Chapter 5

 “They came back positive.” The words echoed in my head long after the call ended. I stood frozen in the middle of the sidewalk, my phone still pressed to my ear, even though the line had already gone dead. The test was positive meaning...it was true.

My fingers trembled slightly as I lowered my hand. This wasn’t just some mistake. This wasn’t just some random test. This was real. “Miss Harper.” I looked up. The black car had returned. Mr. Dube stepped out, already opening the back door for me.

“My employer would like to meet you,” he said.

I swallowed hard. “…Who is he?”

For a brief moment, he hesitated. Then— “Neil Morrison.”

The name hit like a shockwave because I knew it. Everyone did. He was a billionaire, an industrial giant. A man whose name carried power in every room it was spoken in. My heart started racing. “That’s not possible,” I said under my breath.

Mr. Dube met my gaze steadily. “It is.”

Nothing about this felt real. Just yesterday, I was a woman being thrown out of a house that was never hers. Today…I was being told I might be connected to one of the most powerful men in the country.

“I need you to come with me,” he said gently. I hesitated then eventually…I got into the car.

The drive felt endless. My thoughts were louder than the silence around me. What if this was true? What if it wasn’t? What if I walked into that room and everything changed again? The car finally came to a stop. When I stepped out, I found myself in front of a private hospital.

My chest tightened. Hospital? “This way,” Mr. Dube said. Something wasn’t right. The air inside felt heavy. We walked down a long corridor before stopping in front of a closed door. Mr. Dube turned to me. His voice, when he spoke, was softer than before.

“You should prepare yourself.”

My heart skipped. “For what?”

He held my gaze. “Mr. Morrison is very ill.”

“How… ill?” I asked quietly.

“Stage four lung cancer.” The world seemed to tilt.

“He doesn’t have much time left,” Mr. Dube added. “A few weeks at most.”

A few weeks. My chest tightened painfully. I hadn’t even met him. I didn’t even know him and now— I might lose him before I even had the chance.

“Why now?” I whispered. “Why look for me now?”

“Because he only recently confirmed your existence,” he said. “And because… he wants to see you before it’s too late.”

Something inside me shifted. This wasn’t just about money. This wasn’t just about identity. This was about a dying man...Who wanted to meet his daughter.

My throat tightened. “I don’t even know what to say to him.”

Mr. Dube gave a small, understanding nod. “You don’t have to say anything,” he said. “Just… go in.”

I looked at the door. My hand felt heavy as I reached for the handle. For a moment, I hesitated. Everything in my life had already changed but this…This felt different.

Final.

I pushed the door open. The room was quiet. The machines were humming softly in the background and on the bed— was a man. He looked thin and pale but even like that…There was something powerful about him. His eyes slowly opened and when they landed on me…Everything else faded.

For a long moment, he just stared. Like he was trying to memorize my face. Like he couldn’t believe I was real. My chest tightened. “…Mr. Morrison?” I said softly. His lips moved slightly. His voice, when it came out, was weak—but clear.

“No,” he said. “Call me… father.”

My breath caught, once again in an instant moment my entire world had just changed again.