Chapter 74
The question was far too abrupt and intimate.
The doctor didn't know how to respond at first. Looking at this formidable business titan before him, he couldn't fathom why such a question would be asked.
"Mr. Sharp, why are you asking about this..."
"I only need you to answer—yes or no."
The doctor felt his scalp prickle under that intense gaze and didn't dare ask further. "No, of course not. Embryo transfer is done through a very thin catheter that passes through the cervix to place the embryo directly into the uterine cavity. The entire process causes no damage whatsoever to the hymen."
No damage?
Lucas's mind went blank with a roar.
Then Juliana could very well be Damian's biological mother!
This realization sent all the blood in his body rushing to his head.
Lucas clenched his fists suddenly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
He had to go back and ask!
……
The screech of brakes sounded outside the Sharp Estate. Lucas slammed the car door and stormed into the living room, bringing a chill with him.
The living room was brightly lit. David sat on the sofa.
"Well, well. Who pissed you off? You look ready to kill."
Lucas ignored the teasing and walked straight up to him. "Seven years ago, you handled finding me a surrogate."
David's heart skipped a beat.
"Lucas, why are you suddenly asking about this?" David tried to deflect. "That was so long ago."
"I'm asking you—who was that woman?"
David's scalp prickled. He knew Lucas's temperament all too well. Usually cold and detached, but once a line was crossed, he became an uncontrollable beast.
"Mom had no choice back then. You'd been in that accident, the company was unstable—we needed an heir to steady everyone."
"Is that so? Too afraid to tell me who she was?" Lucas's lips curved mockingly. "Then tell me this—did she give birth to twins?"
David sat up straight instinctively. Twins? How did he know about twins?
Seeing David's shocked expression, Lucas's last shred of hope shattered.
"Lucas! What are you doing?!"
Ashley hurried downstairs, displeasure written across her face as she positioned herself in front of David. "David is your brother! Can't you speak civilly?"
Lucas's gaze locked onto his mother's face.
"Mom. Who is Damian's biological mother?"
Ashley's expression changed instantly. She glanced at the panicked David, forcing herself to stay calm. "What nonsense are you talking about? Dami's mother is Bee. Everyone knows that."
"Bianca?" Lucas laughed coldly. "Fine. I'll call her over right now for a paternity test with Damian. If the results match, I'll apologize to her in front of everyone."
As he spoke, he actually pulled out his phone.
"You've lost your mind!" Ashley grabbed his hand, her voice growing shrill. "Who are you trying to humiliate? Bee? Or me?"
"I just want the truth."
Lucas shook off her hand, his gaze piercing. "If you have nothing to hide, I'll have my lawyer prepare the paperwork right now and go through legal channels. A Sharp family child can't have a mother of unknown origin."
"You!" Ashley trembled with rage.
She knew Lucas was serious.
He never joked, especially about something like this. Once he decided to do a paternity test, no one could stop him. When Bianca's fraud was exposed, where would the Sharp family's reputation be?
She took a deep breath and waved for David and the servants to leave.
"Fine. I'll tell you." Ashley closed her eyes, exhaustion and determination crossing her face. "Bianca isn't Dami's biological mother."
Lucas's heart pounded heavily, but his face remained impassive as he waited for her to continue.
"The surrogate we found for you back then died in an accident after giving birth." Ashley's voice carried a barely perceptible hoarseness. "Bee has loved you for so many years and was willing to raise Dami as her own. I had no choice but to let her take on that identity. Lucas, everything I did was for you, for the Sharp family!"
Dead?
"An accident? What kind of accident?" he pressed. "What was her name? Where was she from? She must have had some identifying information."
"There is none!" Ashley grew irritable under his interrogation. "She was just a woman after money! She took the cash and was supposed to disappear completely! Why are you asking so much? She's dead—do you want to go find her?"
Lucas spoke each word clearly and deliberately. "It was Juliana, wasn't it?"
Ashley felt unnerved under his gaze. "Lucas, I'm your mother! You're questioning me now for the sake of an outsider, a bastard child?"
Lucas smiled. "You've lied to me for seven years, and now you're telling me this?"
Ashley was stung by the coldness in her son's eyes. In her agitation, she shouted without thinking. "What makes you so certain Damian is even yours? Who knows if that woman we found only had relations with you! You treasure him so much—fine! Go do a DNA test with him! Go ahead and test!"
She thought these words would hit Lucas's sore spot, make him retreat from the uncertainty.
However, Lucas had been waiting for exactly this.
"Alright."
All of Ashley's ranting stuck in her throat.
He actually... agreed?
Ashley collapsed onto the sofa in shock. Lucas didn't spare her another glance and turned to head upstairs.
……
When Bianca received the news, her heart leaped into her throat. Soon enough, her phone began vibrating frantically. A message from Ashley—brief and brutal: [He knows. You're on your own.]
Her vision went black. She nearly fainted. It was over. Everything was over.
With trembling hands, she called her mother Emily, sobbing incoherently as she recounted everything with dramatic embellishments.
The next morning, an inconspicuous car stopped outside the Sharp Estate. Emily stepped out, her face haggard with worry.
After the servants announced her, Lucas allowed her entry.
In the living room, Lucas sat in the main seat. He glanced up at Emily with eyes that showed no emotion yet carried invisible pressure.
"Mr. Sharp..." Emily nervously wrung her hands, unsure where to begin.
"Please sit, Mrs. Hale." Lucas gestured to the sofa across from him.
The formal address made Emily's heart sink to the bottom. The distant, polite form of address spoke volumes.
"Lucas, I... I'm here about Bee." Emily gathered her courage, her voice trembling. "I know my Bee did something wrong. She deceived you, deceived everyone. But she was just confused. She loves you so much that she..."
"Is she Dami's biological mother?" Lucas cut her off.