“We are glad you agreed to come with us—and your friend, of course,” Vennesa said smoothly from the luxury limousine.
Levi, sitting on the plush leather seats with Luke bouncing next to him, still couldn’t relax.
“Is this a scam?
Are you going to use our organs for some kind of wealthy ritual?” he asked, his voice flat.
Vennesa offered a strained laugh.
“Of course not.
Relax, Levi!”
“I just can’t believe it,” Luke kept saying, looking at a picture in his hand and comparing it to Levi’s intense profile.
“The resemblance is insane!”
“That’s why the DNA was done.
The resemblance was too great to be a coincidence,” Alex said seating besides Vennesa.
“Whatever questions you have, the Hales will answer.
My job was just to bring you to your family.”
Levi simply nodded and looked away, watching the cityscape rush past the tinted windows.
His expression remained neutral.
No one could tell if he was happy, angry, or just numb from the discovery.
He was simply letting the tidal wave carry him.
An hour later, they arrived in the prestigious Silver Leaf Heights.
Both boys gasped, staring out the windows in awe at the massive, manicured estates.
The car finally slowed, approaching a towering wrought-iron gate marked with the unmistakable signature ‘H’.
HALES MANSION
At the entrance, maids spilled out to greet them.
Luke kept smiling and gasping at every luxurious detail.
The boys continued to look up, having never seen a private home of this sheer scale.
In the main living room, the Hales sat, waiting.
As Alex and Vennesa walked in, William and Leo stood.
And then, he walked in—Levi.
He was still busy looking around, taking in the grand, two-story windows and the dark-stone fireplace until his eyes finally landed on the faces waiting for him.
“Levi, these are your grandparents, Kaitlin and William Hale,” Alex introduced.
Luke’s eyes widened to dinner plates as he recognized the powerful William Hale, and he instinctively moved behind Levi.
“Hello, Levi.
I’m your Grandma Kait,” she said, her eyes already wet with emotion.
“Oh, Alex, with resemblance like this, there was no need for a DNA test.” She gently pulled Levi into a warm, heartfelt hug.
William stepped forward.
“Hello, my boy.
Nice to meet you.” Levi, confused about how to behave, instinctively stretched out a hand to shake, but William pulled him into a strong, silent embrace.
Alex began, “And this is your fath—”
Leo cut him short.
He didn’t say a word, he just moved forward and enveloped Levi in a deep, desperate hug.
“Welcome home, my son,” Leo whispered, his voice thick with raw emotion.
Levi was shocked by the overwhelming show of warmth, but he couldn’t deny the genuine emotion radiating from the powerful, unfamiliar family surrounding him.
Minutes later, the family was seated in the vast living room.
The sectional sofa was so soft and luxurious that it was nearly impossible not to relax, despite the tension.
Kaitlin had instructed the staff to bring out an extravagant spread of snacks and drinks, with the main dinner already on standby.
“I didn’t know what you liked, so I went a little overboard.
Please pick whatever you want,” she said kindly.
“Ah…
thanks,” Levi managed, offering her a small, tight smile.
“Do you have questions?” Leo asked, looking directly into Levi’s eyes.
Facing the immense wealth and power of the Hales, Levi felt a nervousness he hadn’t experienced with Alex.
He found it difficult to look William or Leo directly in the face.
“Well,” Levi began, choosing his words carefully, “it still feels like a scam.
I just can’t piece together how I am your child.
I grew up without a dad, but I certainly didn’t expect him to be a Hale.” He maintained his quiet control, despite the chaos inside.
“You still doubt it?
We can allow you to do a personal DNA test if you’d like,” William stated, leaning forward slightly.
“No…
no,” Levi quickly shook his head.
Why didn’t we live together?”
“We didn’t abandon you, Levi.
Your mother left.
We’ve been searching for her tirelessly for years, but we couldn’t find her,” William explained calmly.
“My mother…
she left?
Why?”
“It was all me,” Leo quietly admitted, taking the full weight of the blame.
“I was too focused on growing our empire.
I neglected her.
I didn’t even know until this morning that she was pregnant with you when she left.”
William continued the painful history.
“When she left, her family cut ties with us.
We promised to find her, but we never succeeded.
Your mother, Tess, was our partner in some of the companies—the shipping, food, and hotels.
We felt there was no need for her to work when we could do the work instead.
I guess she grew tired of being alone at home.”
Leo coughed, his voice heavy with regret.
“The night she left, she told me she had something important to tell me, and to come home.
I had a deal to close, so I forgot.
I had no idea she was carrying you.
I’m truly sorry.”
Levi sat completely shocked, silently absorbing the confession.
