Chapter 76
David fell silent on the other end for a moment before responding. "Understood."
The call ended.
The flutter from that kiss hadn't fully settled when this bombshell landed.
Juliana's heart raced. She knew the seven years of peace at the Sharp family were about to be shattered completely.
Lucas looked down at her and gently wiped away the moisture at the corner of her lips. "Want to come to the hospital with me?"
Juliana's heart tightened.
"I..." She hesitated, then made an excuse. "Let me wash up and change first. I'll come by myself later."
Lucas didn't push her.
"Alright." He released her and turned to leave.
At the door, he stopped and looked back. "No matter what happens, I'm here."
Juliana's chaotic thoughts instantly settled. She nodded. "Okay."
The door closed softly. Juliana leaned against the wall, touching her still-burning cheeks and swollen lips, her mind in turmoil.
Just then, her phone chimed with a text notification.
She picked it up.
An unknown number.
Juliana opened it, her pupils contracting sharply.
[Juliana, this is Logan. I know you've been investigating the truth behind your family's bankruptcy.]
Juliana's heart sank.
[Want to know who was really behind it? I can tell you.]
[Do me a favor—be my inside source with Lucas. Once I control the Sharp family, I'll tell you the whole truth about what happened back then.]
Logan knew who destroyed her family?
And he wanted her to... be his informant?
A chill ran from her feet to the crown of her head.
On one side was Lucas, who'd just revealed his feelings—domineering yet awkwardly tender.
On the other was Logan, holding the key to her family's tragedy, forcing her to betray.
Juliana immediately called back.
The phone connected but was abruptly disconnected after one ring.
Then another text appeared.
[Don't rush, sweetheart. You have three days to think about it.]
Juliana gripped her phone, knuckles white with tension.
Meanwhile, in a VIP room at Central Hospital.
"I want Mommy! I don't want to stay here! Waaah—"
Damian wailed at the top of his lungs while several nurses fussed around him helplessly.
The door cracked open slightly, and Matthew's little head peeked in. He sighed like a world-weary adult.
When a nurse turned to retrieve a pillow, Matthew slipped inside like an agile cat and dove under Damian's bed.
"Dami," he whispered, "stop crying. I have a way to get you to Mommy."
Damian's crying hitched. He peered over the edge of the bed, sniffling. "Matty? How did you get here?"
"Never mind that," Matthew instructed quietly. "When the nurse comes in again, hide under the blanket, and we'll switch places."
Damian's eyes lit up, instantly grasping his brother's plan.
Soon, a new shift nurse entered and efficiently drew blood.
She didn't notice that "Damian" on the bed quietly opened his eyes, revealing a calmness and tension beyond his years.
As the door closed, Matthew threw off the blanket. "Dami, go now!"
Damian had been waiting for this. He scrambled out from under the bed, quickly stripped off his hospital gown, changed into the clothes Matthew brought, and transferred his patient wristband to his brother's arm—all in one smooth motion.
"Matty, will you be okay alone? Grandma... she's really mean."
"Don't worry," Matthew patted his chest with false bravado. "I'm smarter than you. I won't get hurt. Go find Mommy quick, and don't get caught."
Damian nodded and slipped out during a quiet moment in the hallway.
Only Matthew remained in the room.
He lay back down and pulled up the blanket, his heart pounding.
The blood they'd just drawn was his.
He wondered how Daddy and that mean grandma would react.
Before long, the door opened.
Lucas walked in, David following behind.
David waved a manila envelope and handed it over. "Lucas, the DNA test results. Rush ordered."
Matthew's eyes locked onto that envelope, his heart leaping to his throat.
"What's that?"
His hand reached halfway before a warm, dry hand pressed it back down.
Lucas took the envelope without even glancing at it and casually placed it on the nightstand.
"Adult business. Don't worry about it. Just rest."
Matthew reluctantly withdrew his hand.
Just then, the door banged open forcefully.
Ashley strode in on her heels. "Lucas, the results are out, aren't they?"
Without waiting for an answer, she spoke first with a cold laugh. "Let me say this upfront—if he's not your child, he's leaving the Sharp family today! We absolutely will not raise some bastard of questionable origin!"
Matthew's face went pale.
Lucas's expression darkened as well. He replied with a single word.
"Fine."
Hearing that word, Ashley's face lit up with triumph. She knew it—no matter how much Lucas protected this little bastard, he wouldn't gamble with the Sharp family bloodline.
She snatched the envelope from the nightstand. The next second, her triumphant smile froze.
Ashley's eyes widened in shock.
"Impossible... this can't be right!"
She flipped through the pages repeatedly, her eyes practically glued to the paper, reading the conclusion over and over.
[Upon examination, a parent-child relationship exists between test subject Lucas and test subject Damian, with a probability of 99.9999%.]
Black and white. Crystal clear.
Lucas pulled the report from her hands and looked down at his mother's contorted expression.
"Mom. You owe him an apology."
Ashley's head snapped up.
"Apologize." Lucas cut her off.
David stood to the side, keeping his mouth shut and eyes down.
Ashley's chest heaved violently, her face cycling between flushed and pale. Her gaze deliberately avoided the child on the bed. "...I'm sorry."
Lucas's expression didn't soften in the slightest.
"I hope this is the last time. He's my son, Lucas's son. If anyone dares touch a hair on his head again, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Please leave."
Ashley trembled all over as David helped her back to the Sharp Estate.
"How can this be... David, tell me what's going on!" She grabbed David's arm, her nails nearly digging into his flesh. "The report from six years ago clearly said he wasn't! It clearly said he wasn't!"
David endured the pain. "Mom, please calm down. Could it be... a problem with the hospital's equipment?"
"Impossible! This hospital is the most authoritative in the country. We've invested so much money there! They wouldn't dare make a mistake on something like this!"
David understood that logic. He pondered for a moment before voicing an even more terrifying possibility. "If this one's correct, then is it possible... that the one from seven years ago was wrong?"
Ashley's breathing stopped, the blood in her veins running cold.
Had someone tampered with the results seven years ago?