CHAPTER 4: NOAH'S DNA RESULTS SHOCKED THE ENTIRE COURTROOM
The ballroom was silent.
No one moved.
No one even breathed.
Richard Hayes' final words echoed through the room.
"Ask Noah who his real father is."
Margaret closed her eyes.
For twenty-five years...
She had prepared herself for every possible attack.
Except this one.
Noah looked up at her, his small voice trembling.
"Grandma... who is my dad?"
Tears filled Margaret's eyes.
She knelt beside him and gently held his face.
"I promised your mother I would tell you when the time was right."
Richard burst into laughter.
"The time is now."
Police officers tried to wheel him away, but every reporter blocked the exit.
The entire nation was watching the live broadcast.
Millions of viewers flooded social media with one question.
Who is Noah's father?
Margaret slowly stood.
"I never wanted Noah dragged into this."
Richard smiled coldly.
"You should have thought about that twenty-five years ago."
The CEO stepped between them.
"Richard, enough."
Richard ignored him.
"Noah isn't the heir everyone thinks he is."
Gasps spread across the ballroom.
Richard pointed directly at the little boy.
"His father wasn't my son."
The room exploded with whispers.
Margaret finally spoke.
"No."
"He wasn't."
Even the reporters stopped talking.
Everyone stared at her in disbelief.
Richard laughed louder.
"See? She admitted it!"
"But..." Margaret continued.
"You conveniently forgot to tell everyone why."
She reached into her handbag and pulled out an old envelope.
The paper had yellowed with age.
Across the front were six handwritten words.
Open Only If Richard Lies Again.
The CEO's eyes widened.
"You kept it all this time?"
Margaret nodded.
"It was my daughter's final wish."
She slowly opened the envelope.
Inside was a DNA report.
A birth certificate.
And one handwritten letter.
Margaret handed the DNA report to the lead detective.
He studied it carefully.
His expression changed instantly.
"This... can't be right."
Richard's smile faded.
"What does it say?"
The detective looked directly at him.
"The DNA proves Noah is not your biological grandson."
Richard burst into triumphant laughter.
"I told you!"
But the detective wasn't finished.
He turned another page.
"It also proves..."
"...your son wasn't your biological son either."
The ballroom froze.
Richard's laughter stopped.
"What?"
The detective looked at him again.
"Your late son was never biologically related to you."
Richard's face turned white.
"No..."
"That's impossible."
Margaret quietly unfolded the handwritten letter.
"My daughter wrote this before she died."
Her voice cracked as she began reading.
"Mother...
If Richard ever tries to destroy Noah's future, tell him the truth.
The man who raised me was never my father.
Mom confessed everything before she passed away.
Richard was infertile after the accident when he was twenty-eight.
He knew he could never have children.
He secretly paid another man to father his heir...
then spent decades pretending the child was his own.He built his empire on lies...
but the biggest lie was the one he told himself."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Richard stared at the letter.
His lips trembled.
"No..."
"She lied..."
Margaret looked directly into his eyes.
"No."
"You lied."
"For twenty-five years."
Richard suddenly grabbed his chest.
His breathing became rapid.
Doctors rushed toward him as he collapsed from his wheelchair onto the marble floor.
The ballroom erupted into chaos.
Paramedics fought to stabilize him.
Just before losing consciousness...
Richard grabbed Margaret's wrist.
His voice was barely audible.
"I wasn't the mastermind..."
Margaret frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Richard coughed violently.
"There was..."
"...someone else."
"He planned everything."
"He stole your company..."
"...using me."
Margaret's heart stopped.
"Who?"
Richard struggled to lift his hand.
He pointed toward someone standing quietly near the back of the ballroom.
The company's CEO.
The man who had protected Margaret all evening.
The man everyone believed was on her side.
The CEO slowly removed his glasses...
...and smiled.
A smile Margaret had seen only once before.
May you like
Twenty-five years ago.
To Be Continued...
