What Jake didn't know was that in the future, the cage he bought for Maria... would end up being used on him instead.
The instructor glanced at Jake, arms crossed. "Anyway… your warning about Mike—was that because of the Night family?"
Jake paused mid-step. A shadow flickered across his face, and a faint frown tugged at the corner of his lips, like something unpleasant had just brushed against his thoughts.
The instructor didn't stop. "It seems the Night family is in a predicament. People are just waiting to scavenge the leftovers. Even if they don't fall, there's always something to gain from picking at the scraps."
Jake turned his head slowly. His eyes, cold and unreadable, settled on the instructor.
"Don't even think about it," he said—softly, but with a weight that hit like stone.
"If you do, you won't even have bones left. Your flesh, blood, your name, your shadow—everything you thought was yours? Gone. And you'll still be in debt."
The instructor blinked. His throat moved in a slow swallow. "What do you mean…?"
Jake looked away, gaze narrowing as if tracking something beyond the walls. "The true control of the Night family is shifting. Quietly. No one sees it. On the surface, it looks like chaos—like they're dealing with internal attacks, a crumbling empire. But it's a delusion. A well-played performance."
He tapped his temple lightly. "Even the Night family itself is fooled."
He let the silence stretch a little too long, before he added, voice low and smooth,
"They're not falling. They're evolving. Getting stronger—dangerously so. And the more people bite, the deeper they sink. Like fish chasing bait."
The instructor furrowed his brow. "They're… playing bait?"
Jake's smile was almost lazy. "Exactly. The more enemies dig in, the more vulnerable they become. And Mike? He's letting them. Letting them expose themselves, thinking they've found weakness. But he's already tightening the net."
"And those with business ties?" the instructor asked quietly.
"They're already bleeding," Jake replied, tone now detached, clinical. "He's pulling shares from the inside. Building power without anyone seeing it. The illusion is perfect—he's made them believe the empire is weak."
A pause.
"Because someone from the Celtic family noticed too much. Interfered. That forced him to change his plan. Now? He's playing the victim. Letting the jackals come in closer. Like a parasite, he'll suck them dry."
The instructor's brows lifted. "He?"
"Mike," Jake confirmed with a nod. "But here's where it gets interesting. Two people from the Cleric family are involved. The mysterious heir… and the hidden owner. They don't even know they're working against each other. It's a cold war between ghosts."
He gave a soft chuckle, eyes gleaming. "One of them's smarter, though. That much I know. We'll see who surfaces first."
The instructor was staring at him now. "And the Night family's heir?"
Jake's tone shifted—deeper, darker. "He's got an appetite. The Night family isn't enough to satisfy him. He's branching out. Through different companies. Swallowing entire empires in silence."
He exhaled a breath, as if remembering something. "And here I thought the Rose Empire was his only secret... turns out that was just a piece."
The instructor's mouth dropped open. "The Rose Empire? Wasn't that almost as big as the Night family itself? I heard a lot of Night family members are moving toward it."
Jake's lips curled. "And yet, that's not even half of what he's capable of. What you've seen? It's just the shadow he lets you catch. The rest—hidden in plain sight."
The instructor hesitated. "Is your... you know... your stuff safe?"
Jake gave a slow smirk, leaning back. "Everything under my name—legal or not—is untouched. But family property? That's a battlefield. With vultures circling, you have to let go of a few things just to keep others alive. Still, my maternal inheritance is locked down. That's all I need."
He glanced sideways, voice light, almost amused.
"Funny thing is... those vultures took the bait. If Mike's plan plays out, they'll eat each other alive before they realize they were never hunting the real prey."
"You sound like you're enjoying this," the instructor said with a crooked smile.
Jake shrugged. "Of course I am. I even pushed a few of them deeper into his web. And while they're caught dancing on his strings… I'll be collecting rewards from the shadows."
The instructor let out a low whistle. "Using someone else's plan for your gain. So it's a silent war between you two now?"
Jake raised a brow. "Not war. Strategy. Competition, maybe. And the economy? It's going to be very entertaining."
He added with a casual flick of his wrist, "And those Cleric families? Not as gone as people think. I wouldn't have known either… until I started tracking Mike after I realized he was getting close to Maria."
The instructor stiffened. "This Maria girl... does she know anything?"
Jake's expression softened oddly, an unreadable light in his eyes. "Very soon," he said, voice gentle. "Very soon."
Then he stood straight, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve. "Anyway. I'll be gone for a while. I've been training with Maria, but it seems I touched something I shouldn't have. Now I have to clean it up."
The instructor looked at him carefully. "You've got a lot on your plate. Just don't let them figure out your secrets."
Jake chuckled under his breath. He t
urned, giving one last look over his shoulder.
"What secrets?"
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