Chapter 2 - The Tampered Test
Dr. Vance arrived at the manor within thirty minutes, carrying sterile collection kits and diagnostic machinery under heavy armed escort. In the private clinical suite on the third floor, Mia sat perched on an oversized leather examination chair. She didn't cry when the cotton swab brushed the inside of her cheek, nor when the nurse drew a tiny drop of blood from her fingertip. She simply watched the adults with watchful, intelligent eyes.
""The expedited PCR assay will take approximately four hours,"" Dr. Vance announced, sealing the vials into tamper-evident canisters. ""I will supervise the centrifuge and sequencing personally in the west wing laboratory.""
""Make sure you do,"" Marco muttered from the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. ""Because once this test comes back negative, I want this child escorted off our perimeter immediately. We have enough vultures circling our docks without inviting another mouth to feed.""
Luca ignored his brother, his gaze fixed on Mia. Collins entered quietly, carrying a silver tray with warm chicken broth, sliced apples, and a plush cashmere blanket. The girl took the mug with two hands, blowing on the steam carefully before taking a small sip.
""Thank you, sir,"" she said politely to the elderly butler.
Collins’s usually impassive face softened, a rare, faint smile creasing his weathered cheeks. ""You are very welcome, young lady. It has been many years since proper manners graced these halls.""
Downstairs in the private study, the storm battered the estate’s bulletproof glass. Luca paced behind his antique oak desk, staring at the surveillance feeds. While Julian reviewed the trust documents and Marco poured another drink, Vanessa excused herself to check on the guest suites. On the monitor, Luca noticed Vanessa lingered near the laboratory corridor for nearly ten minutes, speaking in hushed, urgent tones with a lab assistant before slipping into the shadows.
Suspicion, sharp and lethal, coiled in Luca's chest. In the Moretti family, betrayal was not an anomaly; it was a birthright.
Four hours later, the grandfather clock in the study struck two in the morning. Dr. Vance returned, holding a crisp white folder. His face was unusually pale, his hands trembling slightly as he placed the printout onto Luca's desk.
Marco smirked. ""Well, Doctor? Give us the verdict so we can finally go to bed.""
Dr. Vance swallowed hard. ""The automated genomic markers show a match of less than twelve percent. Under all legal and medical standards... Luca Moretti is excluded as the biological father.""
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Vanessa let out a sharp, triumphant gasp. ""I knew it! She’s an imposter sent to dismantle our succession! Guards! Throw that lying little brat out into the storm where she belongs!""
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