Chapter 208:.

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Alexis called him, “Are you in the office? I will personally deliver the results to your office in ten minutes.”

Ten minutes later, Alexis arrived.

Dressed in an ornate suit, his face as cold as ever, he handed William the document in his hand, “Here is your complete profile, but there are parts that are too old to research clearly.”

William froze for a moment, “Are there still things your men can’t find out?”.

“You should read the information first!” said Alexis, “My men are humans too, not gods!”

William leafed through the papers, his eyes downcast and growing more and more surprised. “Is this true?”

“The details are all there!” Alexis said, “By the way, is Daniel your son?”

William nodded, “Yes, Daniel is my son! Alexis, if it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I would know when I would have found my son, Thank you!”

Alexis shook her head. “You sure are slow on the uptake! Your own son is so grown up and you still can’t tell if he’s your son or not!”

“Yes! I really am too stupid.” William let out a sigh. After glancing at the report again, he furrowed his eyebrows and said, “If Peter really is my half-brother, it’s impossible for Dad not to know! And he was only born a month before me, how could Dad not know?”.

Peter’s identity in the investigation report: he was actually his half-brother. This was what the report said.

Alexis nodded and said, “Will, his mother is Ava Mollison, and she currently lives in Switzerland! She moved to Switzerland five years ago and has never been married in her life. According to the records, it appears that she had only one relationship with Mr. Rowland, but the records may not be quite correct, as there is an interval of about three months. It was then that Mr. Rowland and Mrs. Rowland were married.”

“Ava?” William puzzled, it seemed to him he had heard that name somewhere before.

“She’s Mrs. Rowland’s best friend! The best friend from the same class and dormitory.”

He thought to himself, “Um! Yes, Mrs. Howe talked about this woman! But how did Ava get pregnant with daddy’s child?”. William went into a trance, “The report also doesn’t mention that Dad had fallen in love with Peter’s mother before he met Mom. How could that be?”

“They were never together, Mr. Rowland never even looked her in the eye, but she loved Mr. Rowland. We have researched other dorm mates of Mrs. Rowland’s and they have all confirmed that the woman Mr. Rowland always loved was Mrs. Rowland. About this, you’d better ask Mr. Rowland – I think he’ll remember who Ava is! You, too, can determine if he and Ava ever had sexual relations. Thirty-one years ago, he spent one night with Ava in a hotel. It’s mentioned in the records, but we don’t know what the ending is.”

William nodded in confusion. “I’ll go back and ask Dad!”

gⱯlnσν𝓮ℓs．c𝗈𝗺, a world of tales

At that moment, there was a knock on the office door.

Alexis got up from her seat, “I’m leaving, let’s talk on the phone.”

“Okay!” William nodded.

The door opened, and the person standing in the doorway was Peter. William didn’t expect it to be him, as Alexis’ sharp eyes swept over Peter’s face and away.

William put the report away in the drawer, raised his head, his expression returned to calm, and he stared at Peter, “Peter, is something wrong?”

Peter had one hand in the pocket of his suit pants, so nonchalant and calm. He slightly narrowed his eyes, which were significant under the short black hair.

“Yes!” Peter walked in and sat across from William, crossing his arms and looking at William calmly. “There are some things that need your approval.” The two men’s vision crossed.

William was calm, looking intently at Peter’s face, intent to calibrate was not evident.

Peter noticed William’s expression and was a little surprised inside. He hadn’t expected that in these few years, William would be so calm that he couldn’t read his mind. He didn’t know how much William had in his hand, and approached him this time to confirm how much he had in his possession. He thought it was not yet the time to have a discussion with William.

So Peter didn’t dare speculate, but he had long since learned to keep his composure. For more than thirty years, Ava had worn a grief-stricken look every day, but he would not allow her to approach John in any way.

For all these years, only he knew how hard Ava had been, and he couldn’t understand why Ava chose to live this way. Why did she let John, who gave her life, but ruined her life at the same time, be irresponsible to them? Why did Ava always cry every time he mentioned John? He wanted to do justice to Ava’s loneliness and isolation for all these years, and that’s why he lurked around the Rowland Group for eight years until he became the head of the department, William’s trusted subordinate and best friend.

After all, they were true brothers. He didn’t care about the Rowland Group, all he wanted was justice.

The two men exchanged greetings and looked at each other, as if secretly testing each other’s reality.

Peter paid attention to William’s face, which was calm with a slight smile, except that his eyes were sharp.

“I am here to discuss the overseas investment project with you, when can we allocate the funds?”

William’s heart sank, but there was no fluctuation in his face, “How is the inspection?”

“Everything has been approved, we’re just waiting for your instructions!” said Peter.

“Very well!” William nodded, “Then send me the documents and I’ll ask the president for instructions!”

Speculating that Peter might have a hidden agenda and not granting him on the spot, but fearing he might get suspicious, William continued, “I’ll get back to you this afternoon!”

“Okay! Then I’ll go first!” said Peter and nodded.

“Okay!” William followed suit.

In the study at the Rowland Residence.

William was sullen all the way home as he didn’t know how to ask John about Ava. If the reports were true, he really didn’t know how to handle it. However, he decided to tell John. Originally, there were only a few members of the Rowland Family, and if Peter was really one of the Rowland’s, he wouldn’t mind if he recognized his biological father.

“Dad…” William opened his mouth to call out to John, but closed it again.

John, puzzled, looked up and frowned, “What are you stuttering about? That doesn’t sound like you.”

William gritted his teeth and asked, “Do you know Ava?”. Sure enough, as soon as William spat out the words, John’s countenance instantly sank. William then passed the investigation report to John and said, “Dad, Peter is Ava’s son, and if the report is correct, he should be your son.”

