Chapter 1: What Right Does He Have to Be a Father?

Dust swirled amidst the dilapidated construction site in King City. Henry Carson, muscles rippling beneath a soaked tank top, pushed a cart loaded with bricks. Once he moved these bricks, he’d have enough money to buy a gift for his wife. Gritty wind gusts slashed across his chiseled face, but his determination never wavered, his steps always moving forward. Beside him stood a stooped old man, Elder Bennett, who watched Henry with a piercing gaze. "Your spirit reminds me of your father in his youth," he mused. After a moment, the old man sighed and said, “Young Master, when your father abandoned you and your mother, he had his reasons. Over the years, he’s been walking on thin ice within our family. Now that he’s become the head, he wishes to make amends. Come back with me." "Reasons?" Henry stopped abruptly, thoughts swirling. "For his ambitions, he abandoned his wife and child! Where was he when my mother was ill, when she was driven out of our family? Where was he when I was scavenging trash to make ends meet during her final days?” Elder Bennett flinched at the raw emotion in Henry's voice, attempting to interject but was quickly silenced. "And my sister?" Henry changed the subject abruptly. Henry's "sister" wasn't his blood relative. She was an abandoned baby his mother found by the village road when he was eight. The two of them had been inseparable ever since. But two years ago, she vanished mysteriously the night before a crucial surgery. Since then, Henry had been searching for her, to no avail. "Master Henry, your father genuinely cares for you,” Elder Bennett implored. “And with your return, you would be the heir apparent. And, given your current situation, you could use his support. Do you really want to be a kept man forever?” Henry's mind raced back to all the hardships he had endured over the years. "To those who raised me, I owe my life. To those who gave me life but never raised me, we owe nothing to each other. Father? What right does he have?" With that, a rush of emotions overwhelmed Henry, and whether it was exhaustion or pure distress, he crumpled to the ground. Meanwhile, Sophie Mitchell was chatting with her best friend, Lily Turner, in her living room. The sky rumbled ominously outside. "Where could Henry be at this hour?" Sophie mused aloud. “Honestly, it wouldn’t be such a loss if he were struck by lightning," Lily responded with a smirk. Sophie shot her a glare, "No matter how I feel about him, he's still my husband." Lily looked at Sophie skeptically, "You haven't actually fallen for that loser, have you?" But before Sophie could retort, her phone rang. Picking it up, her face paled. "Henry's had an accident. He's at King City First Hospital." Panicking, Sophie sprang from her seat, "Lily, drive me to the hospital!" Lily, still in shock, muttered, “Did I jinx it?” Sophie's worried glance silenced her further complaints. With a deep sigh, Lily grabbed her purse, “This guy, always causing you trouble. You should really think about dumping him." "Just drive," Sophie snapped, her brow furrowed in concern.