EVOLUTION OF A SON-IN-LAW: SUPREME GENERAL

"All hail the almighty General!" A young military soldier, who was wearing a green uniform with some shades of red, with an embroidered crest, stomped his boots firmly upon the ground as he addressed the assembled group of soldiers. The hundred-strong formation, dressed in the same matching attire, stood at attention before him on the expansive tarmac which resembled a military airfield. As the soldiers stood in reverence, their gaze fell upon a youthful man of no more than twenty-five years, who had golden hair. He was none other than General Ethan Hunter, the pride of the military. "All hail the mighty general!" they cried in unison, their hands snapping sharply to their brows in a salute of loyalty and respect. As Ethan approached the aircraft, he paused at the foot of the stairs, turning to face the assembled troops. "At ease, soldiers," he called out, "Your loyalty and service are commendable. I'm not leaving entirely, I will be back, and we'll continue our missions together." The soldiers grinned respectfully, they couldn't hide their admiration for their young leader. Some even attempted to follow him towards the plane. "Sir," one of the soldiers said, "permission to accompany you on your journey?" Ethan smiled kindly but shook his head. "I appreciate it, but this is a personal matter. Hold down the fort while I'm gone, and that's an order." With a final salute to his troops, Ethan turned and bounded up the stairs of the private jet. As he reached the top, he paused, a faraway look in his eyes. "Lily," he whispered. "I miss you." The plane door closed behind him and Max, his junior, stored the luggage. Ethan then made his way to the leather seat, settling in comfortably. He glanced out the window and his mind drifted back to a time that seemed both like yesterday and a lifetime ago... Five years earlier, Ethan had been a simple dockworker, his days filled with loading and unloading of cargo ships. It was an honest living, far from the world of military strategy and command he now had. On a fateful day, Lily, a daughter from the Evans family, had come to inspect a shipment from the Sterling Group. Lily's cousin was jealous of Lily’s achievements and decided to plot against her . Taking advantage of the chaos of the dockyard, she drugged both Ethan and Lily. The next morning, they awoke in a cheap motel room, horrified and disoriented, with no memory of how they had gotten there or what had transpired. But Lily's cousin wasn't done. She had recorded their one-night stand encounter, and she put up the video online . The scandal erupted like wildfire. The Sterling Group's stock plummeted as news of the heiress's "indiscretion" spread. The Evans family were disappointed and, in a desperate bid to save their reputation and their company, they made a decision that Lily would marry Ethan. It was a loveless union, born of necessity and shame. The Evans family despised Ethan, viewing him as a commoner who had tainted their bloodline. They wanted to get rid of him as they never liked him, so they pulled strings and finally had him sent to the military. The Evans family hoped he would die in battle, conveniently removing the stain on their reputation. But fate had other plans. Ethan not only survived but thrived in the military. . Within five years, he had achieved the unthinkable – becoming the youngest general in the nation's history. Hours later, the plane arrived at its destination. Ethan descended the stairs while Max trailed behind with the luggage. The airport was bustling with activity, a sea of faces rushing to and fro. Ethan and Max moved through the crowd. "Daddy!" Ethan froze, his eyes scanning the crowd in confusion. A little girl, no more than four years old, was running towards him, her arms outstretched and a brilliant smile on her face. Before he could react, the child had wrapped her arms around his legs, looking up at him with adoring eyes. "Daddy, you're home!" she exclaimed, filled with joy. Ethan looked down at the girl, then at Max, who appeared equally baffled. "I... I'm sorry, little one," he said gently, trying to disentangle himself from her embrace. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else. I don't have a daughter." The girl's smile faltered, confusion and hurt clouding her eyes. "But... but you're my daddy," she insisted. "I've seen your pictures. Mommy shows them to me all the time." Ethan's heart raced. He looked around frantically, searching for the girl's parents or an explanation for the encounter. "Max," he said, , "call airport security. There must be some misunderstanding." Meanwhile, Lily had been desperately searching for her daughter in the airport office. "Emma! Emma, where are you?" The little girl's face lit up as she saw her mother from afar. "Over here, Mommy!" she called out, waving excitedly. "I found Daddy!" Lily was a little confused, she asked with knitted brows. “Daddy?” “Yes daddy! Daddy!” A man had dropped Lily off with the airport officer and she could only see his back as he walked away. She wanted to thank the man for helping her find her little angel but he had disappeared into the crowd. Lily knelt down and cupped her little girl's face with affection. “Honey, Daddy has been gone for some time now, c'mon, let's go back home, I promise to give daddy a call when we get home.” Lily persuaded with tears in her eyes. She immediately wiped it away with her palms before showing her little angel a happy grin. However, that didn't convince the little girl. She pouted childishly. “Does that mean I'll get to speak to my daddy today? For the first time? Thank you mummy!” Lily nodded her head and swallowed the invisible lump in her throat with difficulty. There was no way she could tell her little angel the truth. Her father had left just two months after their wedding and he had no idea that Lily was pregnant. She didn't inform him about her pregnancy because at that time, she was still coming to terms with her marriage. The Evansʼ saw her husband as an outsider and even removed her from the company because they felt ashamed of her. If not for the fact that her father pleaded with his own father, she would have been expelled from the family. “Yes darling, you will hear daddy's voice today.” A tear escaped from her eyes and she picked Lily up into her arms.