In The Arms of My Father's Son.

Rain hammers the cemetery.

Elias stands alone beside the grave, watching dirt fall onto his mother's coffin. Each shovelful sounds too loud. The handful of mourners, distant cousins he barely knows, neighbors who came out of obligation, have already left, rushing to their cars to escape the downpour.

He stays.

Water soaks through his cheap black suit, the one he bought at a thrift store three days ago. His mother would have hated that he spent money on it. She always said to save every penny, that you never knew when you might need it.

Now he understands why.

The funeral director approaches with an umbrella. "Mr. Hayes, we need to close up."

Elias nods but doesn't move.

"Sir?"

"Just one more minute."

The man walks away, leaving Elias alone with the rain and the empty ache in his chest.

"I don't know how to do this without you," he whispers.

The earth doesn't answer.

Back in school, the lecture hall buzzes with noise when Elias arrives, his clothes still damp. He missed three weeks of classes for bereavement leave and walking back into university feels like stepping into a life that doesn't fit anymore.

Students around him laugh, check their phones, complain about homework. Their problems feel small.

"Elias!" His friend Jamie waves from across the room. "You're back!"

Elias forces a smile and sits in his usual seat. Jamie starts talking about essays and deadlines but Elias barely hears him.

"Today's guest lecture should be good," Jamie continues. "Some business guy. Adrian Cross? Apparently he's crazy rich"

Elias doesn't care.

The professor enters, followed by a man who makes everyone look.

Adrian Cross is tall, maybe early forties, with gray-streaked hair. His suit looks expensive. But it's his eyes that catch Elias off guard. Gray and sharp, scanning the room like he's studying everyone.

Those eyes land on Elias and stop.

Something passes between them. Recognition maybe, though they've never met. Or maybe it's just Elias's exhaustion.

"Thank you for having me," Adrian begins. His voice is smooth, deep, confident. "Today we'll discuss ethics and profit in modern business."

Elias tries to focus. He needs to focus. His scholarship depends on good grades and three weeks of missed classes already put him behind.

But his mind keeps going back to the cemetery, to the empty apartment, and the bills on the kitchen counter.

"Mr. Hayes?"

Elias's head snaps up. Adrian is looking right at him.

"Yes?"

"I asked what you think about corporate social responsibility."

Heat floods Elias's face. Every student turns to stare.

"I... I'm sorry, I didn't hear the question."

Adrian's expression softens slightly. "It's fine. Maybe we can talk after class?"

Elias nods, embarrassed, and sinks lower in his seat.

The lecture continues but Elias feels Adrian's eyes return to him again and again. It's strange and oddly comforting, like being seen when he's spent weeks feeling invisible.

Students crowd Adrian after class, asking questions, trying to impress him. Elias tries to slip out but Adrian's voice stops him.

"Mr. Hayes, a moment?"

Elias freezes, then walks over. The other students leave, shooting him curious looks.

Up close, Adrian is even taller. Broad shoulders, the kind of presence that says he's used to getting what he wants.

"I'm sorry for putting you on the spot," Adrian says. "That wasn't fair."

"It's okay. I should have been paying attention."

"Maybe." Adrian studies him. "Or maybe you have bigger things on your mind than what I was teaching"

The kindness in his voice almost breaks Elias. He swallows hard.

"I'm fine."

"Of course." Adrian doesn't push. "I'm here to announce an internship at Cross Enterprises. Paid position and those picked gets to start right away. Applications are due Friday."

Other students would jump at this. Elias knows he should too. The money alone would fix his problems.

But adding anything else right now feels impossible.

"I'll think about it," Elias says.

"Please do." Adrian hands him a business card. Their fingers brush. The touch is electric. "My personal email is on there. If you have questions... about the internship or anything else."

Elias stares at the card. Expensive, with raised lettering. "Thank you."

Adrian holds his gaze longer than necessary. "Take care of yourself, Elias."

The use of his first name feels personal.

Elias's apartment is too quiet.

He stands in the doorway, staring at the bills on the counter. Rent is due next week. His mother's medical bills keep coming even though she's gone. The university sent a reminder about tuition too.

The numbers blur.

He should eat. He can't remember his last meal. But opening the fridge means seeing food his mother will never cook.

Instead, he drops onto the couch and pulls out Adrian's business card.

The offer is good. Too good maybe, for a student who wasn't even listening. But Elias can't afford pride.

He opens his laptop and starts the application. Name, age, school history. All the boxes that define him on paper.

The essay question stares at him: "Why do you want to work at Cross Enterprises?"

His fingers hover over the keyboard.

*Because I need to feel something other than this pain. Because my mother died and left me with nothing but debt. Because a man with gray eyes looked at me today like I mattered, and I haven't felt like I mattered in weeks.*

He can't write that.

So he writes something boring about career goals and learning. Words that mean nothing but sound right.

At 2 a.m., exhausted and empty, he hits submit.

His phone rings immediately.

Elias stares at the screen. Unknown number. Who calls at 2 a.m.?

He almost ignores it but something makes him answer.

"Hello?"

"Elias?" The voice is familiar. "I hope this isn't weird, but there's something I need to tell you about your application."

Adrian Cross.

Calling him at 2 a.m.

Elias's heart pounds, though he's not sure if it's fear or something else.

"How did you get my number?"

"It was on your application." A pause. "I saw you submitted it. I wanted to call personally."

"At two in the morning?"

"I don't sleep much." Another pause, heavier. "And I thought you might not either."

Elias's hand tightens on the phone. This man, this stranger, sees through him in ways that should scare him but instead feels like relief.

"What did you need to tell me?" Elias asks, his voice rough.

Adrian's next words are slow.

"Meet me tomorrow. Not at the university. Somewhere private. There are things about this internship and about me that I feel like you should know before you decide."

"That sounds bad."

"Maybe." Something shifts in Adrian's voice, something dark and promising. "Or maybe I just want to talk without sixty students listening."

Elias should say no.

Instead, he whispers, "Where?”