Novels by The Heirless

"Then we will handle it," Marcus said. He made the decision even as doubts screamed at him from every direction. "Regardless of paternity, regardless of how complicated this looks, we will make sure you and that baby have everything you need.""Marcus, you don't owe me anything. After what I did, and after how my family treated you, you have every right to walk away and let me figure this out alone." Victoria was crying now, tears falling despite her attempts to maintain composure. "I wouldn't blame you. I don't deserve your help.""This isn't about what you deserve. It's about what is right." Marcus pulled out his phone, already planning."You need better medical care than you are getting. I want the best obstetrician in the city and a hospital that specializes in high-risk pregnancies. We need every advantage to ensure this baby is healthy.""I cannot afford that. I am barely making rent on a receptionist salary." Victoria wiped her eyes with napkins from the dispenser. "Marcus, I ap

Marcus stared at his coffee as a thin layer of oil formed on the surface of the cold liquid. Victoria continued to speak with a steady voice that contradicted the visible tremor in her fingers. She traced specific dates on a paper napkin with a ballpoint pen."It happened the night before Judge Richardson finalized the decree," Victoria said, her focus remaining strictly on the napkin instead of meeting Marcus's gaze. "We had met to sign the closing documents at the office of Margaret Chen. Surely you remember that evening. You walked me out to the sidewalk and we just stood there because neither of us knew how to articulate a final goodbye after five years of marriage."Marcus remembered. They had gone to a nearby bar that neither of them had ever visited, an anonymous space where they could grieve the death of their union without the burden of public scrutiny."We were both intoxicated," Marcus said in a low tone."We eventually went back to my hotel room, the small suite I rented a

Victor stood guard at the entrance of the Queens warehouse after accompanying Marcus."Your father is waiting inside," Victor said."He has been pacing for the better part of an hour.""Is this another lecture, Victor? Another sermon on the necessity of ruthlessness?""It is more complicated than that." Victor leaned in. "There is a man in there. He was caught skimming from the Laurent operations. Your father intends for you to settle the account personally."A cold weight settled in the pit of Marcus’s stomach. "Settle it how, exactly?""In the manner of the old guard." Victor met his gaze, and for a fleeting second, Marcus detected a trace of genuine regret. "I attempted to dissuade him. I argued that your work with the Castellanos and the Council had already established your value. But he is convinced that you require this specific education, and he has no intention of letting you walk out of that door until the lesson is finished."Stark work lights beat down on a man bound to a re

The video arrived in Marcus's inbox at 2 AM, forwarded through a dozen encrypted servers before landing with the subject line "THE TRUTH ABOUT MARCUS LAURENT." Victor called ninety seconds later."Don't watch it alone," Victor said. "I'm coming to your hotel."But Marcus had already clicked play, and Daniel's face filled his screen."My name is Daniel Laurent," the video began, Daniel's voice steady despite the wildness in his eyes. "And I'm here to tell you the truth about my brother Marcus, the man who's been pretending to be a legitimate heir to our father's empire while playing college boy games with real criminals' lives."The video quality was professional. Behind his brother, Marcus could see concrete walls and exposed pipes."Marcus Laurent isn't one of us," Daniel continued. "He's a Harvard-educated coward who thinks he can run a criminal empire through spreadsheets and blackmail instead of through strength and respect. He let Luca Castellano live because he doesn't have the

Robert walked to the window, staring out at the jagged, glittering skyline of Manhattan. Marcus watched his father's reflection in the glass, seeing the gears of a predatory mind at work as he calculated the cost of compliance."The operations you want to cut represent about sixty million in annual turnover," Robert said eventually. "You are asking me to amputate a vital limb of this empire for the sake of your conscience.""I am asking you to eliminate the high-risk variables that lead to federal indictments. Eight percent is a small price to pay for longevity." Marcus stepped closer, his voice dropping an octave. "You cannot stay ahead of the FBI forever. Removing the most scrutinized industries gives the Laurent family a future. It is basic risk management."Robert turned back, and for the first time, Marcus saw a flicker of genuine respect in his father's eyes. "You aren't arguing from a place of morality. You are arguing from a place of sustainability. That is a sophisticated piv

"By all means." Robert gestured toward the ivory telephone sitting on the mahogany desk with a flourish that felt entirely too practiced. "Though I suspect you will find the coming conversation profoundly unsatisfying. She will undoubtedly offer a desperate justification or claim she orchestrated this betrayal for your own benefit. Parents possess a remarkable talent for rationalizing the way they dismantle the lives of their children."Marcus dialed the secure number Elena had provided him months ago. She answered before the second ring concluded, her voice thick with a maternal concern that now felt like a carefully rehearsed script."Marcus? Thank God. Victor informed me that Robert summoned you to the gallery. Are you safe?""Did you do it?" Marcus asked, his voice sounding flat and hollow even to his own ears. "Did you provide him with my location when I attempted to disappear? Did you tell him about Victoria?"The silence on the other end of the line stretched out, heavy and suf

