The SUV doors flew open.
Three men in dark suits rushed toward the fountain.
“Grab the boy!” one shouted.
Panic erupted.
Guests screamed and scattered.
Before anyone could react, the older man stepped between the strangers and the child.
“You’re not taking him again!”
Again?
The woman’s heart nearly stopped.
“What do you mean again?” she demanded.
The older man looked at her with tears in his eyes.
“Because he was never kidnapped.”
The crowd fell silent.
The boy stared at him.
“What are you talking about?”
The man swallowed hard.
“Eight years ago, your father paid me to hide you.”
The woman felt the ground disappear beneath her feet.
“My father?”
The old man nodded.
“He believed your son would inherit a fortune worth hundreds of millions. Powerful people wanted control of that money. Your father thought hiding him was the only way to keep him alive.”
The boy stepped backward.
“You mean… my mom never abandoned me?”
“Never,” the man said.
“She searched for you every single day.”
The woman burst into tears.
The boy’s eyes filled with emotion.
For years, he had believed nobody wanted him.
For years, she had believed he was gone forever.
Then one of the suited men pulled out a phone.
“Too late,” he said coldly.
Everyone looked at the screen.
A news headline had just appeared.
HEIR TO BILLION-DOLLAR EMPIRE FOUND AFTER EIGHT YEARS.
The man’s smile widened.
“They know where he is now.”
The boy grabbed his mother’s hand.
The crowd watched in horror as dozens of black vehicles began surrounding the plaza.
And for the first time since finding her son…
The woman realized the nightmare wasn’t over.
It had only just begun.
