His Heir, Her Secret - Chapter 7: Chapter 7
You are reading His Heir, Her Secret, Chapter 7: Chapter 7. Read more chapters of His Heir, Her Secret.
Lucien
I couldn’t breathe as I stood outside the park, hands gripping the steering wheel of my black SUV, my heart pounding in my chest. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to feel like a ticking bomb, like I was about to walk into a firestorm of emotions I wasn’t prepared for.
But here I was, the man who built empires and crushed enemies without blinking, standing on the edge of something that terrified me.
A son.
My son.
I checked my watch. Five minutes to go.
The park was quiet for the moment—still, save for the soft rustle of trees in the breeze and the occasional laughter from distant children. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the whole world was holding its breath.
I had no plan for this. No rehearsed lines. No script for how to meet my child for the first time after four years of silence. And though I had told myself I would remain calm, collected, that I wouldn’t let my emotions get the best of me, I knew that was a lie.
Everything about this situation—this moment—was something I couldn’t control.
And as much as I hated the idea of not being in charge, I had to admit, this was one of the few things that actually mattered to me. Maybe the only thing that mattered.
The door opened.
I turned toward the sound, and my heart nearly stopped.
Isla stood there, her silhouette framed by the late afternoon light, a small figure standing beside her. A boy. My son.
Leo.
I could feel my pulse in my ears as they approached, Isla’s gaze locking with mine before she broke eye contact, her expression unreadable. But when her eyes shifted down to Leo, I saw something softer in her eyes.
She said nothing as she stood just a few feet away, letting Leo take the first step forward. He was still small, but there was something in his stance—something that reminded me so much of myself. The way his eyes scanned the environment, alert and calculating.
I crouched down, my breath catching in my throat.
“Hey there,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended.
Leo’s eyes flickered from Isla to me, studying me with the kind of caution that only a child could manage. His gaze, sharp and unflinching, reminded me so much of the man I used to be.
“Hi,” he said softly, his voice quiet but firm.
I fought to keep the smile from stretching too wide. He wasn’t smiling. But that was fine. I didn’t expect him to. Not yet.
“Do you remember me?” I asked gently, watching him closely.
He tilted his head, his little brow furrowing, the way I used to do when I was his age. “You look like me.”
I smiled, a deep ache pooling in my chest. “Yeah. We look a lot alike, don’t we?”
Isla watched us closely from a few steps back, her arms crossed, her lips pressed together in that way that always meant she was holding something back. I could see the tension in her posture. But she said nothing. She was letting Leo take the lead, and that’s what mattered.
Leo, still staring at me, asked, “Are you my daddy?”
The word stung, but not in the way I expected. It wasn’t painful. It was a revelation.
A truth.
I straightened up, feeling a lump form in my throat. “I am,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.
Leo blinked, still processing the information. He didn’t run up to me. He didn’t throw his arms around me. He just stood there, his gaze steady, trying to make sense of it all. And for a moment, I wondered if this would be it—the entirety of our first meeting. A few cautious words exchanged. A question, a nod, and then the silence would stretch out between us, as wide as the years that had passed.
Isla took a slow step forward. “Leo, it’s okay,” she said softly, her voice a whisper that seemed to hold a hundred unspoken things. “You can talk to him.”
I could feel the weight of her eyes on me. Her quiet approval—and maybe her final warning. She wanted this to go well. For Leo’s sake, for mine. But there was more to it. The walls she’d built around herself. Around him.
Around us.
Leo, still standing a few feet away, finally moved. Slowly, cautiously, he took a few steps toward me. His hand was at his side, his fingers twitching slightly as if unsure whether to reach out or hold back.
I didn’t move. I couldn’t move. Not yet.
“Are you going to stay?” he asked, his voice small but clear, his words weighted with more sincerity than most adults could manage.
The question hit me like a punch to the gut. Because I didn’t have an answer.
“I want to,” I said, finally moving toward him. Slowly, deliberately. I crouched down again, bringing myself to his level. “I really do, Leo.”
He didn’t say anything else. Just stared at me for a long moment, like he was studying every detail of my face. His gaze shifted to the scar along my jawline, then back to my eyes. Then, almost imperceptibly, his lips curled into the faintest of smiles.
Isla exhaled quietly, and I looked up at her. She was standing a little taller now, her arms no longer crossed. There was a slight softness in her eyes, though it was fleeting. She didn’t look as guarded as before, but I knew better than to believe she was entirely comfortable with this.
“Do you want to walk with us?” Isla asked, her voice breaking through the silence.
I nodded, standing up fully. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
Leo, his gaze still lingering on me, turned to look up at Isla. She gave him a small nod, and he started walking. I fell in step beside them, careful not to crowd him, careful to give him space.
The park was quiet now, save for the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves and the distant echo of children’s laughter. I walked beside Isla, my gaze flicking back and forth between her and Leo, trying to keep the calm façade I’d perfected over the years. But I wasn’t fooling anyone. Least of all myself.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, Isla spoke.
“He’s not going to trust you overnight. This… this isn’t going to be easy.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“I just want him to be happy,” she continued, her voice barely audible, her gaze fixed straight ahead. “That’s all I care about. I don’t want you to—”
“I’m not going to hurt him, Isla.”
She didn’t answer. She didn’t need to.
Because in that moment, it wasn’t about promises. It was about proving them.
