Chapter 3

Chapter 3

-Willow’s POV-

"Hey, are you my daddy?"

The moment those words left Ace’s mouth, I felt like my soul had jumped out of my body. My heart hammered against my ribs so loudly. Oh no, we’re in for it now! I thought, my mind racing through every terrifying news headline I had ever read about the man standing in front of us.

I didn't waste a second. I lunged forward and scooped Ace up into my arms, pulling him back. I had seen this man on the news countless times. Silas Mercer, the President of the Mercer Global, was famous for being incredibly strict, cold, and possessing a temper of a lion. He wasn't exactly the type of person you’d want a seven-year-old child to interrogate.

"I am so sorry! And thank you--thank you so much for your help earlier!" I blurted out, my voice trembling.

I bowed my head repeatedly, a gesture of deep apology. In the back of my mind, I was screaming. What if he gets so angry he has us arrested? Or worse?

Silas didn't move. He just stood there, his tall, imposing figure casting a long shadow over us. He stared at me with an intensity that made my skin crawl with nervousness. I tried to offer him an awkward, shaky smile, but I was pretty sure it looked more like a grimace. This is it, I thought frantically. He’s going to have us thrown in jail for harassment!

"You look familiar." Silas said suddenly.

His voice was deep and cold.

"Have we met somewhere before?"

My breath hitched. To be honest, I was thinking the exact same thing. From the moment our eyes met, I felt a strange, nagging sense of recognition.

I felt like I had seen him before, perhaps in a different life or a half-forgotten dream. But no matter how hard I searched my memories, I couldn't place him. Was it just because his face was all over the business journals?

"No, Sir. This is our first meeting, I believe." I answered as politely as possible. I tried to keep my voice steady, though my knees felt like jelly.

Silas nodded slowly, his gaze still lingering on my face for a second too long before his attention was pulled away.

"President, you’re going to be late for your meeting in Russia." a man said, stepping forward.

I assumed he was Silas’s secretary. He looked just as professional and stern as his boss.

Before Silas turned to leave, he did something that completely shocked me. He leaned in slightly, looked at Ace, and actually smiled. It wasn't a cold or mocking smile, it was genuine. He reached out and patted Ace’s head with a surprisingly gentle hand.

Oh, heavens, I thought, my heart doing a little flutter. He is incredibly handsome when he smiles. I had to mentally slap myself. Focus, Willow! He’s a dangerous billionaire!

"You’ve got a smart kid." Silas said quietly.

He gave me one last look before turning on his heel and walking past us, his security team following him.

I stood there for a moment, just breathing, until the tension finally began to leave my muscles. I set Ace down on the floor. I knew I had to be firm with him, or this child would end up getting us into trouble we couldn't get out of.

"Ace, listen to me." I said, kneeling so I was eye-level with him.

"You cannot go around assuming every man who looks a bit like you is your daddy. Do you understand? Some people are very powerful, and if they get offended, they might punish your beautiful Mommy! You don't want that to happen, right?"

Ace looked at me, his large eyes blinking, and he slowly shook his head.

"No, Mommy."

"Good. Because Mommy’s heart can't take much more of this." I sighed, hugging him.

It broke my heart a little bit. Every time my friend Sadie tried to set me up on a date or encouraged me to meet new people, I always said no. I had no interest in romance, I was perfectly happy with just the two of us. But Ace... even though he never complained, I knew he felt the absence of a father. He was searching for a piece of himself in every stranger’s face. Every man with a sharp jawline or dark eyes became a candidate in his mind.

"Willow!"

I turned around and saw a man approaching us, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a surgical mask that covered half his face.

"Sebastian, you idiot! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!" I whispered-shouted at him.

I really wondered why he even bothered coming home. To me, he was just a huge responsibility. Sebastian was a massive star, a heartthrob with millions of fans, but he acted like a lost puppy whenever he was around me.

"Sorry! It was so hard to escape the fans," he explained, looking over his shoulder nervously.

"Even with this disguise, some of them have eyes like hawks. They almost cornered me at the luggage carousel."

He grabbed onto my arm, hiding slightly behind my shoulder as we walked. He was clearly terrified of being spotted by a die-hard fan. We hurried out of the airport and managed to dive into a taxi before anyone could realize who he was.

Once the taxi pulled away from the curb, Sebastian finally ripped off his hat and mask, gasping for air.

