From Squalor To Splendor

Chapter 5

Isabella froze as soon as she made eye contact with Justin, wondering why he was in Mr. Hemsworth's mansion.

But Isabella never considered the possibility that Justin was the young man Ariana was referring to as her older brother, the one she was waiting for.

Since Justin had been fired from his part-time jobs, she assumed he was looking for work as a cleaner.

Justin, on the other hand, was perplexed as to how Isabella got there after he left her in Grayson's hotel with his former boss.

Instead of saying anything, Justin chose to remain silent to see how everything would play out.

Ariana immediately noticed the 22-year-old tall, young, and attractive-looking man. She jumped on him before asking her father if he was the one they were expecting.

Ariana, 18, embraced Justin tightly and buried her face in his bosom.

“At last, I have found someone I can call ’my brother '. Now that you are here, I do not think this house will be boring anymore," she admitted, her head still resting on his chest.

Before Justin could respond, he was cut off by Diana Mike, Ariana's best friend, who brought Isabella to Mr. Hemsworth's mansion after Liam Grayson introduced her to her.

"Justin," Diana exclaimed, surprised. "Is this you?" she inquired, her eyes unable to believe what they were seeing.

“Hmm… do I know you?” Justin was astounded.

Ariana quickly let go of him, turned around, and confronted her best friend.

"Huh? Diana, have you met him before?" Ariana inquired, eager to hear what Diana had to say.

“Hmm… yeah. He was the young man I told you about being bullied on the street by some notorious gangster.” Diana explained.

"Oh, he is the young man you told me you asked your guards to protect from bullies?" Ariana inquired.

“Yeah, he's the one…”

“Ooh… you are the lady who saved me from those hooligans a long time ago?” Justin inquired.

“Yes, I am. If I recall correctly, you stated that you were going to the market that day to get some groceries for your girlfriend and her mother. Am I right?” Diana spoke calmly as she tried to recall everything that happened that day.

"You are correct, Diana." Justin's harmony with her as he adjusted to the new family he had just met.

"That is very kind of you, bruh. I hope she and her mother are doing well. I am referring to your girlfriend and her mother, whom you went shopping for that day. Or are you and your partner married?" Diana peppered him with questions as if she knew his girlfriend was in the living room with them.

When Justin heard her question, he turned his gaze away from her and toward Isabella, who was standing beside her.

When Isabella realized Justin was trying to look at her before responding to Diana's question, she moved her gaze away from him in a different direction to avoid eye contact.

As soon as he saw that, he chuckled and said to Diana, "Well, I am not sure if they are fine or not." But I am convinced they are doing fantastically well. We are not, however, married..."

Ariana cut Justin off before he could finish his sentence and exhale.

"I think you should throw a party tonight, Dad. You know, we should throw a big welcome party for my big brother," she said.

“Obviously.” After giving a nod, the elderly man turned to face Xander. " Inform my personal assistant (PA) that he should call the managers of all my companies in this city and ask them to accompany every staff member to the mansion. We are going to celebrate the return of my son, the heir of all my properties across the globe and within.” he happily announced to Xander.

Unfortunately, Isabella was watching everything unfold right in front of her, making her question why she cheated on Justin and still broke up with him.

It was not easy being the heir to Mr. Hemsworth's estate. He was so wealthy that even if his next five generations spent his money on meaningless things every day, they would not be able to finish it.

"As you commanded, boss," Xander muttered as he bowed to Mr. Emiliano Hemsworth before turning around and leaving to meet the PA.

"You all should have your seats," Mr. Hemsworth said as soon as Xander was out of sight. I want to explain everything to my son."

They all nodded and sat on various couches.

"Isabella, are you sure everything is alright? When we arrived, you did not look like this. What is wrong? Are you feeling uneasy being here?" Diana barraged Isabella with questions in a single breath after noticing how unsettled she had become after entering the lounge.

“No-no, Diana. I am fine..." Isabella stammered.

“Huh?” Diana mouthed.

"Yes," Isabella said, nodding.

"If she said she is fine, please let her be," Justin interrupted their conversation.

Isabella gave Justin a faint smile but could not lift her head to look at him.

"All right, if you said so, then so be it," Diana said, leaning back against the couch.

Mr. Hemsworth then proceeded to tell Justin's story to him and the three ladies who were present in the living room.

"Some unknown men were after my life 22 years ago, when I was still a poor man. They were threatening to kill me for something I had no knowledge of. My wife was pregnant, as fate would have it. On the day of labor in the hospital, I got a call from someone that the men were coming to the hospital to eliminate the newborn baby. As a result, the caller advised me to take action before they arrived at the hospital.

"After telling the doctor about what the caller had told me, he informed me that another woman had given birth to a boy, but the baby died the moment he was taken out of his mother's womb. So he proposed that we swap the babies so that when the men arrived, he could inform them that I had lost my child after my wife had given birth."

“Wait, wait, sir.” Justin interrupted his father's speech. "Why did not you notify the police?" he wondered.

"Well, we were cautioned that we would later regret involving the police in the case. So I could not do it because I was not prepared to die or lose any of my family members." Mr. Hemsworth gave his response.

"All right, go ahead and narrate everything that happened," Justin told his father.

"Well, when the men arrived at the hospital, the doctor told them that my wife and I had lost our child. Surprisingly, the men who sympathized with us left the hospital, promising never to hunt me down again. The doctor left a few minutes after the hooligans had gone to return the dead child to the other family and retrieve ours.

“Unfortunately, when the doctor arrived in the ward he left the other man with his wife, they were nowhere to be found. They took our child and ran away. We searched the entire city for the man and his wife, but we could not find them.

“I was enraged to the point that I had the doctor arrested, believing that it was a plan between him and the other man to steal my child away. To cut the entire story short, after searching for you for a few years without finding you, your mom got pregnant and gave birth to Ariana, your little sister.

"Unfortunately, your mother died two years later. When that happened, a wealthy man took pity on me and my young daughter, whom your late mother had left with me. He gave me $10,000 to look after myself and my two-year-old daughter. Rather than spending the money on material things, I wisely used it to start a business. That money is what got me to where I am today. That wealthy individual saved my life.

"However, you may be wondering how I discovered you. It was still the same doctor who gave you out, saw you from a distance, and quickly recognized you. He photographed you and sent the photos to me. When I realized you were my missing son, I did not waste any time. I asked my boys to find you and bring you back home." Mr. Hemsworth narrated to them.

The living room fell silent for a moment as they all stared at the old man sitting in front of them, telling them how his son had been missing for 22 years.

Isabella became more uneasy after learning that Justin was indeed Mr. Hemsworth's son, wishing that the earth could open up and swallow her.

She was fully aware that Justin was going to embarrass her in due time, and she wasn't ready for that.

She was well aware that Justin would embarrass her in due course, and she was not prepared for it.