The sleek Mercedes-Benz pulled up to the modest Lantern Row apartment building.
The driver didn’t say much as he pulled up in front of the apartment building.
He didn’t need to.
Before Levi or Luke could even unbuckle their seatbelts, the driver was already out of the car, opening the trunk.
“Sir—” Luke began.
“I’ve got it,” the driver said calmly.
He carried every single package himself.
Box after box.
Branded bags.
Carefully wrapped parcels.
He didn’t allow either of them to touch a thing.
Levi watched silently.
When everything was finally arranged neatly on the kitchen table, the driver straightened his suit and smiled faintly and walked away.
Luke’s eyes, bright with pure, unadulterated excitement, scanned the display.
“Your grandmother is already too fond of you, Levi.
Look at this spread!”
“Yeah, she seems nice,” Levi replied quietly, his hands resting on the back of the couch, watching the driver retreat.
Luke finally turned, his expression serious.
“Hold up.
Finding out the Hales are your family is anyone’s dream.
Why do you have to think about it?”
“I’m not anyone,” Levi sighed, settling onto the worn cushions.
“And I don’t know if that’s my kind of lifestyle.”
“What?
That’s everyone’s lifestyle, Levi!
It’s just usually hidden away!” Luke argued, sitting beside him.
“You can learn it.
It will kick in eventually.
You deserve this!”
Levi shook his head, a gesture of exhaustion.
Luke’s curiosity, however, was now fully ignited.
“Wait, Levi, seriously.
What is your story?
Have you always been all about work, or is there more to Levi Pow—Hale?” Luke finished with a dramatic, friendly wink.
Levi scoffed, a dry, bitter sound.
“Sadly, it’s been work.
Nothing else.”
Luke nudged him gently.
“Come on, man, it can’t be.
There has to be more.
Old friends, a high school sweetheart?
I’m sure you used to have lots of girlfriends.”
“Nah,” he said.
“Only one.”
“One?”
Levi continued, staring at the floor, his voice suddenly sharp with memory.
“I had a girlfriend and two best friends.
And I worked many jobs because I wanted to be a loving boyfriend and take care of my grandmother.”
He sat up, the years of pain finally breaking through his carefully constructed dam.
The words tumbled out, fast and furious, soaked in resentment.
“Then my grandmother fell ill.
My girlfriend cheated with my best friend.
I was tricked into putting our house on collateral for a stupid loan that didn’t last a year.”
He clenched his fists.
“My neighbors, who I helped every single day with ridiculous chores and favors, couldn’t lend me money when my grandmother was sick.
And those who did lend me money didn’t wait long enough—they came for what I owed the moment she passed.”
Luke was stunned by the sudden, raw eruption of anger.
He sat back, silent, wisely choosing to just let Levi vent the weight of his past.
Levi had never truly expressed the pain he carried; all the losses and betrayals had piled up, and they finally had to find an exit.
“I realized why my grandmother kept insisting before she died that I leave the town, why she called it a hell hole,” Levi finished, his voice trembling.
“Because no one was truly nice.
Everyone did what was in their own best interest—except Elsa.”
Luke’s eyebrows shot up.
“Elsa?”
“Yeah.
And her family,” Levi confirmed, his tone softening slightly.
“They were the only ones who visited my grandmother when she was admitted.
The only ones who lent me money and never asked for it back.
She was my other best friend.
She was the only one who cared, and she is the only person I’m still indebted to, and the only person I regret taking for granted.”
Luke felt a genuine rush of sympathy, feeling instantly bad for his curiosity.
“I’m so sorry, Levi, for making you revisit your past.” He paused, his gaze thoughtful.
“However, if that really is your story, then you truly deserve this empire.
Maybe this is your blessing, a payback for such a terrible past life.”
He stood and clapped Levi gently on the shoulder.
“It’s a blessing in disguise, man, and it’s your choice to ride this train and see where it leads, or let it pass you by.
But one thing I know?
The Hales are absolutely not letting you go.”
Both boys finally exhaled and relaxed back onto the couch, the air between them lighter now that the secrets were shared.
A MONTH PASSED
It took Levi a full month of agonizing thought and indecision.
The Hales, a family who measured time in profit margins and didn’t wait for anything, were surprisingly patient, checking in eagerly but gently.
When Levi was finally ready, he hailed a cab and drove to the Hale Mansion.
The instant the security guards saw him approaching, the massive wrought-iron gates swung open.
They had been thoroughly briefed.
The staff—from the outer security to the maids already knew who he was.
The maids—escorted him directly inside.
Levi decided to stay the night, to begin the process of getting used to them.
He was shown to his new room, a space with a male aesthetic as grand as Leo’s, featuring dark, rich colors, custom-made furniture, and a private terrace.
The lifestyle was undeniably nice—staff at your beck and call, every comfort anticipated—but Levi still felt uncomfortable and out of place.
Later that evening, exploring the intimidatingly large house, Levi found Alex in a seldom-used section of the formal living area.
It was the Inner Living Room, a breathtaking space designed for intimate, yet opulent, private conversations.
The heart of the room was a magnificent, circular sunken conversation pit.
Custom-built, plush, semi-circular sofas, upholstered in a muted taupe color, hugged the perimeter of the pit, creating a cozy lounge area that was visually stunning and offered a subtle sense of exclusive cocooning.
Above them, a sophisticated, circular dropped ceiling feature mirrored the pit below, holding a contemporary chandelier that cast a soft, ambient glow.
“What are you doing?” Levi asked, walking toward the edge of the pit.
“Chess.
Care to join?” Alex replied, sitting on the sofa in the pit.
Levi descended the step and sat across from him.
“So you just came by to play chess?”
“No, I brought some papers that needed signing to your father.
Have you started calling him ‘Dad’?” Alex asked, moving his Queen’s pawn.
Levi shook his head, moving his own pawn in response.
“What exactly is wrong with him?” Levi asked, the question heavy with concern.
“Leo?
Ah, it’s the early stages of a Lung Disease,” Alex said, his tone casual as he considered his next move.
“We need to find a specialist—a doctor that’s Pro, who handles unique cases—to start his treatment and perhaps surgery before it gets worse.
But he doesn’t seem interested in getting better.
I don’t know why.”
“The almighty Hale Hospital can’t run his treatment?” Levi asked, surprised.
Alex chuckled.
“Mighty, yes.
Almighty?
Nah.
We’ve built the hospitals to be large and full of professionals, but finding those who are the absolute best of the best for special cases is tough, even for us.”
“So if he doesn’t get better, will you succeed him?” Levi pressed.
“No, no!” Alex quickly corrected.
“I’ve been friends with your father since high school and have been working with him since then.
I intend to either retire with him or remain COO.
Seeing your story with your mother and grandmother, I think I need to prioritize my wife and kids, more— no offense.”
“But if you don’t, who will if he doesn’t get better?”
“William could always go back to being CEO, or he’ll find someone to serve as a puppet CEO.
But to avoid all that, we need Leo to get better.
Don’t worry yourself about it,” Alex finished with a reassuring smile.
“Nothing could ever shake the Hales.”
But it did bother Levi.
He had just found his only surviving parent, and yet that parent seemed to be running toward death.
He was tired of people he accepted into his life leaving him.
He had to make a hard choice—one he might regret forever, or one that might just move the world.