Chapter 94
Jonathan’s POV
Living Room – Townhouse – same time
I stared at the file labeled ’Five-Nine-Two’ for what felt like ages.
My fingers had frozen across the edge of the paper as I dared not flip the page.
After searching for so long, now that person’s name was only a paper away p>
I was actually hesitant.
Hesitant as now he would have a name and not an unknown person.
The answer was behind this page that I held between my fingers.
The name of the man whose responsibility was forced on me for seven long years and have been searching for another long seven years.
Seven long years of questions.
Seven long years of assuming things in my head.
Seven long years of anger for wasting seven years on a child who never belonged to me…the cause of me losing my family.
I exhaled as Raymond watched over me.
I finally flipped the page.
It was the donor’s profile page.
Again no photo.
His age was the same as mine.
His medical details were noted down.
No doubt he was a healthy young man at the time.
Next were his education details.
“Designer degree?” I said while reading it. “Which designer? Why is that not written?” I said, confused.
“I think the point is for the female recipient to know the donor is educated, as for precise details, I think that’s only provided if she wants a particular gene,” Raymond explained.
“Oh,” I said as I continued reading the profile.
“Physical characteristics I trailed off a bit.
“Blue eyes, strong jawline, six feet tall, well-built p>
Oddly as it may sound, but as I was reading the man’s physical appearance…Daniel’s image came to my mind.
The more I read his profile, the more I made sure I didn’t miss any detail.
I went through the profile at least a dozen times.
Each time, I felt this man was so familiar.
I flipped the page so I could read the rest of the details, and p>
His name.
I flipped the page.
The next page had his blood donation consent details and consent to getting a cancerous screening.
Then finally my eyes fell on the name section.
At first I could not read his name.
I could see every word on the paper except his name.
Slowly the blur from my eyes disappeared and his name emerged before my eyes.
I finally read his name.
“Daniel Staf p>
Silence fell in the living room.
Complete pin-drop silence.
Raymond also noticed the change in my expression.
“Jonathan?” he asked, worriedly. “What’s the matter p>
I couldn’t speak as I couldn’t believe myself the name I read was really what I read.
I felt like Raymond suddenly disappeared and I was alone in the room.
Daniel Staf.
I recalled the time I found out it was a man named Daniel Staf who helped Veronica in leaving and beginning a new life.
It was Daniel Staf who protected Janet when I couldn’t.
It was Daniel Staf who came forward and helped me get my mother’s keepsake; the Blue Heart, back.
It was Daniel Staf who stood by me like a brother through my hard times.
It was Daniel Staf who became the brother I never had.
My heart skipped a beat as I just realized the name I spent years searching was never a stranger to me.
I knew him.
I really knew him.
As surreal the realization was, the fact was as overwhelming for me.
For the past seven years I had been looking for a man who was beside me all along.
Just then the facts hit me like a lighting bolt.
I was reading the donor file of Adrian’s father.
I flipped the pages desperately.
Daniel had just completed his graduation when he came to Livelane town.
During the few months he stayed over at Livelane, he donated blood at the camp as a regular donor.
He personally signed the blood donation forms.
And there was no doubt over the past seven years that I’ve known him p>
I can recognize his writing and signature anywhere.
The signature on his blood donation consent forms were no doubt his.
I began to flip the pages frantically.
Back and forth p>
Several times.
“Jonathan!” Raymond held onto my hand. “What’s the matter for God’s sake p>
That’s when I realized I wasn’t alone in the room p>
Raymond was with me.
“The donor consent form?” I said looking up.
“There’s no sperm donation consent form here,” I said shocked.
“Just like the other boys files,” I continued. “None of them have sperm donation consent forms p>
“Only cancerous screening consent forms p>
“Raymond,” I said leaning back into my chair.
“Do you understand what this means?” I looked at him with a questioning look.
“Are you saying these boys never knew they donated sperm?” Raymond said, shocked.
“How can that be p>
Then I noticed there was a note in Lori’s handwriting:
Special Case – 2
I pulled two other files from the vault and saw both had the same note, only different words:
Case – 1
“Why is Daniel’s file marked special case, two and the rest are case 1.” I said.
“According to Mom, these files are the ones who were executed, while the ones in the basement were never used.
“Even if these files are the ones who were used, what’s with the number p>
“Maybe Mom thought his donation was more important so she kept a different number p>
I leaned back as a realization dawned on me.
Daniel was a victim who never consented to the donation.
He was a man who never knew he was actually undergoing such a procedure.
As I realized this fact, my blood began to boil within me.
I got up and went over to the shelf and got Imelda’s file.
I went through her donor preferences.
She had a checklist.
* Intelligent.
* Healthy.
* A creative designer.
* Good family bloodline.
Then I checked Daniel’s profile.
He had an IQ of 150… Intelligent.
Overall, his stats were perfect…healthy.
A creative designer…Designer…he was a jewelry designer.
Good family bloodline…he was from a family of designers, only his parents passed away in a car accident, or else maybe his family would have made their name known as a jewelry designing family.
Then I got shocked as I found a photo of Daniel at the back.
