Chapter 4 - The Bloodline Test

By 7:00 AM the following morning, the private forensics laboratory at New York-Presbyterian Hospital was sealed under twenty-four-hour armed guard.
Julian Hayes, one of the most feared forensic estate litigators in the country and a trusted lifelong friend of Clara’s late biological father, oversaw the collection of genetic samples.
Three swabs were taken from Evelyn, three from Clara, and an archived sample from the late Thomas Vance’s estate vault was delivered under federal courier seal.
Inside the private conference room, Arthur paced the carpet like a caged wolf, repeatedly checking his watch.
“Julian, this rush is entirely irregular,” Arthur complained, wiping a sheen of cold sweat from his forehead. “Standard probate DNA sequencing takes three weeks. Rushing this through private channels risks procedural contamination.”
“When two hundred million dollars in testamentary shares are at stake, Arthur, twenty-four hours is all the court needs,” Julian Hayes replied coldly, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses. “Unless, of course, there is a reason you fear the result?”
Chloe sat in the corner, scrolling frantically through social media. The headlines were devastating:
‘The Maid in the Emerald Slap: Is the Lost Vance Heiress Back for Her Throne?’
‘Chloe Vance Faces Public Outrage After Striking Long-Lost Sister at Birthday Gala.’
At precisely 11:30 AM, Dr. Harrison, Chief of Genetic Medicine, walked into the room carrying a sealed black folio.
He laid the certified documents on the center table before Evelyn and Julian Hayes.
“The results are conclusive across all thirty-two chromosomal markers,” Dr. Harrison announced with clinical solemnity.
Subject Clara Vance vs. Subject Evelyn Vance: 99.999% Maternal Probability.
Subject Clara Vance vs. Deceased Patriarch Thomas Vance: 99.999% Paternal Lineage Match.
“There is zero margin of error,” Dr. Harrison concluded. “Clara Vance is the legitimate firstborn daughter of Thomas and Evelyn Vance.”
Evelyn buried her face in her hands, weeping tears of profound vindication and joy. She stood up and wrapped Clara into an embrace that banished twenty years of cold darkness.
Across the table, Arthur Vance slumped into his chair, his face turning the color of wet cement.
Under Thomas Vance’s original, unalterable Last Will and Testament, sixty percent of the entire commercial shipping and real estate conglomerate belonged exclusively to his biological firstborn child upon reaching the age of majority.
May you like
For twenty years, Arthur had controlled those billions by claiming Clara was dead.
Now, with a single sheet of paper, his empire had evaporated.