Episode 2: Blood Doesn't Lie
1051 Words
Xander’s POV
"That woman, Nora Ellison. How long has she been working here?" I asked as I leaned back in my chair.
I kept looking at the door where she had left. The air in the office still felt heavy.
Thomas adjusted his glasses without looking up from his tablet. "A few months as a cleaner, sir. She has a clean record…" He paused.
He looked at me with a calculated expression. “Do you want me to assign her to your office permanently?” he asked.
Thomas is my personal assistant. He is efficient and knew I rarely asked questions about the staff. I saw the curiosity in his eyes. He was trying to read me and figure out why a billionaire was asking about a mere cleaner.
I smirked. I thought about the way she looked at me with such fire. "No. Just keep her out of my sight."
“Noted sir. We've upgraded all the guest rooms just as you requested,” Thomas mentioned.
“Good. Make sure all the rooms are spotless. We will be having a lot of special guests by next week. Assign the task to her.” I instructed him.
My phone vibrated on the desk. The ringtone cut through the room. I saw the caller ID. It was my grandfather. I sighed and picked up.
"Hello, Grandpa. I am in the middle of a transition. Do you need something?" I asked.
"Stop being a business executive for one hour, Xander." His voice was loud. "I am at the Little Blossoms daycare. I want to make a donation and I want you here to witness it. It is good for your image."
"A daycare center? Why are we giving money to a daycare?" I stood up and grabbed my jacket.
"Because children are the future. Something you seem to have forgotten while chasing other things." He snapped. "Be here in fifteen minutes."
The line went dead.
I grunted. I do not like distractions, but my grandfather held the keys to the Rhodes legacy. If he wanted me at a daycare, I would be at the daycare.
I arrived at Little Blossoms ten minutes later. The building was painted in bright colors. The air smelled of juice and baby powder.
"Ah, Xander. You made it." Grandpa smiled. He was surrounded by toddlers. "Look at these little angels. I wish you could give me just one." He looked at me with a pointed stare.
I ignored the comment. I followed him as he walked through the playroom.
"Here you go, Miss Olivia." Grandpa handed a check to a woman.
Olivia looked at the check. Her eyes widened. "Sir, your generosity will change the lives of these children. Thank you so much."
"It is a pleasure." Grandpa replied.
He stopped walking and pointed to the trolley in the center of the room. A little boy laid there smiling.
"Who is this precious little boy?" Grandpa asked.
"That is Kyle," Olivia said as she walked over and smoothed the boy's hair. "He is one year old and still on breast milk."
I stepped closer to look at the baby. Kyle looked up at me. His eyes were a familiar shade of blue. The same blue I saw in the mirror every morning.
My heart started beating strangely. The boy reminded me of someone like… Nora.
Grandpa gasped as he leaned closer to the boy. "Wait a minute. Xander, look at him. This boy looks just like you when you were a baby. Are you sure he is not your child?"
Grandpa looked straight into my eyes. He was searching for a confession.
“Haha.” I let out a forced laugh and shook my head. "Grandpa, don't be ridiculous. He has his own parents."
"He is actually raised by a single mom," Olivia added. She looked at Kyle with pity. "She works full-time to take care of him. She works really hard."
"That is sad," Grandpa whispered as he touched Kyle’s hand. "A young woman taking care of a child alone. Where is the father?"
"He is not in the picture. She does everything for him herself," Olivia said.
She looked toward the front door. "Oh, there she is. That is his mother."
Grandpa and I turned immediately. My pulse quickened. I unconsciously expected the truth to hit me.
A woman walked through the door. The tension in my chest increased as she got closer.
"My mistake. That’s not Kyle's mom. That is another parent,” Olivia said.
I felt a strange mix of relief and disappointment.
She looked at her phone. “Oh, Kyle's mother just sent me a text. Her boss is making her work overtime."
"Who is that jerk of a boss that makes a breastfeeding mother work overtime?" Grandpa yelled. "How could a man do that to a single mom? And the father of this child is a coward for abandoning this precious little boy."
I stood there feeling a prickle of guilt. I was the boss who had just ordered a cleaner to clean so many rooms and make them spotless.
"It is okay, Grandpa." I said, trying to calm him down.
I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Her boss probably didn't know she was a single mother. It is just business."
I felt like every word he spoke was meant for me. Every time he talked about cowards and jerks, it felt like he was throwing stones straight at my head.
"Don't worry, little Kyle." Grandpa leaned over the trolley. "I will take care of you. I wish you were my great-grandson. I would give you the world and buy you expensive clothes, toys and anything you ask for."
Kyle just blinked at him and smiled. He looked so calm.
"Then his mother can leave that wretched job, right?" Grandpa asked, looking at me for confirmation.
"Yes, Grandpa. She can," I replied. "Come on. We have to go. I have a board meeting."
I helped him to the car. He kept talking about the boy, but I was not listening. My mind was back in the office. I was thinking about the timelines and that one night at the hotel.
Two years ago. A one-year-old child. The math was perfect.
If Kyle is Nora's son, then I already have an heir.
- Writer