“She knew it was him??” I was shocked.
“She didn’t just choose a man based on her preferences p>
I trailed off.
“She chose Daniel for who he was p>
“She knew all along Daniel was the donor, the one she ran away with p>
“She personally selected him p>
“Wait a minute,” Raymond said, stunned.
“Are you saying all these years,” Raymond continued.
“She chose to accept being sent to jail, chose to stay behind bars for fifteen years p>
He trailed off a bit.
“Was it to protect boys like Daniel p>
“And all the while…Daniel and these boys never knew p>
Silence fell between us.
“Daniel Staf,” Raymond’s voice was almost a whisper.
“He was the one who came here with that Imelda p>
“Later he left while she stayed back, and a month after he left she was pregnant p>
“I always thought she had his child…just not like this p>
“So Mom he trailed off a bit.
“Died protecting him and these boys p>
I was too frozen to reply or react as my mind wasn’t hearing what Raymond was saying.
My mind was elsewhere.
I was thinking about Adrian.
About how he’d react on finding out.
About Janet and Veronica.
Janet called him uncle ever since he helped them.
Veronica…for her he was an angel in disguise who helped her when she had no one to rely on.
And Daniel, the main person who didn’t even know about any of this.
I exhaled as I realized.
Nothing is going to be simple anymore.
The fact that Daniel was Adrian’s biological father p>
Would affect everyone.
And the biggest issue was p>
Daniel never knew anything about this.
But father or not, he deserved to know such a thing happened to him.
Vance, John and the doctor came just as Raymond was calling out my name.
“What’s the matter?” John asked. “Why are you spacing out p>
“Daniel Staf.” I said, as I looked up.
“Yeah,” John said. “What about him p>
“He’s the donor for Imelda’s confirmed pregnancy p>
“Adrian’s father p>
Silence fell in the room as the doctor got shocked, especially John and Vance.
Because both already knew about him as my brother, the one who stood by me in my hardest times.
Now I wasn’t the only one asking the same question.
“What? But how?” Vance said as pulled a chair to sit.
“It’s right in front of you,” I said, placing the file in the center of the table.
“His photo is in the back, details front,” I continued.
“As with the rest,” I continued.
“He consented for the blood donations, but not the other one p>
“Come on,” Vance said. “How can you not know p>
“I mean don’t they come from different places?” Vance said, showing his arm for a blood donation.
“I don’t think so,” John said. “As a hacker there are lots of times you can show one thing and do another p>
“John,” Vance said. “This is medical human life,” he continued.
“Here?” he said. “It’s black or white p>
“How can you donate sperm when you came for blood donation p>
“Guys,” I said. “That is history now. Our focus now is should we tell or not p>
“No,” Vance said, instantly. “He has a fiance and a step-daughter. Knowing he has a son and that too Adrian? From Imelda? That will ruin his life p>
“But he didn’t have Adrian with Imelda like with her,” John said in a frank voice.
“Yes,” Vance said. “But look at the legal side p>
I looked up.
“Now he’s the Daniel Staf, CEO of Staf Designs, a millionaire p>
“Now having a real son means he’s the legal heir, and as his biological mother Imelda gets a base to stand on p>
“Jonathan,” Vance said. “Let it go p>
“Let it go?” I said, shocked. “For seven years I stood as Adrian’s father because Imelda made me believe I was his father,” I said.
“For seven years, I couldn’t allow my own daughter to call me Daddy,” I continued as my voice became emotional.
“He has a son,” I said as my voice became emotional. “Don’t you think he deserves to know p>
“A son I stood as father for seven years p>
“A son whom I’ve adopted p>
“A son who’s supposed to be a Staf and writes Rollings p>
Silence fell in the room.
Just then the silence broke as my phone rang.
I let a pathetic laugh out as I read the caller ID’s name.
“Daniel Staf.” As the others looked up at me on hearing his name.
For years I had been searching the name of Adrian’s father.
And right now p>
The man whom I look up as my brother,
The man who’s Adrain’s father p>
Is calling me.
And he’s completely unaware of this fact.
I received the call even as Vance and John kept saying to cut the call.
“Hey, Daniel p>
“It’s been a few days, you didn’t call,” Daniel said, his voice evidently worried.
“Oh and Veronica and the kids are fine p>
He heart skipped a beat as he said ’kids are fine.
To think Adrian is his son, and he’s telling me my son is fine.
“Oh,” he continued.
“I’m celebrating my anniversary with Isabella,” he continued.
“I want to know when you’re coming back, and I won’t celebrate if you don’t come p>
On his side everything sounded normal.
On my side p>
I was forcing myself to sound normal.
I was literally struggling to sound as normal as possible.
As the call ended I exhaled as if a knife was being held against my neck.
Everyone watched me as I kept the phone down.
Silence fell in the room between us.
I couldn’t hear them calling my name as my mind was focused on only one thing.
How can I tell a man that fifteen years ago he became a father to a boy and the mother is the one who destroyed his life?
Especially when he’s going to celebrate his engagement anniversary with his step-daughter whom he has adopted.