All Chapters of The Son-in-law: Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
117 chapters
The First Trace
Chapter Eleven: Dawn hadn’t yet broken, but the city was already stirring, mist curling around street lamps like ghostly fingers. Billy and Evelyn slipped through narrow alleys, the Luoshen secured in a reinforced case that hummed faintly with protective energy. Each step felt heavier than the last, weighed down by anticipation, fear, and the knowledge that they were now in deeper waters than ever before.Billy’s mind was a storm. Every clue they had gathered from Liam’s recent heists pointed to someone far smarter, far more dangerous than the reckless man they had been chasing. Someone orchestrating events from the shadows, someone who could anticipate moves, manipulate outcomes, and leave destruction in their wake without ever revealing themselves.“We need information,” Billy murmured, his eyes scanning the dim, rain-slick streets. “Not hints. Not warnings. The source.”Evelyn’s hand gripped his arm. “We start with Liam. He’s careless, he leaves traces. He’ll lead us somewhere—or
Fractured Loyalties
Chapter Twelve: The city was waking, but the morning was far from calm. Fog clung stubbornly to the streets, curling around streetlamps and fire escapes. Billy moved through the alleys with Evelyn at his side, the Luoshen secured in its reinforced case. Every step was a measured risk; every shadow a potential ambush.“This network isn’t random,” Evelyn whispered, her eyes scanning the cracked walls and debris-strewn alley. “Liam is just one thread. Whoever is behind this knows exactly how far we can go.”Billy’s jaw tightened. “And they’re watching. Waiting. Calculating.” He had felt the pull of Monsieur’s unseen hand before—the meticulous planning, the traps, the messages. Each clue led to a larger, more sinister design.Meanwhile, across town, Tyla paced her apartment, phone clutched tightly. The weight of her decisions pressed on her: the failed company loans, her erratic behavior, and the looming presence of Billy—whose sudden disappearance from her life had left a void she hadn’
The close call
Chapter Fourteen: The fog clung to the city like a living thing—heavy, deliberate, swallowing the night one breath at a time. It coiled around lampposts and drifted across the cracked pavement, muting the hum of distant engines. Billy crouched low behind a stack of rusted crates, breath steady but eyes alive with fire. Every sound felt amplified—the faraway honk of a car, the whisper of wind against metal, Evelyn’s heartbeat trembling close to his shoulder.“Are you sure this is the place?” Evelyn murmured, voice barely more than breath. Her fingers tightened on the silver case against her chest—the Luoshen case, the one so many had bled for.Billy’s jaw locked, eyes fixed on the warehouse ahead. “It has to be. The ledger trail ends here. If we’re wrong, we won’t get another chance.”The warehouse loomed in front of them like a sleeping beast. Its windows were black, save for the occasional flicker of movement inside—men pacing, shadows shifting. Liam’s crew. Efficient, quiet, unboth
ECHOES OF DECEPTION
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: The warehouse was silent, except for the low hum of distant machinery and Billy’s pulse thudding in his ears. His hands were slick with sweat as he examined the faint scratches along the edge of the crate. The Luoshen lay inside, wrapped in velvet, but its presence felt heavier than stone. It wasn’t just an artifact—it was a curse dressed as a masterpiece.Evelyn crouched beside him, flashlight trembling slightly in her grip. Her voice was soft, urgent. “We shouldn’t be here this long. If Liam’s men find out—”“They won’t,” Billy cut in, eyes fixed on the crate. His tone was calm, but the tension around his mouth betrayed him.Moonlight filtered through cracked glass windows, throwing slanted beams across the dusty floor. Every shadow seemed alive—watching, listening. Billy’s instincts screamed that something was wrong. This place wasn’t abandoned. It was being observed.“Look,” Evelyn whispered suddenly, brushing aside a corner of the velvet lining. Beneath it, some
SHATTERED FACADES
CHAPTER SIXTHTEEN: The rain traced silver streaks down the glass, blurring the city into a smear of light and shadow. Billy stood by the window, his reflection a ghost superimposed over the skyline. He looked calm, but calm was a lie—underneath it was an ache that pulsed like a second heartbeat.The Luoshen sat in the corner of his office, its velvet cover still damp from the fog. Beside it lay the metallic box, its engravings glinting faintly in the lamplight. He hadn’t opened it again since that night. Not because he was afraid of what it held—but because he knew once he did, there would be no turning back.His phone buzzed sharply, vibrating against the table. Tyla.He let it ring twice before answering. “Billy here.”Her voice was soft, almost trembling. “I… I didn’t think you’d pick up.”“I almost didn’t,” he said flatly. “You don’t usually call without a reason.”There was a pause. Rain pattered harder against her silence. Then: “The company’s back on its feet. Whatever you did
