Chapter 1 - The Bloodline Test
The heavy mahogany door clicked shut, cutting off the low murmur of high-society guests being escorted out into the Georgia rain. Inside the bridal suite, the air smelled of white roses, wet wool, and tension so thick it felt physical.
Daniel Song loosened his silk bowtie, throwing it onto an armchair with a quiet flick of his wrist. His eyes never fully left the four-month-old infant sleeping in the fleece-lined carrier on the chaise lounge. Janelle Morris sat stiffly beside the boy, her rain-damp coat folded neatly over her lap. Her hands rested protective and still, though her pulse hammered against her collarbone.
""You asked why I'm caring for him,"" Janelle said, breaking the silence before Daniel could circle back to his interrogation. ""Because Danielle Whitaker was the person who held my hand when my own mother died in hospice five years ago. Because when Min-jae died on Highway 85, Dani had nobody else left in this state. When she was diagnosed with terminal lymphoma two months after Elijah was born, she didn't have family money, high-powered lawyers, or corporate publicists. She had me.""
Daniel didn't flinch, but his fingers pressed into the sill of the panoramic window overlooking the Atlanta skyline. ""Min-jae never mentioned her. Not once in three years.""
""Because he knew what would happen if his family found out,"" Janelle replied evenly, looking straight into Daniel’s guarded gaze. ""Min-jae walked away from Song Logistics because he refused to sign a loyalty trust agreement that gave your uncle Robert voting control over his personal life. Danielle told me everything. Min-jae took a job managing a distribution center in Charlotte under his middle name. He lived in a two-bedroom brick duplex. He drove a ten-year-old pickup truck. And he was happier in those eighteen months than he had ever been in his entire life.""
Before Daniel could respond, a soft knock echoed at the door. Angela, his chief of staff, stepped inside, followed closely by a solemn man in a grey suit carrying a silver medical case.
""Mr. Song,"" Angela said quietly. ""Dr. Vance from Emory Genetics is here. We have a certified chain-of-custody collection kit. I’ve arranged for the lab to process the rush sequence directly under my supervision. We will have preliminary markers in four hours.""
""Four hours,"" Robert Song’s voice cut in from the hallway. Daniel’s uncle pushed past Angela into the room, leaning heavily on his brass-handled cane. His aristocratic face was flushed crimson beneath his silver hair. ""Daniel, you have completely lost your senses. You humiliated the Park family, stranded four hundred prominent donors, and let an opportunistic nurse derail a merger that took eighteen months to negotiate!""
""This isn't a merger, Robert,"" Daniel answered, his tone dangerously calm. ""It was supposed to be my marriage.""
""Vivian is waiting in her limousine,"" Robert insisted, stabbing his cane toward the floor. ""Her father is threatening to pull the semiconductor distribution contract by five o'clock. Tell security to hand this woman a hundred thousand dollars for her trouble, put the child in protective custody through proper county channels, and call the press to announce an unfortunate medical emergency.""
Janelle’s hand tightened against Elijah’s blanket. The baby stirred, whimpering at the harsh pitch of Robert’s voice.
Daniel took two measured steps across the carpet until he stood inches from his uncle. Daniel was taller, broader, and his stillness carried an unmistakable edge of suppressed fury. ""You signed for a certified letter sent to this family four weeks ago from an oncology ward in Charlotte. Did you read it?""
Robert’s eyes flickered, just for a fraction of a second, toward the diaper bag on the table. ""My executive office receives dozens of unsolicited solicitations every week. Frauds, crackpots, long-lost relatives looking for a settlement. I protect this family's assets. That is my job.""
""Your job,"" Daniel said coldly, ""ends where my brother's flesh and blood begins.""
Daniel turned his back on Robert, unbuttoning his cuff. He rolled up his sleeve and extended his forearm toward Dr. Vance. ""Swab me first. Then take Elijah’s sample.""
Dr. Vance worked in total silence. First the inner cheek of Daniel Song, sealed and cataloged. Then, with gentle precision, the cotton swab grazed the inside of Elijah’s tiny cheek. The baby woke fully, blinking up at the ceiling with bright, curious brown eyes, letting out a small coo rather than a cry.
Daniel watched the infant’s left cheek dip into that distinct, crooked dimple. His breath hitched in his chest.
""Angela,"" Daniel commanded without looking away from the child. ""Take Dr. Vance directly to the lab in my private car. Nobody enters or leaves the testing suite without your badge scan. If anyone attempts to intercept those vials, call the state police.""
May you like
Robert sneered. ""You are making a catastrophic mistake, nephew.""
""We'll find out in four hours,"" Daniel replied. ""Until then, Janelle and Elijah stay in my penthouse under my personal security. And Robert? Don't leave the city.""
