"Yes... that's Jader," Jadino walked up behind him, the old man's voice softening slightly as he looked at his son's picture, sighing. "I built this house for him as a wedding gift... a house he'll never get to live in."
Jacob gently stroked the picture frame.
"I only saw one picture of my father and mother in their wedding attire once. It was hidden in my mother's bedside drawer. When I asked her about it, she didn't answer. After that, I never saw the picture again..."
"Fara tried to erase everything that belonged to Jader from your life," Jaredino said sternly. "But blood is thicker than water, Jacob... look at you, see how much you look like him."
Jacob turned to look at his grandfather, then at the picture of his father. The truth struck him hard. He wasn't just a homeless slum kid; he was the owner of this house, the heir of the man in the picture.
>>>>
Jadino walked over and stopped beside Jacob, raising his hand to touch the enormous gold picture frame. The old man's gaze swept over his son's sharp features in the painting, a mixture of pride and weariness in his eyes.
"He looks... like a hero," Jacob said admiringly.
"A hero, huh?" Jadino sneered. "Before he donned that uniform and started posing, he drove me crazy! Jaeder graduated top of Ganymede, but instead of joining the military… he ran off to Mars to become a soap opera star!"
Jacob frowned. "A celebrity?"
"Yes! Once he became a huge star with that movie 'Love Across the Stars,' he went completely wild, using his handsome looks to charm everyone, squandering my money on parties and different women!" Jadino slammed his voice, pacing back and forth like an irritated tiger. "His scandals are making headlines every single day; I just want to disappear into the ground… The only good thing is he never got anyone pregnant!"
The old man took a deep breath, trying to suppress his past anger. "Even at thirty years old... he still hasn't settled down!"
Jacob swallowed hard. "So... what did Grandpa do?"
"I have to tame it!" Jadino snarled. "I dragged it back from Mars, and the only way to stop a wild horse like Jader… is to find the most beautiful and expensive 'chains' to bind it."
Jacob's heart skipped a beat, and he began to guess what was going on. "So Grandpa..."
"Yes…" Jadino smirked. "I spared no expense at the annual virginity auction to buy the best and most beautiful woman…"That's Fara Fallunette, your mother! "
Jacob stood frozen.
"That's how you came to be, Jacob…" The old man's voice was calm yet powerful. "It wasn't from sweet love, but from me spending a fortune to buy your mother, to stop your father's madness!"
Jadino turned his face to look out the window, his eyes clouded over for a moment. "But when Jader died in the ship explosion… instead of your mother seeking refuge under Izunité, she took you in her womb and fled, sacrificing her comfort for freedom and her foolish pride, imprisoning you in that filthy slum!"
The old man whirled around and glared at his grandson, his eyes blazing with a look of victory. He spread his hands wide.
"Fara thought she won… She thought she could hide you in the shadows forever. But look around you now, Jacob! Finally, you stand here, in my palace!" Jardino smirked cruelly.
"Finally, my money and power have brought you back… Fara struggled desperately to keep you away, but in the end, I won… You've returned to being the Izunité you deserve!"
Jacob stood motionless amidst the overwhelming wealth that flooded in like a giant wave. His grandfather's words were like golden shackles binding him tightly. He was beginning to realize that this wasn't a free gift of mercy, but a declaration of victory over his mother and the reclamation of the last lost family heirloom.
Jacob took a deep breath, trying to compose himself and respond.
"But according to Solan law... I still have to use my surname."Falunett,Right?"
Jadino chuckled softly, walked closer to his nephew, and gazed deeply into those pink eyes.
"The law is just paper stained with ink... Jacob, no matter what your first name or last name is, every drop of blood that flows in your veins, every strand of DNA in your body... that's the one and only truth that no one can change!"
Jadino strolled out into the giant fern garden. He stood with his back to the sparkling azure sea, gazing contentedly at the curved, pearly white mansion trimmed with gold.
Jacob followed silently and calmly. He felt that he had completely lost.
"If possible... you could move in this weekend."
Jadino said without turning around, "Everything is ready. All that's missing is the owner of the house."
Jacob stood still amidst the unfamiliar grandeur. A feeling of guilt washed over him as he thought of the old room he had left behind.
"And... what about the room on the seventy-fifth floor?" Jacob asked softly.
"That's your mother's house, not yours," Jadino replied sternly, turning to face his nephew. "But if you want to bring your mother to live here, go ahead… Just call me, and I'll send a housekeeper to clean it. A house… it deteriorates if no one lives there, understand?"
Suddenly, the communication rod in Jardino's hand emitted a signal and a bright orange flash of light appeared.
"Good morning, sir. I'm Dina," the secretary's voice came from inside the orange ball of light floating above the glass rod.
"Go ahead," Jadino commanded.
"I'm here to inform you that you have a meeting with Solmaster Trivius and Sir Bran regarding stem cell testing... at... the institute... at 5 PM this evening."
"Okay, okay, I'm coming."
Jadino cut him off irritably. The light from the ball went out. He shoved the glass rod into the pocket of his velvet coat and turned to speak to Jacob one last time.
"I'll have a vehicle take you to the tower... Call me when you're ready to move in. Excuse me."
Jadino flicked his cloak, strode majestically out of the garden, and boarded another private vehicle waiting for him, leaving only a curt farewell behind.
"See you later."
Jacob stood stunned for a long moment, surrounded by a fern garden and the scent of the sea—it seemed like a dream.
The butler entered, bowed, and gestled for him to enter the same pitch-black vehicle. But this time... he was returning alone.
Throughout the flight, as the spacecraft soared through the capital's airspace, heading back towards the crowded Horathea Tower, the cabin was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Jacob's mind, however, was buzzing with a whirlwind of confusion.
His world was turned upside down in a single day... Suddenly, he had a grandfather who was...SolmasterThe influential person learned the truth about his father, a secret his mother had kept from him his entire life. He lived in a mansion like a palace and had unlimited money to spend…
Jacob stared blankly out the window. Darkness crept over the forest like a thin purple cloth swept across the water. Below lay a dense pine forest, teeming with dangerous beasts. In front of him, the flickering light of a tall, slender tower grew closer.
One truth struck him hard.
"Who would believe this nonsense?"