the world, he was a ghost of a fighter. Here, he was a sovereign.

Jax stepped out of the car, his expression unreadable. His tailored coat caught the night breeze, his ring glinting in the dim light — the crest of Kael, his bloodline, his legacy.

Around him, the air shifted, charged with reverence and fear. Men who commanded armies bent their heads in silence. Wealth, power, blood — all of it flowed through him.

And yet… as he strode through the path lined with loyal men, the ache in his chest refused to fade. What was the point of owning the world, when the one person he gave his heart to treated it like nothing?

He masked the thought with a cold smile, climbing the marble steps. Tonight, he was not Damon’s lover. Tonight, he was the Kingmaker.

---

Inside, the grand hall of the mansion was alive with motion. Advisors and lieutenants were already waiting at the long obsidian table, laptops open, files stacked high. They straightened as he entered.

“Sir,” one of his most trusted men began, sliding a folder toward him. “The collapse of the Marquez cartel is complete. Their offshore accounts are under your control.”

Another added, “Luciano DeLuca has been moving aggressively. He’s consolidating his allies in Europe. It may touch your business, sooner or later.”

At that, Jax’s jaw ticked slightly, though his expression remained unreadable. Luciano — the man Damon suspected him of cheating with. The man who had looked at him with curiosity that bordered on hunger. He brushed the thought aside and leaned back in his chair.

“And Damon?” Jax asked quietly, his tone sharp enough to cut glass.

A ripple of unease went through the room. One of the men cleared his throat. “Still moving around with Eli. They’ve been… more closer lately.”

The ache flared again, but Jax only smiled — a cold, razor-edged smile. “Good. Keep watching. The moment I say so, I want everything. Pictures. Recordings. Proof that can end them both if I choose.”

“Yes, Kingmaker.”

The room bowed slightly as he rose, dismissing them. Power, wealth, loyalty — he had it all in his grasp. Yet as he ascended to his private chamber, the emptiness pressed harder. Damon had his body. Eli had his loyalty. And Luciano… Luciano was circling like a predator in the dark.

For the first time, Jax wondered which was more dangerous: losing his empire, or losing the last pieces of his heart.