Woman: Let me look at you. Oh God, let me look at your face.
Leo: I kept it, Mom. I kept the picture under my mattress every night.
Woman: My name is Eleanor. Baby, my name is Eleanor... and you're really here.
Leo: Why didn't you come for me? Uncle Richard said you died in the accident.
Eleanor’s face instantly drained of color, her tears freezing on her cheeks[span_27](start_span)[span_27](end_span). She gripped Leo’s small shoulders tighter, her hands visibly trembling[span_28](start_span)[span_28](end_span)[span_29](start_span)[span_29](end_span). The warmth in her eyes turned into a sudden storm of anger and horror.
Eleanor: What did Richard tell you?!
Leo: He said you died ten years ago. He said you didn't want a poor kid like me anyway.
Eleanor: That liar! That monster!
Leo: Mom, you're scaring me...
Eleanor: No, no, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I’m not mad at you. I’m so sorry.
Eleanor stood up rapidly, pulling Leo up by his hands[span_30](start_span)[span_30](end_span)[span_31](start_span)[span_31](end_span). She looked around the busy market as if she expected someone to jump out from the shadows[span_32](start_span)[span_32](end_span). People were staring at them, whispering as the elegant woman stood next to the ragged young boy[span_33](start_span)[span_33](end_span)[span_34](start_span)[span_34](end_span).
Eleanor: We can’t stay here. It isn’t safe for you to be out in the open.
Leo: Safe from who?
Eleanor: From the man who took you from my arms ten years ago.
Leo: Uncle Richard?
Eleanor: He isn't your uncle, Leo. He’s the trustee of your father’s estate.
Leo squinted his eyes, his head spinning with terms he didn't understand[span_35](start_span)[span_35](end_span). He was just a kid who picked up aluminum cans to buy cheap bread[span_36](start_span)[span_36](end_span). Estate? Trustee? None of those words made sense in his world.
Leo: What does that mean?
Eleanor: It means your father left you millions of dollars before he passed away, Leo. Millions.
Leo: Millions? But I don't have any money. I live in a shed behind the bakery.
Eleanor: Because Richard stole it all. He told me you died in the hospital after the crash!
Leo: He told me YOU died!
Eleanor: He kept us apart so he could control the family trust fund.
Eleanor pulled out her expensive smartphone, her fingers tapping the glass with frantic speed[span_37](start_span)[span_37](end_span). A middle-aged man in a sharp suit appeared on her screen in a matter of seconds.
Lawyer: Eleanor? What’s wrong? You sound breathless.
Eleanor: Arthur, get to my house right now. Call the police. Call the state investigators.
Lawyer: What happened? Did Richard do something again?
Eleanor: I’m standing in the central market right now... with my son.
Lawyer: Your son? Eleanor, your son died ten years ago in the hospital fire!
Eleanor: He didn't die! Richard fabricated the death certificate!
Leo: Mom... someone is watching us from that black SUV over there.
Eleanor snapped her head toward the curb, where a sleek tinted vehicle sat idling quietly[span_38](start_span)[span_38](end_span). The driver’s side window slowly rolled down, revealing a cold, familiar face wearing black sunglasses.
Eleanor: Get in my car, Leo! NOW!
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