2025-04-11 18:14:47Luxury Avenue was the kind of place Jackson had only ever walked past, never into. The massive glass windows displayed designer outfits with price tags that could feed an entire family for months. Everything about the place screamed wealth—gold-trimmed walls, velvet-carpeted floors, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling like something out of a royal palace. Even the air smelled expensive.
James and Andrew walked in confidently, dragging Jackson along. “Come on, bro, don’t overthink it. You deserve something nice,” Andrew said.
Jackson hesitated. “I know you guys don’t have this kind of money. Where’d you get it from?”
“Don’t worry about it,” James shrugged, but Jackson wasn’t letting it go.
After a bit of back-and-forth, they finally admitted it—they had been saving up their allowances for months to start a business after school, but seeing everything Jackson had gone through, they decided he needed the money more.
Jackson was speechless.
Fifteen thousand dollars wasn’t much in a place like Luxury Avenue, but to James and Andrew, it was everything. His chest tightened, and for the first time in a long while, he felt something other than shame—he felt valued.
Before he could say anything, a sharp voice interrupted them.
“What are you doing here?”
They turned to see a senior salesgirl approaching, her eyes scanning Jackson up and down like he was an insect that had wandered in by mistake. She acknowledged James and Andrew with a half-hearted nod but didn’t bother hiding her disdain for Jackson.
Jackson knew exactly what she was thinking. He didn’t belong here. His faded jeans, worn-out sneakers, and plain T-shirt screamed "broke." The cheapest item in this store was worth three thousand dollars—more than he usually had in his account.
James stepped in. “We’re shopping for our guy here.”
Julian, the salesgirl, scoffed. “Really?” Her tone dripped with sarcasm.
She didn’t stop them from entering, but she made it clear with every glare and suspicious glance that she was watching Jackson closely, expecting him to try something.
Ignoring her, the three of them explored the store, joking about ridiculously overpriced clothes and pretending to be interested in a silk shirt that cost as much as tuition for a semester. Jackson found himself actually enjoying the experience, despite the tension.
Then, the moment shattered.
A familiar voice rang out near the entrance, sweet but laced with entitlement.
“Tyler, can you get me that dress?”
Jackson’s stomach twisted.
Emily.
She walked in with Tyler, her manicured fingers already trailing over a gown on display. Tyler strolled beside her, acting like he owned the place.
The salesgirl’s attitude changed instantly. Julian practically ran to them, bowing her head slightly in respect. “Welcome, Mr. Tyler, Miss Emily. It’s so lovely to have you here.”
Emily beamed. “I saw this online and thought it would look perfect on me.”
“It would!” Julian gushed. “Let me get it in your size.”
Meanwhile, Jackson’s friends stiffened. They knew this wouldn’t end well.
“Let’s just pay and go,” James whispered.
They gathered the clothes they had chosen and started moving toward another sales counter to avoid Julian. They almost made it.
Almost.
Julian’s shrill voice rang through the store. “Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”
The room froze.
Customers turned. Employees turned.
Jackson turned red.
Julian stormed toward them, eyes locked on Jackson. “Trying to steal, are we?” she accused.
James and Andrew immediately protested, explaining that they were heading to another counter to pay. Julian wasn’t listening.
She grabbed Jackson by his shirt, her nails digging into his skin.
“Don’t touch him!” Andrew snapped.
Julian ignored him. “I knew someone like you didn’t belong here. You think you can come in and take whatever you want?”
Tyler and Emily had turned to watch the commotion, their interest piqued when they saw Jackson. Their favorite character.
Emily folded her arms, shaking her head. “Seriously, Jackson? Who are you trying to impress?”
Tyler smirked. “You don’t have to steal, bro. I’ll give you some change if you beg me hard enough.”
Laughter rippled through the store.
Jackson’s blood boiled, but he clenched his fists, refusing to give them the reaction they wanted.
Tyler, sensing an opportunity, leaned closer. “You know what? Let’s make this fun. Julian, call security and have them locked up.”
Emily hesitated. “But you wanted him at your party—”
Tyler waved her off. “This will make it even better.”
Before Julian could make the call, another voice spoke up.
“He wasn’t stealing.”
Everyone turned.
A younger salesgirl, Mercy, stood by the counter, arms crossed.
Julian rolled her eyes. “Stay out of this.”
Mercy didn’t back down. “They were coming to my counter to pay.”
Julian scowled. “They should’ve come to me.”
“You were busy kissing Tyler’s ass,” Andrew muttered.
Julian whipped her head around. “What did you just say?”
Tyler laughed. “Relax, Julian. If Jackson really wants those clothes, let him pay for them.”
Julian sneered. “Fine.”
She finally released Jackson’s shirt, but not before dragging her nails across his arm, leaving red marks.
Jackson bit his tongue and handed over the card James had given him.
Julian took it with unnecessary force, almost knocking it out of his hand.
She swiped it as everyone watched. Tyler hung his hand around Emily’s shoulders with a broad smirk on his face. He confidently expected only one outcome…
Insufficient funds.
A pause.
She tried again.
Insufficient funds.
Julian’s face lit up with cruel delight. “Aww, looks like someone’s broke.”
Tyler clapped his hands together. “No way. This is gold.”
Emily sighed, rubbing her temples. “Jackson, just stop embarrassing yourself.”
James and Andrew were confused. “That’s impossible. We had over fifteen grand on that card.” They knew something was wrong somewhere.
Andrew reached for the screen. “Let me see the total—”
Julian smacked his hand away. “Don’t touch that!”
Tyler chuckled. “What, you think she scammed you? Face it, you guys are just as broke as your little charity case over here.”
