Tobias’s stomach lurched. His father had never mentioned anything about an abandoned twin. He had never hinted at uncertainty. He had spoken only of a tragedy that had happened so early Tobias could not remember it.
“Do you know August Rainer,” Jaxon asked quietly.
Tobias’s breath caught. “He is my father.”
The flicker of fear and hope that crossed Jaxon’s face made Tobias’s legs unsteady. The world seemed to tilt slightly, like the city itself had shifted without asking permission.
They stood there for several long seconds. Two boys who had lived entirely separate lives, made of opposite circumstances, staring at each other as if both were seeing a missing chapter of their own stories.
Tobias finally said, “Come with me.”
He led Jaxon through the revolving doors of the Rainer Plaza. The guards did not speak but stared openly at the contrast. Tobias walked him to a secluded lounge with velvet chairs and soft lighting. Jaxon sat awkwardly at the edge of one, rubbing his hands together for warmth. Tobias ordered soup, bread, tea, and a clean blanket from room service. Jaxon accepted them with hesitant gratitude.