Chapter 1 - The beginning

When the world has changed, sub-genders within a community are no longer foreign, men and women today are born with sub-genders that become increasingly prominent with age. Each birth will comprise 89% of the Beta group, where these Betas exhibit physical traits similar to ordinary humans, forming the majority of the general population. About 10% of births have the Alpha sub-gender; Alphas possess advantages over both Betas and Omegas. Alphas are characterized by stronger and more masculine physical traits and superior leadership skills, which is why almost all individuals with the Alpha sub-gender dominate sectors like finance and politics worldwide. At the very bottom and rarest is the Omega sub-gender. This group, often seen as the weakest, especially when it comprises men, frequently becomes the target of discrimination and prejudice.

Edgar is a dominant Alpha, carrying the weight of expectations from his powerful father, Kingston. While Kingston appears to be a successful businessman, running a conglomerate that appears legitimate on the surface, he is a ruthless figure deeply entrenched in the underbelly of crime, manipulating the city's power dynamics for his gain. Greed drives Kingston, leading him to sacrifice anything and anyone for wealth and dominance.

Edgar, shadowed by his father's legacy, struggles under Kingston's oppressive ambition. Though Edgar craves love and redemption, the specter of his father's dark dealings looms heavily over him.

In the decaying industrial heart of Moscow, Edgar's life takes a dark turn. Inside the cold, rusted walls of an abandoned factory, he confronts Morinho, a merciless Brazilian thug. Edgar's eyes blaze with fury as he addresses Morinho’s encroachments. "Why did you come here and disrupt my family's business?” he snarls, feeling the pressure of Kingston's expectations to assert control.

“Is that all you care about? Your father, your business?” Morinho retorts, fear punctuated with defiance. Edgar presses his gun to Morinho's temple, heart racing—not from fear, but from an inherited hunger for power that Kingston exemplifies.

“The Harry Chou family is gone; nothing remains after Hideko and the Yakuza took over,” Edgar said, his voice low and dangerous. He assesses Morinho, realizing that this encounter could elevate him in Kingston's eyes—he needed to show he could take care of business without hesitation.

Morinho gasps as blood trickles from his lip, forced to disclose a final clue, "Find the youngest Chou. He knows where the key is hidden."

Edgar’s instincts flare with ambition. “Wasting my time,” he growls, pulling the trigger without a second thought. Morinho’s body crumples, and Edgar steps back, adrenaline mingling with that insidious thrill of power.

After disposing of Morinho's body, Edgar returns home to face Kingston. The next morning, he scans the gleaming treasures that line his father's walls. Kingston, ever the predator cloaked in a businessman’s guise, glances at him with a calculating gaze.

"You need to be proactive, Edgar. Strength is all that matters in this world,” Kingston advises, every word dripping with cold ambition. “You want my approval? Then show me you can eliminate threats, and don’t let emotions cloud your judgment.”

Frustrated by his father’s disregard for anything resembling morality, Edgar can feel the darkness of Kingston’s greed seeping into him. While in school, Edgar becomes captivated by Dr. James. The warmth and gentleness of the doctor contrast sharply with the vile energy surrounding him. When Edgar discovers Dr. James struggling with his car after class, he offers help, though his deeper intention is to foster a connection.

However, Edgar’s world crashes again as he is ambushed by armed thugs seeking revenge for Kingston's latest transgressions. Chaos erupts outside the school, and as he defends himself and the doctor, guilt wells inside him. Dr. James's involvement complicates everything—the very person he longs to protect could become a pawn in Kingston's ruthless game.

“Stay back!” Edgar yells as Dr. James rushes to help, risking his life in Edgar's chaotic world. Edgar's instincts kick in, and in a desperate attempt to protect James, he fights fiercely, dispatching the thugs with an unsettling efficiency.

Once the danger passes, Edgar takes Dr. James aside, guilt piercing his heart. “You shouldn’t be drawn into my chaos. This is not a world for someone like you.”

However, just as Edgar thinks he can shield James from the seedy underbelly of his life, Kingston’s greed intensifies. He capitalizes on the chaos of the previous nights as a means to seep even deeper into the criminal undertow of the Yakuza that dealings, urging Edgar to take decisive actions that echo his father's ruthless ambitions. Under the weight of his father's malicious plans, Edgar finds himself torn. He realizes that Kingston’s unquenchable thirst for power might corrupt him too, and he must find a way to break away from that influence—not just for himself, but for Dr. James, the person he wishes to protect in a world filled with deceit and greed.

In the shadows of the city that never sleeps, Edgar prepares himself for the looming war, knowing that every step he takes under the formidable specter of Kingston will only plunge him deeper into darkness unless he can find a way to refocus his own ambitions—and save Dr. James from a fate entangled in his father’s greed.

As days pass, the tension in Moscow thickens. Edgar struggles between his instincts and his longing for a different life, a life where love might exist free from the pervasive shadows of his father's greed. Kingston’s influence grows stronger, as he watches Edgar's every move with hawk-like precision, eager to mold him into a perfect successor for his ruthless empire.

"Tonight, we meet with some of our associates from the Yakuza," Kingston shares one evening, casually flipping through a ledger of illicit transactions in the dim light of his lavish office. "It's time you learned how to negotiate from a position of power, son.”

