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Rise Of The Phoenix: Dylan’s Rebirth Unwelcome Praise
Chapter 13: Unwelcome PraiseJane pushed open the door to her home, her heels clicking against the wooden floor. The weight of the day pressed heavily on her shoulders, but she was greeted by an unexpected sight: her mother and younger brother sitting in her living room, their faces twisted in frustration.“There you are!” her mother, Linda, snapped, crossing her arms. “What took you so long? Do you know how long we’ve been waiting here?”“Waiting for what?” Jane asked tiredly, dropping her purse on the couch.“For lunch!” Linda exclaimed, glaring at her. “We thought Dylan would have the decency to open the door and prepare something for us, but that lazy jerk didn’t even show up. He has no manners!”Jane froze, her expression faltering. “Dylan doesn’t live here anymore,” she said quietly.Her younger brother, Adam, who was lounging with his feet up on the coffee table, perked up at her words. “Wait—what? Did he finally leave? About time, sis! That guy was useless.”Linda’s face lit u
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14The luxurious restaurant buzzed with soft laughter and the gentle clinking of crystal glasses, its golden chandeliers casting a warm glow over the tables adorned with pristine white linens. Dylan sat across from Helen and Molly, the remnants of their elegant dinner cleared away by attentive waitstaff. The evening had been filled with light conversation, but beneath Dylan’s composed demeanor, a current of gratitude simmered—gratitude toward Helen for everything she’d done for him and Molly.Molly swung her little legs under the table, her bright eyes following the swirl of the dessert cart as it passed by. She had been unusually quiet during dinner, occasionally glancing between Dylan and Helen with an expression that Dylan couldn’t quite decipher.Helen leaned back slightly, her posture as graceful as always, though her sharp business-like demeanor had softened around Dylan and Molly. She turned to Dylan with a small smile. “Shall we go? It’s getting late, and Molly looks like she’
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Chapter 15The morning sun cast a golden hue over the city as Dylan helped Molly into her bright yellow jacket. The light streamed through the apartment window, catching on the soft curls of her hair. She was unusually quiet, her small hands fidgeting with the zipper as Dylan crouched down to her level.“You ready, Munchkin?” he asked gently, brushing a stray curl from her forehead.Molly nodded, but her eyes betrayed the nervous flutter in her chest. “Do you think Helen will come?” she whispered, her voice small and uncertain.Dylan gave her a reassuring smile, cupping her tiny chin in his hand. “Of course she will. But we should get going now, alright? She’ll meet us there.”Molly bit her lip, clearly not entirely convinced, but she nodded and grabbed her little backpack. Dylan took her hand, squeezing it gently as they headed out the door.He took the modest car parked in front of the apartment—Helen had insisted he use it. But once he arrived at the villa arranged for him, he'd be
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16 Dylan took a deep breath, his fists still clenched at his sides. Before he could respond, the woman took a defiant step forward, her chin raised in smug confidence. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with,” she sneered, jabbing a finger toward Dylan’s chest. “My husband is the regional manager of Luxe Dynamics Company. We’re respected in this community. We don’t take kindly to accusations from... people like you.” Dylan’s eyes narrowed. “People like me?” he echoed, his voice low and dangerous. The woman scoffed, waving a dismissive hand toward Dylan’s beat-up car parked nearby. “Oh, please. I’ve seen that rust bucket you drive. You expect me to believe anything you say over my son? My family has standing in this town. You should think twice before you go around making baseless accusations.” Dylan felt the heat rising in his chest, his heart pounding in his ears. He glanced down at Molly, who was still sniffling on the pavement, her scraped knees now smudged with dirt and b
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17: The Price of PrideDylan's mind spun, a mix of disbelief and fury churning in his chest. His breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, but before he could even react, the woman sneered, stepping closer, her voice sharp and cutting like a knife through the tense air."An apology?" she scoffed, her eyes gleaming with malice. The corners of her mouth twisted into a cruel smile. "Oh, no. That’s not enough."She jabbed a manicured finger toward Dylan, her red nails catching the morning light, glinting like claws. The playground fell eerily silent, save for the occasional chirp of birds and the rustling of leaves in the breeze. Her voice, however, rose, slicing through the quiet like a whip."You and your little brat will kneel in front of my son. Right here." She gestured to the ground as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "You’ll admit she lied and caused him distress. And—" she paused, savoring the moment, letting the weight of her words settle over the small crowd gathering
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18Molly's tear-filled eyes widened the moment she saw Helen kneeling beside her. The tension and fear that had gripped her tiny frame broke all at once, and with a choked sob, she flung herself into Helen's arms.“Helen!” she cried, her little voice trembling. “Can you… can you be my mommy?”Helen blinked, momentarily stunned by the sudden, innocent request. Her heart softened as she wrapped her arms around Molly, feeling the child’s tiny body tremble against her. She glanced up at Dylan, her cheeks flushing slightly as Molly continued, her words tumbling out between sobs.“Because… because you held Daddy’s hand yesterday,” Molly whimpered, her voice muffled against Helen’s shoulder. “And… and mommies hold daddies’ hands, right?”Dylan’s eyes widened, caught completely off guard. His mouth opened, but no words came out. A flush crept up his neck, but before he could say anything, Helen chuckled softly, her face pink but warm.“Well, I suppose that’s one way to look at it,” she said g
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19Helen didn’t flinch. She simply stared at Mrs. Carter, her expression unreadable for a long, tense moment. Then, with a soft sigh, she stepped closer, her heels clicking sharply against the pavement until she stood mere inches from the other woman.“You’re right about one thing,” Helen murmured, her voice soft but laced with venom. “I do have high standards. Which is why I don’t waste my time explaining myself to insecure, miserable women who can’t stand seeing someone else succeed.”Mrs. Carter’s smirk wavered.“But just so we’re clear,” Helen continued, her tone sharpening like a blade, “I don’t need a man to buy me anything. That car? It’s mine. Paid for in full. And as for performances?” She arched an eyebrow, letting the words hang in the air. “The only performance I see here is you, pretending to be something more than a petty bully.”The color drained from Mrs. Carter’s face, her mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. The crowd was silent now, every eye glued
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20 The middle-aged woman’s venomous words hung in the air like a toxic cloud. For a split second, the crowd held their breath, unsure of what would come next. But then, Mrs. Carter’s eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction, her lips curling into a sneer as she pivoted toward Dylan. “And you,” she spat, her voice oozing disdain, “what kind of man are you? Hiding behind your prostitute girlfriend just to scrape together some dignity?” Laughter erupted from the crowd. Sharp, mocking, and relentless. The kind of laughter that felt like knives digging into flesh. Some parents even doubled over, clutching their sides as if Mrs. Carter had just delivered the joke of the century. Others exchanged knowing glances, their eyes gleaming with cruel delight. The playground, once filled with the innocent chatter of children, now echoed with the harsh, hyena-like cackles of adults reveling in someone else’s humiliation. Dylan remained still. His hands stayed buried in his pockets, his face an un
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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
