LEWIS GORDON: RETURN OF THE FORGOTTEN HEIR

MARKED FOR ERASURE

Lewis and his mother froze, eyes wide, hearts hammering, as the heavy knock pierced the midnight silence.

Then another thunderous one.

KNOCK! KNOCK!! KNOCK!!!

A commanding voice roared.

“Open this door now, or you won't see the next day!”

The words rolled over them like thunder. Maria clutched Lewis's sleeve, trembling, but he stood tall, his jaw set with quiet defiance. Taking a deep breath, he moved toward the door, motioning for his mother to follow. With a trembling hand, he turned the knob and opened it.

Five figures towered before him, men of nearly six feet, clad in black trench coats and wide-brimmed hats that shadowed their faces. The snow whipped around them in furious swirls, and lightning split the sky above, illuminating their looming silhouettes.

Lewis opened his mouth to speak, but before a word escaped, one of the men struck him across the cheek. Pain exploded through his face, and he stumbled backward, blood trickling down. The next instant, they lunged at Maria, his mom, shoving her to the cold ground without a hint of mercy.

“Please…spare my son!” Maria cried, desperation thick in her voice. “He's my only hope!”

But the men didn’t hesitate. They rained punches down on Lewis with brutal rhythm, tearing his shirt and drawing streams of blood. He gritted his teeth, absorbing the blows, while his mother screamed in despair.

Then, cutting through the chaos like a blade of light in darkness, a voice rang out, a calm but iron command.

“Enough!”

Lewis lifted his head, stunned. Emerging from the shadows was Bianca. His heart skipped; shock rooted him to the ground as the men immediately backed away, releasing both him and his mother. Maria blinked rapidly, bewildered.

Bianca’s eyes were cold, unflinching. “Throw them outside!” she commanded.

The men dragged Lewis and his mom into the snow, flinging them like discarded bags of refuse. Lewis’s body ached from the harsh landing, his clothes soaked with blood and melting snow. His mother clutched him, shivering, while Bianca stepped forward, towering over them.

“Lewis,” she said, voice low and venomous, “you dared to claim what’s mine. Now, I will teach you a lesson that will haunt every day of your life.”

Lewis’s lips parted, words forming, but Bianca’s glare silenced him instantly.

“Don’t dare speak,” she hissed, her voice slicing through the storm. “Or this night will be your last.”

He remained mute, his eyes calculating, mind racing. Not fear, but strategy drove him now. He knew his silence was a shield, not for weakness, but for survival. Unbeknownst to him, Bianca had cut him off deliberately, ensuring the men wouldn’t hear the truth of her actions, a truth that could shatter the relationship with her influential partner, Mr. Kingston.

A wicked smile crossed Bianca’s face. “Guards,” she barked, voice slicing through the wind, “set this cabin ablaze.”

The men hurried quickly. Flames consumed the logs of the cabin Lewis had managed as a shelter, and the smell of burning wood mingled with the bitter chill of midnight. Lewis’s heart sank, witnessing years of effort consumed in smoke and flame. Maria wept silently, her eyes tracing the silhouette of her son, strong despite the pain.

The cabin sat on the isolated outskirts of Buffalo County, a stretch of land where whispers died before reaching law enforcement.

No neighbor would dare question the rising smoke, and no sheriff would respond without approval from the political dynasty Bianca’s new partner belonged to. Her connection to one of Buffalo’s most powerful and influential families ensured silence. Out there, the flames could roar like war, and still… nobody would react or even take action.

Bianca approached, dragged him a few steps away, and whispered coldly in his ear.

“Lewis, I warned you to stay back. But your ignorance brought you there, to disgrace me in front of my billionaire husband, Red Origin and the VIPs. I sold what you couldn't, and it's forever registered under my name.”

She flicked her hair back, a predatory elegance in her motion.

“I will build a luxurious mansion on this very spot and develop this land, things you never dared to accomplish for years, you’ll be permanently sent away from this vicinity. And if you breathe a word of this, you will regret it for the rest of your life.”

Lewis opened his mouth to respond, but Bianca’s hand snapped across his cheek in a sharp, humiliating slap.

“Shhh! Don’t dare me,” she warned.

Yet Lewis did not falter. His composure remained firm, eyes burning with quiet fire. He may bleed, his shirt may be torn, but his spirit stayed unbroken. His mom pressed herself closer to him, her heart both fearful and proud.

Bianca released him and spat on his face. He wiped it off slowly, expression unchanged, a silent message that she had not conquered his resolve. The snow around them was crimson-streaked, the wind howling in protest as if it too mourned the scene.

“Guards,” Bianca commanded again, tone sharper, “beat them thoroughly. He must understand the cost of his audacity.”

The men closed in, fists flying in orchestrated brutality. Lewis absorbed and deflected, twisting his body, knees buckling but always rising, muscles burning, skin bruised.

Maria was shoved aside but remained close, crying, praying, and silently cursing the woman who wreaked havoc without a word of understanding.

“STOP!” Bianca’s command sliced through the storm again. The men froze immediately. She turned her gaze back to Lewis, eyes sharp as razors.

“This is only the beginning. You dare step on me again, and there will be consequences far beyond your imagination.”

She spun to the men with imperious grace.

“Discard them outside. I am now the official owner of this vicinity!”

Obediently, the men hauled Lewis and Maria into their battered Hilux, tossing them unceremoniously inside. Bianca, regal as a queen of the night, strode to her Bugatti, sliding into the driver’s seat like it was her throne and drove off.

The Hilux roared to life and disappeared into the shadowed roads, leaving the cabin engulfed in flames, a small monument of Lewis’s trials reduced to smoke and ash.

Minutes later, the Hilux stopped on a quiet, snow-swept roadside. The men threw Lewis and Maria onto the frozen earth and vanished into the night. Bloodied, exhausted, and shivering, the mother and son rose unsteadily. Maria pressed a hand to Lewis’s arm, voice trembling.

“Son… who is that woman? That treated you in such a manner?”

Lewis took a steadying breath, tasting iron from his own wounds.

“Mom…this is a long story. I’ll explain later. Right now… we need to move faster.”

Maria nodded, rubbing the frostbitten red marks on her face.

“My cottage… it’s far, deeper in the woods, it's our only option.”

Lewis adjusted his jacket over his torn shirt, wincing as he moved.

“Then let’s trek quickly. We've to keep moving in order to avoid an attack.”

The midnight stretched on, silent but for the crunch of snow beneath their feet and the storm’s furious howl. The forest seemed endless, shrouded in icy darkness, each tree a specter, each gust of wind a warning.

Suddenly, the distant rumble of an engine pierced the night. Lights cut through the shadows, an SUV approaching at high speed.