“Still here, are you?” Natalie said. “Regularly,” Elena replied. “I run this place now.
And I have news.” “More fairy tales?” “You have a grandson.” “Please.
Do you know how many women have tried that line on me over the years? I could fill a classroom.” Elena pulled the court’s DNA ruling from her folder. “Read it,” she said.
Natalie scanned the page. Her eyes widened. “And you kept this from us all these years?” “What would have been the point? You wouldn’t have let me through the front door.”
“Fair enough. I was too busy looking at the world through money and lawsuits.
Business, rivals, court dates… Mike practically raised himself. And now here I am, dying in the very hospice I once tried to bulldoze.
There’s a lesson in that.” “I believe in consequences,” Elena said. “I don’t waste energy on grudges. When do I get to meet him?” “I can bring him after my shift.” “Please do.
Will you really?” “I promise.” After signing out, Elena called Mike. They agreed to meet at a coffee shop across the street to talk about the company. Elena got there first.
Mike arrived looking more hopeful than she had seen him in years. “Tell me,” she said. “What happened?”
“Big news. Nick used his contacts to dig through the records. Eugene had been siphoning assets offshore for years. The company collapse was planned.
Nick thinks we can unwind a lot of it in civil court. He’s assigned one of his best attorneys to help. Once the court clears the way, Eugene can be referred to Interpol.
Then we rebuild. We’ll need capital, but Nick is coming in as an investor. He’s got a couple of strong ideas to get things moving.” “That’s incredible. And I dropped a different bomb on your mother.
I told her she’s a grandmother.” “How did that go?” “About as well as expected. I had to put the DNA ruling in front of her. She wants to meet him.”
“Will you take him?” “Of course. Better if we go together, don’t you think?” “Absolutely.”
That evening they picked up Peter and drove to the hospice. On the way, Elena tried to explain things in a way a child could understand. “Peter, there’s something I need to tell you. Mike is your real dad.”
“Real dad? Then what about Arthur?” “Arthur helped us for a while. But your dad had been away for work.” Elena gave him the gentlest version she could.
“So my dad was on a secret mission?” Peter asked. “Something like that. And guess what? You have a grandmother too. We’re going to meet her.”
“Where does Grandma live?”
