CHAPTER 6 — THE BILLIONAIRE WHO LOST HIS SON
The Laurent mansion had always been a symbol of power.
A place where decisions worth billions were made behind closed doors.
A place where politicians waited for invitations.
A place where people lowered their voices when they entered.
But that night...
The mansion was no longer a palace.
It was a battlefield.
Because for the first time in fifteen years...
Alexander Laurent was no longer fighting for his company.
He was fighting for his son.
Victoria Laurent sat in the main dining hall.
She looked exactly as she always had.
Perfect posture.
Perfect clothes.
Perfect control.
A woman who had built her reputation by never showing weakness.
Across from her stood Alexander.
His expression was different.
The son she had raised.
The man who once respected her.
Was gone.
In his place stood a father demanding answers.
"Where were you fifteen years ago?"
Victoria slowly lifted her eyes.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
Alexander placed the old hospital file on the table.
"You were at Saint-Claire Hospital the night Adrian disappeared."
The room became silent.
Victoria looked at the file.
Then at Lucas standing near the doorway.
For the first time...
A small crack appeared in her expression.
Not guilt.
Recognition.
She knew.
She knew exactly who he was.
Lucas noticed.
And that frightened him.
Because strangers looked at him with curiosity.
But Victoria looked at him like she had seen a mistake return.
"Alexander," Victoria said calmly.
"You are letting emotions destroy your judgment."
"My emotions?"
Alexander laughed bitterly.
"My son was missing for fifteen years."
He pointed toward Lucas.
"And he was living on the streets."
Victoria remained silent.
Alexander stepped closer.
"You want me to believe you know nothing?"
Victoria looked at Lucas.
"The boy should not be here."
The words were quiet.
But they cut through the room.
Lucas immediately looked down.
Subi moved closer to him.
Protectively.
Elena felt anger rising.
"He's a child."
Victoria looked at her.
"And you are Isabelle's sister."
Elena froze.
The old woman's voice became colder.
"You always had her weakness."
"What weakness?"
"Believing kindness could defeat reality."
Elena stepped forward.
"And you believed power gave you the right to destroy lives."
Victoria smiled faintly.
"You have no idea what happened."
"Then explain."
A long silence.
Then Victoria looked at Alexander.
"Your son died."
Everyone froze.
Lucas's face changed.
Alexander's expression turned dark.
"No."
Victoria continued.
"The child from fifteen years ago is gone."
Alexander's voice trembled.
"Don't say that."
"You need to accept reality."
"No."
His fist tightened.
"Because reality is standing right there."
He pointed at Lucas.
For years, Alexander had imagined confronting the person responsible.
He imagined anger.
He imagined revenge.
But now that moment arrived...
And he felt something stronger.
Disappointment.
Because the person standing before him was his own mother.
The woman who taught him his first words.
The woman who held him as a child.
The woman he trusted.
"Why?"
The question came softly.
Victoria looked at him.
"Why what?"
"Why would you do this?"
For a moment...
She almost looked human.
Almost.
Then the mask returned.
"Because someone had to protect this family."
Alexander stared.
"From what?"
"From weakness."
Victoria looked toward Lucas.
"That child was never supposed to inherit the Laurent name."
The room went silent.
Elena couldn't believe what she heard.
"You stole a child because you didn't approve of him?"
Victoria corrected her.
"I protected an empire."
Alexander's face hardened.
"No."
He shook his head.
"You destroyed a family."
Lucas had been silent the entire time.
But those words affected him.
Destroyed a family.
Because deep down...
That was what he had always felt.
Like something had been taken from him.
A normal childhood.
A home.
A name.
A place where he belonged.
He looked at Alexander.
Then at Victoria.
Then quietly asked:
"Was my mother afraid of you?"
Nobody answered.
But the silence was the answer.
Lucas stepped backward.
His eyes filled with confusion.
"She told me never to trust powerful people."
Victoria looked at him.
"Your mother filled your head with lies."
Lucas shook his head.
"No."
His voice became stronger.
"My mother loved me."
Victoria's expression changed.
Because for the first time...
The lost child wasn't afraid.
Later that evening...
Alexander sat alone in his office.
The lights were off.
The city of Paris shone outside the window.
Elena entered quietly.
"You need to rest."
Alexander didn't move.
"I lost fifteen years."
She sat across from him.
"You found him."
"But I missed everything."
His voice cracked.
"His first steps."
"His first words."
"His first day of school."
He looked at the photograph of baby Adrian.
"I wasn't there."
Elena stayed silent.
Because there was no sentence that could repair fifteen years.
But there was something she needed him to understand.
"Alexander."
He looked up.
"Lucas doesn't need a perfect father."
She paused.
"He needs a father who stays."
Those words hit him.
Because that was the one thing he could still give.
A future.
The next morning, Alexander made a decision.
He called the best lawyers in France.
He reopened the investigation.
He demanded every document connected to Adrian Laurent.
Every hospital record.
Every financial transaction.
Every person involved.
No more hiding.
No more silence.
The Laurent Empire was going to uncover the truth.
No matter who it destroyed.
But Alexander didn't know...
Victoria had already prepared her next move.
Inside her private office, she made a phone call.
"The boy is confirmed."
A man's voice answered.
"Are you sure?"
Victoria looked at an old photograph.
A baby.
A necklace.
A missing child.
"Yes."
"And what happens now?"
Victoria's eyes hardened.
"He cannot become heir."
The man hesitated.
"What about Alexander?"
A cold smile appeared on Victoria's face.
"My son has always been predictable."
She looked outside.
"He thinks love makes him strong."
A pause.
"It makes him vulnerable."
That afternoon, Lucas walked through the Laurent mansion.
Everything felt unfamiliar.
The paintings.
The rooms.
The servants.
The silence.
He stopped in front of a large mirror.
For the first time, he saw himself wearing clean clothes.
Not torn shoes.
Not a dirty jacket.
Not the appearance of a forgotten child.
But he still felt the same.
Lost.
Subi walked beside him.
"You don't like this place?"
Lucas shook his head.
"It's too big."
Subi smiled.
"My house is small."
Lucas looked at him.
"Is it better?"
Subi nodded.
"Because my mom is there."
Lucas became quiet.
Then whispered:
"I don't remember my house."
Subi looked at him.
"Maybe you can make a new one."
Lucas looked at the younger boy.
And for the first time...
The idea didn't feel impossible.
That night, Alexander received a message.
An anonymous email.
One sentence.
One photograph.
His blood turned cold.
The photograph showed Isabelle.
Alive.
Taken only three years earlier.
And underneath it was a message:
"Your wife never left Paris."
Alexander stared at the screen.
His hands trembled.
Because if Isabelle was alive...
Then another question appeared.
A question more terrifying than anything before.
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Where had she been all these years?
And why had she allowed their son to believe he was alone?
