Part 1My Secret Son Is His Only Chance For A Legacy

The day Alexander “Alex” Sterling chose the "true love" over me, I discovered I was pregnant.

Eight months later, while he was finalizing the details for a sprawling, televised society wedding to Tiffany Reed, I was in a brutal, near-fatal delivery giving birth to Leo.

Then, the news alert:

Breaking: Sterling Heir, Alex Sterling, Involved in Late-Night Street Racing Crash. Tiffany Reed Seriously Injured. Sterling Permanently Sterilized.

Terrified he would try to take Leo, I spent five years looking over my shoulder, disappearing into the city's background noise.

Until Eleanor Sterling's sixtieth birthday gala. Drafted as a last-minute server, I brought Leo with me to the staff lounge. He must have slipped out, because I heard the commotion just as he ran headfirst into Eleanor.

The entire ballroom went instantly, shatteringly silent.

That face. It was a perfect, heartbreaking copy of Alex's own childhood portrait.

Alex pushed through the crowd, rushing toward the child. His voice was hoarse, warped with shock:

“Little guy, whose son are you?”

Leo was frightened, his voice catching on a sob:

“Mommy… I can’t find my mommy.”

“Her name is Joanna Nelson.”

* * *

Knock, knock, knock.

My supervisor, Mr. Chan, rapped impatiently on my desk.

“Joanna, the catering company for the Sterling gala is short-staffed. You’re drafted for a server shift tonight. Triple pay.”

I hesitated.

Eleanor Sterling’s birthday. That kind of high-society event was exactly where I risked running into people from my past. More importantly, I hated leaving Leo alone at night.

“Mr. Chan, I can’t leave my son tonight…”

His tone turned dismissive. “Leave him with your parents, a neighbor, or the staff lounge for God’s sake. Can’t you figure out basic childcare?”

A sneering laugh came from the next cubicle. It was Brenda, the office gossip.

“Oh, triple pay. I’d kill for that! Mr. Chan, you're doing Joanna a favor, aren't you? After all, a single mom with a kid whose paternity is a mystery always needs the cash.”

Brenda’s words were cruel, but they were true.

Leo was growing fast, and the cold snap meant he needed a proper winter coat. I told myself I’d only be working the external area of the hotel, far from the main ballroom.

I nodded, accepting the assignment.

“Thank you, Mr. Chan. I’ll do it.”

“Fine. Change now. Hotel service entrance, six p.m. Don’t be late.”

As I walked toward the locker room, I passed Brenda’s desk. Her voice was just loud enough—intentional, I knew—for me to hear.

“Please. Unwed and pregnant. Acting like some high-and-mighty saint. She doesn’t even know where the hell his father came from. Someone probably knocked her up and tossed her.”

A muffled snicker came from a nearby intern. I felt the sharp sting of heat in my eyes and couldn’t help but stop.

“Brenda, you’re a mother yourself. Watch your mouth.”

Brenda humphed, crossing her arms as she stood up. “My mouth isn’t clean?”

“And yours is? A little tramp. Coming here acting like a virtuous maiden when we all know she was just used goods. If I were you, I’d fix myself up. Maybe some drunk millionaire at the party will be desperate enough to look past your little brat and offer to be a stepdad.”

My eyes were burning. I was ready to fire back, but Mr. Chan intervened, smoothing things over.

“That’s enough, Brenda. Joanna, go get your son and don’t be late for the shift.”

I tilted my chin up, ruthlessly shoving the heat back down. I wouldn't cry here.

On my way out, I could still hear Brenda laughing with a colleague, their expressions flicking to me with undisguised contempt. I turned the corner and quickly wiped my eyes.

Joanna, you cannot cry. For Leo, you can swallow anything.

I couldn't shake the worry of leaving Leo alone, so I brought him with me to the staff lounge at the hotel. I set him up with his favorite dinosaur picture book, snacks, and water.

“Leo, Mommy has to work just outside for a little while. You play here, okay? Promise me you won’t leave this room.”

Leo was always so earnest. He nodded, then asked quietly:

“When will you be back?”

“Very soon.” I kissed his forehead. “As soon as you finish reading this book, Mommy will be back.”

“Remember, don’t run off, ever, okay?”

He nodded firmly and stuck out his pinky. “Promise, cross my heart.”

We completed our ritual, and only then did I feel slightly better about heading toward the main hall.

Brenda and a few other female colleagues were already there, gathered near the ballroom entrance, touching up their makeup.

“God, the Sterling heir is such a tragedy. Handsome, rich... why did he have to get ruined?”

“I heard the Tiffany girl was the one to blame. The long-lost daughter, right? Total loose cannon. Loves to race. She almost killed herself and took him out in the process. Now the poor man’s sterile.”

“If you ask me, the Sterling family is cursed. She’s a jinx. She destroyed their entire bloodline.”

... Just then, a delicate, yet furious voice spoke from behind them:

“Who are you calling a jinx?”

Tiffany Reed glared at Brenda and the others. They went pale, bowing their heads and muttering apologies. Tiffany’s gaze swept past them until it landed on me, standing a little way off.

“Joanna?” she called out, a note of startled surprise in her voice.