Chapter 284

Verena's eyes widened, her gaze locked on Luis, caught between disbelief and a shock too heavy to process.

For several long seconds, her throat felt closed, her voice refusing to come. At last, the words scraped out,raw and unsteady. "What are you saying?"

To her, Luis must have gone out of his mind to say something like that.

His hands trembled as he snatched the folder from the bench, yanking it open with frantic urgency.Papers slid and rustled between his shaking fingers as he thrust them toward her.

"I know it sounds impossible," he rasped, his voice hoarse and unsteady. "But it's the truth. You and I share the same blood-you're my sister."

His words tumbled out in a rush, fueled by desperation. "You were taken from Starshell Women's and Children's Hospital before you were even a month old. Mom never recovered from losing you. She broke down-her mind, her spirit. She hasn't been herself since. Dad's health collapsed too, but he forces himself ④to care for her. Everything fell apart after you were gone."

The red in his eyes deepened until tears clung to his lashes, threatening to spill.

Verena's brows knitted hard, her face darkened with suspicion, her mind rejecting the words as if they were part of some absurd, twisted play.

Seeing her doubt, Luis dug frantically through the pile, pulling out a single sheet as though it were his last lifeline. His hands shook as he pushed it toward her. "If you can't take my word for it, then read this. The DNA results don't lie."

Almost without realizing, her fingers closed around the paper.

Her gaze fell to the report, scanning down until it hit the line that mattered. Her eyes shot wide,pupils shrinking, her body jolting as if the ground had cracked beneath her feet. For a moment, her mind rang with nothing but silence, a hollow echo of disbelief. Then, slowly, she shook her head, her hair falling around her face as though she could shake the truth away.

Her voice was a whisper, broken and unwilling. "No... this isn't real. It can't be."

All her life she had carried one certainty-that she was Laura's daughter.

Laura might be mean now, greedy with money, and hopelessly biased, but Verena had always believed she would never cross into anything unlawful or immoral.

Her lips pressed into a firm line as she locked eyes with Luis. "I don't want to believe you. But since you're so adamant,I'll confirm it myself."

Before he could react, her hand shot out like lightning, grabbing a fistful of his hair and ripping hard.

The desperate urgency in her movements left no room for hesitation. Luis winced sharply, pain burning across his scalp.

A hiss escaped him as his eyes squeezed shut, one hand flying up to shield his head.

By the time he looked again, Verena was already moving, her stride purposeful, the strands of hair clenched tightly in her hand as she stormed toward the hospital building.

Luis gritted his teeth against thesting and quickly hurried after her.

Inside the testing laboratory, machines whirred steadily, and medical staff moved with quiet efficiency from station to station.

Verena burst through the door, her gaze scanning the room with fierce determination until it landed on a familiar figure.

"Andrew," she called out, her voice clipped and urgent.

The young doctor turned at the sound, brows lifting in surprise before he set aside his work and came forward.

"Evelyn? What's wrong?" Andrew Turner asked, confusion flickering in his eyes. Without wasting a second, Verena shoved the strands of hair into Andrew's hands.

One belonged to her, the other torn from Luis, both with roots still intact.

Her voice came low and steady, weighted with urgency. "Andrew, I need a kinship test. Run it immediately.This is critical."

Andrew's eyes flicked to the samples in his palm, and then lifted to her face, startled by the gravity carved into her features. At last, his gaze slid past her to the man standing in silence just behind.

Though questions burned on his tongue, Andrew wisely kept them to himself.

Pulling his gaze away, he gave a firm nod. "I'll handle it right away. You'll have the results as soon as they're ready."

Without another word, he disappeared into the testing room.

An hour later, the door swung open, and Andrew stepped out, a report clutched tightly in his hand.

He crossed the room quickly, holding the papers out. "Evelyn, the results are in."

Verena accepted the report and scanned its contents until her gaze locked onto one line-"Blood Relation Exists". Her heart kicked into a faster rhythm, and she stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.

"This... this can't be real," she murmured, the disbelief trembling in her voice.

Mémories clashed violently in her head. She had grown up in a poor household-Alec and Laura scraping by,just ordinary people fighting to survive before they made a fortune in the big city.

The Sampson family, though, was another world entirely. Old blood. Money. Power entangled with shadows of the underworld.

Two families standing on opposite ends of society-how could there be any link between them?

Beside her, Luis' face broke into unrestrained joy, his voice carrying triumph. "Now you see? I wasn't lying.We're siblings, Verena."

But she stood silent, her expression distant, her thoughts spiraling inward. At last, her voice came low and uncertain. "When did you find out? Is that why you've been treating me so differently-because you knew?"

Luis' eyes dropped for a moment, though his answer came steady."1only learned the truth not long ago.I waited for the right time to tell you."

Verena gave a slight nod, her gaze lowering to the floor.

So she wasn't Alec and Laura's daughter after all. Did they know? Had they raised her all these years in ignorance-or with the weight of a secret they never shared?

The shock left her hollow, but slowly, piece by piece, her composure began to stitch itself back together.Reason returned, fighting through the storm.

Verena lifted her gaze to Luis, her eyes clear yet clouded with a storm of conflicting emotions.

"I never imagined your words would turn out to be true." Her tone carried a calm steadiness, but beneath it trembled the ripple of unease. "This revelation... it's overwhelming. I can't accept this bond as easily as you want me to."

She drew in a breath, choosing her next words with care. "Before anything else, I need to speak to Alec and Laura Willis. For all these yeårs, they've been the only parents l've ever known."

Even now, their favoritism toward Kaia and Luka still stung like barbs buried deep beneath her skin.

Every slight, every moment she was overlooked, had planted seeds of bitterness that grew unchecked,forming a wall she could never climb.

Yet this truth shifted everything. If Alec and Laura were never her blood, then perhaps their coldness had an explanation.

The thought eased the weight on her chest, as if the resentment that had clung to her for so long had finally dissolved into air.

Her lips curved faintly, a fragile smile breaking through. "Thank you for telling me. Without you, I might have lived my whole life in ignorance." Watching her soften, Luis' chest loosened with relief, though sorrow flickered in his eyes.

He waved his hands quickly, words tumbling out. "Don't thank me, Verena. You don't need to be formal with me-we're family. You're my sister. All I want is for you not to push me away."

Verena studied him quietly, taking in the anxious energy in his eyes, the way his mouth rushed to explain,desperate for her acceptance.

And in that moment, she felt the sincerity of his concern, his yearning to claim her as kin.

Warmth bloomed inside her, unfamiliar but comforting.

For so long she had believed Shawna was the only one who truly loved her.

But now, standing before her, her brother shattered that belief. She wasn't alone.

Just as Alec and Laura had cherished Kaia, she too had a family waiting to treasure her, to hold her close, to guard her heart.