Bruce was taken aback at her statement. He had no idea who this woman was, yet she spoke to him with such familiarity.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she rose from the plush sofa and took a step toward him. "I'm so glad we finally found you."
Bruce stood rooted in place, his eyes were wide and his thoughts were blank. He couldn't find the words to answer. Instead, he stared at her, completely bewildered by the expressive scene unfolding before him.
"Am I dreaming again?" he muttered under his breath.
Why was this stranger crying at the sight of him?
The sound of footsteps snapped him out of his daze as the beautiful doctor entered the living room, offering a polite nod to the woman.
"Lady Scarlet," the doctor greeted respectfully, "he's stable now, but he'll need to continue the medications I've prescribed."
"Thank you so much," the woman replied softly, a faint smile breaking through her teary expression as she dabbed her eyes with a silk hankie.
"Of course, Lady Scarlet," the doctor replied with a respectful bow before exiting the room, leaving Bruce alone with her and the man who had brought him here.
Hearing the title "Lady Scarlet," Bruce's eyes snapped back to the woman.
Lady Scarlet? His gaze lingered on her for a moment, trying to process what he had just heard.
Bruce quickened his steps and stopped a few feet away from her. "Good evening madam," he said carefully but his growing impatience was betrayed by the glance he shot at the large clock on the wall.
Lady Scarlet's smile grew warmer, though her tears didn't stop. "You don't have to be so formal with me," she said softly. "Come closer, my son."
Bruce flinched at her words, confusion swirling in his mind. "Your son?" he repeated under his breath.
Across from him, Lady Scarlet couldn't stop the flow of tears streaming down her face overwhelmed by the sight of her son before her. She sniffled, attempting to regain her composure, but the tears refused to stop.
"Are you feeling better now?" she asked softly.
"I'm perfectly fine," Bruce said even though he wasn't. Turning his attention back to the man, he asked, "Are you the one who brought me here?"
"Lady Scarlet requested your presence." the man replied.
"Excuse me, but I need to get back to work. I've got work today. If I'm late, I'll get fired!" His voice rose with frustration, the stress of the situation pressing on him.
Lady Scarlet wiped her tears as a faint smile tugged at her lips. "You're home now, my boy," she said, gently, opening her arms for a hug.
Bruce kept staring at her as if she'd just spoken a foreign language. His brow furrowed, and he took a hesitant step back. "Wait, what are you talking about? Who is your son?"
His mind was spinning with questions he couldn't form into words. What is going on? Who does she think I am? He cast a glance at the man who had brought him in, hoping for an explanation.
"Sir, Lady Scarlet is your mother. You were separated from her when you were just a baby. She's been searching for you for over twenty-five years." the man revealed.
Bruce's jaw tightened as the man's words washed over him. He blinked, trying to process this sudden revelation. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath.
Lady Scarlet said. "It's true, Bruce. I've searched for you every single day since the moment you were gone. Please, believe me."
Bruce stood stiffly all he could think about was the clock ticking away and the consequence of his own life waiting for him outside these walls.
"I don't get it," Bruce said finally. "You're saying you're my mom, but why did I end up in this condition? Where were you all this time?"
Lady Scarlet took a deep breath and glanced at Mr. Louis, the man who had brought Bruce here. "Bruce, it wasn't supposed to happen this way," she said softly. "You were never meant to be abandoned."
"Then why did you abandon me in the first place?" Bruce pressed.
"Your real father, Lord Marcus, was the rightful heir to the Baron Consortium, a fortune and responsibility most people could never imagine. But after he passed, his younger brother, Kane, grew jealous. Kane wanted control and saw you as a threat. He believed if he eliminated you, there would be no heir, and everything would fall to him."
Bruce's eyes widened. "Eliminate me?" he repeated, his voice cracking. "You're saying he wanted me dead?"
"Yes!" Lady Scarlet nodded. "When I realized the danger, I sent you away. I begged Mr. Collins, a loyal family friend, to take you and disappear. Collins wasn't your real father, Bruce, he was your guardian. He did everything in his power to protect you, to keep you safe. That's why you ended up where you did."
Bruce felt his throat tighten as memories of Mr. Collins flashed in his mind, the man who raised him, cared and always looked over his shoulder. And now Collins is gone.
"So… Papa lied to me?" Bruce said almost in tears.
"He loved you, Bruce. He sacrificed everything to make sure you survived. He never stopped protecting you."
"Then how did you find me now? After all these years?"
Mr. Louis, the private investigator, moved forward. "I was hired by Lady Scarlet years ago to find you. It wasn't an easy task but after several years we were finally able to find you."
Bruce stared at him, trying to process it all. "Kane's… gone too?"
Lady Scarlet nodded. "Yes. His greed and evil schemes finally caught up with him. The family has no more enemies, Bruce. It's safe now."
"Do you mean to tell me that my entire life, the part-time jobs, the struggle, all of the humiliations were all because someone wanted me dead?" Bruce asked.
"I'm so sorry, my son. If I could go back and change it, I would. But now, I promise, you'll never have to go through all that pain again."
Bruce scoffed, bitterness creeping into his voice. "And what about Mr. Collins? He's dead now, and I haven't even buried him yet."
Lady Scarlet's voice softened. "We've already taken care of everything. Collins will be buried with the honor he deserves. You don't have to worry about anything."
Bruce's shoulders slumped as the weight of the revelations pressed down on him. "And what do you expect me to do now?" he asked in a tone that was barely above a whisper.
"I don't expect anything from you, son. But you need to know the truth. You're not just my son, you're the heir to the Baron Consortium. Everything your father built and everything Kane tried to steal is all yours now."
Bruce was stunned into silence. The Baron Consortium is worth a trillion dollars!