“No, Hazel, you don’t understand,” Ashton said, his eyes gleaming strangely. “It wasn’t just a resemblance… it was me . Same height, same eyes, same hair… same voice!”

Hazel, arms crossed, frowned, puzzled.
“Identical? You mean exactly the same?”

“Yes,” Ashton said emphatically. “It was like looking in a mirror… except the reflection was from another world. He was wearing torn, dirty clothes. He looked… lost.”

The girl nodded thoughtfully. Her lively gaze clouded over with gravity for a moment.
“Do you realize what that means? Maybe… you have a twin brother.”

The word hung in the air like an echo from the past. Ashton remained silent, confused.
“My mother always told me I was an only child. But… I don’t know what to think anymore.”

Hazel put a hand on his arm, determined.
“Then we have to find him. This boy… Luke, is it?”

— Yes. But how? I don’t even know where he lives. Only that he manages on the streets.

Hazel gave a small, mischievous smile.
“We can start with where you saw him. Maybe he’s going back there. Homeless people often return to the same places.”

Ashton thought hesitantly.
“Good idea… but my parents will never let me go out alone. Especially not to look for a stranger.”

“Leave it to me,” Hazel replied confidently. “Tell your mother you’re coming to spend the afternoon at my place. My driver, Theodore, will do the rest.”

She burst out laughing at her friend’s stunned expression.
“Trust me.”

Ashton felt a spark of hope rise within him.
“All right. Deal.”

They shook hands like two accomplices ready to solve a mystery.

---

Luke wandered the cold alleys. His stomach was aching for food, but there was nothing to eat. He rummaged through trash cans, turning over ripped bags, hoping to find something still edible. Nothing. Just empty boxes, rotten leftovers.

Exhausted, he sat down against a wall. His thin arms wrapped around his knees. The October wind bit at his dirty skin.

His thoughts returned to the day before—to that boy, that perfect double, that “Ashton.”

“I should have stayed,” he murmured. “Maybe he would have helped me… or at least given me a piece of cake.”

But fear had driven him to flee. Luke had always known that an adult who approaches you with a smile can also betray you the next moment. He had seen too many false promises, known too well the homes where people beat more than they feed.

Yet something in Ashton’s gaze had troubled him. It wasn’t pity, but a kind of silent recognition.

—Maybe… I should go back there, he suddenly thought.

He stood up, deciding to follow his instincts. Something in his heart told him their meeting was no accident.

Ashton watched the classroom clock impatiently. Every second seemed like an eternity. Hazel, standing next to him, barely concealed her excitement.

When the bell finally rang, the two friends exchanged a knowing look.

“Adventure,” Hazel whispered with a wink.

They rushed towards the exit. But at the gate, instead of seeing Penelope, Ashton ran into his father, Alphonso, accompanied by Michelle—his so-called aunt.

A knot of anxiety immediately formed in his stomach. There was something about these two that inspired a deep unease in him, a shadow he didn’t understand.

Michelle stepped forward, beaming, playing her role to perfection.
“My dear nephew! I missed you so much!”

She hugged him, but Ashton remained motionless, stiff as a statue.
“I… hello, Aunt Michelle,” he stammered.

Alphonso didn’t waste any time.
“Get in the car. Your mother is working, and I have to take you home.”

“No,” Ashton replied with rare boldness. “I have to go to Hazel’s. We have a homework assignment to do together.”

Her father frowned, annoyed.
“Hazel, again? You spend too much time with that girl. You should be playing soccer with boys, not hanging out with a kid.”

Before Ashton could reply, Hazel intervened in a calm, polite tone,
“Mr. Alphonso, this is for school. We have a project due tomorrow.”

Michelle, still smiling, placed a hand on her lover’s shoulder.
“Leave him alone, Alphonso. Penelope loves it when Ashton focuses on his studies.”

After a tense silence, Alphonso finally gave in.
“Very well. But I want him brought back to me as soon as work is over.”

Hazel nodded with an angelic smile.
“Promise. My driver will bring him back.”

Ashton jumped into the car with a sigh of relief. From a distance, he saw his father and Michelle walking away. Their silhouettes disappeared into the crowd—a seemingly impeccable couple, but one whose secret would soon be out.

