Chapter 11 Swapped Samples
Max froze, then said with unusual sensitivity, "I didn't care when I was little, but now I don't want to know who my father is."
Grace looked surprised. "Why?"
"Alexander." Max suddenly spoke the name aloud. "He's my biological father, isn't he?"
Grace stared at him in shock, unable to speak.
How could Max know this?
Max seemed to read her doubt and said, "I just had a feeling. Mommy, if you admit to him that I'm his son and I acknowledge him as my father, does that mean I can't live with you anymore?"
Grace swallowed the bitterness in her throat. "Don't you want to return to the Hayes family? The Hayes family can give you the best of everything."
"I don't want that!" Max hugged Grace with tears in his eyes. "If acknowledging Daddy means I can't be with Mommy anymore, then Max would rather not have a daddy! Max only wants to be with Mommy forever and never be apart!"
He only wanted to stay with Mommy forever.
Max asked, "Mommy, are you divorced from Daddy?"
Grace nodded.
Max continued, "So you and Daddy don't love each other anymore?"
Grace smiled wryly. "No."
When she was pregnant with Max, she'd never even met Alexander face-to-face—what love could there be?
It was strange, really. Before learning she was pregnant, she'd believed children should be the product of two people's love. But she never expected that when she found herself carrying Alexander's child, her maternal instincts would awaken so powerfully.
Perhaps it was because she'd received so little parental love growing up that she wanted to give her baby all the love she'd missed.
Grace held Max tightly. She absolutely couldn't lose Max. Even if it cost her life, she wouldn't let Alexander take Max away.
...
At the hospital.
Emily Blake had just entered the lab when she spotted a man placing a thick stack of files on the counter. Seeing her, he smiled politely. "Ms. Blake, hello. Are you on shift today?"
"Yes, I am."
Emily recognized the man—Jeremy, Alexander's assistant.
Her gaze fell on the thick files and two blood samples. She walked over and picked them up, holding them toward him. "What's this?"
Jeremy replied, "These are materials Mr. Hayes asked me to investigate."
Emily pressed her lips together, suspicion rising in her heart, though she kept her expression neutral. "I see."
Jeremy remained silent, hesitating for a moment but not answering.
Emily's position was no ordinary one—she was the girl Alexander cared about most.
Years ago, Alexander had been severely injured and fallen into a coma after a car accident while protecting her. If he hadn't held her tightly in his arms during the crash, he wouldn't have been hurt so badly.
Originally, the Hayes and Blake families had set a wedding date, but when Alexander was critically injured and comatose, Emily had gone abroad to study. Two years later, when Alexander woke up, she returned from her studies.
Mary had never liked her. When Alexander was in trouble, Emily had shown no concern, but once he recovered, she returned to his side and brought up the engagement again. Mary found such behavior heartless and firmly opposed the marriage.
But regardless, Emily remained the most special person in Alexander's heart.
Jeremy turned and left.
Emily walked over and pulled up the files, scanning through them quickly, breaking into a cold sweat.
Grace—how could it be her?
She'd heard of this woman before.
When Alexander was in a coma, the Hayes family had arranged his marriage to her, hoping to secure an heir for Alexander.
Seven years ago, she'd disappeared without a trace. Emily never expected that she might be Liam's suspected biological mother.
Due to her family background and connections, Emily held considerable influence at the hospital.
Years earlier, when she'd heard that Mary was arranging fertility treatments for Grace, she'd consistently interfered. She couldn't allow another woman to bear the Hayes family heir.
As a result, Grace had struggled to conceive for a time.
Three years ago, Alexander's people had suddenly brought a child back from an orphanage. After several rounds of paternity testing, Liam was confirmed to be Alexander's biological son, though his mother's identity remained unknown. But Emily had sensed keenly that this child must be Grace's, though she couldn't understand how he'd ended up in an orphanage.
Alexander had also concluded that the child was Grace's, and believing she'd abandoned her sickly newborn, he'd grown to despise Grace.
But Emily knew that regardless of whether Liam had intellectual disabilities, if it was confirmed that Grace was his mother, having a son would ultimately work against Emily's interests.
Now was the perfect opportunity to turn the tables.
Emily frowned, then suddenly grabbed a sterile syringe from nearby, drew her own blood sample, and replaced Grace's blood sample with it. She disposed of Grace's original sample in the medical waste shredder and left.
The next day.
The paternity test results reached Alexander's hands.
[Confirmed: Not Biological]
The report stated in black and white, stamped with a bright red seal.
"Mr. Hayes." Jeremy tentatively asked, "According to the report, Liam is not Miss Foster's biological child. Should we continue investigating Miss Foster and that boy's background?"
Alexander gave a cold laugh. "Why would I waste time on a woman who betrayed me?"
Jeremy asked, "So Mr. Hayes means to release her?"
Alexander said, "Let her go." He crumpled the report into a ball and turned his office chair around, his expression dark.
Could Grace truly not be Liam's biological mother?
Then who was Liam's mother?
What kind of woman would secretly conceive his child and then heartlessly abandon it?
The reason he'd gone to such lengths to uncover Liam's parentage was because the psychologist had said Liam might not be intellectually disabled—he might simply have psychological issues.
Mothers played a crucial role in children's lives. For a child to grow up healthy, they needed a complete family.
Both paternal and maternal love were indispensable.
Liam's reluctance to speak stemmed from growing up without a mother and lacking security.
Alexander suddenly thought of Max.
That child was different from Liam. He could sense that Max was exceptionally gifted—intelligent beyond his years. Perhaps, as the psychologist had said, gentle, nurturing maternal love was what gave children the courage to explore the world.
At the Hayes Manor.
Grace's bedroom door opened.
Several bodyguards stood at the doorway, saying coldly, "Miss Foster, you're free to go now."
Grace immediately stood up. "Are the paternity test results in?"
The bodyguard replied coldly, "That's not for you to ask about."
Grace's face stiffened. She'd asked out of concern, only realizing belatedly that she perhaps had no right to care.
Max came over and took her hand, saying gently, "Mommy, let's go home!"
On the way home.
Grace and Max sat in the taxi with the windows down, gentle breeze flowing through.
The car passed by an elegant school gate, and Grace saw the golden lettering: Windsor Academy.
Windsor Academy was said to have the finest educational resources available.
Grace looked at Max. She wanted him to attend Windsor Academy just like Liam.
Just as they reached home, Grace saw Zara waiting by the door.
"Grace!"
The moment Zara saw her, she rushed over excitedly. "You scared me to death! I thought you'd really been kidnapped."
Grace laughed helplessly. "How could that be possible? I'm so poor—who would kidnap me?"
Zara said, "Max told me you were kidnapped by Alexander! He was the heir to the Hayes family—what's your relationship with him?"