All Chapters of Phoenix Heart: The Last Heir: Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
29 chapters
CHAPTER 11: The Loud One
Gabriel's hands were on fire and his body was coiled to attack. Whoever had broken into the mansion was about to learn what happened when you threatened him.The Phoenix Heart was responding to his anger, feeding it and making it grow."Master Gabriel, wait!" Alfred shouted, stepping between Gabriel and the doorway with his hands raised. "Don't attack. That's my son!"The words took a second to register. Gabriel's brain was still in fight mode and the fire was still burning, but he managed to pull back just enough that he wasn't actively launching flames at whoever was coming through the door.A man appeared in the doorway. He was tall, blonde and annoyingly good-looking in the way that made Gabriel instantly dislike him.He was wearing expensive clothes that looked like they cost more than most cars, and he had a huge grin on his face like breaking into houses was the most fun thing he had done all week."Dad," His voice was loud enough to echo through the whole mansion. "I'm home.
CHAPTER 12: The Training Begins
Gabriel spent the next three days learning about shell companies, offshore accounts and legal documents that made his head hurt.By the end of each day, he wanted to set something on fire just to feel like himself again, but Alfred insisted that understanding the financial empire was just as important as learning to control the Phoenix Heart.Xavier made everything worse by asking questions every five minutes and making jokes that nobody laughed at.He constantly kept calling Gabriel by that stupid nickname that made his eye twitch.On the fourth morning, Alfred declared that the financial education was complete for now and it was time to move on to physical training.Gabriel felt relief flood through him because sitting in a room staring at screens was slowly driving him insane."The Phoenix Heart gives you power," Alfred said over breakfast. "But power means nothing if you don't have the strength and health to use it properly. Your body is the vessel and if the vessel is weak, then
CHAPTER 13: The Training Continues
Xavier's smile got wider and there was something in his eyes now that looked almost dangerous."Oh, Gab. You have no idea what you just started." He drawled.Alfred appeared in the doorway with a cup of tea and settled into a chair in the corner like he was about to watch a show."Remember this is just sparring," Alfred added, taking a sip of his tea. "No permanent damage, please.""No promises." Xavier answered, a wide grin gracing his features.Gabriel rolled his shoulders and bounced on his feet, feeling confident because he had spent years dodging cops, security guards and other thieves who wanted what he had stolen.He was fast and scrappy and Xavier might have training, but he had experience.This was going to be easy."Rules are simple," Xavier said. "No powers. No weapons. The first person to tap out or get pinned for three seconds loses. Sounds good?""Sounds perfect." They moved to the center of the mat, facing each other and Xavier's whole posture changed.Suddenly, he did
CHAPTER 14: Building The Plan
Gabriel hit the mat for the fifteenth time that morning, and his whole body ached. His pride was somewhere underneath the training equipment, buried and forgotten.Xavier stood over him looking barely winded while Gabriel could hardly breathe."Getting better," He said, offering his hand again. "You lasted almost thirty seconds that time."Gabriel took the hand because his legs were shaking too much to get up on his own and Xavier pulled him to his feet like he weighed nothing."I hate you." He gasped, unable to get his words out properly."Everyone says that at first," Xavier said cheerfully. "Give it a few more weeks and you'll only hate me a little bit."The worst part was that Xavier had been right about everything. He had spent the last two weeks getting his butt kicked every single day and learning just how much he didn't know about real fighting.Xavier was fast and precise and could read Gabriel's moves before he even made them. No matter what Gabriel tried, he ended up on the
CHAPTER 15: Inside The Tower
Gabriel stood outside Hale Tower and looked up at the sixty stories of glass and steel that should have been his birthright.Instead, it had become a monument to everything Siegel had stolen. The building looked tired and dirty in the morning light with windows that hadn't been cleaned in years and cracks in the concrete near the entrance.His father had built this and Siegel had let it rot.Gabriel adjusted the backpack on his shoulder, walking through the front doors. The lobby was worse up close with peeling paint, flickering lights and a smell that reminded him of the shelters he used to sleep in when the streets got too dangerous.A security guard sat behind a desk near the elevators. He was reading a magazine and didn't look up when Gabriel approached."I'm here about the apartment on floor twelve." Gabriel said, adjusting the backpack on his shoulder.The guard grunted, pushing a clipboard across the desk."Sign in. Cash only for rent. First and last month plus deposit. No pets
