Chapter 3 - The DNA Deception
The penthouse was silent, save for the hum of the air filtration system and the distant murmur of the city below. Jonathan had ordered his personal physician, Dr. Aris, to perform a rapid, high-priority DNA test using a cheek swab from both himself and Emma.
While they waited for the results, Emma sat at the massive kitchen island, eating her third bowl of soup. She had washed her face, revealing pale, delicate skin and a scattering of freckles across her nose.
"You look just like her," Jonathan said, standing a few feet away, holding a cup of black coffee he hadn't touched.
"She talked about you a lot," Emma said, swinging her legs from the high barstool. "She told me you were smart. That you could build things out of nothing. She said you would have loved to teach me how to code."
Jonathan felt a sharp pang of regret. Twelve years. He had wasted twelve years believing she had abandoned him, when in reality, she had been hiding in cheap apartments, running from the very people who had funded his success.
Dr. Aris walked into the kitchen, holding a tablet. His face was grim.
"Jonathan," the doctor said, glancing uneasy at Emma. "Can we speak in your study?"
Jonathan nodded, signaling to his housekeeper to watch Emma. He followed the doctor into the soundproof study, closing the heavy oak door behind them.
"What is it, Aris? Is she my daughter?"
Dr. Aris sighed, handing the tablet to Jonathan. "The genetic markers are clear, Jonathan. The girl shares fifty percent of her DNA with Sarah Anderson—we verified that against the medical records Emma brought in her backpack. But..."
"But what?"
"She shares zero percent of her DNA with you," Dr. Aris said quietly. "Emma is not your daughter."
Jonathan felt as if the floor had dropped out from beneath him. He stared at the screen, looking at the red 'No Match' indicator. A strange, hollow grief filled his chest. He hadn't realized how much he had secretly hoped the little girl with Sarah’s eyes was his.
"How is that possible?" Jonathan muttered. "Sarah said to find me. She wrote that I was the only one who could protect her."
"There's more," Dr. Aris continued. "I ran the other profile—the one from the skin cells we scraped off Emma's jacket from where the man 'Marcus' grabbed her. And I compared it to the public DNA database of your executive board, which we keep on file for security clearance."
Jonathan’s breath hitched. "And?"
"The man who abandoned her—the one she calls Marcus—is a registered alias for a private security operative hired by TechVision's holding company. And Emma’s biological father? The DNA match is ninety-nine point nine percent."
The doctor paused, looking directly into Jonathan’s eyes.
"Emma’s biological father is Michael Reynolds."
Jonathan’s phone suddenly vibrated. It was a news alert. He tapped the screen, and his blood ran cold.
The headline read: "TECHVISION CEO JONATHAN MILLER UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR CHILD ABDUCTION. ARREST WARRANT ISSUED."
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The article featured a live video stream of the lobby of his apartment building. Three police cruisers and two black government SUVs had just pulled up. Standing in front of the cameras, looking deeply concerned, was Michael Reynolds, flanked by a woman in a business suit from Child Protective Services.
"Jonathan Miller has suffered a severe mental breakdown," Michael was telling the reporters. "He has taken a young, vulnerable girl from a restaurant against her will. We are here with the authorities to ensure the child’s safety and to relieve Mr. Miller of his duties for his own well-being."
