Chapter 70 – The Little Mission

A full week had passed since Zarah stormed into Mannie’s house, trying to poison the minds of her children with her sharp words and bitter jealousy. But the plan that she thought would ruin Mannie’s bond with her kids didn’t work.

The children weren’t fooled.

They had seen their mother’s tears, her struggles, her strength. And from their grandmother, they had learned the truth—how Mannie had helped Zarah when they were both poor, how she gave and never got anything back, and how Zarah now, with all her money, only looked for stones to throw.

So the eight of them chose who to believe. And it wasn’t Zarah.

Now, the small living room buzzed with their voices and laughter. The TV glowed in front of them, cartoons flashing across the screen. The air smelled faintly of roasted corn from the street vendor outside.

Zoey sat on the floor, drawing circles on the wall with her crayons, her tongue sticking out as she hummed softly. Nate leaned against the couch, flipping through a magazine about technology, his sharp eyes scanning each page like a little adult. Adam had scattered his toy cars across the floor, running one over Sophie’s leg.

“Adam! That hurt!” Sophie shrieked, swatting him with a pillow.

Jay burst into laughter, rolling on the couch as he held his stomach. “You two are like Tom and Jerry,” he teased.

“Then you’re the rat,” Sophie fired back, her eyes narrowing mischievously.

Lily giggled softly beside them. “Don’t fight. Mama says we should talk nicely,” she said in her calm, gentle voice.

Tera sat cross-legged near the corner, a small book open on her lap, her glasses sliding down her nose. “Talking nicely doesn’t work with this house,” she said, pushing them up again. “Logic never wins here.”

Zane, with his sketchbook spread wide, drew something that looked like a spaceship with wings. His eyes sparkled as he added lines to it. “When I grow up, I’ll build this,” he said proudly. “We’ll all fly to the moon. Even you, Sophie.”

“I don’t want to go to the moon,” Sophie said, pouting. “There’s no ice cream there.”

Jay chuckled. “Then you’ll eat moon dust.”

Everyone laughed. Even Nate cracked a small smile before turning another page in his magazine.

But their peace broke when Sophie suddenly screamed, “Jay! It’s you!”

“Jay! Look at the TV! That man looks like you!” she cried, patting him hard on the shoulder.

“Ow! Stop hitting me!” Jay groaned, turning to look.

Everyone’s heads turned toward the screen.

A tall man in a black suit stepped out of a shiny black car. His face was calm, cold, and serious. The TV reporter’s voice said clearly, “Mr. David, CEO of David’s Group, arrives for the board meeting today.”

The camera zoomed in, showing his stormy grey eyes, sharp jawline, and confident walk.

Jay’s eyes widened. “Wait… he really looks like me.”

Sophie gasped and clapped. “I told you! You could be twins!”

Even Lily leaned forward, squinting. “He looks like Nate too,” she said softly.

Tera raised her head from her book. “That’s Mr. David… the one whose company Mom works with sometimes, right?”

Nate closed the magazine, his mind already working. “Yes. And… he does look like us.”

Zane turned his sketchbook around. “What if he’s our father?” he said suddenly.

Everyone froze.

The room fell so quiet that only the TV and the ceiling fan made noise.

Tera was the first to speak. “That’s… not impossible.”

Lily frowned slightly. “But Mom never told us about him.”

Nate’s voice was low and calm. “She didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to. But maybe she had a reason.”

Jay tilted his head. “So what do we do?”

Nate’s eyes gleamed. “We find out.”

Zane’s eyes lit up. “You mean—”

“Yes,” Nate said firmly. “We go to David’s Group and meet him.”

“Just like that?” Adam asked, blinking.

“Exactly like that,” Nate replied.

“But… will he believe us?” Jay asked hesitantly.

“He should,” Tera said logically. “Look at Jay. The resemblance is too clear.”

Lily bit her lip. “But Mom will be angry if she finds out.”

Sophie crossed her arms. “We’ll tell her later. She’ll understand when she knows we did it for her.”

Nate nodded. “We have to know the truth. If he’s really our father, then he should take responsibility. Mom has carried too much alone.”

They all looked at each other — eight pairs of eyes full of determination.

Jay grinned. “Alright. Let’s do it. Operation Find Daddy.”

Zane clapped. “Operation Find Daddy!”

Even Zoey, not fully understanding, echoed softly, “Find Daddy!”

They all laughed.

---

The next morning came fast.

Clara, their grandmother, came early to help. She stood in the kitchen, tying each lunch pack neatly while the children got dressed.

“Eat well in school,” she said, slipping apples into their bags. “And don’t stress your teachers.”

“Yes, Grandma,” they chorused.