In the car, Hazel and Ashton leaned toward each other.
“Almost there,” she said quietly.

Theodore, the driver, glanced in the rearview mirror.
“Where exactly am I going, miss?”

“At the Peach District reception hall,” she replied cheerfully.

The driver hesitated.
“Your parents told me to drive you straight home, Miss Hazel…”

“It’ll be quick,” she promised with a charming smile. “I just want to reserve the room for my birthday.”

Theodore sighed, defeated.
“Very well, but if your parents ask me for an explanation, I’ll report you.”

The two children burst out laughing. The plan was working.

At the same time, in a luxurious office downtown, Penelope was immersed in her files. Numbers danced across the pages, appointments followed one after the other. She hadn’t noticed the door opening behind her.

— Hello, my dear, Alphonso said in a honeyed tone.

She looked up, surprised but happy.
“Oh, you’re here! Did you take Ashton?”

“Yes,” he replied easily. “He went to Hazel’s for a school assignment.”

“Hazel?” she repeated, puzzled. “He didn’t tell me anything… but it doesn’t matter. She’s a good friend to him.”

Alphonso smiled, satisfied, before adding in a light voice:
— I have a surprise for you.

— A surprise?

Before she could ask any more questions, the door opened again, and Michelle appeared, beaming.
“Surprise!”

Penelope jumped up, genuinely delighted.
“Michelle! What a lovely surprise!”

The two women embraced affectionately—at least, Penelope’s side did. Michelle smiled coldly.

“Alphonso told me about your nightmares,” she said, feigning compassion. “You work too much, my dear. You need to relax.”

Penelope sighed wearily.
“Yes, those dreams still haunt me. I dreamed… that I had two babies.”

— Two? Michelle repeated with a light laugh. What imagination!

She slid a knowing glance at Alphonso, who remained impassive.
“Come on, today you’re off,” Michelle insisted. “I booked a spa, lunch, and even a session with an excellent therapist. You’ll love it.”

Penelope hesitated. Files were piling up, calls were waiting.
But Alphonso approached her, gently stroking her shoulder.
“Let me handle business,” he said softly. “You need rest.”

Under the combined pressure of the couple, she finally gave in.
“Okay… just for today.”

And as Penelope left her office, her smile forced, Michelle followed her with a calculating look.
Every word she spoke to him was poison disguised as tenderness.

The car finally stopped in front of the large party room.
Hazel and Ashton got out immediately. The area seemed deserted, swept by a cool breeze.

“Do you think he’ll come back?” Ashton asked hopefully.

“Maybe,” Hazel replied. “But even if he’s not here, we can look for clues.”

They walked slowly along the sidewalk. Ashton watched every corner, every shadow.

Nothing.

Until a metallic sound rang out—the crash of an overturned trash can.

Hazel jumped. Ashton felt his heart race.
“Luke?” he called.

A silence. Then, from between two buildings, a slim figure appeared. Tangled blond hair, a dirty face, blue eyes identical to his own.

It was him.

Luke hesitated, ready to run away, but Ashton immediately raised his hands in a peace sign.
“Wait! It’s me, Ashton. Do you remember?”

Hazel stood back, watching, fascinated.

Luke took a step forward, wary.
“What do you want?”

— Talk to you. Understand you.

The street boy stared at him.
“You don’t have to understand anything. We’re not from the same world.”

Ashton moved closer.
“Maybe so.”

They looked at each other for a long time. The same breath, the same voice, the same fear in their eyes.

Hazel, moved, whispered,
“It’s incredible… they really look like twins.”

Luke lowered his head.
“Twins?” he repeated bitterly. “Maybe, in another life.”

Ashton felt a shiver.
“No. Not in another life. In this one. And I intend to find out the truth.”

Luke stared at him, torn between anger and hope.
“The truth doesn’t help,” he whispered. “It just hurts.”

But Ashton already knew he wouldn’t give up.

And in the heights of the city, while Alphonso and Michelle laughed falsely, believing they had mastered the past, the destiny of the two boys had finally awakened.

Read more here:

https://dailyhotnew.com/thaison8386/part-3-mom-this-is-my-brother-the-little-boy-said-to-his-millionaire-mother-then/