All Chapters of They Buried Me Alive, I Rose As A King: Chapter 31
- Chapter 40
95 chapters
31. Unstoppable
The three weeks leading up to the wedding were filled with so many activities ranging from floral consultations to whispered negotiations. Lucas had moved with surgical precision, turning what could have been a rushed affair into a polished spectacle that screamed elegance and power. The invitation was embossed on heavy cream cardstock with gold foil edging and went out overnight via express courier. Two hundred guests including a curated mix of Manhattan elite, political heavyweights, union bosses and media moguls who owed favors. No plus-one was allowed unless they were vetted. And there were no cameras either except for the official photographer, who had signed an NDA thicker than a phone book.Victoria Jordan orchestrated the logistics from her study as she barked orders into her phone. The dress fitting was at Vera Wang’s private atelier, where Evelyn tried on an off-the-shoulder A-line gown with pearl beading. A Dutch importer over the flowering of white roses, orchids, and hy
32. Alternative
One week after the wedding, the city still buzzed with the afterglow of Lucas Stevens and Evelyn Jordan’s union. The Plaza reception photos had dominated the society pages for days, Evelyn was radiant in Vera Wang and Lucas was beaming like a man who had just locked in the keys to Manhattan’s political machine. The Post ran a full-color spread with the headline “A New Dynasty Begins.” The Times called it “a strategic alliance wrapped in romance.” And the Polls reflected the narrative shift, Lucas had pulled ahead by seven points in Manhattan, his lead in the Democratic primary now looking all but insurmountable. Isaac Jones’s campaign manager had quietly admitted in a late-night call that the wedding had “cemented the old-guard vote.” There was no realistic path for Isaac to overtake Lucas before the June primary.Bradley sat alone in the Astoria bungalow’s kitchen his laptop was open as usual as stared at the latest internal polling memo Isaac had forwarded at 2 a.m. Maya was pe
33. Public appearance
It is now two weeks before the primary election and New York City felt like a pressure cooker with the lid rattling. Campaign signs sprouted on every lamppost, volunteers in branded T-shirts flooded subway stations, and television screens looped the same attack ads in endless rotation. Lucas Stevens returned from his honeymoon tanned, rested and radiating the kind of quiet confidence that came from knowing the math now favored him heavily. The wedding had done extremely above what he intended, it locked Manhattan behind him like a vault door. Internal polling showed him at 61% citywide in the Democratic primary and Isaac Jones trailing at 33%, with the rest scattered among minor candidates. The gap was no longer bridgeable in fourteen days. Lucas’s team had already shifted tone, there were less aggressive attacks on Isaac with more forward-looking.Bradley watched it all from the shadows of the Astoria bungalow, his laptop screen ever reflecting in his eyes while Maya slept down the
34. The next phase begins
The Democratic primary results rolled in on a humid June night, the numbers final and unchangeable. Lucas Stevens claimed victory with 59% of the vote while Isaac Jones finished a distant second at 35%, the remaining share splintered among minor candidates. The general election was now set and it would be Lucas versus the Republican nominee in November. The wedding bump, the Jordan alliance, the polished media narrative all of them had worked in his favor. Manhattan had locked behind Lucas like a steel door and the outer boroughs hadn’t shifted enough to close the gap. Isaac’s campaign had fought hard, but the math never lied.Bradley watched the concession speech from the Astoria bungalow, the muted TV casted blue light across the living room. Maya slept down the hall. Isaac appeared on screen promising to “keep fighting for the people of New York.” There was no course for bitterness. Just a nod to the voters as a sign of thanking them for their support and a quiet pledge to stay i
35. Retribution plans
A month had passed since the primary and its dust was settling as the city moved on with news headlines shifting to the general-election buildup, the summer heat settled over the sidewalks and the wedding photos of Lucas and Evelyn had faded from daily rotation into occasional “where are they now” society recaps. Lucas Stevens, now the Democratic nominee, was cruising toward November with a comfortable lead in early polls. Isaac Jones, though defeated in the primary, had emerged stronger than expected, his second-place finish gave him a platform, a donor base and a narrative as the principled fighter who refused to fade. The rematch was already being whispered about in Albany corridors.But in the Jordan estate, time moved differently as the loss still stung.Leo Jordan sat in his bedroom suite on the third floor with the blinds half-drawn against the late-July sun. The room smelled faintly of bourbon and stale cigar smoke. Also a half-empty bottle stood on the nightstand beside a c
