Chapter 16 - The Shocking DNA Revelation
Two months before Richard was scheduled to be transferred to a medium-security federal penitentiary, a court-ordered genetic audit of the Bennett trust assets triggered a nuclear revelation.
Arthur Pendelton, my legal counsel, stormed into my office holding a sealed envelope from the Johns Hopkins Department of Human Genetics.
"Laura," Arthur said, his voice trembling with disbelief. "You need to see this."
I opened the document. It was a certified DNA comparison report between the late Arthur Bennett Sr. and his legal son, Richard Bennett.
The probability of paternity was 0.00%.
I stared at the paper. "Richard... is not Arthur Sr.'s son?"
"No," Arthur Pendelton whispered. "Thirty-six years ago, Evelyn Bennett had an affair with a disgraced Wall Street broker named Gregory Hayes. When Arthur Sr. found out, he was heartbroken, but to avoid a public scandal, he stayed married to Evelyn. However, before he died, he took hair samples from Richard and conducted a secret DNA test."
The pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicked together with terrifying clarity.
This was why Arthur Bennett Sr. had secretly transferred his entire legacy, his wealth, and his company equity to me instead of his own son. He knew Richard was not a Bennett. He knew Evelyn was a scheming, unfaithful woman who had forced another man's child onto him.
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"Does Richard know?" I asked.
"Not yet," Arthur smiled grimly. "And neither does Evelyn. The probate judge has ordered both of them to appear in court tomorrow for the final dissolution of the Bennett Trust."
