The figurine he had just bought was about to be auctioned. He looked at the stage as they brought it up.
When the bidding went up, only two people were still in—an overweight man with a large nose, and a tall man with white hair in a navy suit. Neither of them was his father.
Ryan had made sure to stay anonymous and had placed ads to make sure that, if his father was out there, he would know the figurine was being auctioned today.
“$600,000 going once,” the auctioneer announced.
Ryan felt hopeless.
He was afraid he would lose both the chance to find his father and a lot of money on the figurine.
“…going twice…”
“$1 million!”
Ryan froze—he recognized the voice. It was his father. He looked up and saw Arnold standing at the back of the room, taking off his wide-brimmed hat.
“$1 million going once… going twice… sold to the man in the beige coat!” the auctioneer announced, hitting the gavel.
Arnold quickly put his hat back on and walked toward the exit, but Ryan ran around and blocked his way.
Then Detective Bradshaw stepped in and put handcuffs on Arnold.
“Ryan?” Arnold looked surprised. “You tricked me! This was all a setup!”
“Don’t make it sound like I betrayed you, Dad!” Ryan snapped.
“You’re the one who cheated on Mom and faked your death so you could run away with your girlfriend! How could you do that to us?”
Arnold looked down and admitted he was tired of his old life and wanted to start over with Miss Pearson.
“So you got a big life insurance policy, paid off the coroner to fake your death, and let your family and friends cry over an empty casket?” Ryan said angrily.
“You always told me, ‘A man should do what’s right, not just what benefits him.’ I’m sad you didn’t live by your own words. But now, you’re facing the consequences.”
Detective Bradshaw said to Ryan that Miss Pearson would be found soon.
Then the police took Arnold away.
