Chapter 585: Shattered Mirrors

The warehouse door slammed shut behind Jayden as he staggered into the night, the cold air biting at his skin. The letter burned in his hand like a living thing, a final, cruel gift from the past he thought he had buried.

His father's warning repeated over and over in his mind:

"The enemy wears the face of a friend."

Jayden had thought betrayal would feel like a knife between the ribs. Instead, it was a slow, suffocating drowning—trust crumbling beneath his feet until there was nothing left to stand on.

He needed to get out.

He needed to disappear before the shadows caught up with him.

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Meanwhile, in a penthouse shrouded in midnight blue, Gloria stood before a tall mirror, adjusting her blood-red dress. The city lights reflected in the glass behind her, glittering like a thousand unspoken sins.

An elegant man entered the room — Nick — carrying a silver case.

"It's ready," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

Gloria turned, her eyes sharp enough to cut steel. "Good. Tonight, we start tearing down everything he thinks he knows."

Nick hesitated. "What about the girl?"

Gloria's lips curled into a knowing smirk.

"Pain," she said simply. "Pain is the greatest teacher."

She glanced back at her reflection and whispered to herself, "Break him... and he will rebuild himself in our image."

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Elsewhere, in the old quarter of the city, Matilda — Jayden's silent protector — paced nervously.

She hadn't heard from him.

Not since the warehouse.

And worse, she knew that Gloria had activated Phase Two.

She pulled out her phone and sent a coded message: Silverbird compromised. Initiate fallback. Protect the Heart.

Across the city, unseen hands stirred into action.

But it might already be too late.

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Jayden stumbled into an abandoned park, collapsing onto a bench.

He sat there under the broken streetlights, gripping the letter so tightly his knuckles turned white.

He thought of Tielen. Of Caroline. Of everyone who smiled at him while hiding knives behind their backs.

He thought of Comfort — the only light he had left.

But even she… even she had secrets she was too afraid to tell.

A small, broken laugh escaped him.

He had become a man surrounded by mirrors, each one cracked, each one reflecting a different lie.

If he wanted to survive, he would have to break everything.

No more mercy.

No more hesitation.

No more Jayden, the boy who waited for answers.

The world had broken him.

Now, he would break it back.

Jayden stood up slowly, the wind whipping through his hair like ghost fingers.

He tucked the letter away and whispered into the night:

"I'm done running."

The city didn't answer.

But somewhere deep within its poisoned heart, a war had begun.

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