The emergency room smelled of antiseptic and tension.
Lucien paced outside the examination room, fists clenched, jaw tight. His custom suit was wrinkled, tie loose. He looked nothing like the composed billionaire the world knew, and everything like a man on the edge.
Inside, Ava was getting checked for bruises and a possible concussion after the alley attack. She had insisted she was fine, but Lucien wouldn't take no for an answer.
The door opened.
The doctor stepped out, clipboard in hand. "She's stable. Minor bruises. No signs of internal damage."
Lucien's shoulders dropped in relief.
"Can I see her?"
The doctor nodded. "She's asking for you."
He stepped in.
Ava sat on the examination table, a small bandage on her cheek and faint bruising on her wrist. But her eyes lit up when she saw him.
"You stayed," she murmured.
Lucien crossed the room in three strides and took her hand. "Of course I did. I told you, something about you pulls me in."
She looked away, biting her lip.
He cupped her cheek gently, thumb grazing the bandage. "I need to know, Ava. I'm tired of half-memories and dreams. I need the truth."
Her breath caught. "What do you mean?"
"I want a DNA test."
Her eyes widened.
"I found a drawing your... that child made. The boy. He looks just like me. I dismissed it, but after tonight, after how I felt seeing you in danger, I can't ignore it anymore."
Ava's heart slammed against her ribs.
"I need to know if he's mine," Lucien said softly. "Please."
She hesitated… then nodded.
"I'll arrange it," he said immediately, pulling out his phone.
Later that day...
A small, private lab. Lucien insisted on using a confidential route to avoid leaks to the press, or worse, his manipulative mother.
The nurse took Ava's sample, then scheduled the child's for the next day. Everything was set.
But someone else was already watching.
From a dark hallway, Madam Estelle Blackwood, Lucien's mother, hung up her burner phone and turned to her assistant.
"Intercept the results before they get to him."
The assistant blinked. "Ma'am, that's"
"I won't let that girl destroy everything we built," she said coldly. "If that boy is truly my grandson, then we'll deal with it. Privately. But if Lucien finds out too soon… it'll ruin the engagement."
She smiled thinly. "We can't let that happen, can we?"
Meanwhile...
Lucien walked Ava to the car.
"I don't know what's going on between us," he said. "But I swear I'm not letting anyone hurt you again."
Ava stared at him, her voice trembling. "What if the test proves it?"
Lucien held her gaze. "Then I'll never let you or that child out of my life again."
He reached for her hand… and held it all the way home.
But neither of them knew…the results would never reach him.