Rafe finally stood up and dragged himself toward the sink and splashed cold water on his face, watching the pink-tinted drops fall into the basin. His reflection stared back, hollow eyes, bruised lip, jaw tight with exhaustion.He had almost died a few minutes ago.He pushed away from the mirror, pacing.It wasn’t just humiliation anymore. They actually wanted him gone.Then, a faint chime.The air in the room seemed to hum. Rafe froze. The reflection in the window flickered, then the System appeared again, lettering glowing faint blue across the glass.[SYSTEM ALERT: USER EXPOSED TOO EARLY] Threat Level: Critical. Observation Detected – Multiple Entities.Recommendation: Relocation Required.Rafe blinked hard, his breath catching. “What do you mean exposed?” he muttered. “You’re saying people know… about you?”The text pulsed.System: “Attention has been drawn to your sudden rise, Rafe Miller. Visibility threatens continuity.”Rafe rubbed his temples, forcing himself to think. His

London had a strange way of going quiet after midnight.The rain had stopped hours ago, but the streets still glistened under the orange lamplight, slick and reflective like sheets of glass.Rafe crossed the bridge toward South Bank, the faint hum of the Thames beneath him.His new suit hung perfectly, the expensive fabric hugging his shoulders, a small, quiet reminder that the man walking home tonight was not the same one who once bowed to the Li family’s insults.He felt lighter somehow.Not happy, just… focused.Every step brought him closer to something he couldn’t yet name.His phone buzzed in his pocket.[Sub-Alert: Unusual Movement Detected.]Rafe frowned. “Unusual movement?” he murmured.He stopped at the end of the bridge and glanced behind him. The street was mostly empty, a delivery van passing in the distance, a couple huddled under an umbrella, a lone cyclist gliding past.Everything looked normal.He shrugged it off and kept walking.By the time he reached the narrow str

The bell above the door chimed softly as Rafe turned toward the voice.Jacob Levi stood near the entrance of the luxury store, grinning like he owned the place. His navy suit was crisp, his tie knotted perfectly, and his eyes carried that same glint of entitlement Rafe remembered too well.“Rafe Miller,” Jacob drawled, walking closer with that slow, confident stride of someone who never once doubted the ground beneath him. “Didn’t expect to see you here. Lost, are we?”Rafe didn’t respond. He simply adjusted the jacket he was holding, his fingers brushing the fine wool fabric.Jacob laughed, shaking his head. “You always were full of surprises. From begging your wife for lunch money to browsing Hartmann suits? What’s next, a yacht?”Rafe exhaled through his nose, calm. The insults didn’t sting anymore. They just sounded small.“I heard about you,” Jacob continued, stepping closer until their reflections shared the same mirror. “The disgrace of the Li family. Raising a small dying cafe

Rain returned the following morning.It always did in London, falling in slow, apologetic sheets that blurred everything into grey.Rafe sat by the window of his modest South Bank flat, the glow of his laptop screen reflecting off the mug of black coffee beside him. The city outside hummed faintly, buses growling, footsteps splashing through puddles, a siren in the distance.On his screen, a spreadsheet blinked back at him.Company names. Stock prices. Notes scribbled like scattered thoughts.Finance for beginners, the title of the tab read.He leaned back and rubbed his eyes. Two weeks ago, he wouldn’t have cared about the importance of a portfolio. Now, he was consuming everything he could, equity, valuation, market trends, leverage ratios.Not because he suddenly adored numbers.But because numbers were the language of those who had ridiculed him. Those he wanted to crush.Clara’s father had once scoffed across their dinner table, his voice dripping with disdain.“You wouldn’t last

Rafe cursed under his breath, “Who the hell are you?” and chased after him.The rain hit the pavement in silver sheets as he burst through the cafe door.“Rafe? Where are you going?!”He ignored Amara’s calls, his attention drilled to one person. The system user.“Hey!” Rafe called out. The man didn’t stop.He moved fast, dancing through the crowd like smoke, slipping between pedestrians and puddles with so much precision.Rafe followed, shoving past people, ignoring their protests. His shoes splashed through puddles, breath clouding in the cold air.The man turned down a narrow side street, glancing back once, his eyes glowing faintly blue.Rafe’s pulse spiked. He really is a System user too.“Stop!” Rafe shouted. “You— you know about it, don’t you?”The man didn’t respond. Instead, he darted across the street as a car honked, brakes screeching inches away.Rafe barely cleared the next lane, his jacket sleeve brushing against a side mirror. His lungs burned, but adrenaline drowned mo

The rain had stopped by morning, leaving London wrapped in a grey haze.The streets glistened, buses hissed through puddles, and Rafe moved quietly among the crowd, just another face in the city that had already forgotten him.He stopped by a lamppost to check his phone.A faint blue flicker appeared in his vision.[SYSTEM MISSION #2: PROVE YOUR WORTH]Objective: Earn £10,000 profit in 48 hours without using System money.Reward: unknown.Penalty: Balance deduction – £1,000,000.He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. “No pressure, huh?”Two days. No System funds.Just him, and his brain.And honestly comparing it to what he faced in the Li’s house, it was nothing.By afternoon, he wandered through South Bank’s quieter streets, the ones where old shops clung to life between shiny glass towers. Thaat’s when he saw it: “CLOSING DOWN SALE – 3 DAYS LEFT”, printed across the dusty window of a small café.He paused. The place looked dead — lights dimmed, furniture stacked near t