Chapter 3: The Blood Truth
The clinic was sterile, bright, and smelled of antiseptic—a sharp contrast to the luxury of the Hale estate. Daniel sat in the waiting room, his leg bouncing with nervous energy. Emily sat next to him, reading a magazine she couldn't understand.
"I'm nervous," Emily confessed.
"Don't be," Daniel said, reaching out to pat her hand. His hand was warm, grounding. "Whatever the result is, I know what I saw in that photo. I know the way you look. I know the way you speak. My heart doesn't make mistakes."
The technician called them in. The process was fast—a swab, a quick scan of the barcode, and then the waiting.
As they walked out, a man in a dark suit bumped into Emily. He mumbled an apology and hurried away. Emily stumbled, and Daniel caught her.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Emily said, rubbing her arm. "He was in a rush."
She didn't see the tiny device the man had planted in her bag, nor did she see the way he slipped away into the crowd.
They returned to the penthouse. Victoria was waiting in the foyer, a glass of champagne in her hand. "The results," she said, her voice honey-sweet. "Are they in?"
"Tomorrow," Daniel said.
Victoria smiled. It was a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Well, then. Let’s have dinner. A final family meal, perhaps?"
The dinner was a masterclass in psychological warfare. Victoria asked Emily about her life, her childhood, her education, constantly highlighting the poverty and the lack of sophistication. She was trying to break Emily, to make her feel small, to make Daniel see her as a pathetic charity case.
But Emily didn't break. She told stories about Grace—about the time they spent the last of their grocery money on a book instead of dinner, and read it by candlelight. She told stories about the resilience of her mother.
Daniel watched, mesmerized. He saw the strength in Emily, the same strength he had once seen in Grace. Victoria saw it too, and her smile tightened. She knew the DNA test would show "Negative"—she had seen to that—but she suddenly realized that even with a false test, Daniel might not abandon this girl.
He had fallen in love with his own daughter's spirit.
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Victoria retreated to her room, her mind racing. The test wouldn't be enough. She needed something more permanent. She needed to destroy Emily's credibility entirely.