CHAPTER 16: The Enforcer
Gabriel spent more hours watching, documenting, and learning every corner of Hale Tower, and the pattern became clear after enough observation.Every monday and wednesday night, men in suits would arrive at specific apartments and leave with briefcases that looked heavy and full.The building manager would always be conveniently absent during these visits.The name that kept coming up was Kroger. Gabriel heard it whispered in hallways and mentioned in hushed conversations between tenants who looked nervous when they said it.Margaret had warned him to stay away from that man because he was dangerous in ways that went beyond just muscle.Gabriel finally saw Kroger on a Wednesday morning when a notice appeared on every floor saying there would be a mandatory tenant meeting in the lobby at six pm.Failure to attend would result in immediate eviction and Gabriel knew this was his chance to see the man running Siegel's operation up close.He texted Alfred about the meeting and Alfred's res
CHAPTER 17: The Lawyer
Gabriel found Kroger's office on the third floor in a section of the building that had been closed off to tenants and there was a sign on the door that said Building Management Authorized Personnel Only.Gabriel knocked twice before a voice told him to come in.The office was nicer than anything else in Hale Tower. It had actual furniture that wasn't falling apart and a desk that looked expensive, file cabinets lining one wall and a window that had been cleaned recently and offered a view of downtown Chicago.Gabriel noticed immediately that there were no cameras inside which meant Kroger didn't want any record of what happened in this room.Kroger sat behind the desk, looking up from some papers he had been reading. His smile was the same as yesterday but his eyes were calculating and cold."Mr Martinez," Kroger said. "Right on time. Have a seat."Gabriel sat in the chair across from the desk and kept his posture relaxed even though every instinct was telling him to run. The Phoenix
CHAPTER 18: The Intruder
The woman's eyes were cold when she looked at Gabriel. They moved faraway from Kroger’s office and it was clear that she had something to say to him.Her mouth was pressed into a thin line like she had tasted something bitter and he could feel the hostility radiating off her in waves."So you're one of Kroger's people," She sneered. Her voice had an edge to it that could cut glass. "I should have known. You look exactly like the type he would hire."Gabriel blinked because he had no idea what this woman was talking about and why she seemed to hate him already."I don't work for Kroger." He stated, his eyes narrowing instantly."Right," The woman said, disbelief evident in her voice as she crossed her arms. "That's why you were in his office, having a private meeting and looking very cozy with the man who terrorizes half this building.""It wasn't cozy," Gabriel’s eyes narrowed even more. "He threatened to throw me in the river.""Good," She spat, glaring daggers at him. "Maybe he'll f
CHAPTER 19: Unlikely Alliance
Gabriel stared at Ariel and she stared back at him. For a long moment, neither of them said anything.The only sound was their heavy breathing and the hum of the building's ancient heating system."What are you doing here?" Gabriel asked slowly, not taking his eyes off her even for a second."What are YOU doing here?" Ariel shot back, trying to pull away, but he still had her pinned against the wall."I asked first.""I don't answer to thugs," Ariel’s eyes blazed even in the darkness."I'm not a thug," Gabriel said for the hundreth time that day. "And you broke into this office same as me, so maybe we're both after the same thing."Ariel stopped struggling, looking at him with suspicion and calculation."Let me go." "Not until you tell me what you're doing here.""Breaking and entering apparently," Ariel scoffed, rolling her eyes "Same as you. Now let me go or I'll scream and bring every security guard in this building running."Gabriel considered this and realized she had a point. A
CHAPTER 20: First Victory
Gabriel woke up to sirens, and his first thought was that Kroger had found him, but then, he began hearing shouting and people running in the hallways.He got up, looked out the window, and saw police cars surrounding Hale Tower with their lights flashing red and blue against the morning sky.His phone rang, and he instantly grabbed it after seeing Alfred's name."It's happening," Alfred said before he could speak. "I filed the ownership claim an hour ago and sent all the evidence to the authorities. They're moving in now."Gabriel watched through the window as police officers poured into the building. His heart was pounding because this was really happening. After weeks of planning, they were finally taking the first step."What about Siegel?" Gabriel asked."His name is being kept out of it for now," Alfred said. "The media is reporting that Kroger and his associates were running an illegal operation, but Siegel's lawyers are already claiming he had no knowledge of what was happeni