The bakery erupted into chaos.
The woman turned slowly, her breath unsteady, as the suited men approached. One of them held an old photograph with trembling hands.
It was the same boy.
Underneath it, bold letters read:
MISSING HEIR — REWARD $50,000,000
The boy stepped back, confused and frightened.
The woman stared at him as if the world had stopped moving.
“No…” she whispered. “That can’t be possible…”
The leader of the men stepped forward urgently.
“Ma’am, we’ve been searching for him for eleven years. He was taken the night of the fire. We thought he was gone forever.”
The woman’s knees nearly gave out.
She looked at the boy again—really looked at him now.
The same eyes.
The same small scar near his eyebrow.
Her voice broke.
“I never stopped looking for you…”
The boy’s grip on the necklace tightened.
“My… mom?” he asked quietly, unsure.
Tears spilled down the woman’s face as she slowly reached out her hand.
“Yes,” she said, trembling. “I am your mother.”
A collective gasp swept through the bakery.
But before she could touch him—
A sharp voice cut through the moment.
“Step away from him.”
Everyone turned.
A second man in a dark suit appeared at the entrance… holding a gun.
And with a cold smile, he said:
“He doesn’t belong to you anymore.”
