Revenge is best served cold (Jane and Jeremiah novel Chapter 1884

As I walked further down this road, it became crystal clear who I truly was. I was Wesley's son, the illegitimate child hidden away from the light. My mother fell victim to the whispers and rumors, and I was never meant to have a legitimate identity. My only choice was to numb myself and fulfill my father's dream—the dream of the Tredgold family. Only then could I openly claim my place as my father's son. That seemed to be my lifelong mission.

Sophie helped me see myself, yet all I yearned for was to be known as his son. In the unnoticed corners of her world, I'd often watch Sophie, captivated. She reminded me of a butterfly breaking free from its chrysalis, struggling for so long within it. Wasn't that just like a phoenix rising from the ashes? I cared about her deeply; losing her was not an option. She was the light I wished to walk towards, but I was stuck on a path shrouded in darkness.

The Silent Shadows kept my days simple, tasks I could do with my eyes closed. By day, I played the role of her confidant and famous friend, a superstar everyone knew. By night, I became the executioner lurking in the shadows. I witnessed those powerful business moguls, who once challenged Sophie, kneel before me. My immaculate white performance suit remained spotless, yet the dirty blood on their hands tainted it and stained my soul.

“Boss, how should we deal with this?” asked my right-hand man.

“Bury them,” I replied coolly. “The world has no need for people like them.”

Just another soul lost to the darkness. I gazed at the harbor's black sea, like a beast ready to swallow the city whole. Yet, come daylight, the sea turned a brilliant blue, as if it could wash away all the world's sins.

During S Corporation's toughest times, Sophie looked me in the eye, calling me the backbone of the company. The future rested on my shoulders. I knew she wanted me to expand overseas, to take S Corporation global. I agreed without hesitation, momentarily forgetting what going abroad truly meant. It meant returning to the sinful city I knew too well. It meant Sophie and I would drift apart. The Reece who would return wouldn’t be her trusted ally anymore, but her toughest rival.

There were countless moments I wanted to reveal my true identity to Sophie. But when the words came to the tip of my tongue, all I could manage was an “okay.” I was the one who had wronged her. In secret, I used my position to solve her problems, one by one. The more I helped, the closer I came to exposing myself. Sophie straightforwardly handed over S Corporation shares to me, leaving everything in my hands. She laughed, calling us partners in battle, yet her seriousness was unmistakable.

I had to remind myself, Sophie's partner was Reece, the one she catapulted to fame fresh out of college. Not the heir to The Silent Shadows, hiding behind a false identity, deceiving the world. During those times, it felt like I was adrift in a vast, silent black sea, with nothing around me, struggling alone at its center. But in my heart, the scales of black and white had already tilted. I longed for a life of my own. But how could I… when that man was my father? I couldn't turn my back on him.