Chapter 689
Michael pressed a small hand to his chest, heart hammering. He asked, “Mr. Lime, are you really my real dad?”
Michael stared intently at Jonathan in disbelief. He thought, ‘It feels like a dream. After all, Mr. Lime said before that he wasn’t my dad.’
Jonathan nodded firmly and said, “Yes, Michael, you’re my own flesh and blood–my true son. We’re bound by blood and bone, the closest, most unbreakable bond between father and son.
“Back when I said you weren’t my son, it was all a misunderstanding. I thought Christian was your father. I’ve been mistaken all this time–what a fool I was, wasn’t I?”
With that, Jonathan leaned in and gently kissed Michael’s cheek again, his affection unmistakable. Seeing Michael’s cheeks flush crimson once more, Jonathan wondered if Michael was going to faint again.
Jonathan asked softly, “Do you get shy when I kiss you?”
Michael nodded and said, “I do get shy, Mr. Lime. No idol just kisses their fans, do they?”
Hearing this, Jonathan understood why Michael got so overwhelmed that he fainted. The realization that Michael saw him as an idol only made his heart ache with regret. He wished he could have been there for Michael sooner.
Jonathan recognized the T-shirt Michael was wearing. Back then, Teresa had lied to him, claiming it was her colleague’s son who wanted his autograph. That was why he had signed it.
Now, seeing Michael wear it, he felt a pang of realization and betrayal.
He thought, ‘Teresa deceived me time and again–this is my son. If we had acknowledged each other sooner, would he be getting flustered over a simple kiss from his father now?’
Suddenly, a sharp knocking at the door snapped Jonathan back to reality.
Someone called out from outside, “Mr. Lynn.”
Jonathan stood up and said gently, “Mike, I am just stepping out for a moment. I’ll be right back.” With that, he stepped out.
A subordinate outside handed Jonathan an investigation file. All the details he had requested had been thoroughly verified.
The file contained everything: Michael’s full name; legal guardianship records under Teresa’s name; his exact date of birth; and the hospital where he was born. Every piece of information had been meticulously confirmed for Jonathan.
Michael was conceived while Jonathan and Teresa were still married. When they divorced, Jonathan had no idea that she was pregnant, let alone that she would go on to secretly give birth to their child alone.
Jonathan thought, ‘Teresa had so many chances to come clean with me. I gave her plenty of opportunities. But she chose to lie to me.”
His eyes turned ice-cold as he crushed the report. He thought, ‘I trusted Teresa far too much. I should have investigated her sooner.
‘I won’t spare anyone who tries to make a fool out of me–Jennifer, Cheryl, Christian, and the others. These are the people I trusted most, those I have often helped. But now, my mercy has run dry.’
Just then, Jonathan’s phone rang. It was a call reporting that Christian and Sherry had arrived at Forlisle Rose Estates.
Jonathan hung up the phone and left the hospital immediately. Since his home was nearby, he was back in just ten minutes.
Christian and Sherry called out in unison, “Mr. Lynn.”
Jonathan walked in, stone-faced, radiating an intimidating aura that kept everyone at bay. His eyes were cold and piercing, and his presence seemed to fill the room.
Sherry quickly pulled Christian down to bow together.
Jonathan’s eyes were utterly impassive as he sat in the armchair, the last traces of mercy having vanished from his gaze.
He asked coldly, “Have you come up with an excuse?”
Christian shook his head and said, “Mr. Lynn, I was wrong. There’s no excuse.”
Jonathan let out a cold laugh. He snapped, “As my secretary, you stabbed me in the back. You knew better than anyone that Michael was my son, yet you kept it from me? Christian, have I not always treated you well?”