The DNA Test
680 Words
CHAPTER 6 📖
Lucien had built empires on certainty.
He would not live in doubt.
The next morning, the test was arranged.
Private clinic,discreet staff, no digital trail.
Money erased questions.
Marco stood across from him in the sterile white office. “We’ll need a sample from the child,” he said carefully.
Lucien’s gaze was distant.
“I’ll handle that.”
He didn’t explain how.
He didn’t need to.
That afternoon, Lucien visited the academy under the pretense of evaluating a potential educational partnership. Cameras were avoided. Staff were charmed. Papers were signed.
Adrian was called to the administrative office.
When the boy walked in and saw him, there was no fear again.
Only curiosity.
“You’re the man from the auction,” Adrian said confidently.
Lucien studied him carefully.
“Yes.”
Silence stretched between them.
“You look like me,” Adrian added bluntly.
Lucien’s pulse tightened.
Children didn’t calculate resemblance.
They observed it.
“That’s interesting,” Lucien replied smoothly. “Do you always notice details?”
Adrian nodded proudly.
“My mama says I’m very observant.”
Of course she did.
Lucien crouched slightly, masking his intent behind calm conversation. When Adrian reached for the glass of juice on the desk.
Lucien noticed the fingerprint left behind.
He signaled subtly to Marco.
The sample was secured.
Clean.
Undetected.
Lucien stood.
“Take care, Adrian.”
The boy tilted his head.
“Are you my mama’s friend?”
Lucien paused.
That question again.
“I suppose,” he said quietly, “that depends on your mother.”
Meanwhile
Seraphina felt it.
The shift.
The air around her had changed since the press conference.
She was in her office when the unease crawled down her spine like a warning.
Her assistant knocked softly. “Ma’am, Mr. Moretti visited Adrian’s academy today.”
The pen slipped from her fingers.
Her heart dropped hard against her ribs.
“He what?”
“It was listed as a potential partnership discussion.”
Seraphina stood slowly.
Lucien didn’t do “potential.”
He did strategy.
Control.
Domination.
Her mind raced.
Had he seen Adrian?
Spoken to him?
Asked questions?
Her chest tightened.
Five years of hiding. Five years of protection. And now he was stepping into her son’s world without permission.
That wasn’t coincidence.
That was calculation.
She grabbed her phone and called the academy immediately.
“Yes, he stopped by,” the receptionist confirmed politely. “Very charming. Adrian spoke to him briefly.”
Her grip tightened around the phone.
“Alone?”
“Yes, ma’am. Only for a moment.”
A moment was enough.
Lucien didn’t waste moments.
Seraphina ended the call slowly.
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
He was investigating.
Of course he was.
She moved toward the window, staring down at the city below.
If he was digging…
Then he would find something.
Unless she moved first.
Unless she protected Adrian before the truth reached him.
Her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
She hesitated.
Then answered.
Silence.
Then a distorted voice:
“You should keep a closer eye on your son.”
Her blood ran cold.
“What did you say?”
A soft chuckle.
“Powerful men make powerful enemies. And children are fragile leverage.”
The line went dead.
Seraphina stood frozen.
This wasn’t just Lucien anymore.
Someone else was watching.
And if Lucien was investigating Adrian.
Then Adrian was already in danger.
Across the city, Lucien stood in the private clinic corridor as the lab technician approached with a sealed envelope.
“Results will be ready within twenty-four hours,” she said.
Lucien took the envelope containing the submitted samples.
His jaw was tight.
His expression unreadable.
But his mind was no longer focused on betrayal.
It was focused on something darker.
Someone else had photographed the boy.
Someone else had sent a warning.
And if anyone thought they could use that child against him,
They had made a fatal mistake.
That night, as Seraphina tucked Adrian into bed, she didn’t notice the black SUV parked across the street.
Engine running.
Lights off.
Watching.
- Writer
