Chương 2 - the patriarch's choice
The quiet tension inside the Grand Hotel Bellevue felt heavy enough to shatter glass. High-society diners pretended to look at their wine glasses, but every eye in the room was fixed on the sight of Richard Blackwood carrying the six-year-old boy in his arms toward the center table.
Ethan took two steps forward, his broad chest rising with sharp, uneven breaths. "Father... what is the meaning of this? Why is this boy calling you grandpa?"
Richard set Noah down gently onto his feet, keeping a protective hand on the child's small shoulder. The distinguished older man looked at his son with a cold, disappointed gaze that cut deeper than any verbal reprimand.
"He calls me grandpa because that is who I am to him, Ethan," Richard said, his deep voice carrying effortless authority across the silent room. "And this table belongs to Claire and Noah tonight. If you and Victoria wish to dine here, you may request a table in the back near the kitchen."
Victoria stepped forward, her pink satin gown rustling, her voice shrill with panic. "Mr. Blackwood! This is outrageous! Ethan and I are celebrating our engagement announcement tonight! You can't honestly expect us to yield our place to a former maid and her illegitimate child!"
Richard turned his sharp gray eyes onto Victoria. "Watch your tongue in front of my grandson, Victoria. Claire Bennett was never a maid. She was an executive associate at Blackwood Industries, and she possesses more grace in her pinky finger than you have displayed all evening."
Claire stepped between Richard and her son, taking Noah's hand again. Her voice was quiet, dignified, and steady. "Richard, please. We don't want to cause a disturbance. Noah and I can leave."
"You are not leaving anywhere, my dear," Richard said softly, his voice softening into genuine affection as he looked at Claire. "Your suite at the Blackwood Manor on Lake Shore Drive has already been prepared. The car is waiting outside."
Ethan’s jaw clenched so tight a muscle twitched in his cheek. "Lake Shore Drive? Father, that is the family estate! You are bringing her into our home?"
"It is my home, Ethan," Richard replied flatly, taking Noah's small backpack from the floor. "And until you remember what loyalty and family actually mean, I suggest you stay at your penthouse downtown."
Richard offered his arm to Claire, who took it gracefully. Together with Noah, they walked past the stunned crowd toward the private exit, leaving Ethan and Victoria standing in the middle of the restaurant under the glaring eyes of Chicago’s elite.
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Victoria turned to Ethan, her hands shaking with rage. "Ethan! Say something! Do something! You're letting them humiliate us!"
Ethan didn't answer her. He stood frozen, staring at the empty doorway where his former lover and the little boy in the blue suit had just vanished, his mind racing through six long years of buried memories, unanswered questions, and a growing, terrifying realization.