"Whaaaa! Ace! Uncle Sebastian missed you so much!" he cheered, leaning over to wrap Ace in a big hug.

Ace didn't even blink. He shifted his body, expertly dodging the hug, and went right back to typing on his laptop.

"I didn't miss you." he said in a voice that was way too cold for a child his age.

Sebastian’s face fell into a dramatic pout.

"Why are you like this to me, Ace? I thought I was your favorite Uncle!"

Ace just ignored him, his fingers flying across the keys. I could only shake my head. This was their usual routine. Aside from Sadie and Sebastian, no one in the world knew that I had a son. I didn't keep him a secret because I was ashamed, I kept him a secret because I was terrified. If Stacy ever found out about Ace, she would find a way to use him against me. I couldn't let that happen. I would never forgive myself if she hurt my son.

When we finally got back to my apartment, I spent the afternoon getting everything ready. Sebastian always stayed with us for a day whenever he returned to the country, resting before he had to report to his entertainment agency the next morning.

After a long day, I finally got Ace into bed. I made sure he was tucked in before retreating to my own room, hoping for a peaceful night’s sleep. But just as I was about to close my eyes, my phone buzzed. It was a news notification about a press conference for a new television series.

My heart sank when I saw the guest list. There, smiling brightly for the cameras, was a face I could never forget. Stacy.

I gripped my phone so hard my knuckles turned white. She looked so happy, so successful. She spent the whole interview talking about her wonderful married life, her thriving career, and her many business ventures.

All of those things... she had stolen them from me.

Just why? I thought, tears of frustration pricking my eyes. Why does she get to have all these good things? Does she even deserve them?

I had tried so hard to be the bigger person. I had told myself that karma would eventually find its way to her. I believed that one day, the people who betrayed me and turned their backs on me would face the consequences of their actions. But looking at the screen, it felt like the opposite was true. Why do the people with the coldest hearts seem to get all the blessings?

I shook my head, trying to clear the bitter thoughts. I set my phone down on the side table and stared at the ceiling. I couldn't let her win by letting her ruin my peace. I had to focus on the only thing that mattered now and that is making sure I could provide a good, stable life for Ace. He was my world, and I would do anything for him.

-Ace’s POV-

The moment I heard the door click shut and heard my Mommy’s footsteps fade away, I opened my eyes. I didn't feel like sleeping. I had a mission. I reached for my laptop and flipped it open, the blue light of the screen reflecting in my eyes.

I kept thinking about that man at the airport. Silas Mercer. I didn't care what Mommy said, my gut was telling me that he was the one. He was my father. Everything about him felt like a match, the way he looked, the way he carried himself, even that strange look he gave me.

But it didn't make sense. If he really was my father, why didn't Mommy recognize him? Why did they act like total strangers?

I remembered something Auntie Sadie had mentioned once when she didn't think I was listening. She said Mommy had a sister who was very cruel. She mentioned a night where something bad happened at a wedding. There was a high possibility that Mommy had been drugged, which would explain why her memory of that night was so blurry.

"I’ll find the truth myself." I whispered to the empty room.

I started by tracking the digital footprint of the Mercer Global. It didn't take me long to find their main server location. Their security was tough, but I was better. I spent the next hour navigating through layers of firewalls and encryption until I was finally inside their internal system.

I didn't want to steal anything. I just wanted to get Silas’s attention. I created a simple script that would override the display on every single laptop in the building.

I typed out the message carefully:

"Silas Mercer, meet me at Genoa Restaurant. Tomorrow morning, 8:00 AM sharp!"

I hit "Enter" and watched as the code uploaded. I knew that by the time the office opened tomorrow, the entire company would be in a state of emergency. Silas would see the message, and being the type of man he was, he wouldn't be able to ignore a direct challenge to his authority. He would be curious. He would be forced to show up.

Tomorrow, I would get my answers. I would find out if he was really my father or if it was just a coincidence that we shared the same face.

But most importantly, if he really was my father, I wanted to know why he left us. Why did he let Mommy struggle all alone? Did he hurt her too, just like her wicked family did?

Because if the answer was yes—if he was the reason Mommy had to cry sometimes when she thought I wasn't looking—I wouldn't forgive him. I didn't care how many billions he had or how powerful his company was. No one gets away with hurting my Mommy.

I closed my laptop and tucked it back into my bag. I pulled the blanket up to my chin and closed my eyes, a feeling of determination settling over me.

Tomorrow, everything would change.

***