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The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 65: Old Wounds, New Games
Mason watched the Lords digest his proposal, their faces a study in barely concealed calculation. The silence stretched like a wire ready to snap. Here he was, playing puppet master to Chicago's most dangerous men, and all he could think about was how far he'd come from that rain-soaked night when his world imploded.Life's got one hell of a sense of humor, he mused. Six months ago, he'd been worrying about making rent. Now he was orchestrating a multi-billion dollar tech revolution with the city's most notorious crime lords.Mason's grin spread, as the thoughts settled in. His rise to becoming this shrewd operator, this calculated kingpin of the streets, hadn't happened overnight. It took the harsh winds of betrayal and the bitter cold of rejection to forge him. Life had taught him one solid truth - a man only discovers his true mettle when he's cornered like a rat in an alley. Getting backed into a corner didn't break him - it just showed him what he was made of. "Here's to you, Oli
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 66: Silent Thunder
The crystal tumbler felt cool against Mason's palm as he tracked their approach in the bar's mirror. Designer heels clicked against marble like ammunition being loaded into a chamber. Chicago's elite shifted, vultures scenting premium drama in the making.Viktor's massive frame tensed behind the bar. "Boss—""Easy." Mason's voice carried that dangerous calm that made smart people run for cover. "Let's see what the happy couple has planned."Ethan's stride screamed old money confidence, each step declaring ownership of the very air he breathed. Olivia floated beside him, Versace wrapped around her curves like liquid sin. The crowd parted before them like the Red Sea, camera flashes painting their approach in strobe-light glory."Well, well." Ethan's voice dripped Harvard-educated contempt. "Looks like someone forgot to take out the trash." He adjusted his Cartier cufflinks, a gesture that probably cost more than Mason's old monthly salary. "Tell me, what's the going rate for breaking o
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 67: The Antidote to Jealousy
Mason's footsteps fell like judge's gavels against marble as he advanced. Each click of his Italian leather shoes carried the weight of promised retribution. The crowd parted before him, society vultures sensing the electricity crackling in his wake."Cowards." The word rolled off his tongue like expensive whiskey – smooth but burning. His laughter, low and dangerous, made nearby phones tremble in manicured hands. "That's what you are. Scared little children playing dress-up in designer wears."His gaze swept over Ethan and Olivia like a coroner examining corpses. These clowns who'd once loomed so large in his world now looked... small. Insignificant. Like ants scurrying across a picnic blanket, convinced their tiny struggles mattered."Listen carefully. Lemme break it down real simple-like." Mason's voice carried that particular quiet that made smart people reach for their phones to call their lawyers. "What I'm doing here ain't none of your business and yours, none of mine. For once
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 68: A Little Powwow with the Feathered Fools
The shadow dropping over Mason's plate belonged to a face he'd pegged from the Morrison auction house—Gerard Holbrook III, the business tycoon who'd bid $400,000 for the Aurora Borealis Diamond."Well well, ain't this something?" Holbrook's voice oozed that North Shore money. His Savile Row suit probably cost more than what Mason used to pull down in a year of honest work. "The Platinum Pinnacle thief, gracing us with his presence."Static buzzed in Mason's hidden piece. One of his camouflaged security detail—scattered strategic-like through the joint—twitched, ready to intervene. Mason gave an imperceptible shake of his head. Stand down.Mason kept working them chopsticks against that fancy plate, letting the silence do the heavy lifting. His quiet was getting under Holbrook's skin something fierce."What's wrong, thief?" A new voice slithered from behind. "Lost your gift of gab?"Ethan. Of course. And where there was smoke..."My my my." The Chanel No. 5 hit before Olivia's words di
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 69: Sweet as Sin, Twice as Dangerous