THE VEIL OF LIES
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: The city breathed in shadows that night, its veins pulsing with mist and secrets. Billy pressed his back against the damp brick wall, the Luoshen crate gripped tight under his arm, while Evelyn’s hand steadied him. Her pulse matched his, rapid and unrelenting. The alley stretched before them, dimly lit, where every echo could be a footstep, every flicker of light a signal.“Do you think they’re following us?” Evelyn whispered, her voice nearly drowned by the distant hum of traffic.Billy didn’t answer immediately. He was listening — to the city, to the silence, to his own instincts sharpened by too many close calls. His mind mapped the exits, the potential threats, the patterns in the fog. “Assume they are,” he said finally. “That way we won’t be surprised when they show up.”Evelyn’s gaze flicked toward him, sharp and worried. “You’re thinking of Tyla and Alice again, aren’t you?”His expression darkened. “I’m thinking about everyone who’s underestimated me. Every
CONFRONTING SHADOWS
Chapter Eighteen: The city didn’t sleep — it prowled. Every flicker of neon across rain-slick streets felt like a pulse. Every echo in the fog whispered something Billy couldn’t quite catch. He moved through it like a ghost who refused to rest, Evelyn a few steps behind, the Luoshen’s weight a constant reminder that the night still had debts to collect.“You think that man told us everything?” Evelyn’s voice cut through the quiet, low but edged with suspicion.Billy’s gaze swept the rooftops, his breath visible in the cold air. “No. He told us enough to keep us breathing. That’s all people like him ever do.”They moved through the alley’s maze until the scent of salt and rust told him they’d reached the docks. The water slapped against corroded steel, the tide restless beneath the ghostly light. A derelict warehouse stood ahead, its windows fractured, a single bulb swinging from the ceiling like a tired pendulum. Every sway made the shadows shift — alive, unpredictable.The hooded ma
CONFRONTING SHADOWS
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: The city didn’t sleep — it prowled. Every flicker of neon across rain-slick streets felt like a pulse. Every echo in the fog whispered something Billy couldn’t quite catch. He moved through it like a ghost who refused to rest, Evelyn a few steps behind, the Luoshen’s weight a constant reminder that the night still had debts to collect.“You think that man told us everything?” Evelyn’s voice cut through the quiet, low but edged with suspicion.Billy’s gaze swept the rooftops, his breath visible in the cold air. “No. He told us enough to keep us breathing. That’s all people like him ever do.”They moved through the alley’s maze until the scent of salt and rust told him they’d reached the docks. The water slapped against corroded steel, the tide restless beneath the ghostly light. A derelict warehouse stood ahead, its windows fractured, a single bulb swinging from the ceiling like a tired pendulum. Every sway made the shadows shift — alive, unpredictable.The hooded ma
THE SECRETS UNRAVELED
CHAPTER NINETEEN:Dawn seeped into the city like a rumor—soft, persistent, unstoppable. The safehouse smelled of old coffee and paper; screens threw pale light across a table crowded with files. Billy set the Luoshen crate down as if it were a sleeping thing, and for a moment the room was completely silent. The carved lines that had meant nothing to a casual eye now felt like a ledger of deliberate choices. His father had left him a puzzle. Someone had rewritten the margins.Evelyn crouched beside him, tracing a line with a fingertip. “This portion isn’t original,” she said. “Four pieces added later. Someone tampered with the pattern after your father left it.”Twelve years. The number landed in Billy like a thrown stone. He remembered the game boards in his father’s study, the patient way his father had moved stones across the board as if teaching him to see cause before effect. “They expected me to miss it,” Billy said, throat tight. “They planned for my ignorance.”Tyla’s hand shoo
THE RECKONING
CHAPTER TWENTY: Rain broke over the city in long, silver sheets as if the sky itself tried to wash the night clean. Sirens threaded through the streets like a secondary heartbeat. Billy moved with purpose, the Luoshen tucked against his side, its weight a steady presence against his ribs. They had forced the web into light; now they had to hold the line.The compound’s interior smelled of warm electronics and oil. Screens that had once mapped shadows now displayed the unraveling they had caused. Monsieur stood at the central console, an island of composed control despite the breach. He watched them with the eye of someone who had rehearsed defeat before it came. The man’s mask was thin but perfectly placed.“You’ve exposed threads,” he said. “Do you think exposure dismantles structure? Men reassemble. Power rebuilds.”“We’re not here to watch it reassemble,” Billy replied. “We’re here to make sure it can’t go right back to business.”Monsieur’s smile was patient. “Ambition can be adm