Chapter 7
1192 Words
*Title: Chapter 7 – The Proof*
*Kain Corp. 8:14 AM.*
I woke up to 47 missed calls from my brother, Nico.
That’s never good.
“Something’s wrong,” he said the second I answered. Voice tight, low.
“What happened?”
“Turn on the news. Now.”
I didn’t even get dressed. I just turned on the TV.
*BREAKING NEWS: DNA TEST CLAIMS LUNA MORALES IS NOT A KAIN*
The screen showed Selina’s press statement. She was smiling.
“Yesterday, Ms. Luna Morales claimed to be the granddaughter of Victor Kain. We conducted an independent DNA test using samples from the Kain family archives. The results are clear. She is not related to the Kain family.”
My blood ran cold.
The reporter continued: “If true, this means Ms. Morales has no legal claim to the 51% shares she currently holds.”
Nico was still on the line. “Luna? Say something.”
“I… I don’t know how that’s possible,” I whispered.
“Mom has the original documents,” Nico said. “She’s on her way to Manila. Don’t do anything stupid until she gets here.”
I hung up. My hands were shaking.
Someone knocked. Damian walked in without waiting for an answer.
He’d seen the news too. His jaw was clenched.
“You saw it,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
“Selina faked it,” I said. “She had to.”
“Maybe,” Damian said. “Or maybe someone lied to you and your mom 20 years ago.”
I stared at him. “You think I’m lying?”
“I think I don’t know what to think yet,” he said. “But I know we need to see that DNA report. Now.”
---
*10:00 AM. Legal Department. 42nd Floor.*
Damian’s lawyer, Atty. Mendoza, laid the report on the table.
“Official letterhead from St. Luke’s Medical Center,” he said. “But the letterhead is 3 years outdated. St. Luke’s changed their format in 2023.”
Damian picked up the paper. “So it’s fake?”
“Looks like it,” Mendoza said. “But we need to subpoena St. Luke’s to confirm. That takes 48 hours.”
“Too long,” Damian said. “By then the board will call an emergency meeting and freeze Luna’s shares.”
I looked at the report again. “What if we get our own DNA test?”
Mendoza nodded. “That’s the fastest way. But you’ll need a sample from a direct Kain blood relative. Damian, you’re Victor Kain’s nephew.”
Damian looked at me.
“If I give a sample, and it matches you, Selina loses,” he said.
“And if it doesn’t match?” I asked.
“Then we find out who you really are,” Damian said quietly.
I nodded. “Do it.”
---
*2:30 PM. Kain Corp Medical Wing.*
The nurse swabbed my cheek first, then Damian’s.
“Results in 6 hours,” she said. “Fast track.”
We left in silence.
Damian broke it first.
“If the test says you’re not a Kain… what happens to us?” he asked.
“To us?” I repeated.
Damian stopped walking. “Don’t act like you didn’t feel it last night, Luna.”
I didn’t answer. Because he was right. I felt it.
“Whatever the result is,” I said finally, “it doesn’t change what happened with Project Omega. I saved it. Twice. That’s real.”
Damian nodded. “Yeah. That’s real.”
---
*6:47 PM. Damian’s Office.*
The results came in an email marked *CONFIDENTIAL*.
Damian opened it. I stood behind him, reading over his shoulder.
*DNA MATCH PROBABILITY: 99.97%*
*CONCLUSION: LUNA MORALES IS THE BIOLOGICAL GRANDDAUGHTER OF VICTOR KAIN.*
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
Damian turned to me. “Told you.”
Selina’s report was fake. St. Luke’s confirmed it 20 minutes later. They never ran a test on Luna Morales.
I should’ve felt relieved. Instead, I felt angry.
“She tried to erase me,” I said. “Again.”
Damian stood up. “Not this time.”
He grabbed his phone. “Emergency board meeting. Tonight. 9 PM. Selina’s getting expelled.”
---
*9:00 PM. Board Room. 50th Floor.*
Selina walked in like she’d already won.
She stopped when she saw me sitting in the Chairwoman’s seat.
“Interesting,” she said. “Still playing pretend, I see.”
I slid the DNA report across the table to her.
“Read it,” I said.
Selina skimmed it, then laughed. “Fake. Just like you.”
Atty. Mendoza stood up. “St. Luke’s Medical Center has confirmed that the report you submitted yesterday was forged. You also accessed private medical records illegally.”
Selina’s smile dropped.
Damian stood up next. “Effective immediately, Selina Kain is removed from the board for fraud, theft of intellectual property, and forgery. Security will escort you out.”
Two guards walked in.
Selina looked at me. “You think this is over? You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
“I know exactly who I’m dealing with,” I said. “And I’m done being afraid of you.”
The guards took her out. She didn’t struggle. But her eyes promised war.
---
*11:12 PM. Rooftop. Kain Corp Building.*
Damian found me up here.
I needed air. The whole day felt like a fight for my life.
“You okay?” he asked.
“No,” I said honestly. “I thought finding out I was a Kain would fix everything. It didn’t.”
Damian stepped beside me. “It never does. Identity doesn’t fix 20 years of being told you’re nothing.”
I looked at him. “Why are you here, Damian? Really?”
He was quiet for a long time.
“Because for the first time in 10 years,” he said, “I don’t hate coming to work.”
I smiled despite myself. “That’s a terrible love confession.”
Damian smirked. “I’m a terrible romantic.”
He stepped closer.
“Selina’s gone. The board’s behind you. Kain Corp is yours if you want it.”
“And what about you?” I asked.
Damian’s eyes darkened. “I’m yours. If you’ll have me.”
I didn’t answer with words.
I pulled him down and kissed him.
This time, it wasn’t angry. It wasn’t desperate.
It was a choice.
When we pulled apart, Damian rested his forehead against mine.
“Tomorrow, we go after Project Omega’s launch,” he said.
“And after that?” I asked.
Damian smiled. “After that, we figure out what Luna and Damian look like without a war.”
I liked the sound of that.
---
*12:04 AM. Unknown Location.*
Selina sat in a dark room. Her phone was in front of her.
On the screen: a photo of a man. Early 40s. Sharp eyes.
Caption: _“Your father. Alive. Manama, Bahrain.”_
Selina typed one message.
_“He’s ready to meet his daughter.”_
---
*End of Chapter 7*
- Writer
