Ethan Mark: Billionaire in Disguise

4. The True Identity

"Hello, young master, it is I, Jackson Smith. Please look to your front," said Jackson Smith, Augustus Markwood's personal assistant. He had been working for Ethan’s father since he was in his 20s, and now he was a 57-year-old man standing under an umbrella a little distance away. Though Ethan had left home angrily over ten years ago, Mr. Smith still treated him with respect and asked for permission before coming close to him.

"Can I walk close to you, sir?" he asked, as it was starting to rain and the weather was cold and breezy, like a melancholic symphony played by the elements.

Jackson Smith, dressed in a black suit and a charcoal gray morning coat that cascaded down his knees, gracefully accentuating his tail and commanding presence, was still on the phone with Ethan and waiting for him to give permission before taking a step forward.

Ethan was obviously confused. As he looked ahead, as Mr. Smith had requested, he recognized who Mr. Smith was and was taken aback. Thoughts raced through his mind, wondering how Mr. Smith had found him. He had taken measures to destroy anything that could lead to him, including his cell phone, and he had been using a new phone and a new number since the moment he left home.

"How did you find me, Mr. Smith?" Ethan demanded, his face serious and devoid of tears. He rose to his feet and walked towards Mr. Smith in anger.

Realizing Ethan's anger and his approaching footsteps, Mr. Smith spoke in a rush: "It has been over ten years, young master. Forgive your father so that his spirit will rest in peace."

Ethan became shocked, like a deer caught in the blinding headlights of an oncoming car. He couldn't believe his father was dead. The last time he saw him before leaving home, he was hale and hearty.

He abruptly stopped walking towards Mr. Smith. "What happened?" he asked, his voice low and sad.

"Your father loved you so much. He couldn't live without you. He fell ill a few months after you left and tried in all possible ways to find you but failed," Mr. Smith explained.

"You didn't answer my question, Mr. Smith."

"My apologies, young master. The master died from the shock that he would never see you again. He passed away two years ago, but we kept it a secret because only you, as his heir, must take the rightful position of his companies."

"And how did you find me?" Ethan demanded once again.

"We heard that one of our branch manager’s daughters in HavenBrook was married to an Ethan Mark. We decided to check if it was you, and it indeed was," Mr. Smith explained.

"And you must know about my dying daughter?"

"We knew everything about you from that moment on, Young Master."

"Good! Will you help me?" Ethan ended the phone call and walked closer to Mr. Smith, standing face-to-face with him.

"My apologies, Young Master. Even if all my possessions were sold, it still wouldn't amount to the whole $200,000 you need for your daughter’s surgery. Forgive me, but you have to sign the contract accepting to take over your father’s companies, and only then can you have access to all the money you want and need."

"Not even $100,000 for the half payment, Mr. Smith?"

Mr. Smith took a deep sigh, understanding the crucial moment Ethan, his young master, was in. He said, "I will send all the money in my bank to you, young master. But at least, come with me to your father’s grave and say goodbye to him."

"Thank you, Mr. Smith. Since you know everything about me, you should also have my bank details. I will be going now," Ethan said, leaving without another word.

***

Isabella and Davis were already at the cocktail bar downtown, holding hands and looking at each other's faces like a pair of inseparable stars lost in their own celestial dance.

Again, and again, Isabella expressed her pretty smile, revealing her white teeth like a radiant crescent moon illuminating the night sky. Davis, feeling blessed by this beautiful angel in front of him, leant forward, almost pressing his lips against hers and almost kissing her.

As if Isabella had been waiting for this moment all along, she smiled at him and leaned forward with her neck, their lips meeting and sharing a long kiss.

"I can’t believe this is happening. I have waited for it all my life," said Davis after the kiss, as he once again smelled Isabella's beauty from such a close distance.

Isabella said nothing but expressed her smile once more. Davis's words had touched her deeply, and she regretted her past actions towards him. Contrary to what she had thought of him in the past, he was a sweet soul who knew how to make a woman feel special, unlike some others with no financial ability other than commitment.

"I am sorry," Isabella pleaded.

"For what?" Davis asked with a smile, confused about the reason Isabella apologized.

"I treated you like dirt in the past," Isabella said, putting her left hand into Davis' left hand, interlocking their fingers.

"Like you said, it was in the past. And I am glad we are here now. Let's have a toast," Davis said, raising a glass of wine to Isabella and offering her a cute smile.

Isabella, in the same fashion, showed her endearing smile once more and raised her glass for the toast.

"To a new beginning," Davis said.

"To a new beginning," Isabella answered, and they both drank their glasses in one gulp before expressing a big laugh to each other and then a deep sigh that interpreted their love affair.