John just glanced at the report, shocked, and said nothing. When William saw that John remained silent, he knew the matter might be true.

He added, “Anyway, I hope you can keep my recovery from Daniel a secret for now. I still can’t figure out what Peter’s hidden agenda is. He’s traded Daniel and Sammy before, and after all these years in the Rowland Group, I’m afraid he’s planning a bigger conspiracy. I don’t want Daniel and Sherry to come to any harm, so please keep Daniel’s identity a secret for now.”

“You go out first, I want to be alone,” John said.

“Okay!” William turned and walked out.

At the end of the hallway, William stood on the rooftop, pulled out a cigarette, lit it fastidiously and began to smoke it. From John’s reaction, Peter was indeed his brother, and for a moment, he was caught in brooding thoughts.

“Don’t move!” Suddenly, a child’s voice with a threat came from behind him, and then William felt something against his waist.

When William turned around, he discovered it was his son, Daniel, holding a gun against his waist, “Mom says you can’t smoke anymore, it’s bad for your health.”

William pursed his lips and took a look at his son’s face with much comfort in his heart.

“It’s okay! You can’t smoke anymore.”

With that, he stubbed out his cigarette butt.

“Mr. Rowland is so obedient!” Daniel pulled out his pistol, placed it on the rooftop table and raised his face to look at him. “Mr. Rowland, do you have something on your mind?”

“Honey, don’t you play with guns, don’t you think playing with guns is childish?”

“I installed this gun myself!” Daniel replied, “Mr. Rowland, is something on your mind?” asked Daniel again.

William sighed, was this the affinity between father and son? His son could even sense that he was in a bad mood.

“You see I have something on my mind?”

Daniel nodded. “Don’t you always like to smoke when you have something on your mind?”

“Yes! You’re very smart.” William took Daniel in his arms and their eyes paralleled.

Daniel took one look at William’s eyes and frowned. “What is it?”

“Mr. Rowland, your eyes look like mine!” cried Daniel.

“Yes, since we look so much alike, how about calling me Dad?” William had always wanted Daniel to call him Dad.

He failed to cajole Daniel in the morning, and continued to cajole him now.

“No!” Daniel shook his head with a bright smile.

“Why?” William didn’t understand why Daniel refused to call him Dad.

“Because you’re not Dad!” Daniel’s face set as if to say you’re stupid.

“I am dad!”

“That’s only after you and Mom get married!”

“Then I’m going to marry Sherry now!” William pinched his son’s cheek and said, “Sherry and I got our marriage certificate today, and with it you can call me Dad, right?”

Daniel was still shaking his head. “No!”

“Why?”

“You haven’t passed my test yet!” Daniel pursed his lips, smiled and whispered in William’s ear, “Mr. Rowland, I’ll call you daddy when I’m older, AND I don’t want a daddy right now!”

William was stunned.

“Brat, you don’t want a daddy, why?”

“I have a great time with Mom without a Dad, what’s the point of having a Dad? Other than being able to make a sister with Mom, I can’t think of any benefit of having a dad. The hardest time is behind me, I’ve grown up and I don’t need something like a dad anymore.” Daniel smiled and gave William a look. “Mom needs to have a husband, that’s all!”

William was speechless, what did he mean he didn’t need something like a daddy? At the thought of Daniel’s words, his heart clenched and he could only hug him tightly.

“It’s my fault for making you and Sherry suffer so much, it’s my fault.”

“Mr. Rowland, you are not Dad. My dad and mom have abandoned me, I don’t love them either!” Daniel said with a flash of pain in his eyes.

“No, it’s not that they don’t love you. Honey, it’s my fault, it’s all my fault!”

William’s heart ached to the max, Daniel knew he had been abandoned by the river, and William didn’t know when the trauma in his son’s heart would go away. He wanted to make amends as soon as possible, to let Daniel know that he had a mom and dad and that no one didn’t want him.

Sherry took Sammy’s hand and walked up the second floor hallway. From a distance, she saw William holding Daniel on the rooftop. As she caught a glimpse of that scene, her heart was moved and warmed.

Then he took a look at Sammy, who was behaving just as well, and actually felt a little regret in his heart, thinking that it would be great if Sammy were his son too. But then she shook her head, how could she be so greedy?

She was already feeling very satisfied, and the next thing to do was to let Sammy return to the Brooks Family unharmed.

“Mom!” Daniel looked up, saw his mother and Sammy. He wriggled out of William’s embrace and looked at Sherry, “Mom, Mr. Rowland was smoking again, but I stopped him!”

“Good boy!” Sherry leaned over to give him a kiss on the forehead.

William looked at Sherry and sketched a smile, “We’re not even married yet and you’re already checking up on me?”

Sherry raised her eyebrows and asked mischievously, “I can’t?”

William shook his head as he laughed, “Of course, the king approves!”.

“Dad, are you the king?” Sammy asked in confusion.

“Of course I am! If I’m the king, then your mother is the queen!” William joked.

“But doesn’t that mean Mom is your mom too?” cried Daniel, “Doesn’t that make Mom old?”

“Hmph! I was just making a comparison; your mom still has the ultimate authority!” William reached down to pinch Daniel’s nose, “Now take your brother and go play, I have something to tell your mommy!”

“Okay!” Daniel nodded and grabbed Sammy’s hand, “Come on, let’s go play chess!”. The boys took each other by the hand and headed toward their playroom.

Watching as they left, William and Sherry let out a sigh, then Sherry asked, “How are we going to tell Sammy? I’m afraid he won’t be able to take it.”

“As long as there’s love, everything will be fine. It doesn’t matter, they are our children…. We have two children…” William stood behind her.

Sherry turned around to look at William. His eyes were full of love.

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