Chapter 52 CHAPTER 052
Sylvester Montgomery stares at the light from the glass of his window, watching as the bright city stretches endlessly beneath him, alive with movement, noise, and people who have never seen the good and effort he has put into the damn city.
A bitter smirk stretches at the corner of his lips. He shoves his hands into his pockets and takes out a pack of cigarettes, popping one in his mouth and lighting it up, going back to staring at the city lights.
The alpha has put a little too much into the city and elevates Montgomery, yet the city knows only one Montgomery, and that's Reign Montgomery, a powerful enigma that everyone fears. To the city, Sylvester, despite being a powerful alpha himself, is only Reign's shadow.
But what if he gets rid of that Enigma everyone has on high regard? What if Sylvester destroys everything Reign has ever worked for and takes his efforts for himself? Will the city finally see him? Will they recognize his efforts and see he's not some shadow that follows the Enigma's every order like some lost puppy?
Sylvester isn't lost, and he definitely isn't a puppy.
He takes a drag from his cigarette, eyes narrowing slightly as the smoke curls past his lips while the city continues to glow beneath him, unaware, careless… blind.
His gaze hardens as only one name echoes in his head: Reign Montgomery. Even the name alone is enough to stir something bitter in his chest.
Everything always circles back to him. Sylvester exhales sharply, flicking ash into the tray beside him.
How many times has he stood in rooms where he did the work, laid the foundation, and made the decisions, only for all eyes to turn to Reign? How many times has his voice been overlooked simply because the Enigma had yet to speak?
His jaw tightens. Too many times, he has lost count. A humorless chuckle slips past his lips.
Just then, he hears the sound of the door opening. He doesn't turn but simply looks over his head, and his smirk turns sinister as Dr. Mira walks into the room.
“Is it done?” He asks, and the woman nods, coming to stand beside him, and both of them look at the city through the glass.
“Iris's blood isn’t compatible. She's only just a girl who's barely embraced her secondary gender as an Omega,” she tells him. “Soren is the only one with the blood we need. As long as he has slept with Reign, we have the Enigma weakness and right where we need him."
Sylvester’s jaw clenches. “Shame, such a pretty Omega pretending to be a Beta, and shame, he won't live the life he wants with his sister. That's his retribution for becoming tangled with Reign Montgomery."
“Are you certain about this?” Dr. Mira asks, her voice calm as she looks at him. “Once we move forward, there’s no reversing it. Soren won’t survive the process.”
Sylvester scoffs. “He doesn’t need to,” he retorts with no atom of emotion in his voice because he doesn't see a helpless omega trying to survive in a world that's cruel to his kind; all he sees is Reign's only weakness and a path to his downfall.
Sylvester doesn't care who has to fall for him to get what he wants. Shame. It had to be pretty Omega.
The alpha smirks and takes another drag of his cigar, staring at the city lights with an uncanny look in his eyes.
Sylvester paces at the front of Reign's porch, his hand shoved into his pocket as he waits almost impatiently, his car parked right behind him with the front passenger seat already open.
Finally, a few minutes later, Soren walks out the front door, dressed in a white vest suit that clings to his waist, making him look ethereal, almost like an angel, as he runs his fingers through his red hair.
For a moment, it's almost like time slows down as Sylvester watches without blinking, almost as if the Beta will disappear. He only breaks free from his trance when Soren stops in front of him, breaking into the most beautiful smile Sylvester has ever seen.
Shame.
“Shall we go?” Soren tilts his head to get the alpha's attention.
Sylvester blinks and nods. “I'm sorry for the last-minute call. Reign has to be there, and as his fiancée, you're the only one who can present him and ease the public.”
Soren nods. “I understand. I already signed up for this when I agreed to marry him,” he lets out a little chuckle that echoes melodiously in Sylvester’s head.
Pretty. Only if he knows he won't live long to have that smile on his face again, all because he chose the wrong man to marry.
“Shall we go?” Soren asks again, clueless about what awaits him.
“Yes, let's go,” Sylvester says with a smile. He holds the car door, and Soren slips in before he shuts the door and runs to the driver's seat, and in the next moment, they're hitting the road.
It's an art museum excursion, nothing suspicious and nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly, no one will see it coming.
Sylvester silently follows Soren as they walk around the room.
Sylvester watches Soren move from exhibit to exhibit, hands clasped behind his back, eyes bright with curiosity as he studies the art with a tilt of his head that seems almost choreographed, beaming with a melody of innocence that makes Sylvester’s eyes twitch.
The alpha keeps his distance, walking just a pace behind. He watches the way Soren pauses by a painting, his fingers reaching out to brush the glass.
Sylvester’s lips almost twitch into a smile because he's beautiful, and the longer he watches, his thoughts become poisonous, a mix of admiration and malice.
“You know,” Soren says suddenly, turning to Sylvester with a gentle smile. “These pieces are beautiful and alive; it feels like they’re trying to tell a story only certain people can hear, not for people who don't understand and only admire the physical beauty.”
Sylvester forces his eyes to soften and his jaw to be less tight. “They do tell a story. You just have to decide if you’re listening or if you’re willing to be part of it.”
Soren tilts his head, puzzled. “Part of it? What do you mean?”
Sylvester shrugs casually and moves closer. “Some stories require a sacrifice, and not everyone gets to survive being in the tale.”
Soren snorts. “I wish I were smart enough to understand what you mean."
Sylvester doesn't need him to understand, but he's willing to indulge, and that's when the ground starts to vibrate underneath their shoes.
Murmurs of confusion instantly break out between the other guests in the room.
“IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE! EVERYONE TAKES COVER!”
Someone yells down, and instantly, chaos breaks out from the crowd as they scream and take cover, but at the same time, a pillar collapses, and the roofs start to form cracks.
“We need to take cover.” Sylvester immediately grabs Soren's wrist and pulls him along, running to take cover as the vibration under their feet becomes strong.
“WATCH OUT!” Soren suddenly screams, pushing Sylvester away just in time before a concrete block falls between them.
“BEHIND YOU!” It's Sylvester's turn to scream, and he scampers faster, pushing Soren out of the way as the pillar behind cracks.
Soren groans as his back hits the ground painfully with Sylvester over him like a protective shield, both of them panting heavily.
“Are you okay?” Sylvester asks, and Soren nods. He also nods before he starts to get up, but just in time as the pillar finally collapses. Without thinking, Sylvester pins Soren back on the ground, shielding him with his body as the hard stone crashes on his back and head.
“You're bleeding!” Soren cries out.
Sylvester hums in response, his vision blurs for a moment, and dizziness follows as blood rolls from his head. “Are you alright?”
And that's the last thing he says before he collapses on top of Soren, out cold.