The boy ran up to the millionaire and called him his father, and he was dumbfounded when he saw the child’s drawings

Lewis grew up in an orphanage. He knew nothing about his parents. His mother was hospitalized without documents and ran away immediately after giving birth. The baby was a little behind in growth, sickly, and no adoptive parents were found for him. Despite a difficult childhood, the boy grew up smart and goal-oriented. He constantly told himself that he would become a successful man. Other children laughed at him, but years later, Lewis really succeeded.

Immediately after the orphanage, he began to work hard. He was a quick-witted guy and quickly realized that e-commerce was the future. His internet store soon took a leading position in the country, and Lewis himself became a millionaire. The man was not conceited and always tried to help the orphanage where he grew up.

On holidays, he used to bring many goodies and toys for the children and invited animators for children’s play performances. The man wanted to brighten up the children’s lives at least a little, but still, he knew perfectly well that the most important thing he could never give any of them was a family, which he himself had frantically dreamed of before.

The years were flying by quickly. Lewis began to think that it would be a good idea for him to have a wife and children; however, he was very used to living alone and did not know if he could ever change. Women did not stay in Lewis’s life for long. The man felt that most of them needed only money from him, but he dreamed of finding the one woman he would love with all his heart and she would certainly reciprocate.

That day, Lewis arrived at the orphanage with gifts as usual. The children were walking outside, and many of them recognized him and immediately started waving happily. Lewis smiled warmly at the children. Suddenly, a boy of about five years old came out of the group of little kids. He rushed to the man, threw his arms around his legs, and cried out loud. The educator tried to distract the child, but he was sobbing, calling Lewis daddy, and asking to take him home. Lewis was confused; the children had never before reacted so keenly to his presence, and the boy’s words struck him to his heart.

That day, he was going to discuss repairs with the headmistress, but instead, he gave the bags of gifts to the staff and ran to the car under the pretext of urgent and important matters. It was just an excuse because Lewis’s day was scheduled, and he could not forget something important. As he got into the car, the man realized that his hands were shaking. After a while, he started the car and drove home.

For the rest of the day, the boy did not leave Lewis’s mind. He had never seen him before; most likely, he was a newcomer. But why did he think Lewis was his father? In his mind, the man kept returning to the child, wondering how he felt now, whether he felt betrayed and abandoned again. After all, it could well be if he really took Lewis for his father. The man empathized with all abandoned children. In order to help them in some way, he took on the patronage of the orphanage. Lewis often told the children that they, like any other people, were unique and that they had talents and could succeed in life just like him. And now, this incomprehensible and somewhat unpleasant situation had happened.

The next day, he went to the orphanage again. For some reason, the little boy who called him father troubled his soul. Lewis decided that he just had to meet with the headmistress and discuss the situation with her. The woman greeted Lewis with a smile and immediately began to apologize for yesterday’s incident.

She tried to explain to the man that such situations often happen in the orphanage, as children always hope to be taken away and wait for their parents. Lewis understood very well such behavior in children; the only thing he did not understand was why the boy called him daddy. It seemed to him that in his eyes, he saw relief, as if he had actually met his father. Lewis could not convince himself that it was just a child’s fantasy.

Then the headmistress, with a sigh, admitted that there was really something strange about the situation. The boy’s name was Ben, and he had come to the orphanage two weeks ago. Even before he met Lewis, in his drawings, he had depicted a man who looked just like him and said that he was his father. With these words, the woman took some drawings out of a folder lying on the table.

When Lewis saw them, his soul was overturned. Of course, they were very far from a real portrait, but the characteristic scar on his right cheek was unmistakable. This deep scar Lewis had got back in a school fight. At this time, Ben’s teacher came into the room and told that she had asked the boy a little about his drawings. Ben willingly told her that his mother had told him about his father when he was shown on the big screen on TV. Then the teacher quietly added that yesterday, Ben had even packed all his things and was waiting for his father to come for him.

