The Return Of The Forgotten Heir

3 - The Family That Never Accepted Him

The morning slowly passed inside the Cross Estate, but Adrian stayed in his room for a while longer. He had already locked his tablet, yet the questions that had followed him since childhood still refused to leave his mind. His father had told him that he had done nothing wrong, but instead of making him feel better, those words only reminded him of how different his place was within the family.

After a few minutes, Adrian finally stood and left his room. He walked through the wide hallway toward the main living area, where several members of the Cross Family had already gathered for breakfast. The mansion was quiet compared with the streets outside, but Adrian immediately felt the familiar tension he had grown used to over the years.

When he entered the room, his cousins were already seated at the large dining table with his grandfather and Uncle Marcus. A digital screen beside the table displayed the morning business updates, including Cross Group's stock performance, new investments, and reports from several branch offices. Adrian slowed down when he realized they were already discussing the company's plans for the next quarter.

He looked at the empty chair at the end of the table before quietly taking his seat. No one acknowledged him.

He no longer expected anyone to greet him or welcome him, but a small part of him still hoped that someone would at least notice he was there. Instead, the conversation continued as if nothing had changed when he entered the room.

Uncle Marcus was reviewing a report on his tablet while one of Adrian's cousins explained an investment proposal. His grandfather listened carefully, occasionally asking about its possible returns and risks. When Adrian's cousin finished speaking, his grandfather nodded, clearly pleased with what he had heard.

"That is the kind of thinking I expect from someone who will one day carry this family's name," his grandfather said. "You need to understand that Cross Group cannot depend on the decisions of one generation forever. The people who will inherit this responsibility must already know how to handle it before the day comes when they take control."

Adrian listened quietly.

He understood exactly what his grandfather meant.

His cousins were being prepared for the future.

He was not.

One of his cousins noticed him and glanced in his direction before returning his attention to the report. Another looked at him briefly but said nothing. Adrian was used to those looks, the kind that made him feel as if he had entered a room where everyone already knew he did not belong.

Finally, he decided to speak.

"If you're discussing the company's future, may I ask something?"

The entire room suddenly fell silent.

His grandfather looked at him.

"What is it?"

Adrian kept his voice calm, even though he could already feel the tension around the table. "I heard you discussing the expansion into the Financial District, and I understand why you're considering it. However, I noticed that the plan depends heavily on a subsidiary that has been struggling for the past two quarters. If that company continues to lose money, it will put even more pressure on Cross Group's cash flow."

His cousin immediately looked uncomfortable.

Uncle Marcus lowered his tablet.

His grandfather stared at Adrian for several seconds before answering.

"You have been reviewing the company's reports again."

"I've only been studying them," Adrian replied. "I'm not trying to interfere with the company's decisions. I'm only saying that if you're going to use that subsidiary as part of the expansion plan, you should review its current management strategy first. The numbers show that the market isn't the only problem. Some internal decisions are also affecting its performance."

For a moment, Adrian thought they might finally take him seriously.

Instead, Uncle Marcus gave him a faint smile that held no warmth.

"You're still young, Adrian. You see numbers on a screen and think you understand the entire business behind them. Running a company is not the same as reading a report."

Adrian looked directly at him.

"I know that, Uncle Marcus. That's why I'm not claiming to know everything. I'm only pointing out a risk that is already visible in your own records. If my analysis is wrong, I would rather you explain where I made a mistake than dismiss what I said simply because of my age."

Marcus's expression hardened.

"You should learn to recognize when you need to stay out of matters that don't concern you."

The words were familiar.

Adrian had heard different versions of them throughout his entire life.

He looked at his grandfather, hoping he would answer him directly, but the older man simply returned his attention to the report. There was no encouragement, no correction, and no interest in hearing anything else from him.

That silence hurt more than Marcus's words.

Adrian slowly leaned back in his chair.

"I understand."

