The wind passed quietly through the garden, brushing against stone and leaves, carrying with it a tension so thick it felt almost visible.
For several seconds, no one moved.
Alex’s words hung in the air like a thunderclap.
“Did you hear me?
I said Tess had your child.” he repeated steadily, his voice firm now, grounding the moment.
“And I’ve seen him.”
William Hale was the first to come back to himself.
“And… it’s a boy?” he asked, his voice low, restrained—but his hands trembled slightly where they rested on his cane.
“Yes,” Alex replied.
“He works at the construction site.”
“What?” William’s composure cracked.
“If what you’re saying is true, then bring him home immediately.
Do not let him lift another stone or touch another tool.
Not one more day of manual labor.”
The command echoed, sharp and absolute.
Alex gave a quick nod.
He glanced at Leo Hale—the father.
Leo just sat, slumped back in his chair, pale and motionless.
He was staring blindly at the DNA result photo, his mind wrestling with the sudden, brutal truth: he had a son.
A son who, by Alex’s account, was living a hard life of physical work, unaware of the vast empire that was his birthright.
Leo, the business guru, was completely confused and lost.
His throat tightened.
His chest burned, unable to utter a single word.
Alex didn’t push him.
He understood that some realizations were too heavy for language.
That same morning, Alex moved with the speed only the Hale Conglomerate could summon.
He immediately got into a sleek, black sports car.
Trailing him were two other vehicles: a reinforced black sedan and a long, gleaming armored limousine—the visual sign of unquestionable Hale authority.
The convoy tore across the city, leaving the high-end districts for the industrial grit of the waterfront.
The vehicles pulled to a halt at the dusty field.
Alex stepped out of the lead car first.
From the second vehicle emerged a woman in her early thirties—sharp black suit, sleek hair pulled back, glasses resting precisely on her nose, tablet in hand.
“Where is he?” she asked immediately.
Alex glanced around the site.
“Let’s find out.”
This time, Henderson the head supervisor was present.
The moment he noticed the number of cars, all work slowed, then stopped entirely.
Workers murmured, tools lowered, eyes filled with curiosity and fear.
“We—welcome, sir Alex,” the supervisor stammered.
“We weren’t informed of an inspection today.”
“We’ll be quick,” the woman said coolly.
“We’re here for someone.”
The murmurs grew louder.
“You are..?” the supervisor asked cautiously.
“She is Vanessa White,” Alex said, cutting in.
“Head PA to the Hale Conglomerate.
And we’re here for Levi.”
The name spread like wildfire.
Levi.
Heads snapped in every direction.
Confusion rippled through the workers.
Why would the Vice CEO—and the Hales PA—want Levi?
Until the whisper reached Diego and Marcus.
“They’re here for the boy,” Marcus muttered.
“What could he have done to bring the big boss down here—” Diego stopped as he saw Henderson leading Alex and Vennesa directly toward their section.
“H–hello, sir,” they stuttered.
“You worked with Levi,” Vanessa said, her tone clipped.
Before either could answer, Harold rushed in from the restroom, puffed up and eager.
But Marcus, fearing Levi was in trouble, blurted out the truth: “He left!
He was fired yesterday!”
Alex paused.
“Yesterday?” His voice sharpened.
“I saw him yesterday.”
“Yes,” Diego added quickly.
“For talking behind you.
Harold fired him.”
All eyes turned slowly to Harold.
“You fired MY worker?” Henderson, the Head Supervisor, finally found his voice, realizing the seriousness of the situation.
Harold stammered, wiping his brow.
“H-he…
he was disrespecting you, Mr.
Alex.
They gossiped about you, and he wasn’t sorry, he felt he hadn’t done anything wrong!
So I made sure Mr.
Alex didn’t have to see him again!” He wasn’t sure if he should sound proud of his loyalty or completely terrified of his current predicament.
For a moment, silence.
Then Alex’s expression changed completely.
“You better pray we find him quickly, Harold,” Alex said, his voice dropping to a terrifying low whisper.
“Or else I will personally make sure you never get a job that pays above one dollar.”
Harold’s puffed-up smile instantly disintegrated.
He realized, with a sickening lurch, how monumentally he had messed up.
“Now,” Vennesa snapped, turning back to the workers.
“Who else knows something that can lead us to him?”
“Levi hardly ever talks about himself, or talks at all,” time offered glumly.
“In fact, the day he talked back to Harold was the first Diego we heard him say more than we could count,” Marcus added.
