Chapter 541: Inheritance of Shadows

"Some legacies bless. Others haunt."

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Rain struck the glass ceiling of the Celestia Tower.

Jayden Ochieng sat silently in his suite, replaying the encrypted video that had just been sent to his private device.

It was a boy—no, a man—standing outside a grave with the inscription:

"Here lies Otieno Ochieng II – Lost but never forgotten."

The man in the video laughed darkly, raising his hood.

"It's funny, Jayden. They buried me. But I never died."

Jayden paused the video, knuckles white. "Otieno…"

Linet entered just then. "Is it true? He's alive?"

Jayden nodded once, expression unreadable. "And he's coming."

---

Emerald City's elite had gathered for the most extravagant event of the season: The Billionaires' Ball—a night of diamonds, deals, and veiled threats.

The Ochieng family name had just begun to stir whispers again. But tonight, the whispers turned to gasps.

A figure in a black velvet suit entered.

Tall. Commanding. Smirking.

He looked like Jayden—but colder, more dangerous.

People turned. Even Gloria's breath hitched.

"Who is that?"

"He... he called himself Otieno."

And when Jayden descended the staircase, both their eyes locked. The room froze.

One name. Two claimants.

---

Behind closed doors, Bernard—Jayden's uncle—was panicking. He'd long suppressed the truth of Otieno's identity.

"He wasn't supposed to come back," he growled, slamming his fist on the table.

Jeff, sitting across from him calmly, replied, "Yet here we are. You buried a king, and now he's back for his crown."

---

That night, Otieno met with the Silent Syndicate—an underworld alliance Jayden thought extinct.

"I want everything he has," Otieno declared. "The name, the seat… even the woman."

The shadowy leader responded with a low chuckle. "Then start with his enemies. We've been waiting."

---

On the rooftop of Arvex Hall, Jayden met Maggy.

"The war's changed," she said. "This isn't just about business or identity. This is personal."

Jayden turned to her, eyes blazing. "I know. Which is why I need to be more than Jayden… more than Ochieng."

He pulled something from his coat.

A black ring with two phoenixes circling each other—symbol of rebirth and duality.

"It's time I become what they all fear: the legacy no one could bury."

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