The Truth Unfolds
1257 Words
Xavier drummed the wheel again, thinking. “Some of that’s not my story to tell. You’ll hear it from Mom and Dad. But the short version is: there were people who didn’t want you found. People who’d lose a lot of money if the Gregory family found out the truth about what happened to you.”
Joshua frowned. “So what… I was some bargaining chip?”
Xavier hesitated. “Kind of.”
Joshua turned to stare out the window again, jaw tight.
They drove in silence for another few blocks.
Finally, Xavier said gently, “I get that you’re pissed off. You should be. I’d be losing my mind if I were you.”
Joshua muttered, “Yeah. Well. Congratulations, you’re now my second least favorite family after the Rowlands.”
Xavier let out a bark of laughter. “That’s fair. So we’re at least ahead of Jaxon George?”
Joshua cracked a tiny smile. “Congratulations. Low bar.”
“Hey, I’ll take it.”
Joshua sighed, rubbing his eyes. “So where are we going, anyway?”
Xavier shot him a sideways look. “Can’t tell you yet.”
“Oh, come on,” Joshua groaned. “If you murder me and dump me in the Hudson, my ghost is going to haunt your entire family.”
Xavier grinned. “Noted. But seriously… we’re not going to kill you. We’re going home.”
“Home where?”
Xavier chuckled. “Let’s call it… Empire Heights, Part Two.”
Joshua blinked. “Is that a neighborhood or a building?”
Xavier wiggled his hand in a so-so gesture. “Kind of both.”
Joshua threw his hands up. “Dude. Speak English.”
Xavier leaned in, lowering his voice. “It’s a place people only whisper about. Top of the East Side. Huge security. Massive penthouses. And technically, it’s registered as a museum for tax reasons.”
Joshua gaped. “A museum? You live in a museum?”
Xavier shrugged. “Tax loopholes are magical.”
Joshua spluttered. “So wait… the Gregorys are billionaires?”
Xavier hesitated, then said simply, “Billionaires is… accurate.”
Joshua dropped his head back against the seat, exhaling hard.
“I need a drink,” he muttered.
Xavier snorted. “We’ll have plenty at the penthouse.”
Joshua shot him a look. “You realize I’m not even sure I believe you’re my brother, right?”
Xavier nodded. “Fair. But I’m pretty sure you’ll believe it when you see Mom.”
Joshua frowned. “Why?”
Xavier’s grin widened. “Because you’re basically her clone.”
Joshua blinked. “…Huh?”
Xavier said, “Same eyes. Same nose. Same resting b***h face when people piss you off.”
Joshua sputtered a laugh despite himself. “Wow. Thanks.”
“Hey, it’s a family trait. Wear it with pride.”
Joshua slumped deeper into the seat. “This is insane.”
Xavier turned onto Park Avenue, sliding the car into a faster lane. “You want me to turn around and drop you off somewhere?”
Joshua stared out at the glittering towers.
“No,” he said quietly. “I… guess not.”
Xavier exhaled, looking relieved. “Good. Because Mom would kill me if I lost you again.”
Joshua muttered, “No pressure.”
Xavier smiled faintly. “One thing at a time, man. Tonight’s about getting you home. Tomorrow… we figure out the rest.”
Joshua didn’t reply. He just watched as the car roared north through Manhattan, each block carrying him closer to the unknown.
The city began to change as Xavier steered the car north, past blocks crowded with bars and neon toward quieter, tree-lined streets.
Joshua shifted in the passenger seat, silent for a long stretch of Park Avenue.
Finally, he said, “So… these parents of mine. Harrison and Olivia. What’s their deal?”
Xavier snorted. “Their deal? That’s one way to put it.”
Joshua folded his arms. “You know what I mean.”
Xavier thought for a second, then said, “Okay. Let’s start with Dad. Harrison Gregory. Born and bred Manhattanite. Owns half the commercial real estate in Midtown. Calm, sharp, ruthless in business but super chill at home. Unless you forget his birthday, in which case you’re dead to him for a week.”
Joshua blinked. “Wait. He owns half of Midtown?”
“Okay, maybe not half. But close enough that every time the skyline changes, his lawyers have to sign off on something.”
Joshua stared out the windshield. “Jesus.”
Xavier continued, “He’s the one who keeps the money flowing. The reason we’ve got investments all over the place. Buildings. Tech startups. Art auctions. International shipping. You name it.”
Joshua muttered, “And people call me arrogant.”
Xavier laughed. “Oh, he’s plenty arrogant. Just very polite about it.”
Joshua bit his lip. “And… Mom?”
Xavier’s grin softened. “Ah. Olivia.” He hesitated, searching for words. “She’s… one of a kind. Used to be a Broadway star. Gorgeous voice. She was in three Tony-winning shows before she quit to raise us.”
Joshua blinked. “My mother was on Broadway?”
“Yeah. And still sings around the house. Makes grown men cry when she does Phantom of the Opera.”
Joshua slumped against the seat. “You’ve gotta be kidding.”
Xavier shook his head. “Nope. And she’s the fiercest person I’ve ever met. Smart as hell. Total softie inside. But she’ll break anyone’s face who tries to hurt her kids.”
Joshua fell silent, absorbing that.
Xavier glanced at him. “She’s… been having a hard time, you know. All these years thinking about you out there somewhere.”
Joshua cleared his throat. “Did she… know I was alive?”
Xavier nodded. “Yeah. They never gave up. Even when the trail went cold.”
Joshua frowned. “So why didn’t anyone find me sooner?”
Xavier exhaled. “Because it wasn’t a normal missing persons case. The people who arranged your switch were careful. They covered it up so well that even our private investigators kept hitting brick walls.”
Joshua stiffened. “Wait. So I really was… switched at birth?”
Xavier nodded grimly. “Yeah.”
Joshua pressed a palm to his forehead. “I can’t believe this. I mean… I always felt like Meredith Rowland hated me, but I thought that was just her personality.”
Xavier barked a sharp laugh. “I’ve heard stories about her. She’s… intense.”
“That’s one word for it.”
Xavier went quiet, navigating the car through a left turn onto 96th Street.
Joshua watched the buildings grow taller again as they passed through sections of the Upper East Side.
“So…” Joshua said cautiously, “what happens now? You just… drive me home and I live happily ever after in a penthouse with a Broadway star and a real estate tycoon?”
Xavier snorted. “I wish it was that simple. But no. It’s gonna be weird for a while. And there’s some… stuff you’ll have to know.”
Joshua raised an eyebrow. “What stuff?”
Xavier hesitated. “Like I said before, some people won’t be thrilled that the Gregorys found their lost son.”
Joshua scoffed. “I’m not exactly a threat to anyone.”
Xavier gave him a long look. “You have no idea how much you are.”
- Writer
