Chapter 274 - Home in Molave 20

"Follow him."

"Yes, sir."

Dr. Charles smiled as he watched the following car through his side mirror. Only a Madani could afford this expensive car model in this place. He maintained his speed, pretending he didn't notice. Aside from the velvet diamonds and the atomic bombs, micro tracking devices were also his forte. He could tell right away any attempts to stalk on him through the signals the apps emitted.

He turned to the road on a corner and pulled to a stop in front of a primary school. He then went out of his car and walked to the gate. The school directress who knew of his visit ahead met him at the entrance.

"Dr. Charles, welcome to our humble place again!" Her grin reached her ears as she shook hands with him. Charles also returned her smile.

"Thank you. madame, but please, don't belittle the place where my son is. May I see Kristian?"

"Sure. The boy can't already wait to see you."

Kristian was one of the boys from the orphanage whom he had sponsored ever since he was an infant. Since this school also offered a stewardship program for those sponsored kids from their affiliated orphanage, he also left Kristiane to their care. Every time he was in the city, he would always come to visit him. Kristian was not the only one who would be happy for his coming but also the school's directress due to his generosity. He didn't only have a portion of her school renovated, he also always showered them with foods and gifts, including all the other children in the entire institution.

"Daddy!"  A handsome boy, of Kyle's age, came in running.

"Kristian! How's my son, doing?" Charles hugged the boy and swung him into the air.

"Dad, I have high grades. Madame Theresa teaches me very well."

"Oh, is that so? If Madame Theresa makes my son happy, then I should also make her happy."

"That's sounds wonderful, dad."

"What gift do you like us to give her?"

"A set of new teeth!"

Charles chuckled hard as he hugged the child again. He was only adopted but he was dear to his heart. He couldn't even let a day pass without checking on him.

"Okay, son. Wish granted."

When Kristian joined back his classmates to eat the food he ordered for them, Madame Theresa invited him to her office.

"Dr. Madani, the private investigator we hired finally got a lead."

Dr. Charles gathered his brows and crossed his arm. "Go ahead."

"He finally traced the caretaker who found Kristian at the gate of the orphanage."

"And?"

Before Madame Theresa composed and readied herself to break a shattering news, Charles' thoughts wandered to the day the orphanage director approached him at his clinic.

_____

"Dr. Charles, we have always known about your generosity, and that's the reason why we are here now."

"Go ahead."

"We would like to ask you to sponsor a child that we could endorse to Red Heart Primary School's  Stewardship Program. While the child studies in the school, they would also be taking care of them just like a family. Only that it would be costly."

Aside from jealousy and family differences, he knew that Markus was angry with him because of Riza. He had already known about their discreet relationship even before he was informed about his marriage to her. If he didn't, he wouldn't have insisted that he would only consent to the wedding if she were a v.i.r.g.i.n. That incident that led to Riza's death would be a ground for Markus to initiate his revenge through his son. To mislead him, he accepted the orphanage's proposal to adopt a child but hid Kyle in a foreign country under the care of a relative.

"Pick me a ten-month-old male infant."

"Good idea, Dr. Charles, because we already have an infant in mind to offer to you."

"Start processing the paper as soon as possible but in one condition."

"We are willing to listen, doc."

"Take my son to another country through a fake adoption. And I will have someone to meet you there."

The school director froze for a second, and in his face, a massive shock. Charles looked at him in the eye and confessed, "Someone is after the life of my son."

_____

"Dr. Charles, may I proceed?"

Charles snapped back to his senses when he heard Madame Theresa's voice. "I'm sorry I was lost. Go ahead, madame."

"Next week, the private investigator would go the caretaker's province. Hopefully, this will be the last step towards finding Kristian's biological parents."

Charles nodded as he pulled out a stub of a check from his bag. He scribbled a name then handed it to her. "Madame, that is an open amount. My son wants you to buy a set of new teeth."

Madame Theresa burst into laughter that her loose dentures flew into the air. With a smile, Charles understood why Kristian requested for it.

After some moments of emotional exchanges of goodbye, Charles walked back to his car. He checked his tracker and noted that the car following him was a few meters away from him. He smiled, turned the engine on and sped off the highway.

The guard was about to close the door when a car's horn honked, alerting his attention. Markus put on his bonnet and showed an identification to the guard. Leader, Ebony Fighters.

He no longer thought twice about opening a gate and he barged inside Madame Theresa's office. Madame almost collapsed from her swivel chair when she saw the big ID card hanging on the man's chest. The videos of the latest bombing incident that pointed to the Ebony Fighters were raging in social media.

"Show me the son of Charles Madani."

"No, sir. The child is innocent. Whatever grudges you may have with his parent, remember, he is not accountable with it."

"Don't worry, madame. I may be the most dangerous man in the country, but I won't harm my son. Show him to me. Now."

"Yes, yes! I will go and get him." Madame's chest almost exploded in the thought that she was keeping the son of a terrorist?

Like a bolt of lightning, Madame came back with the boy in her hand. Markus stared at him, and the boy also stared back at him.

"Do I know you, uncle?"

Markus did not reply. He stared at him longer, examining some features that resembled the Madani genes. Deep-seated eyes, pointed nose, fair skin.

The boy had all those but, his looks didn't stir him the way the son of Hayri and Jane did. 

"Boy, what's your name?"

Kristian coiled at the side of Madame Theresa and hid his body. His widened eyes and sharp stares spoke volumes of fear. In a tiny voice, he answered. "Kristian Madani."