The Hidden Heir

Chapter 2: The Old Man's Secret

Grey left the apartment without saying another word. He walked down the street in the dark, not knowing where he was going. His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was his boss calling.

He almost did not answer. But he did.

"Grey, where are you?" his boss, Mr. Marcus, asked. "We have a delivery in the warehouse. You need to come right now."

"I am on my way," Grey said quietly.

He worked the entire night. He carried boxes, drove the truck, and sorted packages. His boss complained about everything he did. When Grey moved slow, Mr. Marcus yelled at him. When Grey worked fast, Mr. Marcus said he was doing it wrong.

At six in the morning, Mr. Marcus called Grey to his office.

"You are fired," Mr. Marcus said without looking at him.

Grey felt his heart stop. "Why? I worked hard. I came when you called me."

"Because I do not like your face," Mr. Marcus said coldly. "You can leave now. Do not come back."

Grey walked out of the warehouse with nothing. No job. No girlfriend. No hope. He had lost everything in a single night.

He walked to the park and sat on a bench. The sun was coming up. People were jogging. Children were playing. Everyone seemed happy except him. He had worked so hard his whole life, and for what? To be thrown away like garbage?

An old man sat down next to him. He had white hair and kind eyes. He wore simple clothes but something about him seemed different from other people.

"You look sad, young man," the old man said.

Grey did not answer. He did not want to talk to anyone.

"I can see pain in your eyes," the old man continued. "Pain that comes from being hurt by people you trusted."

Grey looked at the old man. How did he know that?

"My name is Dominic," the old man said. "What is your name?"

"Grey," he answered.

"Grey," the old man repeated, nodding slowly. "That is a strong name. Do you know what I think, Grey? I think you are not what you think you are."

"What do you mean?" Grey asked.

The old man looked at him for a long time. "Tell me, Grey. Do you know anything about your parents? Do you know where you came from?"

"I am from an orphanage," Grey said. "I was found as a baby. No one knows who my parents were."

The old man smiled. "That is what they told you. But I know the truth, Grey. I have been looking for you for a very long time."

"Looking for me? Why?"

The old man took a small box from his pocket. Inside was a ring made of gold and silver. On the ring was a symbol that looked like a lion's head.

"Do you know what this is?" Dominic asked.

Grey shook his head.

"This is the symbol of the King family," Dominic said. "One of the richest and most powerful families in the world. And you, Grey, are a member of this family."

Grey thought the old man was crazy. "You are joking."

"I am not joking," Dominic said seriously. "Your real name is not Grey. Your real name is Hercules King. You are the lost heir of the King family. Eighteen years ago, your father was killed. Your mother took you and gave you to the orphanage to keep you safe. She paid me to watch over you until the time was right."

"This is impossible," Grey said.

"Is it?" Dominic asked. "Think about it, Grey. Have you never wondered why life has been so hard for you? Have you never felt like something was different about you? Like you were meant for something more?"

Grey did not know what to say. Was this man telling the truth? Could it be true?

"Your mother is alive," Dominic said. "She has been waiting for you. And now, the time has come for you to claim what is yours."

As the old man spoke, Grey's phone rang. It was the orphanage calling. They said his mother was in the hospital. She was asking for him. She was dying.

Grey felt the world spin around him. Everything the old man said might be true. And his mother might be dying right now.