Eve's laughter rang through the Drake's marble halls, sweet as sin and twice as dangerous. "Hot damn, boss! Ya catch Gerard's mug when you dropped that line about his old man's company?" Her emerald eyes sparkled with mischief. "Man went from North Shore money to South Side scared in two seconds flat."Mason kept his hand low on her back, feeling the heat of her through Italian silk. Every curve was a loaded weapon. "Our friend Gerard's gonna have himself one hell of a family dinner tonight.""The kind where somebody ends up sleeping with the fishes?" Eve pressed closer. "Or the kind where daddy's checkbook gets a workout?""Let's just say..." Mason guided them toward a quiet corner, away from prying eyes and hungry cameras. The way Eve moved beside him, like midnight given form – it stirred something in his chest he hadn't felt since... well, since before the rain. "Some conversations leave deeper scars than bullets.""You know something?" Eve's voice dropped low, intimate. "You're g
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 70: Inheritance of Thorns
"Mother's right about this Tom Ford." Mason drawled, adjusting his cuff with deliberate casualness. The platinum cufflinks – Leo's favorites – caught the light like stolen stars. "Makes a man look like he belongs anywhere. Even places he shouldn't." His eyes met Charlotte's mischievous gaze. "As for the sharks... let's just say some folks are having trouble deciding whether I'm the next course or the competition. Might be better to let them keep guessing."Helena King's arctic blue eyes missed nothing – not the way Mason wore power like a second skin, not the calculating grace behind his easy smile, and certainly not the way his gaze kept finding Eve across the crowded ballroom. The King matriarch's lips curved into something that might have been amusement, if amusement came with teeth."Your... right hand." Helena's voice could've frozen champagne. "She cleans up rather nicely. Though I suspect her talents extend far beyond making problems disappear." The pause was delicate as spun s
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 71: The Heir's Opening Move
"Stone." Helena's voice called out to the guard already approaching them. "Tell your... associates that my son will address everyone at the conclusion of our gathering." Her smile was no smile. "Their patience will be rewarded."The guard – built like a brick wall in an Armani suit – shifted uncomfortably. His eyes darted between Helena and Mason, uncertainty written in every line of his face. "Mrs. King, with all due respect... The elders insist on knowing now. They say tradition demands—""Tradition?" Mason's laugh carried just enough edge to make smart people nervous. "Last I checked, tradition also demanded respect for the family head's decisions." His fingers drummed against the crystal water glass, each tap like a hammer striking steel. "Or have things changed that much while I was away?"Charlotte's eyes sparkled with barely contained mischief. "Oh, this is gonna be good."Eve, deadly grace wrapped in designer silk, caught Mason's eye across the table. Her slight nod carried vo
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 72: Behind Closed Doors and Windows
Helena's fingers tensed against Mason's shoulder – a tell so subtle only someone raised under her exacting standards would notice. "Charlotte's inheritance is none of your concern.""See, that's where you're wrong." Mason guided them through a flawless turn, his voice pitched for her ears alone. "Everything about this family is my concern now.""Is that what life at South Side taught you?" Her smile remained perfect, even as her eyes went arctic. "How to meddle in affairs that don't concern you?"Around them, the charity luncheon's carefully cultivated atmosphere crackled with tension. Every society photographer's lens tracked their movement, hungry for any hint of the drama clearly unfolding between Chicago's most notorious mother-son duo."Actually," Mason's laugh carried just enough warmth to seem genuine to anyone watching, "it taught me something far more valuable." He spun her with practiced ease. "The difference between power and control.""Fascinating." Helena's grip tightened
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Chapter 137: Burning Rubber, Burning Hearts
