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Rise Of The Phoenix: Dylan’s Rebirth 51
51 “Alright,” he finally said, his voice steady but laced with uncertainty. “I’ll follow you. But you owe me an explanation.” Olivia’s face softened in relief, and for a brief moment, he could see the vulnerability in her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, squeezing his arm before turning toward the hallway. As they walked down the corridor, Carmen stood frozen in place, her face pale with anxiety. She didn’t move as Olivia and Dylan disappeared from view, but the worry in her eyes lingered long after they had passed. Dylan glanced over at Olivia as she led him down the hall, the mansion’s grandeur feeling almost oppressive now, as though the walls were closing in around them. The distant sound of footsteps echoed through the silent house. They reached a set of stairs leading to the upper floor, and Olivia’s pace quickened. Dylan’s steps slowed as he noticed the way she was moving—quick, yet careful, like someone who had done this many times before. “Olivia,” he began, his voice
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52Dylan barely had time to process the man’s words when another voice cut through the tension, sharp and mocking.“Who the hell are you?” The voice dripped with disdain, coming from the far side of the room, near the open window.Dylan turned, startled. A woman stood there, leaning against the frame with an air of superiority. She was tall, dressed in a sleek black dress that contrasted sharply with the soft pink surroundings. Her arms were crossed, and her lips were twisted into an amused smirk, as though the entire situation was some kind of joke to her.“Well?” she pressed, her voice tinged with arrogance. “Who are you to be in here, looking at my daughter like that?”Dylan’s heart pounded in his chest. “I—I don’t know who she is, but I—”“Don’t lie!” the woman snapped, her eyes narrowing as she stepped further into the room. “You’re just some outsider, right? One of Olivia’s random guests? Or did you finally figure out the ‘family secret’ and decide to stick around?”Dylan could
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53 Dylan stared at Olivia, his jaw tightening. Heal her? His fists clenched at his sides as anger surged through him. "What the hell do you mean, Olivia?" His voice came out sharp, almost a growl. "Heal her? How?" Olivia swallowed hard, her eyes darting from him to her parents, then back to the little girl on the bed. "I—" she hesitated, her breath shaky. "I planned this, Dylan. From the moment I asked you to follow me." Dylan took a step forward, his chest heaving. "Planned what, Olivia?" She finally met his eyes, guilt flashing in hers. "When I told you I just wanted to thank you for saving my life… I lied." His stomach twisted. He had known something was off, but this? His fingers twitched with the urge to run a hand through his hair, but he held back. "So you tricked me," he said, voice low and deadly. "You used me." Her lips parted, panic flashing across her face. "I had to!" she burst out. "Dylan, you don't understand! I—" She turned to her parents, her hands shaking. "I
Rise Of The Phoenix: Dylan’s Rebirth 54
54 Dylan’s head snapped toward Lewis, who stood tall, his piercing blue eyes filled with disgust. “That’s what you are, isn’t it?” Lewis sneered. “Some fraud pretending to have abilities beyond human comprehension. A desperate man playing pretend.” Dylan’s fury ignited like a match to gasoline. His jaw clenched, his muscles coiled. “You don’t know a damn thing about me,” he growled. “Enough!” Zara barked, stepping forward with a smirk. “This is ridiculous. Olivia, do you even hear yourself? You’re defending him? This outsider, this nobody? You actually believe he has some divine power to heal people?” She let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “What next? Should we kneel before him and start praying?” Dylan let out a bitter chuckle, his patience snapping like a brittle thread. “You’ve got a lot of nerve,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “Calling me a fraud when you don’t even know who the hell I am.” “Oh, we know exactly who you are,” Lewis cut in coldly. “A mistake.” Dylan’s
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55Olivia’s breath hitched. “Dad—”“This is for your own good, Olivia,” Lewis interrupted, his tone final. “I won’t have you putting your faith in a man who can’t even explain what he did.”Dylan’s jaw tightened. “I don’t owe you an explanation.”“You do if you want to stay,” Lewis shot back.Dylan let out a bitter chuckle. “Right. Because I’m supposed to prove myself to you?” He shook his head, stepping back. “I don’t need your approval. I don’t need you to believe me.” He turned to Olivia, his gaze softening. “I only cared about saving your life.”Olivia’s lips parted, uncertainty flickering across her face.But Lewis had heard enough. “If you won’t leave on your own, I’ll make sure you do.”The threat hung heavy in the air.Olivia’s breath quickened, her heart hammering against her ribs. “Dad, you’re making a mistake.”Lewis didn’t even blink. “No, Olivia. You’re the one making a mistake by trusting this fraud.”Dylan scoffed, his patience hanging by a thread. “You’re so damn sure
Rise Of The Phoenix: Dylan’s Rebirth 56
56A heavy silence blanketed the room, thick with tension and unspoken accusations. Dylan’s pulse roared in his ears as his gaze remained locked on Odile’s lifeless form. Something was terribly wrong—he could feel it in his bones.Before he could utter a word, the door burst open. The sudden noise startled Olivia, making her flinch. A tall, broad-shouldered man strode inside, his dark brown hair slightly tousled as if he had rushed here. His piercing hazel eyes scanned the room like a predator sizing up its prey.And when his gaze landed on Dylan, they hardened like stone.“Who the hell is this?” the man demanded, his voice sharp and laced with hostility.Olivia swallowed hard. “Lucas,” she breathed, tension creeping into her tone.Dylan’s jaw tightened. He didn’t need an introduction to know exactly who Lucas was—Olivia’s cousin or brother, the golden boy of the family. The way he carried himself, the effortless arrogance in his stance, told Dylan everything he needed to know. Lucas
