Chapter 2 - The Blood Test and the Bureau
The private study of the Vance Mansion was thick with tension. Maya sat on a velvet sofa, wrapped in a cashmere blanket that felt foreign against her skin. She was a girl from the docks, a girl who worked three jobs just to afford antibiotics for the elderly woman who raised her in the slums. Now, she was being stared at like a resurrected ghost.
Beatrice sat across from her, her eyes never leaving Maya's face. Standing by the door, radiating pure hostility, was Evelyn and her 22-year-old daughter, Chloe—the girl who had spent the last two decades reaping the benefits of being the sole Vance heiress.
"This is absurd," Chloe whined, crossing her arms. "Grandma, you're letting a dirty waitress manipulate you. Look at her! She probably looked up our family history and bought that fake necklace on the black market. I am your only granddaughter!"
"Silence, Chloe," Beatrice snapped, not even looking at her. She turned to the family physician, Dr. Harrison, who was packing away two vials of blood. "How long for the DNA results, Arthur?"
"I am running a rapid familial match at our private lab, Duchess. It will take exactly six hours," Dr. Harrison replied gravely.
"Good. No one leaves this estate until those results are in my hand," Beatrice declared.
Fear struck Evelyn like a physical blow. If the DNA test came back positive, the Vance inheritance would be completely restructured. Clara was the daughter of the eldest sibling; by the late Duke's will, she would inherit 70% of the global empire, leaving Evelyn and Chloe with mere crumbs.
Evelyn slipped out of the room under the guise of getting a glass of water. Once in the dim corridor, she dialed a number she hadn't called in twenty years.
"You told me the toddler was thrown into the river," Evelyn hissed into the receiver, her voice trembling with rage.
"She was supposed to be," a gruff, low voice replied. "The man I hired reported the job done. If she's alive, someone betrayed us."
"She’s in the mansion right now. The DNA test is happening. If Beatrice finds out the truth—if she finds out we orchestrated the kidnapping to secure Chloe’s inheritance—we are going to prison for life. Fix this. Now."
"The lab is secure, Evelyn. But mistakes happen. A fire, perhaps? Or a switch in the vials? It will cost you another million."
"Do it," Evelyn whispered fiercely, hanging up. She turned around, only to find Maya standing at the end of the hall, holding an empty glass.
May you like
Evelyn’s blood ran cold. How much did the girl hear?
Maya backed away, her violet eyes wide with dawning horror. She didn't know who she was, but she knew one thing: the woman in front of her was a monster.
