Chapter 2: "The DNA Test That Was Never Supposed to Exist"
The entire lobby stood frozen.
No one had ever seen Ethan Blackwood lose his composure.
Yet there he was, gripping an old silver locket with trembling hands while staring at a frightened little girl who barely reached his waist.
His assistant leaned closer.
"Sir... should I call security?"
Ethan's icy eyes shot toward him.
"No."
The single word echoed through the marble lobby.
"Call my private doctor."
The room fell silent.
The board members waiting upstairs exchanged confused glances. A billion-dollar merger was about to begin, yet the most powerful businessman in the city had canceled everything... for one homeless child.
Within minutes, Lily was escorted into Ethan's private penthouse office.
She stared at the enormous windows overlooking the city.
"I've never been this high before," she whispered.
Ethan couldn't answer.
He was too busy studying every tiny detail of her face.
The freckles.
The small scar beside her eyebrow.
Even the way she nervously twisted her sleeves.
She looked exactly like her mother.
Eight years ago, Ethan had stood beside a closed coffin and buried the love of his life.
Or at least...
That's what everyone wanted him to believe.
His thoughts were interrupted when the company physician entered.
"You wanted me urgently, Mr. Blackwood?"
Ethan closed the office doors himself.
"No records."
"No nurses."
"No laboratories connected to the hospital."
The doctor frowned.
"You want a private DNA test?"
Ethan nodded.
"Immediately."
Lily looked confused.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Ethan knelt beside her.
"No, sweetheart."
"I just need to know the truth."
A nurse gently swabbed Lily's cheek.
Then Ethan took the second swab himself.
As the samples were sealed, his phone suddenly vibrated.
Unknown Number.
He answered.
A distorted voice spoke only one sentence.
"If you care about that little girl..."
"...don't open the DNA results."
The call disconnected.
Ethan's blood ran cold.
Someone already knew.
Someone had been watching him.
Across the city...
Inside a luxurious mansion...
A woman dressed in black calmly poured herself a glass of wine.
She watched the security footage from Blackwood Tower on a large screen.
The camera zoomed in on Lily's face.
The woman smiled.
"So..."
"She finally found him."
Standing beside her was the family's longtime lawyer.
"Should we stop the test?"
She slowly shook her head.
"No."
"Destroy the child."
The lawyer hesitated.
"Mrs. Blackwood..."
"...she's only seven."
The woman's smile disappeared.
"So was her mother when she inherited the Blackwood fortune."
"Do it."
The lawyer lowered his head.
"Yes, ma'am."
Back inside the tower...
The private laboratory called much sooner than expected.
The doctor stared at the report.
His hands began shaking.
He checked the numbers again.
Then a third time.
"This..."
"...this can't be possible."
Ethan stood up.
"What is it?"
The doctor swallowed hard before handing him the report.
Probability of biological relationship: 99.9999%.
Lily Blackwood.
His daughter.
Alive.
For eight years, someone had hidden the child from him...
and convinced him her mother had died.
But before Ethan could say a single word...
Every light inside the building suddenly went out.
Emergency alarms screamed through the tower.
The backup generators failed.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Then...
A terrified voice echoed from the hallway.
May you like
"Mr. Blackwood!"
"THE LITTLE GIRL IS GONE!"