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57 Dylan’s muscles tensed, a storm brewing inside him. He had no doubt Lucas would follow through on his threat. The guy reeked of privilege and unchecked confidence—the kind of person who always got his way, no matter the cost. But Dylan wasn’t about to back down. Olivia’s breathing was ragged, her head snapping between the two men, panic flashing across her face. “Lucas, stop this! Dylan is the only person who can help Odile right now!” Lewis crossed his arms, unimpressed. “And why should we believe that?” Olivia turned to her father, her voice rising. “Because I felt it, Dad! When I was dying, I felt his power. It wasn’t a trick, it wasn’t some coincidence—he saved me!” Lucas scoffed, shaking his head. “Sounds like desperation talking.” Olivia’s eyes burned with frustration. “It’s the truth!” Dylan took a deep breath, his anger threatening to boil over. “Look,” he said, voice tight, “I don’t care what any of you think of me. But Odile is dying. And if you let that happen b
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58 Dylan’s fists clenched at his sides, his patience hanging by a thread. Every second wasted on this pointless argument was another second closer to Odile’s death, and these people—her own family—were too blinded by arrogance to see it. Lucas folded his arms, his smirk widening. “And if you’re wrong?” Before Dylan could answer, Zara’s sharp voice cut through the room like a blade. “Whether he’s right or wrong, we don’t care.” Dylan’s jaw tightened, his emerald eyes burning with frustration. “What?” Zara stepped forward, her expression filled with disdain. “You heard me. You’re nothing but a pathetic amateur, a charlatan scammer trying to weasel your way into our family’s business. Do you think we’re fools? Do you think we’d let some random nobody dictate what happens to our daughter?” Dylan let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Are you serious? You’d rather let her die than take a chance?” Lewis, who had been silent for a moment, finally spoke, his voice dripping with authority.
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221: The Future in Flame “I wouldn’t have told you if I wasn’t.” Dylan nodded. “Then let’s burn the world down.” He typed the command. A loading bar began to climb. Lilith stepped up beside him and pulled a drive from her coat—sleek, unlabeled, humming softly. “My code’s on here,” she said. “It’ll mimic the framework of Ignis Core perfectly. I’ve even embedded some of your old code from before you joined Ash. They’ll think it’s legit. Familiar. But once it activates… recursive detonation.” She handed it to him. He plugged it in. The system blinked. Code spilled across the screen—lines upon lines of luminous, perfect deception. Lilith crossed her arms as she watched. “We’ve got one shot at this.” Dylan didn’t look away from the screen. “Then we make it count.” The lights dimmed for a moment as the system initiated a shadow crawl—spreading the false Ignis Core like a virus in slow motion. Unseen. Waiting. When it was done, Dylan stood back, eyes cold. “Now we wait for them
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220 Another pause. Then the faint sound of typing. “You want a paper trail?” “I want everything. Timeline?” “Standard turnaround is three days—” “Yesterday,” she cut in coldly. “I want to know everything.” The line stayed quiet for another beat, then the voice softened just a little. “Got it. I’ll be in touch.” Jane hung up before he could say anything else. She stood still for a moment, the city buzzing around her, oblivious. The ache in her cheek was fading now. But something else was forming beneath it. A plan. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. She might not have been the mother Molly needed—but she was still the sharpest weapon in the room. And it was time to cut through the lies. **** “God, that hurt,” Jane muttered under her breath, wincing as she touched her cheek again. Jane exhaled slowly, tucking the phone into her coat. Her fingers were trembling slightly, but not from fear. Anticipation. She turned to herself, muttering quietly, “Let them play the her
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219 Jane was a good actress.Always had been.The tears never came when they were supposed to, and yet she could conjure them on command. A trembling voice, a haunted look, a furious, grieving mother storming into the middle of someone else’s crisis like she owned it—she wore the mask well. She always had.She could remember the first time she learned how useful a lie could be. She was ten, maybe eleven. Her father had forgotten to pick her up from piano class. Again. When she walked home alone, cold and soaked from the rain, her mother demanded to know why she hadn’t called.“I dropped the phone,” Jane had said. “It broke.”Not true. Not even close.But her mother had sighed, pulled her into a towel, and mumbled something about how her father never remembered the important things. That day, Jane realized that people didn’t want the truth. They wanted a version of it they could live with.Molly’s disappearance? Tragic, yes. Maddening, of course. But gut-wrenching?Not exactly.She fe
