Ten Years Ago.
Sam and Florida Hawkins were known as the "wealthiest couple" in Bel-Air–at least, that was the public perception. In actuality, they weren't just the wealthiest. They were the most powerful figures in Los Angeles.
Sam and Florida first met at a soirée for wealthy successors. Florida at the time, was engaged, forcing their relationship to be platonic even though Sam's feelings were impossible to suppress.
Their friendship grew stronger day by day. Florida found herself undeniably attracted to Sam but her loyalty to her fiancé superseded her feelings.
Two years into their friendship, Florida called Sam in tears. She had finally called off her engagement. Although her feelings for Sam were growing, her fiancé was her "first" in everything. She loved him deeply but he chose to throw away what they shared for money and power. Sam could've felt happy about it but he couldn't bear to see Florida in tears hurting from the heartbreak. He rushed over to her place to console her.
Weeks passed and Florida gradually moved on as she found solace in Sam's unwavering comfort. Sam thought about confessing his feelings to Florida countless times, but he hesitated, wary of overstepping. Florida could tell from his actions and she decided to seize the initiative. She confessed her feelings to him and they began their relationship.
Florida suddenly called Sam a week into their relationship. She said in panic:
"Sam."
"Hey baby. How are you do–"
"I'm pregnant."
"Pregnant? We haven't even– Oh my God Florida!" Sam cried out in realization and horror. "Where are you? Stay put… I'm coming."
Sam picked up his keys and sped off to Florida's estate. He slammed the door open and stormed into Florida's room. He saw Florida curled up in the corner of her room. He rushed to her and embraced her.
"Flo! Baby…" Sam called out, his voice resolute.
"He'll come for me Sam. He'll take my child from me," Florida cried frantically.
"He won't. I won't let that happen."
Florida wept uncontrollably in Sam's arms while he pulled her closer. Though his voice has been resolute, his mind was in turmoil as he scrambled to find a solution to the problem.
Florida eventually drifted into sleep, her breathing shallow and uneven. Sam sat beside her his gaze never leaving her face. He thought long and hard about the situation before coming to a grim conclusion. He reached out and stroked her hair tenderly, before exhaustion finally pulled him to sleep.
The sound of a distant engine jolted them from their sleep. Sam glanced at the clock beside the bed, realizing it was ten at night. Florida still looked anxious about the situation. Sam was skeptical of his own solution, but he knew he had no other choice.
Sam turned to Florida and leaned in close, his voice sounding firm.
"Listen to me Flo. I know you're scared of him. You don't even have to tell me; I know how terrifying he is," he paused for a moment before continuing. "The only thing we can do is to get married. That would shut people up."
Florida stayed quiet.
"Flo?" Sam called worryingly waiting for her to respond.
She suddenly stood up, her voice rising.
"I was with him for ten years Sam. Do you think he would let me go easily? No, he won't. The only reason he hasn't done anything is because he hasn't gotten his hands on those damn papers. Once he does, he'll do everything and anything to get me back.
"Flo, but–"
"Sam," Florida interrupted, her voice softening as she moved closer to him and took his hands. "I don't care about people's opinion. I'd marry you anytime, regardless of the situation. But right now, not only is my life at stake. Your life and the baby's life are, too. And when he finds out I'm pregnant?"
She smiled knowingly, a cold smile that didn't reach her eyes. "That monster will do anything to know who the father is. He'll take the child… he might even kill us if we resist."
Sam felt utterly lost at that point. He felt like his brain cells were dead; he couldn't find a single way out of the situation. He stood up without a word and left the room to grab a glass of water in the kitchen desperately needing a moment to breathe. Florida followed behind him; she also needed a moment to just breathe and think.
As they stood together in the kitchen, a sudden idea struck Sam. His previously clouded mind vanished, and was replaced by a newfound clarity. He set the glass cup in his hands down and turned to Florida with an expression that revealed, finally, that he had a solution.
"He won't come for us, Flo," Sam said, his voice oozing confidence. "Because we're going to make him spend all his time looking for those papers. He won't even have the time to think about you."
"How will we do that? Florida asked, her voice trembling. She suddenly realized what Sam was suggesting and she screamed out in terror "No, Sam. Those papers are vital. If it has taken him this long to find them, I don't think we'll find them either. It's too dangerous."
