It was clear he had no doubt about what the report would say.


    Derek radiated a dark, oppressive energy.


    Right now, Adelle''s hatred for Dan was absolute. Finch''s re could have sliced him to ribbons.


    "Just keep your mouth shut!" Finch snarled.


    Dan shot back calmly, “Doesn''t matter if I keep quiet—this test result won''t change. Not with fifteen pairs of eyes watching."


    The mention of those "fifteen pairs of eyes" made Adelle and Finch want to tear Dan to shreds. They could hardly believe he''de up with such an underhanded solution. By insisting on these witnesses, he''d made it impossible for any of the three factions to tamper with the oue.


    He wouldn''t dare suggest it unless he waspletely sure of the results...


    It could only mean one thing: he was Derek''s son.


    And because of that, he was determined to shut every door of escape for them. The realization made Adelle''s chest constrict until she could barely breathe.


    "Why isn''t Susanna handling this?" Adelle suddenly demanded, switching from emotional appeals to Derek to an argument for fairness.


    Hearing Susanna''s name made a flicker pass through Derek''s eyes-that same distinctive look that so resembled his own.


    His gaze toward Adelle turned even colder, darker, threatening.


    He stayed silent. Dan spoke up instead. “Anyone who''s seen Susanna knows she''s a Murray, through and through."


    He nced at Derek and added, "The resemnce is uncanny. Honestly, out of all of us, Susanna looks the most like someone from the Murray family."


    So, only Susanna counts? Dan nearly said outright— "None of your children look anything like him, yet you still have the nerve to speak?"


    The implication stabbed straight through Adelle''s defenses.


    She red murderously at Dan, seething with the thought that if she managed to get out of cktower alive today, she''d make it her life''s work to destroy him. The wretched brat. She should''ve finished him off years ago-if only she''d been


    ruthless enough, if she''d ended him the day she realized he wasn''t hers, none of this would be happening.


    The more Adelle thought about it, the clearer it was: her hesitation back then had paved the road to this disaster She really had wanted to kill Dan, but she''d lost her chance. Later, it seemed impossible for her to act. And there had been tacey Tucker too, that nosy bitéh, always protecting Dan and meddling in her affairs.


    All Adelle could think about was getting out-establishing her own power as fast as possible, and then making Dan pay a thousand times over.


    Time crept by.


    Soon, the medical team and the fifteen witnesses-one from each of the three sides —arrived. Leroy stepped up to Derek, the DNA test report in hand, “Sir."


    Carroll came to stand quietly behind Dan.


    Adelle and Finch felt their hearts lodged in their throats. Leroy''s re was lethal, promising disaster.


    A single thought hammered through Adelle''s mind: It''s over.


    Leroy handed the report to Derek, who gripped it tight. He looked at Adelle first. The moment their eyes first.


    met, tears slid silently down her


    cheeks Once, those tears had been


    enough to make Derek bend to


    make him surrender Now he


    spared her only a nce before


    turning away.


    He dropped his gaze to the report. He scanned past the names, looking directly to


    the conclusion. One look-that was all it took. His hands flexed, crumpling the paper in his grip.


    Adelle and Finch were frozen.


    This was the end-they were ruined.


    Derek''s gaze lifted, boring into Adelle, dark with rage, menace and a murderous


    intent that rolled off him in waves.