The Conquest (Underworld 5) SH

59: Long Lost Brother

Joshua sat frozen in his study, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows over the pages of the diary he had just finished reading. His pulse raced, each beat thudding in his ears as the final words of the diary echoed in his mind. A diary, written not by his father, but by someone anonymous—someone who knew the deepest secrets of his family, including the one that had been hidden from Joshua his entire life.

His fingers traced the edges of the page, the delicate paper rustling under his touch. Jisoo. His twin brother, who he had never known existed. The shock of discovering their shared bloodline was still sinking in, but what rattled Joshua even more was the lingering mystery of who had written these words. Someone had known the truth about his father, his family, and had chosen to record it all, leaving behind a tangled thread for Joshua to unravel.

Joshua leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixated on the open diary. His mind spun with questions. Who was the anonymous writer? Why had they documented these dark secrets, and why now? As far as Joshua knew, there was no one left from his father's circle who could have written this. His father had died years ago, and with him, so had many of the Midnight gang's old secrets—or so Joshua had believed.

The diary began with cold, factual descriptions of his father's time as the commander under Seungcheol's father, detailing the rise and fall of the Midnight gang's influence, their enemies, and alliances. But it was when the entries shifted to personal matters, when they spoke of Joshua's birth and the arrival of his twin brother Jisoo, that the tone became oddly intimate, almost sorrowful.

"They were born under a blood moon,"one entry read."Two boys—one, a reflection of power, the other, a soul too delicate for this world. The father saw it at once. He saw the difference in their eyes. Joshua, strong and commanding, was destined to inherit the Midnight legacy. But Jisoo... Jisoo was not built for the harshness of the world. His mind was gentle, different. And so, the father made the only choice he believed would ensure survival."

Joshua felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he recalled the lines. It was as if the writer had been watching, living in the very moments they described. How could someone have such insight into the decisions made behind closed doors?

His thoughts raced back to the part about Jisoo being abandoned in an orphanage because of his autism—a decision made by his father in an attempt to shield Jisoo from the brutal world of the mafia. Joshua clenched his fists, fury bubbling up inside him. He had spent his entire life believing that his father was a strong man, someone who made difficult choices for the greater good. But to cast aside a child—his own son—because of his vulnerability? It was a betrayal that Joshua struggled to reconcile.

The mystery deepened as Joshua flipped back to the final few entries. There, tucked between the lines, was the mention of Heesung's brother—the man who had unknowingly adopted Jisoo and given him a life far removed from the violence and chaos of the Midnight gang. It was ironic, almost cruel, that Jisoo had found his way to Cinnamon Café, the very business Joshua had opened in the heart of the city. Fate, it seemed, had a dark sense of humor.

"He works at Cinnamon Café now," the writer had noted. "Under the watchful eye of the very brother who was meant to forget him. They live side by side, unaware of the blood that binds them."

Joshua's jaw tightened, his heart pounding in his chest as he reread those words. How had Jisoo ended up so close to him without either of them knowing? Joshua had always prided himself on being in control, on knowing every move his enemies and allies made. But this—this revelation was beyond anything he could have imagined.

Suddenly, the door to his study creaked open, pulling Joshua from his spiraling thoughts. Jeonghan stepped in, his sharp eyes immediately honing in on Joshua's tense figure.