“They are not lying,” Alex said gently from the side.
“There is a recording from her doctor that we had no idea of, which we only recently found.
You can always listen to it.”
“My dear,” Kaitlin asked, her eyes full of sadness, “did she never mention us?”
“Where is your mother, Levi?
We’ll gladly go pick her up and apologize,” William added, desperate to fix the past.
“My mother?” Levi looked down at his hands, his voice dropping to a near whisper.
“I don’t know her.
Grandma told me she died a month after my birth.
I only have one small picture of her and me as a baby.”
His words sent a cold shockwave through the room.
Leo’s face instantly crumpled; he was clearly close to breaking down, but he forced himself to hold it together.
A long, thick silence settled.
William finally gestured to a maid, who returned moments later with a framed photograph.
“Is this her?” William asked, sliding the picture across the coffee table.
Levi turned.
It was an older photo, but the woman was recognizable.
“Yes, that’s my mother,” he confirmed.
“So now you do believe this is not a scam?” William asked, his voice steady.
Levi nodded.
He finally understood.
This was real.
“You mentioned a grandmother who raised you.
Who was she?” Leo asked, finally regaining his voice.
“She raised me.
I thought she was my mother’s mother,” Levi replied.
“But that can’t be,” Kaitlin countered, confused.
“Your mother’s mother and father live in L.A.
So who exactly was this woman?”
“Dr.
Eva did say Tess went somewhere no one knew her,” Alex interjected.
“Maybe the woman wasn’t related by blood at all.”
Luke just sat on the edge of the sofa, quietly listening and thoroughly stuffing his mouth with the expensive Hale snacks.
“Is she alive, my love?
We should thank her,” Kaitlin asked.
Levi looked down and slowly shook his head.
Kaitlin immediately moved next to him, gently taking his hands.
“I don’t know what you have been through all your life, but on behalf of my son and my family, I am deeply sorry we didn’t find you earlier,” she said, her voice genuine. You are reading on novelping . com, the official source.
“But now you are back.
Allow us to make it up to you.
We’ll announce to the world who you are, and you can come home.”
“So what,” Levi challenged, his composure returning.
“You want me to start preparing to succeed him, be an heir?”
“No, no.
You can do as you please.
You can pursue any dream,” Leo said sharply, clearly anxious to prove his sincerity.
“Just enjoy the fruits of our years of work.
It’s all for you now.”
“All you need to do, love, is to be yourself and live your life as The Heir that you are,” Kaitlin insisted.
“Who cares if you don’t succeed your father?
William can always go back to work, and if he can’t, Alex can!”
William and Alex both exclaimed, “What!” in stunned protest.
Levi smiled faintly.
This was too much, too fast.
“Can I think about it, please?
At home.
This is all too heavy for one day.”
“Yes, of course!” they all agreed instantly.
“Just know I have prepared a room for you.
Anytime you feel like coming home, it’s ready,” Kaitlin said, already back to organizing.
“Wait just a bit.
We’ll pack up the snacks and the meals so you can have them while you think.
Hmm”
“I’ll have the driver prepare the Car to take you both back,” Vennesa smiled, arranging the departure.
It felt wonderful.
They wanted him to stay, but they respected his need for space.
Outside, as Levi and Luke walked toward the car, Alex stopped Levi.
“Call me if you need anything at all,” Alex said seriously.
Levi looked at his construction boots.
“I guess there’s no returning to the construction site for me, huh?”
Alex gave him a gentle smile.
“Don’t be silly.
Of course not.
Go on.”
With multiple packages overflowing with food prepared by Kaitlin, who still worried it wasn’t enough, the two boys got into a luxurious Mercedes-Benz and drove back to their apartment in Lantern Row.
___
Back in the living room, Alex returned, meeting the family who were now awash in mixed emotions.
“Alex, I don’t like the way he looks.
I wanted him to have more of his mother’s soft side, but it seems he has already taken his father’s hard shell,” Kaitlin said, dabbing a tear.
“He looks like he has been through a lot,” William observed, his face lined with concern.
Leo cleared his throat, his gaze heavy with sudden realization.
“Alex, I know you are busy managing the company alone…
but could you do me a favor?
Find the man named Harold who fired my son.
I want him dealt with.
Quietly.
Then, I want you to find the apartment Levi is currently staying in.
I want to buy it immediately and make sure he never has to worry about rent or that landlord again.”
William nodded approvingly.
“And Alex,” the patriarch added, his voice gaining its cold, serious edge.
“”Find out everything.
What he’s been through.
Where he lived.
How much pain he carries.”
“I already am,” Alex said.