The Return of the Desired Heir

Chapter 9

The family name resounded in Neal's ear as he gaped at the woman. He had no words, had no idea what to do with himself. 

As he stared, as he tried to regain his senses, only one thought resounded in his head. “Beverly would be saved.” It reverberated over and over again, and his heartbeat slowed in gratitude; he could breathe properly again.

Finally, he took charge of his system again. He moved a step closer to the woman and bowed.

The woman, who had caught movement in her peripheral vision, turned to see Neal bow so deeply she thought he might fall.

“Nothing can express my gratitude to you right now, ma'am. Absolutely nothing. Thank you so much." 

The woman shook her head vigorously, her expression softening. “No," she repeated as she placed her hands on his shoulder and tried to get him to rise to his full height.

Neal looked up to find the woman's eyes glassy. Caught unawares, he stared for a while. He was certain that if she blinked, tears would run down her smooth cheeks. 

He cleared his throat. “Please, let me. I want to thank you.”

She shook her head. “You don't need to do that.” Her hands left her shoulders and clutched Neal's hands, and the water in her eyes seemed to double. "You really don't need to thank me because you deserve it." Her voice trembled as she uttered the last words.

Neal's brows furrowed. What does she mean by that? 

“Why?" He whispered, skeptical. His heart filled with fear. He didn't really want to know. Nothing good has been happening since the day began. He was somehow worried that whatever response this woman would give might ruin everything. But he found himself repeating the question.

The woman's eyes still watered, her lips trembled but they were curved in a smile. “Because you're the only one of the Beckman family.” And a tear ran down her cheeks.

Neal blinked. He took a thin step back. Heir? Wasn't he an orphan? An orphan whose roots could not be traced. How is he an heir?

The woman let go of one of Neal's hands. She wiped her tears with it as her smile widened, revealing the white pearls she had for teeth.

“I know this will come as a shock, but it's the truth.” She briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her smile as vibrant as a rising sun. When she opened her eyes she pressed her palm to her chest. "My name is Rosa Beckman. I am the adopted daughter of the Beckman family.

Her smile dimmed, and her eyes grew slightly sad. “You went missing when you were very young.” She pressed her lips together as she relived the unpleasant memory. “We've spent over a decade finding you.” Her face lit up again and she held onto his second hand again. “And now, we've found you! Finally!" She almost leaped for joy.

Neal shook his head. If it were not for Rosa's exuberant hold on him, he'd have staggered back. His legs felt like jelly. His gaze blurred. He shook his head again and moved his feet to regain his stamina.

“What- I don't-" he struggled to form words, his brows deeply creased.

“Come on," Rosa tugged at his hand. "Let's step out for a bit. Get some fresh air.”

“But Beverly_,” he started.

“Don't worry. It's under control,” Rosa assured him.

Outside, Rosa sighed again, with joy and relief.

“Now, little brother, you need to return to the Beckman family." 

Neal was taken aback.

"I-”

She clasped her hands together in front of him. "Please, you have to. I'd explain everything to you in detail.”

Neal sighed and his gaze strayed to the hospital's entrance. “But I can't leave Beverly. The heads might have been arrested but I no longer trust those nurses." 

She reached into her pocket for her phone instantly. “Actually, you have nothing to worry about.” She brought out her phone and typed for a moment. "I have arranged for the best doctors in the country to treat Beverly.” She looked in the direction of the main entryway again, a wide smile on her face. “She adopted the only son of the Beckman family. She deserves everything.”

Neal was still confused and dumbfounded. He merely nodded. “I appreciate that, thank you.”

“We can leave right now, right? There's a lot of catching up to do. There are a lot of people to see,” Rosa was saying as she gently led Neal towards the cars at the entrance of the hospital.

Six guys were standing at the entrance of each car and one hurried to open the door for Rosa.

Neal stood still, shocked to see the fleet of cars. It wasn't just any car, they were all expensive ones that Neal had seen on TV.

“These cars belong to you?”

Rosa smiled and her slender arms elegantly gestured toward the cars, “This is just a simple fleet. I mean the heir has more”

Neal almost choked. He swallowed, greatly shocked that the long line of ten luxurious cars was called ‘simple’. 

The fleet took them back to the Beckman mansion. 

Neal, stunned, gaped at the mansion from the car window. The doorman was ushering him out of the car, but Neal was totally oblivious to it.

The domineering building that seemed to go on forever had caught his attention. The beauty and power of the building held him transfixed to the spot.

“Neal?" Rosa took the place of the doorman. “Come on.” She had to call out to him a couple more times before he heard her. He sluggishly dragged his gaze away from the splendid view to give Rosa his attention.

“Let's go in," Rosa beamed.

Excited, Rosa took Neal into the hall. 

The sparkles of the interior architectural design marveled Neal. 

How could a place be this exquisite? Carefully built and designed? He thought to himself. 

His eyes traced a glass wall with an aquarium in it, or was it behind it? 

During his scrutiny, his gaze fell on two women just beside the glass wall. They were gorgeous, just like Rosa, a perfect fit for the environment they were in. They stared back at him, their expression blank.

He had begun to think they were part of the room decor because of how still they were when Rosa walked into his line of sight. She clutched her palms together. “So to find you, the Beckman family adopted three daughters and one son. Our only purpose for existing in this family was to find you, Neal.” Her eyes watered again.

Neal heard a soft gasp. He returned his attention to the women. Their eyes, initially on his necklace, moved to his face. Their orbs slowly widened. And then, they were rushing toward him, squealing. 

In seconds, one pair of arms wrapped around his neck, another around his midriff. He staggered back and instinctively widened his stance to stay upright.

Rosa smiled. “They are the other two adopted daughters," she introduced.

Neal's mouth formed an O as he glanced down at them, unsure of what to do. 

“I'm Amber!” One of them, abruptly raising her head, her eyes fixed on him. 

“And I'm Olivia,” Olivia seemed calmer, struggling to contain the excitement that bustled through him.

Rosa walked to the trio. “Moise is also somewhere out there, busy searching for you.” She smiled. "He'd be very happy that you're back.”

What! Moise?

It was as if he didn't hear them correctly. 

“Did you say Moise?” 

The girls nodded slowly.

“He's the adopted son,” Rosa repeated.

Neal was stunned. His voice trembled when he asked, “Who? Moise? Do you have his picture?”