Chapter 4 Mysterious Stranger

Ferdinand had been sitting in front of the police station for a while, when all of a sudden, a vehicle which he had had only seen on TV, parked in front of the police station. It was none other than a Rolls Royce.

Ferdinand's mouth dropped open. This was not a sight one could see every day. The car looked even better than it did on TV.

The door of the vehicle opened and the driver stepped out. He opened the back door of the vehicle, and the first thing Ferdinand could see was a shoe stepping out.

Just the shoe itself could make anyone know that who so ever was in that vehicle was very wealthy. A man stepped out of the vehicle, he wore a suit which Ferdinand could tell was very expensive. Even though he was poor, he knew expensive things when he saw them. The whole body of the man was screaming wealth.

The man gently made his way towards the police station, his driver closely following behind him. Ferdinand noticed that the man was getting closer and decided to look away. He knew that it was rude to stare at great people.

He never wanted to get into another trouble quickly after narrowly escaping one. He patiently waited for the man to come pass and head to do whatever he came here for.

However, the more the man got close, the more it indicated that he was heading towards Ferdinand. Ferdinand's heart started beating rapidly.

Great... had he gotten into another trouble again? Was this another family member of Damien Byrd coining to add to his pain? Why won't these rich people just leave a small fry like him be? Ferdinand had all types of thoughts in his head as he was sweating seriously.

When the man got close enough, "greetings, young master Ferdinand." The man suddenly said, slightly bowing his head.

Ferdinand was not sure whether he had heard the man well. "I am really sorry, but what did you say?" Ferdinand questioned the man as he finally gathered the courage to look at his face.

"I said greetings, young master Ferdinand." The man repeated, "I am Duke, the man who gave you the call, minutes ago.

"I appreciate that you took me out of jail, but I am sorry, you have me mistaken with someone else. I am a university student at Berkeley, and I am an orphan too. I am sorry I have wasted your time. I am no young master." Ferdinand sincerely apologized.

"Yes, you are who I say you are. Ferdinand Hawthorne." Duke stated calmly.

"What do you mean?" Ferdinand twisted his forehead in confusion.

Duke took a deep breathe, "I can't explain this, here, please come with me." He requested.

"Please, I am sorry if I have caused any trouble to you or anyone. Please, I promise it won't repeat itself. "Ferdinand bowed his head as he pleaded.

"I can assure you, young master, that your safety is my top priority, please trust me. I am not here to harm you." Duke reassured. Ferdinand could not put the puzzle pieces together, but in order not to piss off a polite rich man, he decided to follow Duke.

He sat at the back of the car with Duke, and he couldn't believe that he was actually sitting with a rich man in a Rolls Royce vehicle. The perfume of the vehicle was enough to send him to paradise.

The driver started the engine of the vehicle and it made a soft noise as it began rolling towards its destination. Ferdinand looked at Duke who reciprocated with a reassuring smile.

....

The vehicle drove for what felt like hours, the silence killing Ferdinand, then the vehicle arrived in front of a golden gate.

The gate automatically opened and the car drove in. Inside of the gate stood a grand mansion with the color white, and gold for the doors and windows. It was like a scene out of the movies.

Ferdinand stepped out of the vehicle, his mouth hanging open like a broken window, as his eyes darted around like a crazy chicken.

" Get used to it, young master, it is what you will see every day." Duke ruined the moment for Ferdinand, making his mind return to the state of endless unanswered questions.

What did he mean by seeing it every day, was he about to be kept as a prisoner here? Ferdinand couldn't help but think like a pessimist.

Duke led Ferdinand into the mansion which was where the real sightseeing was present. The large original paintings on the walls, the furniture made of rare wood, the golden chandeliers and the luxurious equipment of the mansion was driving Ferdinand crazy.

They finally arrived at one of the sitting rooms in the mansion, and inside of it, an old man with a glorious looking grey hair could be seen, pacing back and forth. When the old man noticed them, he paused.

He looked at Duke who had a smile on his face. The old man immediately understood what was going on.

The old man started approaching Ferdinand slowly, his hands open. Ferdinand couldn't help but feel that it was strange, and if precise, creepy. When the old man got close enough, he took off his glasses and looked at Ferdinand from head to toe. "My grandson!" The old man suddenly said, with a big smile. He joyfully wrapped his arms around Ferdinand. "You look just like your father." The old man added.

At this moment, Ferdinand's mind was spinning. Could this be true? Did this rich looking old man just refer to him as grandson son?

When Duke saw that Ferdinand was still puzzled, he spoke up. "Young master Ferdinand Hawthorne, meet your grandfather, my master, Mr. Hawthorne Jerome." Duke introduced the old man.

Ferdinand was short of words." H... how?" was all he could afford to say.

Mr. Hawthorne smiled. "Don't worry grandson, I will explain everything, let's take a seat." He said.

Ferdinand followed his grandfather and took a seat. His buttocks were surprised to sit on such a soft sofa. His grandfather cleared his throat and began.

"You see, your father, my son, Robert Hawthorne, had left with you and your mum, heading to a distant location. That time you were just four years old. Unfortunately, you all met with an accident.

The driver never made it, neither did your mother and father. The ambulance arrived a little bit late since the accident was in the middle of nowhere. When they got there, they saw three bodies, but the fourth body was never found, which was you.

Others believed you were dead, but I refused to believe, so I kept searching, and searching for you. I had almost given up as my age depreciated, then...." Mr. Hawthorne stopped there and looked at Duke.

"Then, yesterday, I stumbled upon a viral video while browsing over the internet. What caught my attention was the title of the video. 'A great billionaire's son, Damien Byrd VS a nobody, Ferdinand Hawthorne. How could I forget such a name?" Duke explained.

Ferdinand couldn't believe it as everything was beginning to make sense.

He didn't know why he couldn't remember the accident, but he could remember the orphanage saying he was brought there by a strange homeless old man.

Ferdinand looked at his grandfather, tears almost rolling down his cheeks,"can I see a picture of my parents?" He asked.

"Sure," grandpa replied, then he stood up and led Ferdinand to another room in the mansion, full of pictures of Ferdinand's parents and himself when he was younger. The picture made Ferdinand so sad that he started shedding tears. His grandpa gave him a hug, calming him down.

"Grand pa!" Ferdinand finally called.

"I am here, my son. You have suffered long enough, it is high time you returned home to your family."

When Ferdinand was calm, Mr. Hawthorne asked Duke to take Ferdinand to his father's room which was to become his new room. Ferdinand headed to the room and freshened up. He opened his father's closet and picked out one of his clothes and put on. Just then, he heard a knock on the door.

"Young master, your grandpa wishes to see you." A female voice spoke.

"I will be right there." Ferdinand replied.

Ferdinand headed to the sitting room and saw his grandpa siting behind a table, looking at some documents.

Grand pa you sent for me. He said.

"Yes, I did." Grandpa replied. "What course are you chasing at Berkeley University?" He asked.

"Business management." Ferdinand replied.

"Perfect!" Mr. Hawthorne suddenly commented.

"Why say so?" Ferdinand asked.

Grandpa leaned back on his chair. "As you can see, Ferdinand, I am already an old man, I can no longer do most of the things I used to do. It is time for you to take over my companies as the rightful heir."