Chapter 80 SPECIAL CHAPTER 03

Chapter 80 SPECIAL CHAPTER 03
"Daddy is finally here!"
"Prime Minister, are you alright?" Mihai asked breathlessly, finally catching up after Spade had practically dragged Cedric out of his grandmother’s house.
Cedric was stunned. He hadn't expected the boy to have such strength, and in the confusion, he had been pulled right out the door, leaving his grandmother standing there in surprise.
"Let go of my hand, kiddo, while I’m still asking nicely," Cedric warned, his voice tight. Spade looked up at him, undeterred.
"But I want you to see my mom, Daddy! I want to show her that I finally found you!"
"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not your fath—"
"Spade Cedric!"
The authority in the voice made Cedric stop mid-sentence. He turned to see Samantha standing a short distance away, her face pale. When she called Spade’s full name, it carried a weight that seemed to echo in Cedric’s mind—a faint, ghostly familiarity that had haunted him for eight years.
Samantha rushed forward, pulling Spade away from Cedric. Vladi followed close behind, his jaw dropped in disbelief as he realized exactly who Spade had been dragging down the street.
"Spade, you cannot do this just because you want to see your father!" Samantha scolded, her voice trembling as she looked at her tearful son. "You can’t just point at a stranger and claim he’s your dad."
"B-but... he’s my real da—"
"He isn't! Because your father has been gone for a long time. You won't find him because he's—"
"No! That's a lie, Mom! You said lying is bad! I hate you!" Spade sobbed, turning tail and sprinting up the stairs of their home. Samantha moved to follow him but stopped herself, realizing she first had to address the very powerful, very disturbed man standing in front of her.
She felt a wave of guilt for the lie she had just told Spade, but she couldn't let him harbor false hopes.
"I can't believe the Prime Minister of Romania is standing in your yard," Vladi whispered leaning toward Samantha. "He’s even better looking in person. He makes me feel like a total schoolgirl, friend."
Samantha nudged him sharply to shut him up before turning to Cedric. She smoothed her hair, trying to regain her composure.
"I-I am so sorry for what my son did," Samantha began, her voice small. "Please, don't punish him. He’s just... he’s desperate to find his father."
Cedric didn't respond immediately. He studied her, his gaze intense and searching. "What is your name?"
Samantha blinked, caught off guard. "H-huh?"
"I loathe repeating myself," Cedric said coldly. "I know you heard me."
"Sa-Samantha Camnice, sir. If my son offended you by calling you 'father,' please forgi—"
Before she could finish, Cedric turned on his heel and walked away without another word, Mihai trailing behind him. Samantha and Vladi stood there, dumbfounded, watching the man they had just seen on the news disappear into the house across the street.
"Your son has expensive taste, friend," Vladi remarked, breaking the silence. "Of all the people to pick as a dad, he chooses the Prime Minister of Romania." He hurried to the door to peek outside. "He’s going into your neighbor’s house. What on earth is he doing there?"
Samantha leaned against the wall, rubbing her temples. "I don't know what to do with Spade anymore."
"He’s longing for a father, Sam. You can't blame him," Vladi said, softening his tone as he walked back to her. "It’s a miracle the Prime Minister didn't have us arrested. He actually seemed... well, quiet about it. But before you worry about him, go talk to your son. You broke his heart with that lie."
Samantha sighed and headed upstairs. Outside, Vladi stayed by the window, staring at the house across the way. "Why is the Prime Minister of Romania at a senior citizen's house in the suburbs?"
Upstairs, Samantha knocked softly on Spade’s door. "Spade..."
"I hate you, Mommy! You lied to me!" his muffled voice cried out from behind the wood.
"I’m sorry I lied, baby," Samantha whispered, leaning her forehead against the door. "I just don't know how to explain that it isn't that easy. I don't want you to get your hopes up. And besides, it’s disrespectful to insist someone is your father when they aren't."
The door creaked open just an inch. Spade peeked out, his eyes red. "Y-you mean... he’s a leader of a whole country?"
"Yes. That’s why you can’t call him your daddy."
"B-but I look just like him..."
Samantha knelt so she was eye-level with him. "Many people look alike without being related, anak. You know I love you more than anything, right? I only said those things because I don’t want you to get hurt."
Spade fully opened the door and threw his arms around her neck. "Sorry, Mommy. I won't do it again." He sobbed into her shoulder for a moment before pulling back slightly. "But... I still want to see my real daddy."
Samantha felt a pang in her chest. She realized then that this wasn't a phase. Her son's longing was a void she couldn't fill alone.
"Mommy will help," she promised, wiping his tears. "Let’s find your daddy together, okay?"
Spade’s eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yes. But you have to promise me: no more dragging strangers home just because they have your nose. Deal?"
"Deal! Thank you, Mommy!" Spade cheered, hugging her again.
Samantha didn't care about the man who had taken her virginity eight years ago, and she certainly didn't want him in her life. But for Spade, she would find out who he was. She just hoped that whoever he was, he didn't already have a family of his own.

Meanwhile, Cedric emerged from his grandmother’s house, ready to head back to the hotel for the next session of the summit. Mihai held the car door open, but Cedric lingered for a moment.
"I have to go, Baba," Cedric said, kissing his grandmother’s forehead. "I’ll be back tomorrow, and after the summit, I’m all yours for two weeks."
"I'll be waiting, apo. Do well today," she smiled, patting his cheek. "And if you come back tomorrow, make sure you apologize to little Spade."
Cedric stiffened. "I don't see why I should apologize to that boy. He claimed I was his father and dragged me across the street without permission."
"He’s just a child, Cedric. He’s lonely. And you can't blame him for the mistake—you two really do look like father and son."
Cedric grunted, gave a final wave, and climbed into the backseat. As the car pulled away, he found himself glancing at Samantha’s house one last time.
"Does that kid really look that much like me?" Cedric muttered to himself.
"Like a miniature version of you, Prime Minister," Mihai answered. "He looks exactly like the photos of you as a boy in Romania."
"Tsk. Calling me his father is absurd. There is no way I have a son." Cedric went silent for a moment. A sudden, sharp memory of a night eight years ago—a night of blurred lines and a woman whose face he never quite forgot—flashed through his mind.
His eyes widened slightly. "There’s no fucking way."
"Mihai."
"Yes, Prime Minister?"
"Run a background check on that woman—Samantha Camnice. And contact the hotel I stayed at here eight years ago. Check their guest archives for her name during that same week."
Mihai looked at him through the rearview mirror. "Do you suspect the mother of the boy who claimed you is the woman from eight years ago, sir?"
Cedric turned his gaze out the window, his expression unreadable. "I don't know. Just do as I said."
"At once, Prime Minister."