Chapter 16: Thrones and Threats
**Chapter Sixteen: Thrones and Threats**
---
The headlines wouldn't stop.
**"BOY BILLIONAIRE OR MILITARY MENACE?"**
**"JAYDEN LEXINGTON CAPTURES CRIME LORD – WHO GAVE HIM THE RIGHT?"**
**"PRESIDENT SUMMONS JAYDEN FOR CLOSED-DOOR TALKS"**
Jayden stood before a full-length mirror in the Lexington Estate's east wing, adjusting the navy-blue blazer stitched with his father's initials inside the lapel.
He hadn't worn a school uniform in weeks.
Not since Crownfire caught flame.
Not since blood stained the crown.
Kevin stood in the doorway, holding a steaming cup of coffee.
"You sure you want to walk into the State House like this?"
Jayden turned.
"I'm not walking in as a student."
Kevin smiled faintly. "No. You're walking in as a storm."
---
The meeting was closed-door.
Only five people were allowed inside: the President of Kenya, two advisors, the Minister of Interior, and Jayden Lexington.
No cameras. No aides.
Jayden sat calmly, legs crossed, eyes locked on the man who ran the country.
President Mwangi was stern but sharp. A former lawyer, the kind who could smell weakness in silence.
"You're a very dangerous young man," he began.
Jayden said nothing.
The president continued. "You've dismantled half of a multinational criminal network without the government's blessing. You've armed a civilian security unit. You've even interfered in diplomatic affairs. I should arrest you."
Jayden's voice was calm. "But you won't."
"And why is that?"
Jayden leaned forward.
"Because the people love me. Because your approval rating has never been lower. Because if you lock me up, Nairobi burns before sunset. And because—deep down—you know I'm doing what you should've done a long time ago."
The room went still.
One of the advisors inhaled sharply, about to speak.
The president raised a hand. Silence.
He locked eyes with Jayden.
"You remind me of myself. When I was still foolish enough to believe in fire."
Jayden stood.
"I don't believe in fire. I am the fire."
---
When Jayden returned to the estate, the Legacy Guard was waiting.
Leo debriefed him immediately.
"We've officially frozen nine Serpent accounts. Eliza Macharia's intel checked out. They've lost control of their African investments."
Aida added, "Cyrus is in a government black-site. No trial. No name. Just gone."
Jayden nodded. "That leaves Brandon."
Leo looked up. "He's gone underground."
Jayden raised an eyebrow. "Where?"
"Russia. Or Dubai. Depends who you believe. But he's still pulling strings online. Deepfakes. Disinformation. He's trying to make you crack under pressure."
Jayden exhaled, pacing slowly.
"If he resurfaces, I want eyes on him before his plane touches any African air."
Aida stepped forward again.
"There's something else. A vote."
Jayden paused. "Vote?"
Leona entered from the rear hallway, holding a formal document.
"The Lexington Global Board has moved to vote on making you permanent CEO."
Jayden froze.
Permanent.
Not just acting.
Not just heir.
**The head of a \$4 billion empire.**
And the vote was in two days.
---
That night, Jayden sat alone in his father's office.
The fireplace flickered.
The same oil painting stared down at him—Richard Lexington, proud, immortalized.
Jayden whispered into the room:
> "I didn't ask for this crown."
Silence.
But his own voice replied in his mind.
> "You didn't have to. You earned it."
---
Two days later, Jayden entered the boardroom of Lexington Global in a full charcoal-gray suit. Black shirt. No tie. A golden lapel pin shaped like a lion.
The directors sat in silence.
Each held a digital tablet.
A single button would decide the future of the company.
Jayden stood at the front, hands behind his back.
"I'm not going to give a speech," he said. "You've already seen what I've done. And you already know what I will do. So either crown me—or let me build something of my own."
He sat down.
Votes cast.
Silence.
Then:
**Majority vote reached.**
**Jayden Lexington confirmed as Chief Executive Officer.**
Leo clapped once. Then twice.
Then the whole room rose to applaud.
But Jayden didn't smile.
He stood slowly.
And whispered, just loud enough for the front row to hear:
> "This isn't a victory.
> This is a warning."
---
But the moment didn't last.
Because while the crown was finally his—his enemies evolved.
The very next morning, a car bomb exploded near the east gate of the Lexington Estate. No injuries—but a clear message.
Inside the wreckage, they found a steel case.
Leo opened it carefully, with bomb tech at his side.
Inside, a single USB drive.
And a note:
**"Even kings bleed. Play this."**
Jayden inserted the drive into a secure laptop.
The screen flickered, then played a video.
Grainy. Night vision.
It showed a silhouette approaching his mother's temporary retreat cabin.
Then another silhouette emerging from the trees behind her.
The camera zoomed.
A knife in the second man's hand.
The first man turned.
**Brian.**
He tackled the attacker.
Fought viciously.
Saved her life.
The video ended.
Jayden's chest was tight.
Leo was silent.
Jayden whispered, "They got that close to her…"
Leo spoke gently, "And Brian saved her."
Jayden nodded, eyes wet.
He didn't cry.
He made a decision.
---
That night, he called Brian to the war room.
Jayden stood beside him and said, loud enough for all to hear:
> "Brian Otieno saved my mother's life. Not as a friend. Not as a Guard. As a brother. From this day forward, he is second in command of the Legacy Guard. Anyone with a problem answers to me."
Brian looked stunned.
Jayden handed him a silver chain with the lion sigil.
Brian whispered, "I don't deserve this."
Jayden smiled for the first time in days.
"You didn't ask to be a king either. But the fire chose us anyway."
---
**End of Chapter Sixteen**