After dropping the kids at school, she waved as they ran toward their classrooms. “Be good!” she called out.

They waved back. “We will!”

She waited till they entered before heading off.

But the moment she left, Nate turned to the others. “You all know the plan.”

They nodded, faces full of excitement.

---

When the last school bell rang, the eight children didn’t wait by the gate like they were supposed to. Instead, they walked out confidently, holding hands in pairs.

Jay waved down a cab just the way he had seen adults do. “Excuse me, sir! We need to go to David’s Group.”

The driver, a man with kind eyes, blinked in surprise. “David’s Group? What are children like you going there for?”

Nate answered calmly, “We’re going to see our father.”

The driver blinked again. “Your father works there?”

“Yes,” Sophie said proudly. “He’s the boss.”

The man laughed. “Wow! The boss’s children. Alright, hop in.”

The kids climbed into the cab. During the ride, they talked non-stop.

“I hope he gives us gifts,” Adam said dreamily.

“Maybe a big car,” Zane added.

“I just want a hug,” Lily murmured.

Jay leaned back with a grin. “He’ll probably faint when he sees us.”

The driver chuckled all the way to the destination.

When they arrived, the children stepped out, staring up at the tall glass building that shimmered under the sun. The sign on the wall read boldly: DAVID’S GROUP.

“It’s so big…” Sophie whispered in awe.

Nate nodded. “Stay together. Jay goes first.”

Jay blinked. “Why me?”

“You look like him the most,” Tera said simply.

“Lucky me,” Jay muttered.

They were just about to walk through the entrance when a familiar voice called out behind them.

“Lily? Nate? What are you doing here?”

The children froze and turned slowly.

It was Clara.

She stood at the edge of the walkway, her eyes wide with shock. In one hand, she held the bag of clothing material, and in the other, the bag of pastries. The shock on her face turned quickly to anger.

“Oh Lord! Don’t tell me you came here by yourselves!” she cried.

“Grandma…” Lily began softly.

“Don’t ‘Grandma’ me! I told your mother I dropped you off safely! How did you—” She stopped mid-sentence and gasped. “Nate! Was this your idea?”

Nate opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Jay whispered quickly, “Go! I’ll handle this.”

Then he darted toward the door before anyone could stop him.

Clara ran forward, but Jay had already slipped past the guards.

The security men at the entrance turned in surprise as the small boy stopped before them, panting slightly but standing straight.

“I need to see Mr. David,” he said clearly.

The guard frowned. “And who are you?”

“I’m his son,” Jay replied without hesitation.

The guard blinked, speechless. “You’re whose son?”

“The CEO. Mr. David.”

The employees nearby turned their heads. Whispering started spreading like a quiet storm.

“He said he’s the boss’s son.”

“Look at his face… he really looks like him!”

“Oh my goodness, he’s like a miniature version of Mr. David!”

The guard didn’t know what to do, so he gently placed a hand on Jay’s shoulder. “Wait here, little man.”

He made a quick call upstairs to the CEO’s office.

“Sir,” he said to the male secretary, “there’s a boy here saying he’s Mr. David’s son.”

“What?” the man’s voice sounded startled. “How old?”

“Maybe seven or eight. But sir… he looks exactly like him.”

The secretary froze. His mind raced. Without wasting time, he left his desk and walked quickly to David’s private office.

Mr. David sat behind his large mahogany desk, scanning through a document. His expression was unreadable, his presence calm but commanding.

The secretary hesitated by the door, then knocked softly.

David looked up. “What is it?”

“Sir…” the secretary began, his tone careful, “there’s a child downstairs who insists you’re his father.”

David’s pen stopped mid-air. His eyes lifted slowly registering the sentence. “What did you just say?” he said, standing up with force.

“He says he’s your son, sir. His name is Jay.”

David’s gaze darkened. “Bring him here.”

The secretary nodded quickly and left.

---

Downstairs, the guard still stood with Jay, who looked around curiously, unbothered by the stares.

When the secretary arrived, everyone stepped aside instantly. He crouched slightly in front of Jay and studied his face. For a brief moment, his composure broke.

The resemblance was shocking — the same sharp eyes, same lips, same expression.

He swallowed hard and smiled faintly. “Come with me, young man.”

Jay nodded and took his hand trustingly.

As they walked toward the elevator, whispers filled the air again.

“Did you see him?”

“It’s like looking at the boss’s childhood photo!”

The elevator doors closed slowly. The secretary stole another glance at the boy beside him. His mind spun with disbelief and curiosity.

If this child wasn’t Mr. David’s, he would eat his own tie.

And somewhere downstairs, Nate and the rest of the kids were still arguing with their grandmother—unaware that Jay had just opened the door to a truth that would change all their lives forever.?