And I would prove it. To her. To Leo.
To myself.
I couldn’t breathe as I stood outside the park, hands gripping the steering wheel of my black SUV, my heart pounding in my chest. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to feel like a ticking bomb, like I was about to walk into a firestorm of emotions I wasn’t prepared for.
But here I was, the man who built empires and crushed enemies without blinking, standing on the edge of something that terrified me.
A son.
My son.
I checked my watch. Five minutes to go.
The park was quiet for the moment—still, save for the soft rustle of trees in the breeze and the occasional laughter from distant children. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the whole world was holding its breath.
I had no plan for this. No rehearsed lines. No script for how to meet my child for the first time after four years of silence. And though I had told myself I would remain calm, collected, that I wouldn’t let my emotions get the best of me, I knew that was a lie.
Everything about this situation—this moment—was something I couldn’t control.
And as much as I hated the idea of not being in charge, I had to admit, this was one of the few things that actually mattered to me. Maybe the only thing that mattered.
The door opened.
I turned toward the sound, and my heart nearly stopped.
Isla stood there, her silhouette framed by the late afternoon light, a small figure standing beside her. A boy. My son.
Leo.
I could feel my pulse in my ears as they approached, Isla’s gaze locking with mine before she broke eye contact, her expression unreadable. But when her eyes shifted down to Leo, I saw something softer in her eyes.
She said nothing as she stood just a few feet away, letting Leo take the first step forward. He was still small, but there was something in his stance—something that reminded me so much of myself. The way his eyes scanned the environment, alert and calculating.
I crouched down, my breath catching in my throat.
“Hey there,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended.
Leo’s eyes flickered from Isla to me, studying me with the kind of caution that only a child could manage. His gaze, sharp and unflinching, reminded me so much of the man I used to be.
“Hi,” he said softly, his voice quiet but firm.
I fought to keep the smile from stretching too wide. He wasn’t smiling. But that was fine. I didn’t expect him to. Not yet.
“Do you remember me?” I asked gently, watching him closely.
He tilted his head, his little brow furrowing, the way I used to do when I was his age. “You look like me.”
I smiled, a deep ache pooling in my chest. “Yeah. We look a lot alike, don’t we?”
Isla watched us closely from a few steps back, her arms crossed, her lips pressed together in that way that always meant she was holding something back. I could see the tension in her posture. But she said nothing. She was letting Leo take the lead, and that’s what mattered.
Leo, still staring at me, asked, “Are you my daddy?”
The word stung, but not in the way I expected. It wasn’t painful. It was a revelation.
A truth.
I straightened up, feeling a lump form in my throat. “I am,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.
Leo blinked, still processing the information. He didn’t run up to me. He didn’t throw his arms around me. He just stood there, his gaze steady, trying to make sense of it all. And for a moment, I wondered if this would be it—the entirety of our first meeting. A few cautious words exchanged. A question, a nod, and then the silence would stretch out between us, as wide as the years that had passed.
Isla took a slow step forward. “Leo, it’s okay,” she said softly, her voice a whisper that seemed to hold a hundred unspoken things. “You can talk to him.”
I could feel the weight of her eyes on me. Her quiet approval—and maybe her final warning. She wanted this to go well. For Leo’s sake, for mine. But there was more to it. The walls she’d built around herself. Around him.
Around us.
Leo, still standing a few feet away, finally moved. Slowly, cautiously, he took a few steps toward me. His hand was at his side, his fingers twitching slightly as if unsure whether to reach out or hold back.
I didn’t move. I couldn’t move. Not yet.
“Are you going to stay?” he asked, his voice small but clear, his words weighted with more sincerity than most adults could manage.
The question hit me like a punch to the gut. Because I didn’t have an answer.
“I want to,” I said, finally moving toward him. Slowly, deliberately. I crouched down again, bringing myself to his level. “I really do, Leo.”
He didn’t say anything else. Just stared at me for a long moment, like he was studying every detail of my face. His gaze shifted to the scar along my jawline, then back to my eyes. Then, almost imperceptibly, his lips curled into the faintest of smiles.
Isla exhaled quietly, and I looked up at her. She was standing a little taller now, her arms no longer crossed. There was a slight softness in her eyes, though it was fleeting. She didn’t look as guarded as before, but I knew better than to believe she was entirely comfortable with this.
“Do you want to walk with us?” Isla asked, her voice breaking through the silence.
I nodded, standing up fully. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
Leo, his gaze still lingering on me, turned to look up at Isla. She gave him a small nod, and he started walking. I fell in step beside them, careful not to crowd him, careful to give him space.
The park was quiet now, save for the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves and the distant echo of children’s laughter. I walked beside Isla, my gaze flicking back and forth between her and Leo, trying to keep the calm façade I’d perfected over the years. But I wasn’t fooling anyone. Least of all myself.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, Isla spoke.
“He’s not going to trust you overnight. This… this isn’t going to be easy.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“I just want him to be happy,” she continued, her voice barely audible, her gaze fixed straight ahead. “That’s all I care about. I don’t want you to—”
“I’m not going to hurt him, Isla.”
She didn’t answer. She didn’t need to.
Because in that moment, it wasn’t about promises. It was about proving them.
And I would prove it. To her. To Leo.
To myself.
End of His Heir, Her Secret Chapter 7. Continue reading Chapter 8 or return to His Heir, Her Secret book page.