The air in the room shifted. Mason's eyes locked onto Eve while Sister Agnes's prayers buzzed in the background like white noise. The space felt cramped as a jail cell and big as Lake Michigan all at once, like the universe had condensed to focus on this single, volatile moment."Gotta lay this out straight," Mason said, voice rough as Chicago asphalt. "This ain't some walk in the park for me. These feelings for you... wanting you... still been burning me up inside for years. But I can't let you fall for some counterfeit Leo version of me. Not like this."Eve cocked her head, eyes sharp as a street hustler's. "You think you got exclusive rights to damaged goods, sugar?" Her words cut deep as a switchblade. "Maybe if you'd put in more effort finding me. Wasn't like I vanished into thin air."Mason's jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth, her words stinging worse than he'd expected. "I busted my ass looking," he growled, frustration bleeding through. "Hit up every damn foster joint,
Chapter 136: A Thirty-Three-Year Secret
Agnes’ trembling hands gripped the edge of the garden bench like it was her last lifeline, her eyes playing ping-pong between Mason's burning stare and the dirt she looked ready to sink into."Aha, it's you, ain't it?" Mason's voice sliced through the silence, raw and unyielding. "You're the one behind all this shit. The reason I got dumped there… abandoned. Split from my own brother, from a mother who—damn her struggles—at least wanted to step up! But you—" His voice broke, but not his anger. "You still got no kids of your own, right? Now I see why."Agnes took the hit like someone catching a bullet, her oversized outfit couldn't hide how bad she was shaking. Even Eve felt that one land. She moved in quick, laying a steadying hand on Mason's arm. "Easy, Mace. Look at her... she's breaking apart here."Just then, Agnes crumpled to the garden soil, folding in on herself like a house of cards. Her lips moved without sound, hands pressing against her ears like she could block out Mason's
Chapter 135: The Road to Reckoning
"Jesus H. Christ," Eve breathed, the words hitting the air like bullets. "Your life's one hell of a mess, ain't it kid?" Her eyes stayed fixed on Agnes, watching for any sign of deception.Mason's face hardened into concrete, jaw working overtime as his teeth ground together. "The fuck you trying to tell me?"Agnes met his gaze. "I'm saying you're the product of a night Ramirez will never admit to, a drunken encounter with Camila. She worked as domestic staff in his residence." A pause to make sure that part sinked. "Camila possessed both beauty and an uncommon kindness. She remained beneath his notice until that particular evening when alcohol clouded his judgment. He..." Her voice wavered slightly. "He took advantage of her. The following morning, in what I can only describe as a fit of shame-induced rage, he had her forcibly removed from the premises. He claimed she... disgusted him, that she had provided him with what he termed 'the poorest sexual experience of his life.'"Mason's
Chapter 134: Between Two Worlds
Sister Agnes sat there looking like death warmed over, her face drawn tight as Mason and Eve leaned in close enough to catch a whisper. The old garden bench creaked under the weight of more than thirty years' worth of secrets.Agnes's fingers wove together like she was about to start praying, maybe for strength to get through this. "I wasn't meant to make it this far. Helena King, she made sure to clean up after herself - and we were the mess she needed gone." Her voice stayed level, but Mason caught that telltale shine in her eyes, the kind of tears tough old broads learn never to let fall.Eve stood rigid, immune to the waterworks routine. She'd seen enough crying games in her time to last several lifetimes. "If you're done with the drama show, maybe get to the part about how you're standing here breathing if you ain't meant to stay breathing this far."A sound escaped Agnes that might've been a laugh in another life. Her head shook slow, like she was trying to clear old cobwebs. "D
Chapter 133: The Truth in Tears
Mason nodded slow, hands still reaching for mercy. "I'm telling it straight. I'm Mason Rivers. Not Leo King. Never was."Eve's eyes narrowed to slits, her mind churning like the dirty waters of the Chicago River. Old memories leaked through the cracks in her armor - glimpses of a skinny kid with fire in his eyes who refused to let the orphanage break him down."Prove it," she spat, her voice a brittle edge. "Tell me something only the real Mace would know."Mason seized the lifeline like a drowning man. "Found you hiding in Sister Agnes's garden after you smashed that fancy china plate. Instead of selling you out, I split my chocolate bar with you." His lips twitched, remembering the exact words he used. "Told you sisters couldn't yell if your mouth was full of candy.""Fuck you!" The gun barked, sending dirt flying at Mason's knees. "I handed you that story myself at the damn luncheon, you two-faced bastard!""Wait... please... I'm not lying." Mason's whole body trembled, sweat mixin
