His Secret Heir His Deepest Regret novel Chapter 4

EVANDER

I leaned over, fingers barely brushing the barbell as Carter pressed upward. His face was scrunched and red—making him look even more annoying than usual.

He needed to learn his limits, but that’s why I was here, spotting his ass as always.

“Come on, man. Push it,” I sighed, feeling impatient.

“I’m…trying…,” he breathed heavily.

I clicked my tongue and shook my head. “You should have picked the lighter weight.”

He sucked in a breath, veins popping against his skin, but the weight stayed put.

I watched, unbothered, letting him struggle a bit longer before intervening.

It was part of the process, making them sweat it out. Helped build character.

Just as I stepped in to lift the weight, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out, glancing at the screen.

Dad.

I groaned and held in the urge to press the decline button. However, I knew better than to ignore it.

I nodded at Carter, signaling that I had his back for a second, and answered.

“Evander,” came the familiar voice, brisk and businesslike. “Guess what?”

“What?”

“You know Barry’s son, right? He is a good kid with a good head on his shoulders. Well, he just had a child! A daughter.”

I sighed quietly. I already knew how this conversation was going to go.

“That’s...nice, I guess?” I said, still holding the bar with one hand while Carter grunted beneath it, struggling.

“A son would’ve been better, but hey, it’s a start.”

“Dad,” I warned, feeling annoyed.

“Well, well. You can’t really choose those things, can you? Anyway, I called you because of this. You need an heir soon, too, you know.”

“Dad, I’m 25.”

He let out a deep chuckle.

“And? I was 24 when I had you. Look where I am now. Retired early, living comfortably. You should follow in my footsteps.”

I clicked my tongue, finally giving in as Carter let out a desperate, “Bro, seriously!”

I lifted the bar with ease and racked it back, rolling my eyes at him.

“Thanks, man,” Carter wheezed, collapsing against the bench. “Thought you were gonna let me die there.”

“Maybe next time,” I said dryly, stepping back to let him breathe. He gave me a side-eye, catching his breath as I finished up with my dad.

“We’ll talk about this later, Dad,” I said, cutting him off before he could launch into another lecture about family legacies and heirs.

He always had a way of timing these calls when I was at the gym—like he knew I couldn’t escape.

“You should start thinking about it now, Evander,” he insisted. “You’ve got everything else figured out—business, money, the right connections. All you’re missing is a family.”

“Yeah, I got it,” I muttered, already pulling the phone away from my ear as he initiated into his usual rant about legacy.

I hung up, turning back to Carter, who was grinning like an idiot.

“Let me guess,” Carter said, sitting up and wiping sweat from his forehead. His face was still red like a tomato. However, he couldn't even lift the weight for more than ten seconds.