POV: Male Lead (Min-jae)
The silence after Hyun-sik's cryptic warning was suffocating. Min-jae and Ha-neul exchanged a glance, both knowing that this revelation had just changed everything.
"He's already closer than you think."
Min-jae couldn't shake off those words. If his cousin was truly near, it meant that someone in his company, his circle, or even his past could be the missing heir.
Ha-neul broke the silence. "We need to narrow this down. If your uncle's son survived, he would've had a guardian, someone who raised him."
Min-jae ran a hand through his hair, frustration seeping into his voice. "We don't even have his name."
Ha-neul tapped her phone. "We start with Ahn Ji-hoon. There has to be a record of his son somewhere."
She contacted one of her sources, a private investigator named Choi Eun-seok. Within an hour, he sent them what little information he could gather.
"Ahn Ji-hoon had a son, born in 1995. No official records of his whereabouts after 1998. That means he was only three years old when he disappeared," Ha-neul summarized.
Min-jae leaned forward. "What happened in 1998?"
Ha-neul scrolled through the report. "That was the year your father took over the company completely. Ahn Ji-hoon was declared missing shortly after."
Min-jae's stomach tightened. His father's involvement was undeniable.
Ha-neul's voice turned sharp. "If your uncle's son was hidden, someone had to have been protecting him."
Min-jae's eyes narrowed. "What if he doesn't even know who he is?"
Before Ha-neul could respond, his office door burst open.
Lee Tae-sung stood there, breathless. His usual calm demeanor was gone.
"I found something," Tae-sung said urgently.
Min-jae motioned for him to continue.
Tae-sung pulled out a folder and placed it on the desk. "There was a boy adopted in 1998. No records of his biological parents, but the adoption was rushed and unofficial."
Min-jae's pulse quickened. "Who adopted him?"
Tae-sung hesitated. "Someone close to your father. A trusted business partner."
Min-jae opened the file and froze.
The name on the document sent a shockwave through his system.
Kang Seo-jin.
Ha-neul's eyes widened. "Seo-jin? The one working in your company?"
Min-jae's mind reeled. Kang Seo-jin was one of his most trusted employees, someone who had been by his side for years. Loyal, hardworking… and now possibly the rightful heir of the Ahn family.
"He was right under my nose this entire time," Min-jae murmured.
Tae-sung's expression darkened. "If Hyun-sik knows this, then Seo-jin is in danger."
Min-jae stood up abruptly. "Where is he now?"
Ha-neul checked her phone. "He left the office an hour ago. No one knows where he went."
Min-jae grabbed his coat. "Then we find him before Hyun-sik does."
The truth had finally surfaced.
And the fight for the real heir was about to begin.
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