The mansion smelled different that morning.
Not the usual mix of lemon cleaner and cigar smoke, but something tense, sharp—like metal in the air before a storm.
Gregory descended the attic stairs as usual, already mentally preparing for the day’s insults. But today felt different. The halls were quiet. Too quiet. No laughter from the brothers. No barking orders from Mr. Rosewell.
He stepped into the main foyer—and froze.
Every member of the Rosewell family stood there.
All five children.
Mr. Rosewell in a sharp charcoal suit.
And someone new.
A man in his early forties. Neat, clinical, like a hospital administrator in disguise. He held a slim black briefcase and had the kind of smile that made Gregory feel like a lab rat.
“Ah,” the stranger said. “You must be Gregory.”
Gregory instinctively glanced at Mr. Rosewell, who offered nothing but a hard, unreadable stare.
“Gregory is the housekeeper,” Mr. Rosewell said coldly. “We found something of interest last night in the attic. Some… items.”
Gregory’s stomach dropped.
“You went through my things?”
“They’re not your things if they’re in my house.”
The man with the briefcase stepped forward. “My name is Dr. Harold Graves. I’ve been contracted to assist Mr. Rosewell with a matter of paternity verification.”
Gregory blinked. “What?”
Samuel, standing behind his siblings, looked confused too. “Dad, what’s going on?”
Mr. Rosewell cut him off with a raised hand. “Silence.”
Dr. Graves continued, “Due to the recent media attention surrounding Mr. Caldwell’s search for his lost son, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to conduct some… housekeeping of our own. Gregory here seems to be at the center of some curiosity.”
Gregory’s fists clenched. “You stole my things. My birth tag. The wristband—”
Mr. Rosewell raised his voice. “Enough!”
Gregory stood his ground.
For once, he didn’t bow his head. “If this is about Mr. Caldwell, then I should be the one to—”
“You are nothing, boy!” Mr. Rosewell thundered. “You clean toilets in my house. Do not mistake the charity of a roof over your head for significance.”
Seth chuckled. “Let the rat get tested. Maybe he’ll find out he’s just a rat after all.”
Dr. Graves opened his case with a metallic snap, revealing a small DNA swab kit.
“It’s simple,” he said, approaching Gregory. “A quick sample. Then we compare it to the sample provided by Mr. Caldwell’s legal team. Discreet. Confidential.”
Gregory’s chest rose and fell.
This could be it.
He nodded.
Dr. Graves swabbed the inside of his cheek, sealed the vial, and packed the kit like it was nuclear material.
“You’ll hear from us in a few days,” he said. “But I suggest you don’t go anywhere.”
Mr. Rosewell turned to his sons. “Escort him back to his quarters.”
Gregory narrowed his eyes. “I’m not a prisoner.”
“You’re nothing unless that test proves otherwise,” Seth smirked. “And if it doesn’t…?”
Gregory didn’t answer.
Because the truth was, he didn’t know.
Back in the attic, Gregory stared at the ceiling.
His mind ran wild.
What if he wasn’t the heir?
What if it was all some sick game?
Or worse—what if he was the heir… and Mr. Rosewell had known all along?
Downstairs, he could hear raised voices. Samuel yelling at his father. A door slamming. Footsteps pacing.
Then silence again.
His pulse wouldn’t slow.
He needed air.
He needed answers.
That night, under cover of darkness, Gregory slipped out through the service door and headed to the local public library.
It wasn’t far. Fifteen blocks. He ran the entire way.
Inside, the night librarian gave him a wary glance, but he nodded politely and went straight to the newspaper archives.
He searched for hours.
Looking up anything on Richard Caldwell. Birth records. Old interviews. Anything about a missing child. A scandal. A loss.
And finally, he found it.
“Tragedy at Sea: Wife of Young Entrepreneur Drowns in Ferry Accident — Infant Presumed Missing.”
The photo of the woman in the article—long brown hair, a kind smile—sent a chill through Gregory.
He’d never seen her before.
But something deep in his chest ached.
His mother?
The article claimed the child vanished after the crash. The body was never recovered. The father, Richard Caldwell, had nothing but a single hospital ID wristband. No trace of the child since.
Until now.
Gregory snapped a photo of the article with his phone.
As he turned to leave, the librarian approached. “Library’s closing, son.”
Gregory nodded, heart still racing.
He was halfway to the exit when his phone buzzed.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
He answered cautiously. “Hello?”
A voice on the other end spoke quickly, almost urgently.
“You don’t know me, Gregory, but they’re watching you.”
Gregory stopped walking.
“Who is this?”
“I used to work for Caldwell’s company. On the inside. You’re closer than you think. But be careful. If they confirm you’re the heir, they won’t let you live long enough to claim it.”
The line went dead.

