Chapter 4
(An Unexpected Heir)
The Collins family had never been one to shy away from surprises. But as Ariana sat at the long mahogany table in her father's office, staring at the man standing before her, she couldn't have imagined anything like this. The room was heavy with silence, thick with tension that buzzed in the air like static. She clenched her hands into fists beneath the table, her breath catching in her throat.
"You're lying," Ariana finally managed to say, her voice shaky. She looked up at the stranger who had introduced himself as Andrew, a man with sharp, piercing eyes and an air of cold confidence. He had barged into her office not ten minutes earlier, unannounced, with news that threatened to rip apart everything she thought she knew.
"Why would I lie?" Andrew replied, his lips curling into a small, humorless smile. "I'm not here for money, Ariana. I'm here because I thought it was time you knew the truth."
Ariana's heart pounded in her chest. The truth? The words felt alien, foreign. She had spent her entire life under the assumption that her family was straightforward, without dark secrets lurking beneath the surface. But now, standing before her was a man who claimed to be something that shattered her understanding of her family's legacy.
"You expect me to believe that you're… my father's son?" Ariana asked, her voice wavering as she tried to make sense of it all. Her gaze flickered over Andrew's face, searching for any resemblance to the man who had raised her. But the more she looked, the more she realized she couldn't deny it. There was something about him, his strong jaw, the shape of his eyes—that mirrored her father's features.
Andrew didn't flinch at the accusation in her tone. "I don't care if you believe it or not. The fact remains that I am your brother. And as much as you might want to pretend I don't exist, I'm not going away."
Ariana stood up abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. Her stomach twisted into knots, the walls of the room seeming to close in on her. A brother? It couldn't be true. Her father had never mentioned another child. He had never hinted at another heir. Why hadn't he told her? Why had he kept this secret buried, even on his deathbed?
"If you think you can come in here and just claim a piece of the Collins empire, you're mistaken," Ariana spat, her voice rising in anger. "This company is mine. My father entrusted me with everything. You" she pointed at him, trembling with fury, "you don't get to waltz in here and take that away from me."
Andrew's expression remained calm, infuriatingly so. He crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze never leaving hers. "I'm not here to take what's yours, Ariana. I don't want the company. I never cared about the business." He paused, his voice softening slightly, though there was still a sharp edge to it. "But I am my father's son. Whether you like it or not, I have just as much of a claim to this family as you do."
Ariana felt her hands shaking, the weight of Andrew's words pressing down on her like a boulder. She struggled to keep her composure, but the cracks were beginning to show. Her father was gone, and now this stranger had come to turn her world upside down. How could she handle all of this? How could she manage the company, rebuild her relationship with Elena, and now deal with the sudden appearance of an unexpected heir?
"I need proof," Ariana said suddenly, her voice quieter now but still laced with disbelief. "If what you're saying is true, then I need proof that you're my father's son. I won't take your word for it."
Andrew raised an eyebrow, as if he had been expecting this demand. "I brought what I could," he said, pulling a small envelope from his jacket and placing it on the table in front of her. "Paternity tests, birth certificates. Everything you'll need to verify my claim."
Ariana hesitated before reaching for the envelope. Her fingers trembled as she held it in her hands, the weight of the truth pressing down on her before she had even opened it. She glanced up at Andrew, who watched her carefully, waiting. The room seemed to shrink around them, the air growing thick with anticipation.
She tore the envelope open, her breath hitching as she pulled out the documents. Her eyes scanned the papers quickly, her heart racing with every word. There it was. The paternity test results. Her father's name. Andrew's name. The match. It was undeniable. The evidence was right in front of her, staring her in the face, and yet she still couldn't bring herself to believe it.
Her father had another son. An heir no one knew about.
Ariana sank back into her chair, the wind knocked out of her as if she had been punched in the gut. She dropped the papers onto the table, her mind reeling. Why hadn't he told me? Why had he kept this secret for so long? And what did this mean for her, for the company, for everything she had fought so hard to keep?
Andrew watched her closely, his expression softening for the first time since he had walked into the room. "I didn't come here to destroy your life, Ariana," he said quietly. "I know this is a lot to take in. But I thought you deserved to know the truth."
Ariana looked up at him, her vision blurred with tears she hadn't realized were forming. She wanted to scream at him, to tell him to leave, to take back everything he had said. But she couldn't. The truth was staring her in the face, and she had no choice but to confront it.
"Why now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why come to me now, after all this time?"
Andrew sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "I didn't know about any of this until recently," he admitted. "My mother never told me who my father was. It wasn't until after she passed away that I found out the truth. I found letters from him. He had been sending money to support us for years. But he never acknowledged me, not publicly. And when I found out who he was, it was too late. He was already gone."
Ariana's heart ached at the thought of her father, a man she had idolized, keeping such a devastating secret. He had always been larger than life to her strong, wise, honorable. But now, the image of him was fractured, tainted by the lies he had left behind.
"I don't know what to say," Ariana whispered, her voice cracking. "I don't know what to do."
Andrew stepped forward, his gaze softening. "I'm not here to ask for anything, Ariana. I don't want money, or power, or control. I just want to understand where I come from. And… maybe get to know the sister I never knew I had."
Ariana's breath caught in her throat at the word sister. She had barely managed to mend things with Elena, and now here was another sibling she had to deal with. Another complication in a life that was already spiraling out of control.
"You're asking for more than you realize," Ariana said softly, tears finally spilling down her cheeks. "I don't know if I can give that to you."
Andrew looked at her with a mix of sadness and understanding. "I get it," he said. "This is all new for me, too. But I'm not going anywhere. So whenever you're ready… I'll be here."
With that, he turned and walked toward the door, leaving Ariana alone in the room, the weight of the truth pressing down on her like never before. She stared at the papers on the table, her heart heavy with the knowledge that her life, her family would never be the same again.