Jas looked at Henry with sorrow in his reddened eyes. "From now on... if you want to co back and stay, you’re welco. I won’t drive you away... but this house will never be yours. Don’t think I’m being cruel..."
Henry’s heart ached as if it were being torn apart. Over the years, Jas had truly been kind to him. The bond between them, at least, was real.
Trembling, Henry lifted his head, "Dad, you’ll always be my father!"
Unable to stay any longer, Henry turned and rushed out of the house in a frenzy. He didn’t even stop for dinner, leaving the servants bewildered by his sudden departure.
Jas’ eyes filled with unshed tears. Henry might not have been his biological son, but the emotions and connection they’d shared over the years... they were undeniable.
Outside, Henry ran, pushing himself as hard as he could, as if trying to escape the painful reality. He wished with all his heart that what had just happened was nothing but a nightmare—sothing that wasn’t real.
He was Jas’ son! Even if he got nothing from the estate, it didn’t matter to him. No matter who his biological father was, Jas was the only father he ever wanted.
Blood ties? To hell with that!
Eventually, Henry ran until he was breathless, exhausted to the point where he could no longer continue. Leaning heavily against a nearby railing, large beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Why... why did it have to be like this?" Henry muttered, his voice filled with bitterness and pain.
As he lifted his head, he noticed a bar across the street. Overco by an inexplicable urge, he stumbled inside.
Henry downed several bottles of alcohol in quick succession, indulging in reckless abandon for the first ti. Soon, he was so drunk that he couldn’t even walk.
The bartender, after trying to help Henry get a cab, eventually gave up when he couldn’t get any clear answers from him, leaving Henry slumped in a corner, left to his own devices.
Henry staggered out of the bar, his world tilted and distorted. He bumped into several people, but luckily, they weren’t hostile—just cursing him under their breath before walking away.
Exhausted, Henry slid down the trunk of a tree by the roadside, his eyes shut tight. Despite the overwhelming anguish in his heart, no tears would co.
"Hey, isn’t that Henry?" a voice said.
A girl dressed in a white casual outfit walked over, her heart skipping a beat when she recognized his handso face.
It was Lauren, returning from a shopping trip with her friends, and she happened to pass by and spot the drunken Henry.
"Henry? What’s going on? Are you drunk? It’s already 9 PM, and you’re sleeping out here?" Lauren asked, lightly tapping his shoulder.
Henry didn’t respond.
"Henry!" Lauren was irritated. How could such a well-put-together person end up drinking like this?
Henry rely groaned in response, leaning back against the tree and falling back asleep.
Left with no choice, and unable to get his address, Lauren flagged down a cab and, with the driver’s help, managed to get Henry into the car. They drove to the nearest hotel, where she checked him into a room.
But just as she was settling Henry into the bed, Lauren’s phone rang—it was a neighbor calling.
"Lauren, didn’t you ask to let you know when Benjamin was ho? Well, he’s been back since last night and hasn’t gone out, so I thought I’d give you a heads-up."
Lauren’s eyes widened. "Thank you, Auntie," she replied, ending the call. Benjamin lived in the suburbs, and he didn’t like staying in the dorms, so he usually rented a place nearby.
Lauren had always been curious why, given his modest family background, he insisted on renting a place. It wasn’t until she saw the countless design sketches pinned to his walls that she finally understood his passion.
But now she was stuck—she couldn’t leave Henry like this!
At that mont, Ella was at Chloe’s house, enjoying so snacks and watching a movie when she received a call from Eric, asking if she wanted to go out for a late-night snack. Although she wasn’t hungry, she didn’t want to disappoint Eric, so she agreed.
As she left Chloe’s house and waited for the car Eric had sent, her phone rang again—this ti it was Lauren.
"Ella, didn’t you say you wanted to know about Benjamin? My neighbor just told he’s back. If you want, I can send you his address."
Ella quickly agreed. After all, she had been aning to check on Benjamin, a talented person who couldn’t be allowed to fall into despair.
But then John, one of Eric’s people, called, which surprised Ella—his team rarely contacted her directly.
"Ma’am, we’ve uncovered new information. It turns out there was a mistake in the details Bobby provided about Dean. After high school, Dean changed his na to Benjamin..."
"What?" Ella’s heart skipped a beat in shock. The Benjamin she’d been aning to et was her cousin?
Her heart raced as she tried to process this, but before she could respond, her phone suddenly powered down—it had run out of battery.
Damn it!
Ella panicked. It was autumn, and the situation was dire. If her cousin truly was considering suicide... she couldn’t let anything happen to him! With no phone booth in sight, she asked the bodyguards to notify Eric.
Eric offered to co to her, but Ella felt that with the bodyguards’ presence, she could handle things and asked him to wait.
She hailed a cab and rushed to the address Lauren had sent. As the taxi sped toward the outskirts, she pieced together the situation: Dean was Benjamin. It made sense that Bobby wouldn’t know, as his family was poor, and Bobby couldn’t even read. Lila’s financial situation wasn’t much better. When Benjamin was born, they’d given him a simple, rural na, believing it would bring good fortune.
Benjamin must have changed his na in high school, embarrassed by his given na, and Bobby had never known about it.
What Ella didn’t realize was that another car was following closely behind her taxi.
Thirty minutes later, Ella arrived at the rundown rental house in the suburbs, at the address: West Suburb, X Village, X Lane, X Number.
Ella rushed to the door and knocked frantically. "Benjamin, your father is in trouble! Co quickly and see him!"
There were no lights on inside.
Neighbors had started to co out, drawn by the noise.
"Miss, are you looking for Benjamin? He hasn’t left his house in over a day," one of them said.
"Yeah, Benjamin is usually so quiet, but he plays with the neighborhood kids sotis, even helps us watch them!" another added.
"Who knows what’s going on... maybe he went out," soone speculated.
Ella pounded on the door several more tis, but when there was still no response, she instructed the bodyguards to force it open. They finally broke the door down.
Inside, an unusual odor filled the air.
Ella’s heart raced as she flipped the light switch. What she saw next froze her in place—a man lay on the floor, surrounded by a shocking pool of blood.
"Ah!" she scread.
"Benjamin... he’s tried to kill himself!"
Ella stood there, numb with grief and horror. Why did it have to be like this? Had her rebirth changed nothing for him?
One of the neighbors rushed inside and checked Benjamin’s pulse. "He’s still alive! Soone help! We need to get him to a hospital!"
Ella snapped out of her shock. She had changed the fate of so many people—why couldn’t she change her cousin’s?
"Get him to the hospital, now!" Ella shouted. The two bodyguards quickly rushed in, tearing a T-shirt to bandage his wounds and prevent further blood loss. They then hurriedly carried him to the car, racing to get him dical attention.
Reviews
All reviews (0)