"I know, but I can find it. I assure you. Can you tell me about the papers?" Sam asked.
Florida then proceeded to tell him everything she knew. As she spoke, the sheer weight of the secret she revealed left Sam stunned and he realized the great lengths her ex would go to retrieve the them; they weren't just documents– they were his lifeline.
"I have an insider in his company. I've had them working there for a while, just to keep an eye on you while you were still with him. Don't worry– they can be trusted."
Sam then proceeded to explain the rest of his plan to her. The plan was perfect to Florida and she hoped it would work out.
Sam got the papers after a month of relentless search. He finally had the leverage he needed. He held the ex-fiancé's life in his hands. He could decide to ruin the guy's life with just a single phone call but he didn't.
Releasing those papers would cause a scandal so big that the media would drag Florida into it and the guy would suspect her involvement in it. He couldn't let him know he has it either, he'd kill anyone for it so it's better left secret.
They got married the following month and executed the rest of their plan. To avoid any suspicion, Florida had to travel abroad for work frequently during her pregnancy and luckily for her, pregnancy didn't really alter her appearance. Sam continued his life normally though he used his own business trip as a disguise to meet her in secret.
A week before she gave birth, she had her company release articles that she would be going on a business trip. She had her secretary appear at the airport and made sure the reporters saw her so they'd assume she left the country for her trip. After which a private security drove her back without being noticed. To the outside world, she was away on business.
She gave birth in their home assisted by a private midwife whom they had hired months before. The midwife, a woman of few words and steady hands moved like a shadow through the mansion. She ignored every other thing and only focused on Florida and the baby. When she finally placed the warm, crying baby against Florida's skin, the expensive room finally felt like a home.
The baby was a boy and they named him Clarke. Their happiness knew no bounds when he was born. They thought that finally everything was going to fall into place and they could continue their life. But their happiness was short lived as a phone call from Sam's insider dispelled their peace.
The ex-fiancé planned to start tracking Florida's every move; her travel history, her call records, people she met with. Everything. He suspected that Florida knew about the disappearance of the papers. The child was their weakness, and if he found out about him, the child would be the ultimate leverage.
They both reached a heartbreaking conclusion. To keep Clarke safe, they had to hide his existence. No birth records, no outings, no announcements. Though it hurts them to know that their child wouldn't enjoy a normal childhood, they had no other choice so his identity had to be a secret.
They grieved their decision but that was the only way they could protect their son. Ever since then Clarke has lived his whole life without having an identity. He was indeed a citizen of Los Angeles but his information couldn't be accessed by anyone other than his parents. He went through a lot of training and was homeschooled. His fate had been determined for him since birth, for something he knew nothing about and his parents were sorry for him all their life.
Present Day.
"What?!" Clara and Kate cried out in unison.
"I tried to run his photo through our system. Usually, it takes a few minutes to get a match but the system locked me out within seconds," Kai said, in a stunned tone.
Kate and Clara were awestruck by the sudden revelation.
"Kai, that's a kid. Why would anybody decide to hide a kid's identity," Clara said, still visibly shocked.
"I honestly don't know. My caption called me before I could even try again. He ordered me to stop the search immediately. Apparently, the file is under a high-level federal seal. Whoever that boy's parents are… they are powerful enough to make anything disappear.
"Considering how they made sure nobody would know who he is, they're either protecting him from someone or they're protecting someone from him," Kai added.
Three of them were shaken from the whole thing but they all had one question. 'Who are his parents.'
They talked more about it until Clara remembered Kai said he would talk about why he couldn't be there the day before.
"That reminds me Kai, why couldn't you come yesterday?"
"We got a call. The Hawkins were killed in their home." Kai answered.
"Oh my goodness!" Clara exclaimed. Kate could not even react anymore. She's been shocked twice that morning. They continued their conversation but didn't notice Clarke outside the door listening to them. As Kai recounted the details of the death scene, Clarke clenched his fist in anger, his blood boiling hot. He couldn't wait to get his revenge on the men that killed his parents.
He just couldn't wait.
•••••
The hospital had no choice but to keep Clarke. Since the system could've alerted the person in charge of the file, they hoped someone would come looking for him. Little did they know that he would be staying there for a long time.