Chapter 132: The Trigger and the Cross
Mason stood frozen, hands raised toward the sky. His mind raced through a lifetime of close calls, but this time felt different. This time, death wore Eve's face. His lips moved in a silent prayer - the kind reserved for men staring down the barrel of certainty.Eve's finger danced on the trigger, her eyes locked on Mason's every breath. Her chest heaved with each sharp intake of air, matching the hurricane of thoughts tearing through her head. Leo. Her teacher. The man who'd shown her how to survive when the streets wanted her dead. The same Leo who'd left bodies cooling in Chicago's darkest corners. Her head snapped side to side, trying to shake the memories loose. If she didn't end him here, now, she'd be next on his list. No way he'd let her walk after this.But before her finger could finish its deadly arc, Sister Agnes darted forward, her arms spreading wide like wings, standing guard against the violence crackling in the air."What are you doing?" Eve's words cut sharp. "Move i
Chapter 131: Checkmate in the Garden
She edged closer to the glass, assessing her surroundings. The garden was dense, its shadows deep and concealing. Perfect for an ambush if she played it right. Her eyes tracked possible escape routes as her mind tallied the odds. Agnes was terrified, which meant this could be a setup. Experience screamed that she needed to secure the perimeter before making her move. One wrong step now would get them both killed.Mason, unaware of Eve’s presence, leaned forward, closing in on Agnes like a shark that's caught the scent of blood, his gaze locking onto Agnes. "Why'd you do it?" he pressed. "Why'd you do it?" His voice scraped low, rough as broken glass. "Who's this woman you're talking about? The one you switched the babies for?"Agnes stuttered, her breath catching. "I... I was young." Her voice came soft, cultured - a reminder of her life before all this. "I didn't know better then. Could've gone to the authorities, yes, but..." She gave a bitter laugh. "They owned this city. What coul
Chapter 130: Between Lines and Choices
Agnes stumbled, her foot catching on an upturned root as she fled through the back garden. Mason stalked behind her, his breath coming in slow, measured exhales. He had no intention of harming her. His presence alone was a suffocating weight pressing down on her shoulders. When her knees finally gave out, she collapsed onto the damp earth, trembling hands clutching the hem of her worn skirt. Her tear-streaked face turned skyward as if seeking divine absolution. The garden's mint and lavender - normally so soothing - mixed with the metallic tang of fear coating her tongue."Please..." Agnes sobbed, her voice thin and cracking. "Don't kill me! I'll confess. I'll tell you everything. Yes... I switched... him. I switched him!" The words spilled from her like a prayer, desperate and raw.Mason crouched before her, his expression unreadable. Inside, his mind raced through possibilities he'd never allowed himself to consider. The words tumbling from her mouth were erratic, but the fragments
Chapter 129: More Pieces Missing Than Whole
Mason tore through the orphanage's corridors like a man running from his own shadow. He found Sister Margaret in the courtyard, her hands deep in the dirt, tending roses that had seen better days – just like everything else in this joint."Sister Margaret." The words came out with urgency."Mace?" She turned, concern etching lines in her face. "Didn't expect to see you back so quick."His throat worked like he was choking down bad booze. "Eva – she say anything about me? Anything strange?" The desperation in his voice would've gotten him killed in his other life, the one where Leo King ruled the Underworld with an iron fist.Margaret wiped earth from hands that had dried more tears than he could count. "You're shaking like a junkie in withdrawal, boy. Eva dropped by, played Santa Claus to the kids, took a walk in the garden. Nothing worth getting your shorts in a twist over." Her eyes cut through him sharper than a switchblade. "Though she seemed... thoughtful but harmless.""The gard
