The Worthless Son-In-Law's Trillion Dollars Secret

Chapter 7: Darkness and Doubt

Romeo's point of view

Total shadow was all around. My own hand vanished from sight. Loud alarms wailed on, and the house seemed to lose control. Steps echoed fast. Doors shut loudly. People yelled words I did not get. My heart raced fast like it might give up.

"Stick with me," Vincent said low. His tone stayed still as our world turned upside down. "Stand still. Hush now."

I held Emma's hand in the shade. She stood next to me, like I was all she knew. She shook slightly, but held tight. She made no sound. She stayed strong when fear took over.

Red lights blinked in time—on, off, on, off. Enough light to see dark shapes around. Files of my past lie all around us. The photo of Marcus Black, plus his lost twin, glared with blank eyes.

"Who slipped past our walls?" Emma said softly. "This spot can't be broken into."

"Someone with secret keys," Vincent said firmly. "Someone who knew all of our system. Someone I trusted like kin."

I knew what it meant then. Someone close to Vincent now. One of Phoenix Empire’s own. Someone who timed this just right.

The vault door flew open wide. A figure stood in the door frame, lit by red lights. I couldn't see who it was, but they held a gun. The gun aimed right at Vincent now.

"Sorry," the form spoke. Like a lady. Known to me. "But Marcus Black gave me so much cash I can't just skip it."

The sound caused odd signals in my brain. I'd listened to those words once. I'd been close to the voice for years now. It took a bit to find it, yet when I did, all of me turned dead with a big surprise.

It was Margaret Chen. Emma’s old parent.

"Parent?" Emma spoke, voice broken. She walked up from the shadows. "What are you at? What's all this for?"

Margaret Chen stared at her kid, and for a split second, I watched a flash in her eyes. Like a sad mood. Then she grew tough again, staring back at Vincent, gun held firm in her hands.

"I had to stay mum," Margaret spoke. "That was my task. Marcus Black got to me three years back, even before Romeo wed into our clan. He told me he knew Romeo was a false man, that Romeo was acting like a basic guy but had darker plans. Marcus gave me cash to check on Romeo. To write down what he did. To aid him if Romeo became rough."

"You worked with Shadow people all this while?" Emma spoke. Her eyes spilled tears on her face. "You knew about all the stuff?"

"I just wanted the cash," Margaret spoke, and her voice felt like it was breaking inside. "Your dad's work was doomed. We lost all we owned. We would lose our big home, our rides, all our happy days. When Marcus came up, he gave enough funds to fix all of it. How could I deny him? How can I allow my house to hurt?"

Vincent stood frozen. His hands stayed up high, proving he meant no harm. "Margaret, ditching that gun and surrendering is the sole path now. Messing with me, or harming Romeo, means you cross a point of no return."

"I won't harm souls," she shared. Her grip trembled just a bit. "I'll just ring Marcus Black and drop Romeo's spot. Marcus will ship folks over, and Romeo joins them easily. Post Romeo's exit, the curtains close on all this. Your group finds a new head. The Shadow Syndicate gets its prize. Emma and Richard are safe from it."

"Mother, halt," Emma cried. She took a step, but I grabbed her by the arm soft to halt her. If Margaret would pop that gun, we played it cagey. We played it smart for once.

"Emma, hang tight," I hushed. Then I eyed her mom. "Margaret, I catch why you took this route. I truly do. You aimed to shield kin. You tried saving Chen Industries. But it won't save a soul. If you hand me to that Shadow Syndicate, they'll dust me. Then they hunt you next. They haunt Emma. They haunt Richard. They haunt each soul you love because knowing of me spells big risk now."

Margaret's face just fell apart. The gun danced in her hand. "No, lies. Marcus swore—"

"Marcus spun tales," Vincent spoke. His tone was stern but had no hate. "The Shadow Syndicate shares no vows to folks like you. You're just some tool to them. Post your use, you're trash to them."

The lights blinked strangely. That flash made me see a thing on Margaret's face, so I got her. She wasn't bad. Just spooked, you know? A lady made a bad call to keep safe the things that mattered. Now, trapped like a fly.

"If Romeo isn't his, Marcus hurts me," she told me then. "Texts came already. Give up Romeo by midnight, or Richard dies. Emma too. The house burns with you all. No choice. I had none."

She spoke truth. No choice for her then. Now it's different.

"Got a choice," I piped up. Moving to Margaret, slow and soft, like a wild cat. "Help us instead. Fight Marcus Black. Tell the cops all about Shadow crime. Phoenix Group will keep you safe. We keep your family from harm. Marcus can't touch anyone after."

"How keep him from hurting me?" she then asked. "He's all over. Folks everywhere for him. Nobody gets to him."

"He can be got," I butted in. "He lived here when Grandpa lived, and Grandpa stopped him once. Grandpa built a group to fight folks like Marcus Black. Now I know the real truth, I'll finish what my grandpa did."

Sirens screamed loudly outside. The safe spot got hit, but not from the city here. Out there. Phoenix guards fought Shadow troops outside the walls. Guns banged loudly, echoing underground now.

Margaret heard battle noises all around her. She could hear solid proof it was real, was truly life, and that what she did at that moment would mean her family lived or died soon.

"I'm truly sorry," she mumbled low. Tears slid all down her sorrowful face now. "I'm just so sorry then."

She then lowered her old gun down low.

But before folks could move fast, before anyone even dared breathe out, a wall fell inward to our left. Metal and hard stone bits flew all about then. Dark figures poured through the hole, weapons all up high. The Syndicate weren't waiting there. They weren't talking anymore then.

They just took what they wanted by force.

Vincent pushed us back toward a vault. Margaret stood still, with her gun, staring at soldiers coming at us. I knew she would do a thing. A thing to change everything fast.

She raised the gun, but not at us.

She lifted it at the head of the Shadow soldier.

I then saw a face I knew well now.

It was truly Marcus Black's own face. But changed. Scarred up a bit. Changed by time and fighting. It was some Black family face, though. The same cold eyes then. The same cruel dark smile now.

"Hello, Romeo," the man did say. His voice was not Marcus's, but the same. "My name is David Black now. I'm older than Marcus. The one who did not get caught. I'm here to end what we started."

He raised his gun and aimed it at my heart, smiling.

What I knew of the Syndicate was wrong.

There was a Black out there as well. Even more wild than Marcus.

He stood right in front of us all now.