Inside the Mercedes-Maybach car, passing through the high, raised buildings of the city center.

Alex took a peek at the mysterious man, Alfred Wadsworth, who was explaining to him that, besides being a head butler, he was also a housekeeper for the Crown family. He further explained that the Wadsworth family had been serving their family for the last century.

For now, Alex had nowhere to go, and he wanted to find out if this mysterious man, Alfred, was lying to him or not. This was one of the reasons he willingly entered the car. 

"Young master Alex, we had been looking for you for a long time! If it weren't for that accident..." Alfred Wadsworth clenched his fist tightly. The atmosphere becomes tense.

Alex shrugged his shoulders; he had been an orphan for as long as he could remember. Apart from living in the orphanage, he also ends up in a military camp. His childhood memory of the military training camp was extremely unpleasant. Until this day, it still haunts him like a ghost that he had to eat insects to survive!

On the other hand, Alfred, seeing that the young master was silent, thought that it would be better to have a light conversation instead of talking about something heavy to dispel the awkwardness between them.

"Young master Alex, is something bothering you as of late?" Alfred spoke amicably. Unfortunately, he had just picked the wrong timing.

Instantly, Alex's expression turned dark, making Alfred doubt why the young master would have such a negative reaction.

Of course, Alex wouldn't want to talk about the embarrassment he experienced especially at the hotel's restaurant.

Alex let out a breath to calm his nerves.

Then he decided that it was better to ignore Alfred, as he kept looking outside and seeing people busy doing their own thing.

Realizing that the young master Alex was giving him the cold shoulder, Alfred could only sigh heavily; it was understood that the young master was still cautious about them.

After what seems like forever, the Mercedes-Maybach that would invite unwanted attention and envy from others eventually stops.

In front was a large golden gate that reflected the sun's light. It had a design of a lion with a crown, which left Alex speechless in that split second. He nearly thought he was entering the famous royal palace's gate. That wasn't all; the walls around it were beautifully carved in the tiniest of details; it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the artisan wouldn't stop until it was perfect. 

Alex didn't wait long before the gate automatically opened as the Mercedes-Maybach made its way while being escorted by guards that were armed to the teeth!

At this point, Alex was more tongue-tied than ever as he saw the sky-high luxury mansion. Alex could also see the laborers and maids around the vicinity of the palace, some maintaining the greeneries around the mansion, adding more beauty to it, while others came to welcome them.

Another thing that caught Alex's attention was the private jet that was peeking out at the garden. In the first place, how in the world did it end up there?

"Oh, are you curious about that thing?" Alfred said after noticing his young master Alex took not a few seconds to look at the private jet. "Young master, it's unworthy of your attention."

"Why?" Alex scratched his head, not understanding that he had lived his life in poverty throughout those years.

 

"Young master Alex, soon you'll know soon enough." The housekeeper, Alfred, smiled and personally opened the mansion, revealing the interior. Alex felt like he had been living a lie, so this was how the rich live their lives in this manner.

Alex continued to gawk while walking through the elegant mansion's hallway with a red carpet; somehow it felt like he was heading toward the king, after quite a while of exploring the interior of the beautiful mansion. That's when he saw the housekeeper, Room, halting in front of a door, and there was a bold word engraved with "study room". 

Then the housekeeper, Alfred, motioned with his arms for him to enter.

Alex suppressed his emotion, up to this point, he would be an idiot if he still didn't know that he would be meeting someone of great importance, a big shot of the city. Who knows...

'Does it have something to do with that Crown dude?' Alex thought in the back of his head that he didn't believe he was that fellow.

"I should go then."

Inside the study room.

The very first thing that Alex noticed was a man in his lavish black tuxedo; he was in his late forties, and it seems that he had been waiting for him all along in this study room, and to boot, he was calm as a cucumber!

The next thing Alex noticed was when this gentleman spoke. "my son."

"Are you sure?" Alex blurted out, and even he was surprised by his reflex.

Truthfully, Alex's head was in shambles; he was trying to process and make sense of this situation and the revelation that came to him. Yet another bomb was dropped on top of his confused head! 

Alex proceeds to say. "Sir, there must have been a mistake somewhere."

"No there isn't, I'm a hundred percent sure that you're my son..." Charles Crown stood up and spoke with conviction; there's no mistaking it, Alex was his son; he could feel his blood flowing through his veins. On top of that, they had some similarities in their appearances, though most of Alex's appearance was from his mother.

Unlucky for Alex's father, he didn't know that his son would be so stubborn.  

"I suggest you investigate properly, sir," Alex responded solemnly. "I insist!" 

"...." Charles Crown was speechless as he gazed at his son. He took a deep breath before speaking solemnly. "Do you have that thing with you?"

Hearing that, although Alex didn't show it on his face, what gave him away was when he hesitated. He knew he was hiding something, and under the scrutinizing gaze of his father, Alex had no choice but to take out something he had hidden underneath his shirt.

"You mean this necklace?" Alex stated while raising the necklace. Though they called it a necklace, in truth, it was nothing more than a string made from a cheap rope connected to the silver pendant.

Alex hadn't opened it for years, but he decided to do so as he opened the pendant. And because his childhood training when he was seven at the military camp where he sweated a lot, caused the picture of the man in the pendant to be blurry, but if one was sharp enough, the facial countenance could still be somewhat distinguished.

Alex heard from the director of the orphanage where he was raised that he was abandoned at the entrance of the orphanage, and that necklace was something he had been holding with his tiny fist all along.

Although Alex still had his doubts about his father, at the end of the day, it was mostly because he trusted only a handful of people.

Nevertheless, seeing Charles Crown, his father, when he held the necklace while shedding tears, made Alex have a complicated feelings right now.

"Son, did you know that your mother always loved to make clothes for you when you were little? And along with those clothes, she had left this necklace. When you grow up and become a man, you should wear it and take care of the family. That's what she always said..." Charles Crown continued to speak. He also told Alex that he was sorry for what had happened to him and his mother.

This time, Alex didn't stop his father Charles from hugging him tightly while patting his back, and unknowingly, tears started to appear in the corner of his eyes. Although there was sadness, there was also happiness, and that was something he held dear in his life.

Everything was clear now; the weight that had been constantly on his shoulder all this year was starting to dissipate.

However, what Alex didn't know was that this reunion was not the beginning of a relaxed and wealthy heir but rather an ominous start that would turn Alex's life upside down.

"My son, please inherent my business as you are a member of the House of Crown!"