“We’ll do a DNA test,” William said steadily. “Not because I doubt you—but because when I claim you, I want no one to challenge it.”
Ethan looked startled. “Why would you claim me?”
William stood and placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders.
“Because I failed your father,” he said. “And I won’t fail you.”
Ethan’s composure collapsed. Tears streamed freely down his face. William pulled him into an embrace, uncaring of the stares from diners who had never seen him show vulnerability.
Three weeks later, the DNA results confirmed what William already knew: Ethan was his grandson.
But that confirmation was only the beginning.
William restructured his company’s safety standards, increasing protections and healthcare coverage for construction workers. He created a foundation in Queens named The Daniel Harrison Dignity Initiative, focused on education and worker welfare. He personally funded scholarships for laborers’ children who dreamed of architecture or engineering.
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the foundation’s first affordable housing project, William stood beside Ethan. The boy carried his father’s watch in his pocket. William wore his own on his wrist.