He chose not to say anything else. There was no point arguing when everyone had already decided what to think of him. He had spent years trying to prove that he belonged, but every attempt only reminded him that his family had placed him outside their circle a long time ago.

A few minutes later, breakfast ended.

His cousins left with Uncle Marcus to continue discussing the company's plans. His grandfather followed them without saying a word to Adrian. Adrian remained at the table, staring at the untouched drink in front of him as the room slowly emptied.

A moment later, his father entered.

Jonathan stopped when he saw Adrian sitting alone at the table.

"You barely ate."

"I wasn't hungry."

Jonathan walked closer and studied his son carefully.

"What happened?"

Adrian gave him a faint smile, but it did not reach his eyes.

"Nothing new."

Jonathan immediately understood.

"They were discussing the company."

"Yes."

"And you gave your opinion."

Adrian looked at him. "I did, and apparently that was enough to remind everyone that I still don't belong in this house. I wasn't trying to take anyone's position, Dad. I only pointed out something I noticed in the numbers, but Uncle Marcus made it clear that they didn't want to hear my opinion."

His father sat across from him.

"Adrian, I told you yesterday to stay away from Cross Group's internal matters."

"I remember."

"Then why did you interfere?"

"Because I'm still trying to understand why they treat me differently." Adrian kept his voice controlled, but the resentment he had carried for years was beginning to surface. "You keep telling me that I did nothing wrong, but everyone in this family treats me as if they need to keep me away. My cousins can discuss the company's future, offer suggestions, and sit beside Grandfather as if they already have a place waiting for them. I can't even ask a question without being told to remember my place."

Jonathan lowered his head for a moment.

Adrian continued, his voice becoming quieter but more emotional.

"I don't want their money, Dad. I don't need anyone to give me a position just because I'm your son. I only want to understand why I was never given the same chance. If I'm truly part of this family, why does everyone act as if I don't belong?"

His father looked at him with the same concern Adrian had noticed earlier.

"There are things about this family that you still don't understand."

Adrian did not look away.

"Then help me understand."

His father remained silent.

Adrian waited, but Jonathan did not answer.

After several seconds, his father finally stood.

"You need to trust me."

Adrian looked up at him.

"That is difficult when no one tells me the truth."

"I know."

Those two words made Adrian look at him again.

His father's face looked tired. For a moment, he did not look like the powerful head of Cross Group. He looked like a father desperately trying to protect his son from something Adrian could not yet see.

"I know you think I'm pushing you away, Adrian, but there is a reason I've been doing this for so long," his father said. "I can't tell you everything yet. You need to stay away from the family business and focus on yourself until I know you're safe."

Adrian wanted to ask more, but he remembered his father's warning from the previous day. He knew that if he pushed too hard, Jonathan might become even more silent and refuse to say anything else.

So he nodded.

"Fine. I'll try."

His father placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That is all I'm asking."

After his father left, Adrian remained in the dining room for a few more minutes. He looked around the large room that had been part of his life since childhood and remembered every breakfast when he had sat quietly, listening to his cousins discuss their futures. He had grown up surrounded by the Cross name, but he had never been allowed to feel that the name truly belonged to him.

For the first time, Adrian stopped asking himself what he had done to deserve their treatment.

Maybe that had been the wrong question from the beginning.

Maybe the real question was why the Cross Family was so determined to keep him away.

He stood and walked toward the hallway, calmer than before. The pain was still there, but he no longer wanted to waste his strength trying to force himself into a place where people refused to accept him. If they wanted him to remain outside, he would stop begging to be let in.

He would create a place of his own.

Adrian returned to his room and opened his tablet again, but he did not access the company's private records. Instead, he opened a blank digital notebook and wrote down everything he remembered about his family, the business, and the questions his father refused to answer.

He was not investigating yet.

He was only preparing.

For the first time, Adrian accepted something he had struggled to understand since childhood: being a Cross did not automatically mean that the Cross Family accepted him. If they refused to give him a place in their future, then one day, he would create a future that did not depend on them.