THE UPRISING HEIR

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Throne

The convoy wound through a private tunnel carved beneath the city, smooth, seamless, and eerily quiet. No potholes, no graffiti, no light but the subtle blue glow running along the tunnel walls. The very road Jayden traveled on now felt like it had been made just for him.

He stared out the window, the reality of it all still sinking in. Just hours ago, he had been jobless, broke, and mocked by people who barely remembered his name. Now, he was being chauffeured in a bulletproof Rolls-Royce Phantom, escorted by black SUVs packed with bodyguards. It didn’t feel real.

The suited man beside him finally spoke again. “My name is Mr. Voss. I served Mr. Worldsen faithfully for over twenty years. From this moment on, I serve you.”

Jayden turned to him. “I’m still not sure I believe any of this.”

Voss gave a tight smile. “You will soon.”

The Estate, When they exited the tunnel, the world above had changed. No city lights. No sound of traffic. Only moonlight, stars, and a stretch of land so vast it felt like another country.

The convoy emerged into a courtyard larger than any hotel Jayden had ever seen. At the center stood a mansion, not the kind you saw in magazines, but one that looked like it belonged to a royal family.

Modern glass towers met old-world stone walls, with flickering torches lining the pathways. Waterfalls framed each side of the entrance. Security personnel stood at every corner, some dressed in black, others in white, their earpieces blinking softly.

As Jayden stepped out of the car, the air hit differently. Cleaner. Colder. More intentional. A butler and three maids stood at attention. “Welcome, Master Cole,” the butler said, bowing. Jayden flinched. Master?

“This is your home now,” Voss said quietly. “Or rather, one of them. You own twenty-seven residences around the world. This one is for your protection and initiation.” Jayden took a step forward. The heavy doors opened.

Inside, it was silent marble, gold-lined staircases, crystal chandeliers, and walls of books, art, and history. Every step echoed like royalty had returned, The Office of Secrets

They led him down a hallway until they reached a heavy oak door. Voss unlocked it with a key etched with a dragon. “This is the Office of the Chairman,” he said. “Only you have access now.”

The room was grand, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the estate grounds. A massive desk sat in the center, black wood carved with strange symbols. Behind it, mounted on the wall, was a painting of Wesley Worldsen, a man with silver hair, sharp eyes, and a knowing smirk. His presence still lingered in the air.

Voss handed Jayden a tablet. “Everything you own, every company under the consortium, every asset, account, and board member, you can access it all from here. And...” He hesitated. “You should know, this empire isn’t just business. It’s influence.” Jayden scrolled through the tablet.

Over 900 companies. $3.2 trillion in liquid assets. 12 banks. Media conglomerates. Private security firms. Patent control for critical technologies. Even partial ownership of a major pharmaceutical alliance.

He felt dizzy. “This… this can’t be real.”

Voss didn’t blink. “It is. And with it comes responsibility, and danger.”

The Inheritance Rules, Jayden sat down at the massive desk. “There are rules,” Voss said. “Unwritten, but enforced with blood.”

One You must remain alive to inherit fully. If Jayden dies before the final contract is signed in 30 days, the empire defaults to the Board of Founders, Two You must earn the allegiance of the Seven Pillars, the most powerful CEOs under the consortium. If three of them vote against you in a month's time, your chair is revoked.

Three You must never reveal the Vault’s true contents, or it all collapses, Jayden looked up. “What’s in the Vault?”

Voss paused. “The truth. About your father. About Mr. Worldsen. About what this empire was really built on.”

Jayden’s stomach twisted, A loud knock shattered the stillness. A guard stepped in, whispering something to Voss. The older man frowned. “Sir, there’s a... situation at the gate.”

Jayden followed him down to the control center, an underground command room that looked like it came from a spy thriller. Dozens of screens. Facial recognition software. Tactical maps. On the main screen: a live feed of a woman standing at the gate.

Jayden’s jaw locked. It was his Ex, Sasha. Hair done up like a celebrity. Tears streaking down her cheeks. Mascara ruined. “She says she needs to talk to you,” a guard said.

Jayden narrowed his eyes. “How did she even find me?”

Voss tapped a few keys. “Someone leaked your location.”

“Who?”

“That... is the question.”

Jayden took the mic. “Put her on audio.” A hiss of static.

“Jay... please. I didn’t know. I made a mistake. I thought you were nothing. But when I saw the news, I, I couldn’t stop crying. Please, I need to see you. Just five minutes.” Jayden stared at the screen. Not long ago, she had dumped him in front of a crowd, called him a parasite, then walked away with a banker in a Porsche.

He pressed the button. “Sasha... you made your choice. Don’t come back.” And cut the feed.

Meanwhile, far away, in a penthouse tower in Geneva, a group of men and women sat at a round table. At the center of the room: a holographic image of Jayden. “The boy has arrived,” one of them said, a silver-haired man with snake-like eyes.

“He’s inexperienced,” said another, a woman with sharp cheekbones and diamond earrings. “We give him just enough rope to hang himself.”

“And if he doesn’t?” someone else asked.

The silver-haired man smiled coldly. “Then we tighten the noose.”

That night, Jayden stood alone on the balcony of the estate, staring out at the moonlit grounds. Below him: power. Above him: expectations. Inside him: a storm of doubt and rage. Everything felt surreal. Yet one thing burned brighter than the shock: He didn’t want revenge anymore. He wanted dominion.

Let them crawl back. Let them beg. But he would never kneel again, As Jayden walks back inside, a tablet alert flashes: Security breach main service room.

Jayden rushes down with two guards. The vault-like door is wide open. Inside, the walls are slashed. Monitors broken. And on the floor: a symbol drawn in blood. A perfect circle… with a dragon’s eye in the center.

Below it, written in red: “He wasn’t the only heir.”