Chapter 5

Chapter 5

-Ace’s POV-

"Why do you even need a paternity test? It is completely obvious that I am your son."

Silas Mercer or as I had been calling him in my head, the "Old Man" was leaning against the wall, looking impatient. I didn't bother to answer him. I just stared straight ahead at the white, sterile walls of the laboratory waiting room. My attention was focused on my phone. I was constantly refreshing my messages to see if my Mommy, Willow Sinclair, had sent anything.

I had skipped school today. That was a big deal. I wasn't the type of kid who broke rules, but this was an exception. I had snuck out of my classroom, used some of my hacking skills to make it look like I was in the library, and made my way to this facility to meet Silas.

I had to know. I had to have absolute proof.

We were currently standing outside the examination room, waiting for the results to be printed. The air in the hallway felt heavy and clinical, smelling faintly of antiseptic and floor wax.

"I need to be absolutely certain," I finally replied, my voice steady and cold. I looked up at him.

"I cannot afford to make a mistake just because I was too careless or too hopeful. Science is the only thing that doesn't lie."

Silas sighed. He seemed irritated by my skepticism, but then, his expression softened. Before I could move away, he reached out and wrapped his arms around me in a hug. I stiffened immediately.

"My son is so smart." he whispered, sounding genuinely proud.

Ew.

I didn't like it. I pushed against his chest, placing my hands firmly on his shoulders to force him away from me. I needed space. I needed to keep my head clear.

"Don't do that," I muttered.

This man was a stranger to me. Even if he was my biological father, he was still a stranger. I wasn't sure if he was my father yet, and he was already trying to call me "son" and hug me like he’d been there for my whole life. It was too much, too fast. It felt like he was trying to fill a void he didn't even know existed, and I wasn't just a toy to be picked up.

Suddenly, the door to the examination room opened. The doctor walked out, holding a manila envelope. My heart jumped, though I didn't let my face show it.

"President Mercer, here are the results," the doctor said, extending the envelope toward Silas.

Before Silas could reach for it, I stepped forward and grabbed it. I was the one who needed to see this. I walked over to a nearby bench, sat down, and carefully tore the seal. Silas hovered behind me, looking over my shoulder. My hands were perfectly still as I pulled out the paper. I read the text, my eyes scanning the technical jargon until I reached the bottom line.

Probability of Paternity: 99.999998%

The numbers stared back at me. There was no room for error. There was no room for doubt.

"You are really my father," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

As soon as I said the words, I felt a shift in the room. Silas’s entire face lit up. It was like he had been holding his breath for a century and finally released it. He didn't say a word; he just scooped me up.

"I knew it! I knew it!" he shouted, spinning me around.

I felt completely embarrassed. "Put me down!" I commanded.

"What are you doing? I am a big boy now! Only my beloved Mommy is allowed to carry me!"

He laughed, a deep, booming sound that echoed off the laboratory walls. He finally set me down, but he kept his hands on my shoulders, looking at me as if I were the most precious thing in the world.

"I knew it. You are really my son! Can you tell me your home address? I want to see my wife..." he said, his eyes shining with excitement.

I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Wife? What wife are you talking about?"

"Willow," he said, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

My expression hardened.

"Hey, Old Man. What 'wife' are you talking about? My beloved Mommy is only mine! I’m going to marry her when I grow up! You don't get to just come in here and call her your wife."

Silas just laughed again, shaking his head. He didn't seem bothered by my outburst. In fact, he looked charmed. Just a moment ago, he had been the serious, strict billionaire I saw on the news, and now he was acting like a kid, just because he found out he had a son. It was confusing.

I jumped back to put some distance between us. I needed to be serious. I looked at him, studying his face. He had my eyes. He had my jawline. There was no denying the biological fact, this man gave me life. If I wanted my Mommy to be happy, if I wanted her to stop working so hard and worrying about bills and people, then I had to play the long game. I had to use Silas Mercer.

I didn't want to be rude to him, but I couldn't just trust him because of a blood test. He had been missing for seven years. He hadn't been there when Mommy was crying in the dark. He hadn't been there when she struggled to buy food. I didn't know him, and I didn't know if I could rely on him.

"Listen, Old Man," I said, my voice becoming very serious.

"I haven't accepted you as my father yet. Don't get ahead of yourself. You left my Mommy alone for a very long time. She went through a lot of responsibility and pain because you weren't there. You need to understand that. You need to feel the weight of what she went through."