The headmistress coughed softly but expressively, as if trying to get the young tutor not to say anything unnecessary. She was clearly afraid of scaring off a sponsor who invested a lot of money in the development of the orphanage. After all, anyone could call him father, and it didn’t mean that he was.

Lewis carefully examined the drawings and then asked where the boy’s mother was. It turned out that no one knew; the child had simply been left on the porch of the orphanage without a note. The police were investigating the case, but so far to no avail. The boy did not know his last name or his address.

Lewis sighed heavily and scratched the back of his head. Of course, he had been with women, and he could have been careless with the means of protection, but still, a child? It seemed something fantastic, but if it really was his son, there was no way the man would want him to grow up in an orphanage.

When Lewis stepped out into the hallway, he ran into the teacher who was waiting for him. Her name was Dorothy, and she had recently graduated from college and was working here as a teacher. She apologized for her insistence and said that she was very worried about the boy because he had not eaten anything since yesterday. Blushing, the young woman said that she had found Lewis’s child picture in the archives and that, in her opinion, there were certain similarities.

Lewis gritted his teeth and looked at the young woman. The man held out his card, asked her to ask the boy about his mother, and said goodbye. In the evening, he met with his friend and shared what was troubling his soul. Andrew also grew up in an orphanage, and he understood perfectly his friend’s feelings. He advised Lewis to take a DNA test and finally clear up the question. Lewis thought it was a great idea, thanking his friend. He decided that in the morning, he would call Dorothy and ask her to bring a lock of the boy’s hair.

The next day, they met at a cafe, and Dorothy gave him the material to analyze. The teacher was excited; she said that Ben could not calm down, but all these two weeks, he was a very quiet and compliant child. Dorothy was more than sure that the child rushed into the arms of Lewis for a reason. She did not find out much about his mother; the child could only say the name Alice and that she was sick and cried when she left him.

All night long, Lewis was intensely reminiscing. Once upon a time, he knew a girl named Alice. They met at a conference. She dreamed of creating designer outfits and one day launching her clothing line. Lewis only dated her for a week and then realized he wasn’t ready for a serious relationship yet and left, no longer answering his phone. That was the end of their relationship.

Was she really the same Alice? Lewis concentrated his efforts on finding information about the woman. Soon, he found out that she had died a week ago in a hospice. Lewis was horrified. He became unbearably ashamed of what he had done so badly to the woman. After all, then he really thought that she was sincerely in love with him, but he was afraid of his feelings and the prospect of a serious relationship, and left her. And now he could not even ask her forgiveness.

Thinking about Ben, Lewis realized that Alice could give birth to a son from anyone. However, the man suddenly realized that it did not matter to him now. Regardless of the DNA test results, he decided to adopt the boy and somehow redeem himself in front of his mother. The man ordered his lawyers to prepare adoption documents and inform the director of the orphanage that he had decided to adopt Ben. He was afraid to meet with the boy because he had not yet received permission, and Lewis knew that it would not be easy because the lonely man was not very suitable for the role of an adoptive parent.

A few days later, the DNA results came back confirming that Ben was indeed Lewis’s son. Now it was much easier to make everything official. When Dorothy heard the news, she could not hold back tears of joy. She was very happy that the boy finally found his father. Lewis asked the headmistress to take the child without waiting for the formalities, and she did not argue with the sponsor. The boy was taken to the office. Lewis squatted down, smiled at the child, and held him tightly. Then he looked into Ben’s happy eyes and said he was taking him home with him.

A month passed, Lewis was getting used to his new role as a father. Life was slowly settling down. One day, he had a dream about Alice. The woman said that she forgave him and thanked him for not leaving her son. Of course, the man did not believe in mysticism and understood that the dream was a game of his subconscious.

But he really felt better. And a year later, Lewis already accustomed to the role of a father proposed to Dorothy. After the adoption, they continued to communicate and somehow perceptibly became close to each other. Dorothy agreed to become Lewis’s wife. Now the man had time to figure out his feelings in time and did not miss love. Soon, Ben had a little sister. That’s how suddenly and unexpectedly Lewis had a family.