36. The shadow strategist
The bell rang at exactly 8:05 a.m., echoing across the small courtyard of P.S. 122, the public elementary school in Astoria that Bradley had chosen for Maya. It was a brick building with wide windows, colorful murals hung on the walls and the playground smelled faintly of rubber mulch and chalk. It was nothing fancy or but it was close, safe and full of kids who looked like they belonged to the neighborhood. Bradley had walked her here every morning for the past three weeks since the beginning of the term.Maya was nine now, her birthday had come and gone quietly in August, just the two of them with a homemade cake and candles she blew out while wishing for “more unicorns and Daddy forever.” It has been six months since the mirage foster order of the court and she was healing, the bright, curious girl he remembered was coming back, piece by piece.Today she wore a new blue dress made of simple cotton reaching knee-length with tiny white stars and sneakers she’d picked out herself. H
37. Inside man
On a Tuesday morning, Bradley stood at the counter in the kitchen as he poured two mugs of coffee, one which he'd take that morning and the other one for the travel thermos he would take with him when he leaves in twenty minutes. Maya sat at the small table, swinging her legs while coloring a new unicorn with metallic silver wings. School had become a routine now, with friends like Lila, recess jump-rope games and a teacher who praised her art. So the shadows of the Jordan estate had mostly faded from her memory.Bradley set the thermos down and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be back before dinner. Mrs. Rivera will be picking you up today. You’ve got your keychain?”Maya lifted the purple unicorn keychain clipped to her backpack. So she touched it as she replied, “Right here, Daddy. And I won’t talk to strangers.”“Good girl.” He hugged her once more before stepping out.Then the burner phone buzzed as he reached the car. It was Isaac.**There's a meeting at the Long Island City
38. Inner circle shadow
Nick Payne adjusted his tie in the rearview mirror of his beat-up Honda Civic after he parked two blocks from Lucas Stevens’ campaign headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. The building was a sleek glass tower on Third Avenue with the “Stevens for Mayor” banner draped across the lobby entrance. It was his third week on the job as logistics coordinator, a role that sounded glamorous but mostly involved coordinating deliveries, setting up event spaces, and handling the endless stream of flyers, buttons and yard signs. He had gotten the gig through a quiet tip from Bradley that included a forged resume emphasizing his “organizational skills from previous administrative roles,” there was no mention of Rikers or his overturned conviction.He stepped out of the car and smoothed his cheap suit jacket and walked the remaining distance to the building. The security guard at the door nodded as he walked by. Nick was familiar to them now and was tagged as the reliable guy who showed up early and s
39. The debate showdown
Bradley sat in the quiet kitchen of his bungalow with only the light visible was that which came from the laptop screen and the faint glow of a streetlight through the window. Maya had been asleep for hours. Tonight wasn’t about polls or rallies, it was about the first televised debate of Lucas Stevens versus Isaac Jones that will be airing live on NY1 at 8 p.m. and will be moderated by the veteran anchor Rachel Kim. It would be a ninety minute showdown that could swing undecided voters in Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island to precincts where Isaac still held a narrow edge.Bradley’s burner phone sat beside a fresh mug of coffee. Nick Payne’s first intel drop had arrived at 11:32 p.m. the night before and it was devastatingly useful even though Bradley had read it three times already.The system had chimed immediately after he got the message and it had amplified the details of the next set of actions Bradley should take, giving him precise instruction.[Quest: Inside Man – Progress
40. Final push
The final week before Election Day finally arrived and the tension was much throughout the whole of New York City as everyone was waiting for the verdict. The polling stations were prepped, GOTV teams ran final lists, and both campaigns burned through the last of their ad budgets in a frantic sprint.Bradley stood in the kitchen of the Astoria bungalow with a cup of coffee cooling in his hand while watching Maya pack her backpack for school. She hummed softly as she zipped the bag, oblivious to the weight of the day outside these walls.“Daddy, you’ll be here when I get back?” she asked, looking up.Bradley crouched to her level. “Of course I will. I promise.”She hugged him and then ran out the door to meet Lila and her mom for the walk to P.S. 122.Bradley watched her go and after she was out of sight, he then turned back to the laptop as the system interface glowed steadily in his vision.[Quest: Shadow Empire – Final Phase Complete][All sub-objectives fulfilled.][Rewards Grante