Bound by Shadows .jc

CHAPTER 43

Posession of power 

It began with Daniel's plan, as sharp and ruthless as the man himself.

"We need to destroy the warehouse," Daniel had said, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather. He stood in the dimly lit room, his hands resting casually on his belt.

Seungcheol shook his head, his jaw tightening. "No. The kids are out, and that's enough. I won't take innocent lives to make a point."

Daniel's eyes narrowed, his voice dropping. "Innocent lives? You're naïve, Seungcheol. Do you think leaving it standing means mercy? Viktor, Damien, and Ryker will regroup, and when they do, they'll come for us. For the kids. You can't leave loose ends."

"I don't need your lessons, Daniel," Seungcheol snapped. "This isn't about loose ends. It's about not becoming them."

Daniel laughed coldly, his voice laced with venom. "You think you're better than them? You're in this world now, Choi. There's no line you haven't already crossed."

Despite the venom in his words, Daniel relented, or so Seungcheol thought. The next day, when Seungcheol stood with the children in the courtyard of the newly claimed abandoned mansion, the distant sound of an explosion shook the ground beneath their feet.

Seungcheol turned to Daniel, his expression unreadable. "You did it," he said, his voice flat.

"They would've hunted us down," Daniel replied unapologetically. "I made the choice you were too weak to make."

Seungcheol didn't respond, but the fire in his eyes promised Daniel that he wouldn't forget this betrayal.

Over the next two years, Seungcheol's empire began to grow under his leadership. The children who had once clung to him for survival now stood as soldiers, hardened and unyielding. Hoshi, Jun, and Wonwoo, in particular, had transformed into ruthless killers, their loyalty unwavering. Daniel remained by his side, guiding him, pushing him, reminding him that kindness was a weakness that had no place in their world.

And Viktor... Viktor had disappeared, only to reemerge as a shadow of the man he once was, carving his own path in the criminal underworld.

When Seungcheol was twenty, he returned to his family home. The mansion loomed in the night, cold and empty, the same as he had left it. But this time, it wasn't fear that coursed through his veins—it was vengeance.

He descended into the basement, his footsteps echoing off the stone walls. His parents were bound and gagged, their muffled screams filling the air.

"Do you know why I'm here?" Seungcheol asked, his voice low and devoid of emotion. He crouched in front of them, tilting his head. "You always told me I'd never amount to anything. That I was weak. That I was a failure."

His father struggled against his bindings, his eyes wild with desperation. His mother's muffled sobs echoed through the room.

"You were wrong," Seungcheol continued, his voice icy. "I'm not weak. I'm not a failure. And tonight, I'll prove it."

The room filled with their screams as Seungcheol exacted his revenge, his actions cold and calculated. When it was done, he set the scene as an accident, the flames consuming the house as he walked away without looking back.

With the inheritance from the Choi-Jung family, Seungcheol expanded his empire, securing the SVT mansion as their base of operations. Daniel was quick to remind him of the unfinished business with Damien and Ryker.

"You've already killed your past," Daniel said, lighting a cigarette as they stood on the balcony of the new mansion. "Now it's time to kill the loose ends."