Reborn Sovereign

The boardroom was silent, nobody dared look up to Jay's father. Almost twenty people around the mahogany table and not one of them was looking at Jay.His father sat at the head—silver-haired, sharp-suited, the kind of man who'd built an empire through blood and cruelty. Richard Venturi hadn't looked at his son in three months. Not since Jay's proposal to expand into renewable energy got shot down in favor of Marcus's oil investments.Marcus. His stepbrother. Sitting across the table wearing a smile that promised Jay's destruction."The board has reviewed both proposals," Richard said, not even pretending this was a fair fight. "Marcus's acquisition strategy shows stronger short-term returns.""Short-term." Jay kept his voice level despite his hammering heart. "My proposal projects thirty percent growth over five years with half the environmental impact—""We're not running a charity organization, Jay." His father's tone was the same one he'd use to discuss disappointing quarterly rep

The black crystal sat on Jay's desk like a curse.He'd made it back to his chambers—calling them that was generous. The "Crown Prince's quarters" were a joke. One room in the east wing that barely qualified as servant's housing. A bed. A desk. A window overlooking the kitchen waste.No guards outside his door. No attendants. Nothing to indicate royalty lived here except the title everyone used to mock him.Jay locked the door. Sat at the desk. Stared at the crystal pulsing with dark light.[ANALYZE ITEM?]"Yes."Might as well commit to talking to the invisible video game interface.[SHADOW KING'S CALLING CRYSTAL][EFFECT: ESTABLISHES SOUL LINK WITH SHADOW REALM SOVEREIGN][WARNING: ACTIVATION IS IRREVERSIBLE][WARNING: SHADOW KING CAN TRACK YOUR LOCATION ONCE ACTIVATED][WARNING: SECOND ALPHA MATE WILL KNOW WHEN YOU ARE IN DANGER][RECOMMENDATION: DO NOT ACTIVATE UNLESS YOU WANT HIS ATTENTION]Jay laughed—harsh sound in the empty room. "His attention. Like I have a choice in any of th