THE BILLIONIARE'S RISE TO STARDOM

CHAPTER FOUR: A KIND STRANGER.

"Are you okay?" Lucian asked in tears as he rushed to embrace his sister in the small ventilated room.

How he had reached the hospital in such a short notice on foot marveled him. Perhaps the excitement of seeing his sister had fueled his race.

Rose patted his curly hair with a smile. "I'm fine, better than three days ago,"

"You don't know how happy I am when I got the news. I miss you so much…"

Rose disengaged from the embrace, her eyes was watery, yet she tried to control her emotions. With her fingers, she wiped the tears off Lucian's cheeks.

"Stop crying, I'm fine,"

"I thought I'd lose you…"

"But you didn't, okay? or don't you know how strong your sister is?"

Lucian laughed. "Strong indeed. I would not have forgiven myself if anything happened to you,"

Rose held his hands. "It's not your fault, don't ever think that any of this is your fault,"

Lucian nodded. "Any idea who might have paid for the surgery?"

She shook her head. "No, I have no idea."

"I'll go ask the doctor about it,"

"Alright." Rose beamed.

Lucian leaned over and placed a light kiss on her forehead before leaving the room. As he closed the door, a voice said softly behind him. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that, young Master."

Lucian turned around quickly to find an old man behind him. He had a big smile on his face and was dressed in an expensive suit.

"Young Master," the old man repeated with a bow.

Lucian looked around in one swift glance but there was no one else in sight, just the two of them. This old man was talking to him with so much respect like he was a king or a celebrity. It was so ridiculous that he chuckled dryly.

"Excuse me, Who are you?"

"Young Master, I'm glad to have finally found you, the heir to a wealthy family"

Lucian couldn't help but laugh.

What the hell was with today?

"I'm sorry, old man, but I believe you have the wrong person" he said and made to walk away.

The old man walked faster to meet up with Lucian. "My name is Marcus, I'm your family's butler and I've been sent by your father to bring you home,"

At the mention of father, Lucian's blood ran cold and he stopped in his tracks. He observed Marcus's air of confidence, the authoritative voice, his physique, those eyes didn't look like they were lying.

"What did you just say? Wait, are you the one that paid for the surgery?"

Marcus smiled. "Yes."

"Wh…where's my father?" Lucian fumbled with his words. If he had a father, why did he have to spend his childhood in an orphanage until he ran away? Had his parents abandoned him and now wanted him back?

"We might need to talk somewhere private."

"And my sister?"

"She'll be fine, young Master. I'll assign some guards to take care of her needs."

"Okay." Lucian nodded and followed Marcus to a VIP lounge. Soft music played from a speaker at the back of the room. A waiter served them food according to Marcus's order.

At the sight of food, Lucian's stomach made a rumble followed by a sharp pain. He had not eaten good food since the night before. He ate hurriedly, sending occasional glances to Marcus. When he finished eating, he realized the awkwardness in the air.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that…"

Marcus smiled. "It's okay, I understand. I'm just glad I found you. The hospital confirmed the records and that's when I was sure it was you."

"My parents…" Lucian stopped, he could not say the next words. How could he ask about parents that had possibly abandoned him?

They were filthy rich, yet they left him to suffer in the hands of Betty. What possible explanation could be given to that? He closed his eyes briefly trying to remember the pieces of his childhood, but his brain was blank, fog.

"Young Master, are you okay?"

Lucian opened his eyes. "Yes, yes, I'm fine."

"You asked about your parents, unfortunately, your mother died when you were ten, but your dad is alive and waiting to see you."

"You don't have to understand everything at once," Marcus said, noting the confusion on Lucian's face.

"When do I meet my father…"

"He asked us to bring you today, but first, you'll need change of clothes and shoes in Howard's fashion Mall."

Lucian gasped. "H…oward's Mall? That's like the most biggest fashion Mall."

"They belong to you, young master, all of Howard's collections and conglomerates."

The words hit Lucian like ton of bricks as his eyes widened. His father owned such a powerful company? How?

The mere thought of it sent shivers crawling down his veins. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words did not come, his throat felt tied.

"Let's go, young Master." Marcus stood up with a slight bow.

Lucian nodded speechlessly and followed behind.

…

Lucian fixed his gaze at the variety of designers clothes on display. They screamed of wealth and for a long time, he stared at them, his heart dancing in excitement. It was like a dream come true, the life he had always dreamt of.

The clothes and shoes he selected were packaged into a luxury bag and handed to him, but as he was about passing the goods to the receptionist, a hand pushed him roughly from behind, causing his head to hit hard against the counter and the black card in his hands to fall to the ground with a dull thud.

"Poor bastard, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Lucian gritted his teeth as Summer's voice reached him like a nightmare.

"Where did you steal this card from?!" She sneered, picking up the diamond card from the floor.

"This card is customized only for the management of Howards. Where did a spineless piece of shit like you get this from?"

Her eyes shifted to the bag on the counter and she proceeded to scatter the contents on the floor, her eyes gleaming with anger. "You'll be so sorry for stealing by the time I'm done with you!"

Lucian groaned angrily as he weighed her. There was a blinding pain on his forehead and when his hands reached out for it, there was blood, his blood.

How dare she push him or lay a finger on the card that Marcus had given him!

"Pick up those clothes from the floor immediately and it's not your business what I do or do not do in this place!" Lucian glared.

Summer chuckled in derision and turned to the receptionist. "Call me your manager, I want this man arrested and locked up!"