“So no one knows where he lives?” Vennesa asked, frustrated.
“Karan should,” they both guessed, their eyes searching the site.
As if summoned, Karan stepped out of a storage room and was immediately surrounded by questions.
“I don’t know where he lives,” he admitted.
Hope dimmed.
“But—” he added, quickly.
“He knows Luke.
If you find Luke, you’ll find Levi.”
“And who is Luke?” Vanessa asked.
“Luke Keith,” several voices answered at once.
“He knows everyone.”
It was crystal clear: Luke was the local network, the informed man of probably the entire city.
Hale Mansion
“Welcome, ma’am,” a maid said warmly, taking a handbag.
The woman barely paused, moving straight into the heart of the house.
The main living room of the Hale mansion was breathtaking—grand yet intimate.
Towering panoramic windows stretched across two stories, flooding the space with soft daylight.
A massive stone fireplace anchored the room, flames dancing gently within it.
Plush sectional sofas and cream tufted armchairs surrounded the hearth, the atmosphere warm, elegant, alive.
She was clearly over-hyped and full of restless energy.
“Why hasn’t preparation started?” she demanded.
“Kait—?” William rose in surprise.
“You’re back already?”
“Since you weren’t going to tell me that I have a grandson, a little birdie did!” she declared.
Absolutely not!”
“Mom!” Leo said, standing up.
“Hello, my love!
How are you doing?
I’ve missed you too much,” she said, giving him a warm, emotional hug and a motherly kiss.
This was Kaitlin Hale, wife of William and mother of Leonard.
She looked incredibly elegant for her mid-seventies: styled silver hair, glowing skin, carefully trimmed brows, and a dazzling array of expensive jewelry.
She was the emotional heart of the family, the reason the massive, sometimes cold mansion felt genuinely warm and welcoming.
“So you cut your trip short?” Leo asked gently.
“My trip is nothing compared to this!” she said, already moving.
“There’s so much that needs to be done before he’s here.
Nanny Helen, come!
We need to clear out a room, arrange it beautifully.
We need to cook—oh, we need every meal prepared, since we don’t know his favorite!” She swept out of the room with the nanny in tow.
William and Leo looked at each other, utterly amazed by her energy.
Kaitlin reappeared a moment later, pointing at them.
“And you two!
Wipe those serious looks off your faces!
He’s your grandson, and especially you, Leo—he’s your son.
You need to be prepared!
Do not scare him off!” With that final command, she vanished again.
She was right.
Leo had the hardest job of all: bonding with a son he never knew, a son who was already grown, and explaining the painful history of why his mother had left.
____
Meanwhile, the Hale search party had used a quick phone call to trace Luke to his workplace—a surprisingly nice sales office downtown.
One command from the building’s owner, and Alex and Vennesa were personally escorted through the sales department and down to Luke’s desk.
Luke froze solid, seeing Alex Hale up close.
His heart hammered in his chest; he was sure he had done something terribly wrong.
Two chairs were quickly pulled up for the visitors.
“Don’t be nervous,” Alex said, trying to seem approachable.
“You are Luke, I presume?”
“Y-yes!” Luke stammered.
“Then you will know Levi…
I think he goes by Powell,” Alex confirmed.
Luke’s head instantly cleared.
“Levi!
My roommate?”
“Your roommate!” Vennesa and Alex repeated, shocked that the search was over so quickly.
With that, they had direct access.
Luke, now excited to be a part of the action, led them straight to the modest apartment in Lantern Row where Levi was resting in his room.
Luke went up to his room’s door and gave a cheerful knock.
“Levi, we have visitors!”
The door gently opened.
There stood Levi: dark hair, piercing golden-brown eyes, sharp, defined features, and an uncanny, unmistakable resemblance to a young Leonard Hale.
Vennesa gasped loudly, covering her mouth.
“There was no need for a DNA test,” she whispered urgently to Alex.
“He looks exactly like Leonard did in his youth.”
“Sir Alex?” Levi said, recognizing him from the construction site.
He frowned.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Alex walked up to Levi, holding the DNA result paper, his moment of final truth.
“I don’t know how else to break this to you…
You are Leonard Hale’s son.”
Luke and Levi yelled the same word in perfect unison: “What!”
Together, they stared at the official-looking paper Alex handed over.
So many massive questions piled up in Levi’s mind, but he was too stunned to ask any of them.