The store erupted in laughter.
Security guards were approaching now, ready to remove Jackson and his friends from the premises.
Jackson barely heard them.
His mind raced, his pulse hammering in his ears.
He wasn’t broke.
He had ten million dollars in his account.
And yet, here he was, being treated like trash, laughed at, humiliated.
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Chapter 228: The Resistant One!
Mr. Copper and Dr. Sam stopped just outside Celestine’s room, close enough to hear the steady pulse of the heart monitor through the wall, but far enough that their words would not carry back to her or Jackson.“I think she’s the one,” Dr. Sam said first, his voice low but weighted with certainty.Copper turned his head slowly, the deep lines in his face tightening. “You mean the resistant one?”“Yes.” Dr. Sam’s answer was immediate, his eyes narrowing as though even saying it aloud carried danger. “Her DNA… it’s unlike anything I’ve studied before. It’s coded strangely—almost reversed. It mirrors the same shift Philip’s body underwent after he stumbled upon the Flameborn. Only with her, it’s not temporary. It’s permanent. Written into her blood.”Copper exhaled hard through his nose, the sound more like a growl than a sigh. The revelation hit him like a ton of bricks. He pressed his palm against the wall as though steadying himself against the weight of it. “So you’re saying… there’s
Chapter 227: Questions Without Answers!
The room hummed with the faint buzz of machinery as the last scan flickered across the monitor. A thin green line danced up and down on the screen, steady, unyielding, almost too perfect. The doctor, Sam Simpson—an older man whose years in medicine had carved deep grooves in his face—stood still for a long while, staring as if waiting for the machine to correct itself.Sam Simpson was an old friend of Copper and Philip Hart while Philip was still alive. As a mater of fact, he was the doctor who attended to Philip all through his life time down to the day he died.He had been out of the country for over a year and had just returned three days ago. Copper had called him in when Jackson called to report what had happened, as the only doctor he could trust with such sensitive issues was Sam.Copper had not been himself all day as he was still trying to make sense of what could be responsible for Celestine's immunty, and the only thing that could come to his mind was the possibility that
Chapter 227: Questions Without Answers!
The room hummed with the faint buzz of machinery as the last scan flickered across the monitor. A thin green line danced up and down on the screen, steady, unyielding, almost too perfect. The doctor, Sam Simpson—an older man whose years in medicine had carved deep grooves in his face—stood still for a long while, staring as if waiting for the machine to correct itself.Sam Simpson was an old friend of Copper and Philip Hart while Philip was still alive. As a mater of fact, he was the doctor who attended to Philip all through his life time down to the day he died.He had been out of the country for over a year and had just returned three days ago. Copper had called him in when Jackson called to report what had happened, as the only doctor he could trust with such sensitive issues was Sam.Copper had not been himself all day as he was still trying to make sense of what could be responsible for Celestine's immunty, and the only thing that could come to his mind was the possibility that
Chapter 226: Shaken Allies!
The elevator hummed as it carried Jackson, Bella and Celestine back into the familiar safety of Sky Tower, but there was no comfort in its polished walls or in the quiet sweep of lights overhead. Jackson leaned against the glass panel, his mind refusing to settle. Bella stood across from him, arms folded over her chest, her face pale from what they had just endured. Celestine remained silent, her hands clasped together as if still testing whether they would tremble.When the doors slid open, the penthouse floor greeted them with its usual hush, but even here, the air felt heavy, brittle, as though the chaos they’d escaped had followed them inside.Mr. Copper was the first to break the silence. He turned, his expression drawn in stone, his voice low but firm.Jackson had called him earlier to report to him what had just happened and how Celestine had shielded them from Tyler's attack.Copper had requested that Celestine be brought back to Sky Tower but didn't say anything further befo
Chapter 225: The Replica’s Demand!
The air shimmered between them like a heatwave, the unnatural hum of Tyler’s corrupted energy pressing on their lungs, bending the light, warping the space itself. Jackson could feel it crawling against his skin as though it was a distorted reflection of the person he once used to be.Tyler’s smile widened, his voice unsteady yet sharp. “The Flameborn Compass, Jackson. Hand it over, or…” His gaze slid to Bella, predatory. “…she burns.”Bella’s breath hitched, but she didn’t back away. She stood tall behind Jackson, though her fingers gripped the edge of the car door so tightly her knuckles whitened.“You won’t touch her,” Jackson said, voice low, steady, and deadly serious. Tyler laughed, the sound fractured like glass cracking. “Always the protector. Always playing the hero. But you don't have that ability anymore Jackson."The distortion in the air thickened, swirling into jagged arcs of light, splitting cracks in the ground. Bella stumbled back, shielding her face from the stingi
Chapter 224: A Fractured Heart!
The safehouse lobby was quiet, too quiet for a city that never seemed to sleep. Jackson kept his hood up as he slipped through the revolving doors, the night air still heavy with the drizzle from Dylan’s funeral. His shoes squelched faintly against the floor, his body heavy as if every step dragged the weight of another coffin behind him.He didn’t want Sky Tower. Didn’t want the suite where memories waited at every corner. He needed somewhere no one would look, somewhere Elara’s eyes wouldn’t reach. That was why he had hidden Celestine here. And now, in his grief, his steps carried him straight to her.After leaving the small hotel on the night that Dylan had died, Jackson was able to find a safehouse that was off the radar and he believed Celestine would be safe there.She had been there for two days, and in those two days, Celestine has been safe and untracked by Elara's men.The key turned and the door opened.Inside, Celestine was curled on the armchair by the window, a thin bla
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