THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS

Jason found the children’s attempt of concealing the truth from their mother funny. "She will still find out even if I don’t tell her," he said.

They couldn’t agree less with their uncle. Even without him saying anything, the school will still report on today’s events to her without fail.

"But she will also be sad that we have met with dad," reasoned Eleanor.

The last thing they wanted was for their mom to think they have disobeyed her. If they had followed through with their earlier plan, she wouldn’t have found out.

But this, in a way was also a blessing in disguise. They didn’t need to do anything and he appeared before them all by himself.

"Your mom is not that unreasonable. You didn’t plan what happened neither did you expect him to be the special guest at the sports event. Or did you plan that with him?" He feigned a suspicious look at the two children.

"Of course not," they both denied.

"We only found out he was the guest when Eleanor came back with him from the gate," Elvis hurried to clarify.

"I was only joking, you two," Jason laughed, seeing their serious faces. "The way you two rose to defend yourself is really suspicious though."

As a matter of fact he felt President Hudson might have orchestrated the whole thing just to be in contact with the children. But he wasn’t quite sure if his assumptions were correct.

Little did he know that his guess was not far from the truth as an ear splitting report was taking place at that moment in President Hudson’s car as they drove to Hudson Corporations.

"How far have you gone with the assignment I gave you?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"It is done sir, that was the reason I called you earlier," Johnson replied.

"Then why did it take you so long to report back?" Shawn scolded.

Johnson was speechless. "Wasn’t he the one that told the staff he didn’t want to see anyone? And even when he took the pain to put a call across, he shut him down before he could bring up the topic.

Johnson felt wronged but who was he to say so. He could only play dumb.

"Are you stil waiting for a special invitation to speak?" Shawn spat out.

He didn’t know why he was this angry, when he got outside and found out that Jason had left with the little girl. He didn’t know why he hated being separated from her.

To a large extent, he felt Johnson was responsible because if he had not insisted he changed his clothes first with the excuse that he might not be able to hold the little girl in wet clothes, he might have seen her before she left.

"Wait," he cautioned himself. Even before getting to know who she was, he was already being made to do things by mere mentioning her name. What is happening to him?

"No Boss. I’ve found out the identity of that Iittle girl and she is actually Madam’s daughter," Jason reported in one breath.

"What! She’s Kathleen’s daughter?"

Actually the main reason Shawn had honored the invitation from the school at such a short notice was because of Kathleen’s children.

He had never involved himself with the activities of the school in the past even though he was a major shareholder and the highest financier in the school’s board.

But since the day he promised Kathleen to take her children as his, he made up his mind to get to know them so as to develop a personal relationship with them.

Once his people reported that Kathleen’s children attended that kindergarten, he had personally gone to check it out and that was how he met Kathleen the other day at the school’s car park with Steffan.

Thus when the school approached him to be the special guest just three days ago, to their greatest shock, he agreed without making things difficult for them even though it was one of the shortest notice he had ever received.

He had agreed for two reasons. One was to use that opportunity to ask about Kathleen’s children and secondly look for the perfect excuse to meet with them without raising suspicions, so that he could gradually get to know them while he convinced Kathleen to come back to him.

Coincidentally the person to welcome him happened to be Kathleen’s daughter from the report he was just getting from Johnson.

Shawn’s eyes narrowed into a thin line. "Are you sure of what you just said?"

"I double checked with another person and the report is the same, Boss."

"So the little girl is actually her daughter?" No wonder he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with her.

It was the same power that woman wielded over him that her daughter also had over him and he, helplessly, couldn’t stay away from her.

"Nonetheless, she is still someone else’s daughter, even though Kathleen is her mother. But why do I seem to feel this deep inexplicable bond whenever I see her," Shawn thought.

He has never been this conflicted before, neither has he felt this closeness for any child before, even though he could count on his ten fingers the children he had paid attention to or directly interacted with over the years.

The most puzzling thing was the way his heart was gripped by a sudden fear of loss and panic when he saw her frantically struggling in the water. Those panicked eyes bore deep into his soul and he didn’t know the force that pushed him into the pool before his reasoning could set in.

Johnson saw his boss lost in thoughts and didn’t know whether to continue with the report or wait for a signal from him. But if he delayed again, he doesn’t know what his fate might be especially after getting to hear the content of the next report, so he had to choice but to speak up.

"Boss," he called out hesitantly.