Edgar’s stomach twists at the thought. He had seen how ruthless his father could be, how lives could be shattered in the pursuit of profit. "You mean extortion, almost murder," he snaps, suppressing the simmering rage that surfaces every time he thinks of Kingston’s morally questionable dealings.

“Don't conflate weakness with morality, Edgar. Strength is all that matters in this world. If you can’t learn that, you will never rise,” Kingston replies, his voice icy. The old man’s eyes hold a glint of something darker, greed mates with ambition feeding a dragon so insatiable it devours everything around it.

Days before the Yakuza meeting, Edgar learns that Dr. James is receiving disturbing messages late at night—a threat from someone who saw Edgar’s display of strength against the thugs. The protection he longs to provide to Dr. James feels more like a noose tightening around both their necks. Having no choice but to involve the doctor in his world, he sits down for an earnest talk.

“James, we need to talk,” Edgar says, his voice grave as they meet in a secluded park late at night. The moonlight casts soft shadows across the grass, but Edgar's heart is heavy with heaviness that echoes his father’s empire.

“What’s going on, Edgar?” Dr. James asks, concern etching lines across his brow. “I can feel that something isn’t right.”

Edgar paces the dusky path, emotions a whirlpool within him. “They know about you, what I’m involved in. You’re a target now, and I can’t let anything happen to you.”

Dr. James takes a step closer, his blue eyes piercing into Edgar's soul. “I won’t back down. I need to fight for people like you—you don’t have to carry this weight alone.”

The resolve in Dr. James stirs something deep within Edgar. But he knows the depth of the danger he attracts—a danger that only grows as Kingston's dealings with the Yakuza deepen.

Later that evening, Kingston arranges a lavish meeting at one of his exclusive nightclubs. Edgar feels uneasy as he sits at the table, flanked by men whose faces reflect the greed that Kingston cultivates. The Yakuza representative, Hideko, glances at Edgar with an inscrutable expression.

“Your father speaks highly of you, Edgar,” Hideko says, his voice smooth yet menacing. Edgar shifts uncomfortably, the weight of Kingston's expectations pressing down on him like a lead shield.

“I wish I could say the same for you," Edgar retorts, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. “All I see is a man draped in the blood of innocents.”

Kingston’s grip on the edge of the table tightens, an unspoken warning in his eyes. But Edgar refuses to yield, feeling a flicker of hope—a dream of standing apart from his father’s nightmarish legacy.

Just as the meeting escalates into a tense negotiation filled with veiled threats and intimidation, Edgar's phone vibrates violently in his pocket. His heart races as he sees a message from Dr. James: “I’m being followed.”

Panic takes hold. Edgar knows he must take charge. “I’m sorry, I have to step out,” he announces, standing abruptly and shooting a look toward Kingston, who frowns deeply.

“What’s more important than this?” Kingston hisses under his breath, irritation clearly battling with the facade he portrays.

“It’s personal,” Edgar replies, his voice cold. He strides out of the club, adrenaline surging as he races against time to protect Dr. James.

When he arrives at the park where they were supposed to meet, he finds Dr. James cornered by two menacing figures—gang members sent to intimidate him. The scene before him ignites a fury within Edgar he never knew existed.

“Get away from him!” Edgar roars, stepping forward. His presence commands attention, drawing the men’s focus. “You have no right to threaten him!”

“Step aside, Alpha,” one thug snarls, brandishing a knife. “This isn’t your fight.”

Edgar feels the darkness creeping, the blood pumping in his veins as adrenaline spikes. “It’s exactly my fight!” he barks back. In one fluid motion, he disarms the thug and knocks him to the ground.

The second man lunges, desperate to prove he’s more than just a pawn in an evil game. Edgar, his instincts honed by years of survival, sidesteps, kicking out his leg to drop the attacker hard onto the pavement.

Breathing heavily, Edgar turns toward Dr. James, who watches with shock plastered to his face. “Are you hurt?” he asks, his voice laced with impending dread.

“No, just frightened. But Edgar, you shouldn’t be getting mixed up in this,” Dr. James says, taking a step back, fear flashing across his gaze. “This isn’t safe for you! For us!”

But Edgar shakes his head vehemently. “I won’t let your light flicker out just because of my dark world. I need you, James.”

Their eyes lock in a moment that swells with unspoken feelings. Just as they share this pivotal connection, Edgar’s phone buzzes again—a cryptic message from an unknown number threatens Dr. James' life, bringing them both crashing back to reality.

“Go home… stay away from me,” Edgar implores, desperation sinking into his tone. The shadows of his father's greed loom larger, and he knows that involvement with him could destroy James.

Torn between protecting Dr. James and the violent world he inhabits, Edgar feels the pull of his father's empire wrapping around him, a gilded cage promising power but stripping his humanity.

“I’ll protect you, and I’ll find a way to break free from Kingston. I swear it,” Edgar promises, gripping Dr. James’s hand tightly. As he releases him, they both know that the path ahead will be fraught with peril, tangled in the dark web of Kingston's ambitions and the Yakuza's retribution.

That night may very well determine their fates; with Kingston now more ambitious than ever, and Edgar caught in a relentless struggle between love and loyalty, he must navigate a treacherous path to break free from his father’s chain and shield the one person who could redeem him.