Gun woke up feeling disoriented, his mind hazy as he blinked against the bright hospital lights. The steady beeping of the monitors filled the silence. His body ached, his throat dry, but when he turned his head, all thoughts of discomfort faded.

  Jason was there, fast asleep in the chair beside his bed, his head tilted at an awkward angle.

  For a brief moment, a small, tired smile tugged at his lips. But then it hit him—Jason wasn’t supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near him.

  Gun sat up slowly, his gaze locked on his son. The longer he stared, the more Jason reminded him of King. The shape of his jaw, the curve of his nose, even the way his brows furrowed in sleep—it was all King.

  His heart clenched painfully in his chest.

  I can’t keep doing this.

  The thought rang in his head like a warning bell, suffocating and inescapable.

  Frustration surged through him. His fingers curled around the gss of water sitting on the bedside table, and without thinking, he hurled it at Jason.

  The gss hit his son square in the chest, the water spshing all over him.

  Jason jolted awake with a strangled gasp, hands filing as if he were drowning. “What the hell—?!”

  Gun watched him with cold detachment, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Why are you here?”

  Jason smirked, wiping the water off himself, but his amusement faded just as quickly as it came. His expression turned serious as he met his father’s gaze.

  “Do you know I was ready to kill whoever kidnapped you?” His voice was calm, but the weight of his words was anything but.

  Gun’s fingers twitched slightly at the intensity in his son’s eyes, but before he could speak, Jason stood up and moved to sit beside him on the bed.

  “You’re the only one we have left,” Jason continued, his tone softer now, yet filled with raw emotion. “What are we going to do if we lose you? You’re supposed to raise my children too. You can’t die young.”

  Gun stared at him, his heart aching in a way he couldn’t describe. Jason had always been like this—mature beyond his years, carrying burdens he shouldn’t have to.

  With a tired sigh, Gun shook his head. “I’m serious, child. You should be in university. I don’t pay thousands for you to skip csses.”

  Jason scoffed but didn’t argue. Instead, he leaned forward, studying his father carefully.

  “Dad,” he said after a moment, his voice dropping to something almost fragile. “Why are you in the hospital? You were dying when I found you.”

  Gun looked away. The weight of the truth pressed down on him, but was he ready to say it out loud?

  Taking his son’s hand in his, Gun patted it weakly, his fingers barely holding onto Jason’s warmth. His lips curled into a faint smile, though his eyes held exhaustion rather than amusement.

  “Jace, you know how you’ve been saying you’re ready to take over the family businesses?”

  Jason nodded, raising a brow at the sudden shift in conversation.

  Gun let out a quiet sigh, rubbing his thumb over the back of Jason’s hand. “Dad thinks it’s time for a trial. Do you think you can do that for me?”

  Jason’s heart pounded at those words, excitement bubbling in his chest, but he kept his expression steady. He had been waiting for this moment—practically begging for it. But why now?

  Squeezing Gun’s hand, he asked, “But Dad, you didn’t think I was ready st week when I asked.”

  Gun’s grip on him tightened ever so slightly before he forced himself to rex. Swallowing back the lump in his throat, he muttered, “I just don’t want you getting hurt or involved in too much danger. Son, you’ve been ready since your father died.”

  Jason’s excitement flickered, repced by confusion. His frown deepened as he searched his father’s face.

  “But this doesn’t answer my question,” he said, his voice ced with frustration. “Why are you sick?”

  Wiping his tears away, Gun took a shaky breath before finally speaking. “I’m pregnant… and I don’t know who the father is.”

  Jason’s jaw tensed, his grip on his father’s hands loosening before he stood up abruptly. His brows furrowed as he pretended to be shocked. “What do you mean?”

  Gun sighed, reaching out and pulling Jason back down beside him. “I don’t need you to judge me now, child. You wanted to know, so I’m telling you.”

  Jason stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head. “I’m not judging you,” he said firmly. “You can do what you want as long as it doesn’t harm you. But this isn’t right… this isn’t like you.”

  Gun forced a small, weary smile, gripping Jason’s hand tighter. “What I’m about to tell you stays between us, okay?”

  Jason nodded, already bracing himself. He expected his father to confess about the callboy, to say something reckless—but nothing could have prepared him for the next words.

  “I’m pregnant with your father’s child.”

  For a moment, Jason could only stare, his mind struggling to process the words. Then, ughter erupted from his throat—loud, disbelieving, and uncontrolble. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes as he clutched his stomach.

  “Good one, Dad,” he wheezed between ughs. “You almost had me—”

  But then he looked at Gun again. The serious expression, the pain in his eyes, the exhaustion weighing on his shoulders.

  The ughter died in his throat.

  Gun’s next words shattered the air between them.

  “Jason… he lied to us. He faked his death.”

  Jason’s world stopped.

  The air in his lungs emptied, his chest tightening as if he had been struck by a boulder. He could only manage a strangled whisper.

  “What?”

  Jason’s mind reeled, the weight of his father’s words pressing down on him. His father—his real father—was alive. He had been alive this whole time.

  Gun’s voice pulled him back, quiet but urgent.“Jason, don’t try looking for him either.”

  Jason snapped his head up, staring at Gun in disbelief. “Are you serious? After everything, you don’t want me to—”

  “No.” Gun’s voice was firm, but his hands trembled as they clutched the hospital sheets. “I only found out now about him, and he’s been busy. He’s extremely dangerous, and I don’t think he’s going to let me go.”

  Jason clenched his fists. “Then that’s even more reason—”

  Gun shook his head quickly. “Jason, listen to me. He knows about Remmington.”

  That made Jason go still.

  Gun swallowed, his body trembling. “I need to stay away from him… but I don’t know how I’m going to cut him out of my life.”

  He looked down, his hands moving to his stomach as his breath shuddered.

  “I just started getting my life back together,” he whispered, voice barely audible. “And now this.”

  His fingers curled against his hospital gown, gripping the fabric over his belly. A wave of anxiety clouded his eyes. His lips parted, and his next words came out like a broken plea.

  “What am I going to do when he finds out about you too?”

  *

  Jason’s question hung in the air, heavy with tension. “So what now? You want me to take over the businesses to get away from him and Remmington?”

  Gun nodded slowly, his eyes tired and filled with sorrow. “And... whether the father is either of them, I want my child to grow and live. I can’t go through another miscarriage again.”

  Jason’s chest tightened, his gaze softening. “I understand.” He ran his fingers through his hair, leaning back in his chair. “What about university?”

  Gun’s eyes narrowed, a coldness seeping into his gaze as he recalled the intel Delta had sent him. Crossing his arms, his voice hardened. “Are you still flirting with that man’s son?”

  Jason blinked, caught off guard. “What? I—”

  Gun’s gre intensified, his jaw clenched.“You know, once his father finds out about you, he’ll kill you. Is that what you want?”

  Jason scoffed, his lips curling into a smirk. “Oh please, I’m not scared.”

  Gun’s eyes fshed with anger. “You should be. You think you’re invincible just because you’re my son? You’re pying with fire, Jason.”

  Jason met his father’s gaze, unflinching. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”

  Gun’s fingers tightened on the bed sheets, his voice dropping to a cold whisper. “Then don’t come crying to me when you get burned.”

  “I know you’ll save me,” Jason chuckled.