Lucas ran his hand through his hair for the hundredth time that day. Noting was going right. He had been fully ready to go to work on arrival but as soon as the plane landed he got word that his mother had been rushed to the hospital. He had patiently waited for the jet to be fuelled and now he was eagerly waiting for it to touch down. His mind was racing with a million thoughts. He needed to first figure out what he could do for his mother and then he would deal with the other problems in his life. His mind instantly went to Scarlet and the look of pity she had given him when she walked away from the plane to the waiting car. Everyone knew his mother had been unwell, but she was the only one he would have looked to for comfort. Unfortunately, she had drawn the lines between them and he wouldn’t cross.

The plane landed, and he was ushered to an awaiting car that would take him directly to the hospital. Before he died, his father had told him to take care of his mother but now she was in trouble and he didn’t know what to do. the drive to the airport passed in a blur and he kept himself focused by thinking of the ways he could care for his mother. At the hospital, he went straight to his mother’s room. She was laying on the bed with her eyes closed.

He walked over to the bed and held her hand. They were ice cold.

“Mom.” He whispered trying not to let the crack in his countenance show. He couldn’t lose his mother, not now.

She turned and opened her eyes.

“Are you here to take me home?” she asked with a feeble smile

Lucas smiled and shook his head.

“What happened?” he asked

“I had a bad reaction to some new medication I’m taking.” She replied, “I’m fine you shouldn’t be worrying yourself about an old woman like me.”

Lucas ignored her. His mother had always been a stubborn woman, but she had never looked this old or feeble before.

“I want to help,” he said, “what can I do?”

“Did you get that company your father told you to get?” she asked,

He thought it was a weird question for her to ask but then again, she was always trying to distract him from her illness.

“I’m tying,” he said, “I’ve almost got it.”

He was sure of that. If Scarlet wanted to play hard, he would take them for everything they had and then he would show her who really had the power.

“Good job.” She said with a smile. “now I’ve already got my caretaker coming here in a few hours, you should go home, I have enough help here.”

Lucas shook his head. Leave it to his mother to chasten him while she was bedridden.

“I’m going to my office nearby,” he said, “tell Danielle to call me when he arrives.”

She nodded, and he took one more good look at her before standing and walking out the room. He looked around the hall and saw his sister Amy walking towards them. She looked sad and he opened his arms for a hug.

“Where have you been?” she asked, “I’m afraid Lucas.”

He knew exactly what she meant, he was just as afraid as she was, but he needed to be strong for her.

“She’s going to be alright.” He said, “how are you?”

He pulled back and looked down at her. there were circles under her eyes and she had gotten much paler. This wasn’t the sister he knew who had always been vibrant and full of life.

“You should head home.” He said, “she’s going to be released in a few hours.”

“I think I’ll wait until she leaves” she replied, “I’ll go home and spend some time with her.”

Lucas was glad she decided to do it; their mother needed them right now.

“I have to go now but I’ll call you to check in later,” he said

“Thanks” she replied with a feeble smile.

With one last kiss on her forehead, he left the hospital.

He took his car and went to one of the offices on this side of town. As he stepped in, he suddenly regretted the decision; this was the office Angela ran and he needed to avoid her for at least another month. He avoided as many persons as possible and made his way to the elevator. He was relieved when Angela didn’t show up out of the blue; she had a knack for that. He managed to make it to his office without much uproar. He didn’t come here often, and the employees loved to have him around. As he sat down his short peace was interrupted by Angela. She walked in wearing a slick smile and he wondered what she was up to.

“We should talk.” She said as she walked into his office.

“What about?” he asked nonchalantly.

“Your little pet.” She replied

“Pet?” he asked, “are you talking about Scarlett?”

“Yes” Angela replied

It was then he noticed she held a folder in her hands. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.

“How much do you know about her?” she asked

“I know she was once a friend of mine.” He replied

He didn’t want to reveal anything else to Angela, she wasn’t the most confidential person.

“Did you know she’s a mother?” Angela asked

If his jaw was detachable, it would have been on the floor at that moment.

“A mother,” he said in confusion,

“I bet she didn’t mention it.” Angela said, “why would she.”

“What are you getting at?” he asked

“She is the mother of a charming baby boy.” Angela said, “he’s so charming he almost reminds me of someone, plus he’s almost five years old.”

Lucas’ blood went cold. She was a mother, a mother of a five-year-old. It didn’t take him long to do the maths. Unless she had gotten pregnant exactly after he left town, the baby, the baby had to be his.

“I was even able to get some pictures of the munchkin.” She said laying the folder on his desk

He lifted his hand to open it. He hadn’t realized that his hand was shaking and so he took a steadying breath. He opened the file and looked down at a little boy who looked like a clone of a younger him. The only distinguishable difference was the red in his hair. Lucas couldn’t breathe. He felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. He had a son, a son. She had kept this from him. Soon, his confusion was replaced by white-hot anger. She had kept him from his son. He looked up at Angela who was grinning triumphantly.

“Leave” he bellowed.

She didn’t hesitate, and he knew she was a wise woman in that instant. Picking up his phone he told his driver to take him back to his airstrip, he had to make a quick visit. He decided he would do some more investigating before he confronted her but he would confront her and she would tell him the truth.