Chapter 11 - The Blood Test
The paternity results arrived the next morning.
Three laboratories.
Three identical findings.
Nathan Cole was Lily Bennett’s biological father.
Probability of paternity exceeded 99.99 percent.
Nathan stared at the report until the words blurred.
He had a daughter.
Not theoretically.
Not emotionally.
Legally and biologically.
Lily was his.
Grace stood beside him.
Nathan looked at her.
“I missed her first step.”
Grace’s eyes filled.
“Yes.”
“Her first word.”
“Yes.”
“Her first birthday.”
Grace nodded.
Nathan sat down.
The anger finally disappeared.
What replaced it was grief.
Five stolen years could not be purchased back.
Grace knelt in front of him.
“She knows who you are now.”
Nathan looked at her.
“And she has time.”
Nathan covered his face.
Grace waited.
When he finally looked up, Marcus entered.
“We have a problem.”
Nathan almost laughed.
“Another one?”
“The court received DNA results too.”
Nathan stood.
“That should end this.”
Marcus shook his head.
“The Vale team claims the samples were compromised.”
Nathan stared at him.
“They’re asking for supervised testing through a court-selected lab.”
“Fine.”
Marcus hesitated.
“The judge approved it.”
Grace immediately understood.
“They control the judge.”
Marcus did not answer.
He did not need to.
Nathan opened Thomas’s ledger.
One name appeared under judiciary payments.
Judge Malcolm Reeves.
The same judge handling Lily’s emergency custody case.
Nathan smiled coldly.
“Good.”
Grace frowned.
“Good?”
“If Reeves is taking money from Richard, we finally know exactly where to apply pressure.”
Marcus shook his head.
“We cannot publicly accuse a sitting judge using evidence obtained from a hidden device until we verify chain of custody.”
Nathan closed the laptop.
“Then verify it.”
Marcus’s phone rang.
He listened for several seconds.
His face changed.
“What happened?”
Nathan asked.
Marcus ended the call.
“The foster family reported Lily missing.”
Grace stopped breathing.
“What?”
Nathan grabbed his jacket.
“How does a four-year-old disappear from state custody?”
Marcus looked sick.
“She didn’t.”
“The foster mother claims two child-welfare officers arrived with transfer documents.”
Grace whispered.
“Fake officers.”
Nathan was already moving.
Security footage from the neighborhood showed a black SUV leaving the foster home.
The license plate belonged to a vehicle registered to a Vale subsidiary.
Nathan called Victoria.
She answered on the second ring.
“Nathan.”
“Where is my daughter?”
Victoria remained silent.
Nathan’s voice dropped.
“If anyone touches her—”
“You should have married me.”
Nathan froze.
Victoria continued.
“You still can.”
Nathan looked at Grace.
Grace was shaking.
“Where is Lily?”
Victoria exhaled softly.
“Come to the Vale estate.”
May you like
“Alone.”
“And bring your father’s ledger.”
