Chapter 194
Owen was lying on his sofa, eyes closed, dozing lightly. When the doorbell rang, he knew immediately it was Arja, and hurried to answer & LAURA medicinal herbs drifted in.
“Owen, here—two types of ointment. The light green one’s for bruises, the dark green…” she eyed the scar on his right arm, “Put that on the scorin help fade it. Use it before bed.”
He took the jars from her, their fingers brushing for a second–he felt a spark, like a little shock of static
Aria didn’t flinch; maybe he’d imagined it.
“Thank you,” Owen said.
Aria replied, “I’ll head back. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
In the hospital, Daniel’s expression was grim. “What’s the Shaw Group’s position? Are they really going to pull out?”
Liam nodded. “Yes.”
Daniel said, “Isn’t Hannah close to them? Take her over, apologize, and clear things up.”
Liam’s face tightened. “Grandpa… Hannah’s still in detention.”
Daniel frowned. “What happened?”
Liam had no choice but to explain everything that had gone down.
Daniel managed a laugh, though his face was tight with worry. “She’s got guts, I’ll give her that.”
Fearing for Daniel’s health, Liam quickly tried to reassure him. “Don’t worry, Grandpa. If we can get Ms. Olsen involved, Kim won’t pull out of the deal. I’ve already arranged to meet Ms. Olsen’s daughter.”
At last, some good news–Daniel relaxed a little. “You don’t need to be here. Get back to the company.”
Liam had barely left when Bryant rushed in, pale with anxiety. “Sir–something’s happened.”
“What is it?” Daniel demanded.
“A woman named Azalea Harrell came to see us–she says she’s Brendon’s first love and wants her child to acknowledge his ancestry.”
Daniel was stunned. “First love? Child?”
Brendon was Daniel’s only son, gone before forty. The Cole family had few heirs–any possibility of new blood made Daniel’s heart race with hope.
“Bring her in, quickly,” Daniel ordered.
Bryant soon returned with Azalea.
Azalea explained, “I met Brendon on a business trip–we fell in love at first sight, had a brief but intense romance. He never told me he was from a wealthy family. My parents wouldn’t let me marry far away, so we broke it off, married someone local and soon got pregnant.
“We were both from the countryside, never had proper medical checkups, just knew our son’s blood type was B. But just recently, we got a free government screening–turns out, my husband and I are both type A.
1/2
Chapter 194
“The doctor said there’s no way two type A parents could have a type B child. In my life, I’ve only been with Brendon and my heels Gla found out, he was furious and divorced me.
“I started looking into Brendon’s identity and that led me to the Cole family. This was the jade pendant Brendon gave me back then
She handed over the jade pendant. It was a Cole family heirloom–Brendon had once told Daniel he’d lost it, and Daniel had beaten him for
Daniel’s hands shook as he clutched the pendant, overwhelmed with emotion. Brendon had been type B–he knew this was true.
“How old is your son now?” Daniel asked.
“Twenty–seven.”
Twenty–seven–the same age as Liam.
Daniel was halfway convinced. “Where is he? Bring him here for a DNA test. If it’s true, I’ll make sure he’s recognized by the family.”
Talking about her son, Azalea’s face lit up. “Orlando’s always excelled, won awards, got a scholarship for college overseas. He started a business Masmubia with a friend, and it’s grown a lot. We’re doing better and better. He knows he’s not a Gallagher, and he’s on his way back to Huthailia
Daniel’s thoughts raced. ‘A businessman? Must have a good head for it.’
He was both anxious and excited. “Bryant, set her up with a place to stay. Once her son arrives, bring him straight to me. And get a few of Liam’s hairs, discreetly–don’t alert him. For now, keep this under wraps.”
“Yes, sir,” Bryant replied.
