From Darkness to Light: Darwin's Rise

Chapter 0008

Darwin's eyes widened till they seemed ready to pop from his head. "Five million? I never dreamed I'd sit in a vehicle worth more money than I could ever hope to see!"

Lady Margaret laughed gently. "I know it's a lot to take in, dear boy. But you must remember, you come from a long line of wealth and status. All of this is part of your inheritance."

As the butler closed the door and moved to the driver's seat, Darwin could only gaze around him in continued wonder. His head swam with disbelief at how much his fortunes had changed in just one day. From an unknown orphan to heir to a fortune - it was almost too much for his mind to comprehend.

As the luxurious vehicle glided through the city streets, Lady Margaret turned to her newly rediscovered son.

"I suppose proper introductions are in order," she began with a gentle smile. "My name is Margaret Wettin. I am the only daughter and heir to the noble Wettin family."

Darwin listened with rapt attention, still struggling to process this new reality unfolding around him. "The Wettin family?" he echoed in amazement. "As in, the secret rulers of the Enstania Empire?"

Lady Margaret nodded. "We have controlled much of the industry and politics in this kingdom for generations."

The butler spoke up from the front. "If I may, young sir, the Wettin name holds sway over many powerful companies - like Weston Manufacturing, Ensted Banking, even the Daily Standard newspaper."

Darwin gasped softly as a startling revelation came to him. "Weston Manufacturing...that's the factory where I work!"

His head spun at the dizzying implications. All this time, his employers had been his own royal bloodline without anyone knowing. It was like something out of a fanciful dream.

Turning to his newly discovered mother, Darwin spoke in hushed tones. "Lady Margaret, I...I don't know what to make of all this. My life has been turned upside down in the span of a single day."

She took his hands in her own reassuringly. "You may call me Mother, if you wish," she said gently. "I know this is all still new, but that is what I am to you."

Darwin nodded, still processing the whirlwind of revelations. "Mother," he tested the word, finding it both strange yet somehow right. "Please, tell me my story. How did I come to be at the orphanage with no memory of my family?"

Lady Margaret's expression turned solemn. "It was over 20 years ago now. Enemies of the Wettin family attacked our estate, seeking to destabilize our power." Her eyes misted over as she recalled that dark night.

"We fought them off but in the chaos, you were taken," she continued, voice heavy with lingering grief and guilt. "I searched endlessly but the trail ran cold. I never stopped hoping you still lived somewhere, somehow."

Darwin sat in stunned silence, deeply moved by his mother's tale. To think the life he had known was built upon such tragedy and loss. No wonder he'd always felt a sense of not belonging, with his true origins shrouded in mystery.

Lady Margaret smiled gently at her son. "I never gave up hope." A fresh sob escaped her lips. "Thanks to this DNA test, I've found you at last."

"I can't imagine what you went through, never giving up your search for me all these years," he said softly. "It's nothing short of a miracle we've found each other now."

Lady Margaret squeezed his hands reassuringly. "All that matters is we have been reunited. The past cannot be changed, but the future is ours to write."

Soon their luxurious vehicle slowed to a stop. As Darwin stepped out, he gasped in awe at the sprawling mansion before them. Towering marble columns flanked a grand entryway, with manicured gardens stretching as far as the eye could see.

"Is this...the Wettin estate?" he asked his mother in an awed whisper. Never had he seen such opulence and grandeur.

Lady Margaret chuckled softly at his wonder. "Heavens no, my son. This is merely one of the outer security checkpoints."