Andrew opened the door with his key.
He walked to the bar and poured himself a shot of whiskey. He stared into the amber liquid, the burn of the drink matching the bitter realization settling in his chest.
He couldn’t believe he had fallen for his mother’s stories for so long. Everything she had told him, now felt like a well-rehearsed lie.
If that was so, then the truth was finally unavoidable. Adrian was his real father.
He finished the drink in one gulp and headed upstairs toward the bedroom.
....
anwhile, Zara sat on the floor of her ho, clutching the DNA report. It was pretty clear, the Chairman was not Andrew’s biological father.
0.00%.
The numbers on the paper stared back at her, as though mocking her.
How the hell was this even possible. She wasn’t with anyone except the chairman, as at the ti Andrew was born.
The truth however was still devastating.
A tear fell onto the page, blurring the words as her vision went fuzzy. She sank down against the cold wall of her ho until she was sitting on the floor.
Then a terrifying thought entered her mind: Had her baby been swapped at birth? A tear fell onto the paper, blurring the ink. If Andrew wasn’t her biological child, where was the baby she had actually given birth to?
She stood up unsteadily, using the wall for support. Her legs felt weak, but her mind was racing with questions that had no answer. She walked across the room to pick up her phone and called Adrian.
The phone rang three tis before he picked up.
"Sweetheart?" Adrian’s voice was calm, which only made her blood boil.
"I have a copy of a DNA test," Zara said, gripping the phone tightly. Her voice trembled despite her effort to stay calm. "The Chairman isn’t Andrew’s father."
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
Then Adrian finally spoke. "Zara, slow down. You’re panicking."
"I’m not panicking," she snapped. "I’m telling you what the report says."
"Reports can be manipulated," Adrian replied carefully. "And didn’t the Chairman already do a DNA test? Andrew was confird as his son. So why is this suddenly changing now?"
Zara pressed a shaking hand against her forehead.
"You are not listening to , Adrian," she whispered. "Andrew is not his son."
Another silence followed.
Then Adrian laughed softly. "That’s impossible."
"That’s what I thought too."
Zara lowered herself slowly onto the couch, her breathing uneven.
"He looked at like I betrayed him," she said quietly. "That murderer Eleanor was standing right there. They all looked at like I was so liar."
"Did you tell him the results were fake?"
"Of course I did!" Zara snapped. "But he wouldn’t listen. He threw us out of the house, Adrian."
Adrian went quiet again.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"There has to be so mistake," he muttered.
Zara let out a hollow laugh.
"A mistake?" she repeated. "Do you realize what this ans?"
Her grip tightened around the phone.
"Even if Julian disappears now... Andrew still cannot inherit anything from the Chairman. If he is not legally his son, then years of planning, manipulation, and sacrifice have just collapsed overnight."
Zara closed her eyes tiredly.
"We built everything around Andrew," she whispered. "Everything."
Adrian’s voice turned colder.
"It’s not too late," he said quietly. "I can still beco king of the underground."
"Who cares about the Mafia?" Zara snapped sharply. "The Grant empire is worth billions, Adrian!"
"We endured humiliation for years because of that fortune. Because of that na. Andrew was supposed to sit in that Chairman’s seat one day."
Adrian fell silent. Then slowly, his tone darkened. "Maybe we were aiming at the wrong throne all along."
Zara frowned. "What is that supposed to an?"
"It ans that Julian Blackwood is becoming wealthier every second. That’s what we need to target now. My source tells he has over fifty billion dollars in assets alone, not including cash reserves and investnts."
Zara’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Adrian continued calmly. "We just need to continue with our original plan and get rid of him."
A cold silence followed.
"Why do I suddenly feel like you’re only thinking about yourself here?" Zara said.
Adrian’s tone sharpened imdiately.
"How can you say that? This was always part of our plan, rember?"
"No," Zara replied coldly. "The original plan was for Andrew to inherit the Grant empire. That benefited both of us."
"And Julian’s death still benefits us."
"Mostly you."
Adrian exhaled slowly on the other end. "You think too emotionally sotis."
"And you think like a snake," she shot back.
That only made Adrian laugh softly.
"Snakes survive, Zara."
"You’re starting to sound very ambitious. Everything is collapsing!"
"No," Adrian said quietly. "Plans change. That’s all."
"I want to take a DNA test."
"What?"
"I want a DNA test," she repeated.
On the other end of the line Adrian’s eyes widened.
"That’s absurd," he said sharply. "You think Andrew isn’t your son?"
Zara pressed a trembling hand against her forehead.
"If Andrew is not the Chairman’s son..." her voice lowered, "...then he isn’t mine either."
"That makes no sense."
"Doesn’t it?" she whispered.
"I carried that child. I gave birth to him. But what if..." She swallowed hard. "What if sothing happened at the hospital?"
Adrian’s tone turned colder now.
"You’re letting paranoia destroy your mind."
"Am I?" she snapped. "Because yesterday morning, I was absolutely certain Andrew was the Chairman’s son too."
"I’m taking the first flight tomorrow morning. I need to see you."
"Fine," she said. "But Adrian, I’m not changing my mind."
She ended the call.
Adrian leaned back in his chair, his mind racing.
What could have prompted chairman Grant to take another DNA test. They had faked those initial results with much difficulty.
He took his phone and called Carter.
"Why are you calling at this ti," Carter responded sleepily.
"Wake up, we have a massive problem."
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