Latest Chapter
Chapter 208: The Enemy Within
The sound of crashing furniture echoed through the building, shaking Gregory from his thoughts. His heart leaped into his throat, and for a moment, all he could do was listen. The footsteps grew louder, each one thudding heavily against the old wooden floors. Someone was here.The stranger shot a glance at Gregory, his face hardening. “Stay down. Don’t make a sound.”Gregory nodded, his body frozen in fear. He could feel the weight of the stranger’s words hanging in the air,We’re not safe for long. It was clear now that whoever was coming didn’t care about subtlety. They were here to find him, and there was no place to hide.The footsteps halted in the hallway outside their door. Gregory held his breath, his pulse racing. He dared not move, not even a muscle. The stranger was already crouching low, his body tense as a wire ready to snap. A door creaked open. Footsteps shuffled across the floor, and Gregory’s stomach twisted. They were close, so close. His mind raced. Who was it?Sudd
Chapter 207: The Chase Begins
Gregory’s feet hit the cold ground with a thud as he rolled into the darkness below the window. His heart raced, adrenaline surging through him as his eyes struggled to adjust to the night. The stranger had already taken off, running ahead, his footsteps quick and steady in the distance.“Stay close,” the stranger’s voice called back to him, muffled by the sound of rushing wind. Gregory had no choice but to follow. He didn’t know where they were going or what was happening, but he knew one thing: they couldn’t afford to be caught. Not by Victor, not by anyone.Gregory’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. The words Victor had spoken echoed in his ears. You’re nothing but a pawn. You’re expendable. It had all sounded like a bad dream, but the fear in Victor’s eyes had been real. And the stranger, he was no mere-hired muscle.The way he moved, the way he commanded the situation, Gregory knew he was with someone who knew what they were doing.They rounded a corner, and the distant sounds o
Chapter 206: The Face of the Enemy
Victor’s figure filled the doorway, tall and imposing, his eyes cold and calculating as they scanned the room.Gregory’s breath hitched in his chest, and he instinctively recoiled. The man standing in front of him was not just some adversary; he was the embodiment of the danger that had been lurking in the shadows all this time.The stranger stepped forward, his posture defensive but unwavering, his hand instinctively going to the weapon at his side. “Stay back, Gregory,” he warned in a low voice. “He’s dangerous.”Gregory barely registered the stranger’s command. His heart was hammering in his chest, and his mind was racing with questions. The man before him, Victor was a cold, ruthless stranger, but there was something oddly familiar about him. His sharp features, the glint in his eyes, all felt like pieces of a puzzle that didn’t quite fit.Victor’s lips curled into a smirk as he sized up Gregory. “So, you’re the one they’ve been hiding all this time.” His voice was smooth, almost
Chapter 205: The Hidden Enemy
The room was cold, the sterile smell of antiseptic filling Gregory’s lungs with every shallow breath. His eyes flickered between the stranger and the darkened window, trying to piece together the fragments of what had happened.“Who is he?” Gregory’s voice was weak, the pain from the bullet wound still fresh, but the urgency in his chest kept him focused. The stranger was standing by the window, staring out into the nothingness, his posture tense.“His name is Victor,” the stranger finally replied, his voice low and cold. “And he’s not someone you want to cross.”Gregory’s heart skipped a beat. The man Victor was no ordinary enemy. He was part of something far larger, something dangerous. Gregory could feel it in his bones. The shadowy figure in the woods was just a glimpse of the storm that was coming.“But why me?” Gregory asked, his words barely a whisper as he struggled to sit up. He could feel his pulse thudding in his temples, the blood loss making him dizzy.The stranger finall
Chapter 204: The Enemy in the Shadows
Gregory’s heart was racing, every instinct screaming at him to run, but the stranger’s sudden silence held him in place. The woods were eerily still, the only sound being the distant rustling of leaves in the breeze. But Gregory could feel it, the presence, lurking just beyond his line of sight.The stranger’s eyes were narrowed, focused on something ahead, his posture rigid. Gregory could see him slowly reaching for something hidden beneath his jacket, a weapon, perhaps, but he couldn’t afford to ask.“What’s out there?” Gregory whispered, unable to tear his gaze away from the darkened path ahead.“Stay quiet,”the stranger muttered back, his voice barely audible. “Someone’s watching us. They know we’re here.”Gregory’s stomach twisted with dread. Watching them? But from where? The trees? The underbrush? His mind raced, but before he could voice another question, a low growl echoed through the clearing, and the air seemed to thicken.Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows, movin
Chapter 203: Pursuit in the Shadows
Gregory’s breath came in ragged gasps as he followed the stranger deeper into the forest. Every snap of a twig underfoot sent a jolt of fear through him, and every rustle of the wind seemed louder than it should have been. The trees loomed like silent sentinels, and the faint light of the setting sun barely pierced the dense canopy overhead.The stranger, on the other hand, moved with purpose and precision. His steps were silent, calculated, like someone who had lived in the shadows far longer than Gregory could comprehend. “You’re not just some random guy, are you?” Gregory finally asked, his voice breaking through the silence. The stranger didn’t answer immediately.Instead, he glanced over his shoulder, his piercing eyes locking onto Gregory’s. For a moment, Gregory could’ve sworn he saw something familiar in them, something that made him feel like he was being sized up, judged in some way.But before he could dwell on it, the stranger spoke. “Not random. But we don’t have time to
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