Silas stopped smiling. He listened to me, his expression turning solemn.

"You need to make up for all the years that you were gone," I continued.

"If you want us to be a happy family, you have to earn it. If my beloved Mommy decides to accept you, then and only then will I accept you too. Until then, you are just a stranger who happens to share my DNA."

I watched his face. I expected him to be offended. I expected him to tell me that he was a powerful billionaire who didn't take orders from a seven-year-old. But he didn't. Instead, he smiled gently. It was a soft, sincere expression. He reached out and patted my head, then leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"It’s good that you're protecting your Mom," he said quietly.

"You’re right. I haven't been there. But I promise you, I will do everything I can to make her accept me. I will work for it. I’m not going to walk away again."

He looked sincere. I watched him closely, looking for a lie, but I couldn't find one. He seemed to have already fallen for her, just by hearing her name. It was interesting.

"Fine," I said.

"For now, you can chase after her. But you should know something."

"What is that?" he asked.

"My Mommy works as an actress now," I told him.

"It is not impossible that she will fall in love with her co-actor. She is beautiful, and many guys try to get close to her. You should keep an eye on her."

I said it as a warning, but I also meant it as a test.

My Mommy was the best person in the world. She was gorgeous, kind, and talented. Before Silas showed up, I was the only man in her life. I was her priority. But I was just a kid. She deserved a partner. She deserved someone who would love her forever and take care of her, someone who would make her laugh instead of worry.

If someone else came along some actor who treated her well, I wouldn't stop it. I wouldn't force her to be with Silas just because he was my father. But deep down, I wanted the family we were supposed to have. I wanted that "happily ever after" for her. She had endured so much pain, and she deserved a love that didn't hurt.

Silas looked determined.

"I will keep an eye on her. And I will make sure no one else gets the chance."

"So, work hard, Daddy," I muttered, turning away so he couldn't see the slight smile on my face.

I walked toward the exit of the lab. Even though I was acting cold, even though I was acting like a mature adult, the truth was different. I was still just seven years old. I was still a kid who wanted to be held, who wanted to be cherished, and who wanted a mom and a dad. I had been carrying the weight of the world on my small shoulders for so long, trying to keep Mommy safe. Now, maybe I could set some of that weight down.

But Silas had to prove himself. He had to be worth it.

I walked out into the sunlight, and Silas Mercer followed right behind me, looking like a man with a brand new mission. I took a deep breath. The game was on. If he wanted to be my father, he was going to have to prove he was good enough for Willow Sinclair. And that was going to be the hardest job of his life.

I walked towards the car he had been waiting for, my mind already racing. I was thinking about the press conference I had seen, the way Stacy looked at Mommy, and the way Silas would have to deal with all of that. He was used to business, but love? Love was messy. Love was complicated.

Let's see if the great Silas Mercer can handle the life he missed out on. Let's see if he can truly be the man my Mommy deserves. I climbed into the backseat of his car, my small fingers tapping against my laptop, already plotting the next move.

Welcome to the family, Daddy, I thought. Now, try not to mess it up.

I looked out the window as the car started to move. The city streets blurred by. Everything felt different. My life had been a closed book, just Mommy and me, a private secret kept away from the world. Now, the book was open. I didn't know how the story would end, but for the first time, I felt like I had a partner in crime.

Silas Mercer was officially on the clock. He had a lot to make up for, and I was going to make sure he remembered every single day he missed. I leaned my head against the cool leather of the seat, closing my eyes for a brief moment. I was tired of being the only one holding us together.

Maybe, just maybe, I could finally be a kid again.

But that could wait. We had a Mommy to win over, and that was the priority. I opened my eyes, and my gaze hardened.

"Don't disappoint her, Silas." I said to myself, my voice barely audible over the hum of the engine.

"Because if you hurt her, I will take everything you have."

Silas was driving, his hands steady on the wheel. He looked over at me in the rearview mirror and gave me a small nod. He knew. He understood the stakes.

We were a team now. A strange, unlikely team, but a team nonetheless. And the mission was simple: make Willow Sinclair the happiest woman in the world.

I looked down at my laptop and started typing. I had a few more security systems to check, a few more variables to calculate, and a whole new future to build. Life was about to get very interesting.

***