The prodigal grandson

The prodigal grandson
MR. REBEL SENIOR POV

With Ben and Nolan’s divorce, I was getting a headache.

What were these kids trying to achieve?
I was working from home to blow off some steam, and I didn’t have much of a choice because my doctor ordered me to take it easy for the next couple of days.

Lately, I’ve been feeling unwell but decided to hide the matter from my family because I didn’t want them to worry.

I knew that my time was running out, but I’ve lived a good life. The only thing I’m worried about is the company.
I can’t leave my son in charge.
He’s useless and a gambler.

The only person I could trust was Ben, but she still wanted nothing to do with me, and I couldn’t blame her.

I ruined our relationship.
I pushed her away when she needed a shoulder to cry on.

But I wanted to make amends before dying.

I adjusted my reading glasses as I stared at my laptop.

Some of the words looked blurry.

It was clear that I needed to get some rest.
There was a knock on the door as I took off my reading glasses.
“Come in.”

The door opened, and one of the maids walked in.

She gave me a stern nod.

“There was a woman outside claiming that she sold you her baby many years ago.”

My eyes widened in shock.

It couldn’t be her.
It wasn’t possible.
If it was truly her, I couldn’t risk this secret being leaked out.

“Take her to my study. I’ll be there shortly.”
She hesitated.

“The woman didn’t come alone. A young man accompanied her.”
I nodded quietly.

“Prepare some tea for the three of us and don’t breathe a word to anyone about what you heard—understood?” I warned.

She lowered her gaze.

“Yes, Mr. Rebel.”

Once she was gone, I slowly got out of bed and put on my robe.

Ben’s mother… could it be her?

I went to the study, feeling anxious with each step I took.

I couldn’t shake off this strange feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong.
I pushed the door open and saw her in the flesh.

She looked old and frail.

The years must have been hard on her.
She grinned excitedly and rushed over to greet me while the young man continued to look around the study.

“Mr. Rebel, it’s been years, but you haven’t aged a bit! How are you doing?”

I frowned, creating some distance between us.

“What are you doing here? When I wrote you that check, you promised never to show your face ever again.”

She shrugged carelessly.

“That deal expired a long time ago. Besides, I’m broke and I need more money.”

She reeked of alcohol.
“Asher, my boy, come here.”

The young man came forward, and there was something familiar about him.

He offered me his hand.

“Meet your grandfather.”

Both of us looked shocked.

I pulled away my hand.

“What are you talking about?” I asked curiously.

She sighed deeply.

“Let me refresh your memory… your daughter-in-law gave birth to a stillborn boy the night my daughter was born. Well, after you adopted Ben, the stillborn baby was actually alive, and I decided to raise him because I knew that one day, he would be worth a lot of money to you.”

She smiled.

“This is your grandson and the rightful heir of your company.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

This wasn’t possible.

“You hid him from us for all these years?!” I demanded angrily.
She scoffed in annoyance.

“Come on, don’t pretend like you cared for him… you abandoned him the moment he died and told the nurses to get rid of him. You robbed your own grandson of a good life so that you could take care of an outsider.”

My heart was pounding frantically in my chest.

I needed to sit down.

I slowly made my way toward the other side of the table and sat down.
Asher looked devastated as angry tears filled his eyes.

“You lied to me for all these years? I thought you were my mother.”
Ben’s mother poured herself some brandy.
“Don’t be ungrateful, Asher… I might have lied to you, but I’m the only one who took you in when no one wanted you. That’s why your family easily replaced you when they adopted Ben…”

She turned to look at me.

“How is she, by the way? Last time I heard she had a sex tape that went viral. It looks like being a harlot runs in the family.”

I stared at her in disbelief.

“I had a rich family all this time while I slept hungry?”

I was filled with guilt.

“I don’t trust you, Cecilia. I want a DNA test conducted to find out if he’s truly a Rebel, like you claim.”

She burst out laughing.

“Come on, have a little faith in me? I’ve been a good business partner.”

Asher looked at me with bitterness.

I could see the hatred in his eyes.

“Someone else lived my life while I suffered in the ghetto… I lived like an animal while she lived like royalty.”

He looked around the mansion in disbelief.

“I was supposed to be CEO and not some prostitute’s daughter!”

Cecilia gulped down her drink and glared at him.

“Watch your words. My daughter did nothing wrong, okay? Besides, if she hadn’t been adopted, she would have ended up in some orphanage. I still raised you and put food on the table, you little ungrateful shit,” she muttered coldly.

He scoffed in annoyance, grabbed her glass, and smashed it to the floor.
The glass shattered, and I gasped in shock.

He stormed out of the study, slamming the door hard.

The room was filled with silence.
Cecilia looked shaken.

“I knew that Asher had always been an angry kid, but he never showed any violent tendencies like this… it must run in your family, right?”

I glared at her.

“Get out of my house.”

She frowned.

“Give me my money first before the media finds out about your little family scandal.”

I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Are you blackmailing me?”

She smirked.

“You have lots of money, Mr. Rebel, and I’m sure my daughter has some shares in the company. Just deduct from that and we’ll call it even.”

This woman was really shameless.