hapter 11 The Paternity Test!
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Chapter 11 The Paternity Test!
Noelle’s POV
I stared at the check again.
Ten million dollars.
Not a scam. Not a joke–looking printout.
Real. Official. Minted from one of the biggest banks in the country.
Next to it was the envelope, with the request:
A confidential party has asked that you come in for a paternity test. The details of this request will be shared only if the result is a positive match.
picked up the paper, then looked over at
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Vernon.
He sat across from me, brow furrowed, flipping the check between his fingers.
“Ten million dollars” he said. “To take a paternity test? Who the hell has this kind of money to throw away for answers they might not even get?‘
I scoffed. “It’s Christopher and Jocelyn. This is just one of their sick games. You know how they are.”
Vernon gave me a skeptical look. “You haven’t contacted me; I don’t even know where you are.”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” I muttered. “They’re tracking me since you left New York. You’ve been careful. Your number is new. They…”
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“Still… this check isn’t fake.”
“That’s what we’re about to find out.”
I stood.
“If there’s a way to ruin my peace, they’ll find it.”
“Let’s go verify it. If it bounces, we toss it and pretend this never happened.”
Vernon nodded. “And if it doesn’t bounce?”
I didn’t answer.
***
Twenty minutes later, we sat in a manager’s office at the bank. The man in the suit squinted at the check and tapped a few keys.
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on his keyboard.
He looked up at me.
“It’s valid.”
My heart dropped.
“Valid?” I echoed.
“Cleared. Backed. Real.”
I blinked.
Ten million dollars. Real.
“Does it say who sent it?” Vernon asked.
The manager shook his head. “Unfortunately, the account is registered under a private holding company. Completely confidential.” I turned to Vernon.
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“Still think this isn’t a trap?”
“I think we’re past guessing now,” he replied. “I say we go. Check it out. You won’t be alone.”
I hesitated. “And if it’s Jocelyn and Christopher?”
“I’ll drag them by the throat out of the building,” he said flatly. “Let’s just see what they’re trying to pull.”
The hospital was massive.
Private. Expensive. The kind of place that served billionaires with broken egos and failing hearts.
I clutched the sealed envelope as we walked through the marble lobby.
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A nurse approached, “Mrs. Walters?”
“Yes?”
“Right this way. Dr. Samson has been waiting.”
We were led into a pristine office. The man who stood to greet us looked like he belonged in a pharmaceutical commercial- clean–shaven, bright smile, expensive watch.
“Mrs. Walters. Mr. Walters. Welcome,” he said warmly. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
Vernon nodded beside me. I crossed my
arms.
“I’d like to know what exactly I’m doing here.”
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Dr. Samson gestured for us to sit. “You’ve been invited to participate in a paternity test. My client has requested we collect your DNA sample for comparison.”
“And who is your client?”
“I’m afraid I can’t say. Not unless the result comes back positive.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “This is ridiculous. My father is Williams Bentley. There’s no mystery.”
The doctor only smiled. “If that’s the case, a simple swab won’t hurt. If the result is negative, you leave with ten million dollars and forget all about this.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t think that’s a little… excessive?”
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He shrugged. “Money isn’t always about value. Sometimes it’s about apology.”
Apology?
Vernon leaned forward. “We want to see the test through. But I’ll be right there the entire time.”
The doctor nodded. “Of course.”
I followed them down the hallway. We entered a sterile room where a nurse waited with a sealed test kit.
She swabbed my cheek gently. I didn’t flinch.
“This’ll take a few hours, the doctor said. “You’re free to wait in our lounge.”
We sat in silence for most of the time.
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and slid the contents out.
“Here it is,” I said. “Let’s prove it’s a joke and go home.”
I unfolded the document, eyes scanning the top. Then the chart. Then the bottom.
I stopped breathing.
Vernon looked at me. “Well?”
My lips parted, but no sound came.
I looked again.
Probability of relationship: 99.99.
Positive match.
My vision swam.
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“What?” I whispered.
Vernon leaned in, brows furrowed. “What does it say?”
I stared at the page.
I looked up at him slowly.
And the words caught in my throat.
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