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218Her cheek was on fire.The skin throbbed beneath her fingertips, every heartbeat pumping more heat into the wound Lilith had left. Jane could feel the swelling already—tight and raw, as if a thousand needles were pricking her at once. Her ears rang from the sound of the slap, but louder still was the pounding of her own pride, screaming at her that she couldn’t—wouldn’t—let this end with her standing there, humiliated.No.Not like this.Not with Dylan between them, not with Lilith standing there looking like some righteous, self-important goddess. Not when her cheek was burning like it was trying to peel off her damn face.Jane’s eyes locked on Lilith—and without a second thought, without hesitation or grace, she struck.Her hand shot out fast and furious, an explosion of motion that cracked across Lilith’s face with a sickening sound. Her palm connected hard, and the impact shuddered down her arm like a jolt.Lilith’s head snapped to the side. Her hair, half-loose from the earli
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217Jane’s chest heaved, her breath coming fast and shallow. Her eyes burned—wild, furious, and unrelenting. She pointed a shaking finger at Dylan, voice trembling but loud enough to draw the attention of a passing couple across the street.“I left you, Dylan. You. Not Molly.”Her voice dropped, turning venomous and precise, like she was lashing each syllable across his face. “Both of you were the chains wrapped around my neck. You—some pathetic, broke, useless excuse of a man. A man with no future, no plan, no spine. Every day I spent in that house was like dying slowly. I did the right thing leaving. And guess what? I’m better for it. Stronger. Smarter. And soon, I’ll be a very rich woman. Not just locally. Not just nationally. Internationally. Bobby’s making it happen.”Dylan blinked, once, then twice. For a second he said nothing, just looked at her—really looked at her. At the expensive earrings, the glossy lipstick, the clothes tailored to perfection. All the glitter piled on to
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216 “I left Molly,” she whispered. “I left her behind. I thought she’d be better off without the mess I was making. I thought Dylan—God—he was supposed to protect her.” “I think he’s been trying,” Lisa said softly. “But he’s hiding something. Maybe a lot of things.” “And he brought Lilith into this,” Jane muttered. “Of course he did. Of course.” There was venom in her voice when she said Lilith’s name. Jane had met the woman twice—both times by accident, and both times left her with the distinct impression that Lilith was a wolf smiling in a fur coat. Jane’s breathing became shallow. She looked around her kitchen like she was searching for something to punch. The cabinets were too sturdy. The walls were too silent. “She’s just a little girl,” Jane said, her voice cracking. “She still calls bees ‘buzzies’ and thinks thunder means God’s bowling. How the hell could he keep this from me?” Lisa didn’t speak. “I’m going to find him,” Jane said suddenly, moving. Her voice was low and
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215Her hand slowly dropped from her cheek. “You’re talking about her like she’s a monster.”“She’s not,” Dylan said. “She’s human. But that doesn’t make her a mother.”A long silence stretched between them.Lilith said nothing, letting the space breathe, letting the weight of truth settle.Lisa looked at her, and for once, there was no bite in her voice. Just a raw kind of confusion. “Why didn’t you tell me?”Lilith looked back evenly. “Because you were too busy setting the stage.”Lisa’s lip trembled. “I didn’t know…”“No,” Dylan said, softer now. “You didn’t want to know.”He stepped past her then, toward the street, toward whatever came next. He was done with the confrontation. Done with the theater. There were more important things to do.Molly needed him.Lilith followed without a word, falling into step beside him.Lisa stood in the middle of the sidewalk, surrounded by the remnants of her own performance—watchers gone, the spotlight faded.She was alone now.And the weight of
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214 Infact it was her shady car buyers and Dylan mistook them as people there to try to kill him. “Who are they?” Lilith asked. Lisa didn’t answer. She turned back to Dylan instead. “Don’t play dumb. Don’t pretend you’re in danger. You’re not the victim here. You never have been.” “Then what’s the show for?” Lilith asked. “I told you,” Lisa snapped. “People deserve to know what kind of man he is.” “People already think they know,” Lilith said. “You’re just hammering it in. Why now? Why here? What’s happening that you don’t want anyone to see?” Lisa’s jaw clenched. She took another step back. But Dylan had already started mentally mapping the exit points. The alley to their right. The cafe entrance. The fire escape four buildings down. He wasn’t just seeing Lisa anymore—he was reading the whole board. This wasn’t random. And the moment he’d seen her, standing there with her coat too perfect, voice too loud, eyes too bright, he’d known. It was all wrong. It wasn’t grief or
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213“She finally divorced you,” Lisa said, the words slicing the air like glass. Her voice was calmer now, but only because she knew she’d drawn blood. “Finally. And thank God she did. Jane is building a life now—a future. Something you would have ruined if she’d stayed. You dragged her down long enough.”The words settled over the sidewalk like ash. A few onlookers had stopped, heads turning, phones subtly raised. The city had its own rhythm—cars hissing by on wet asphalt, neon lights flickering in windows—but all of it dimmed under Lisa’s voice.Dylan stood frozen for a beat too long. His hands curled into fists, not out of anger, but restraint. His heart pounded like a war drum behind his ribs. He wanted to yell, to peel back her lies in front of everyone, to lay out the complexities of what had really happened—what Jane had chosen to ignore, what she had run from long before any betrayal.But he knew how this would look.Lisa always knew how to hold a stage. How to paint herself i
