Chapter 38 - SOFIA LEARNED SOMEONE HAD USED HER DNA—BUT THE MISSING CHILD'S FILE NAMED A FATHER SHE HAD NEVER MET
Sofia had survived discovering that her mother was alive, that her family history had been manipulated, and that entire generations of children had been created or controlled through secret medical programs.
But nothing prepared her for seeing her own name on an embryo file she had never authorized.
She stood in Daniel's library while rain began striking the tall windows.
"Tell me that document is wrong."
Naomi Cross did not answer immediately.
"I can't verify the genetic source without independent testing."
"Then why is my name there?"
"Because somebody entered you as the maternal source."
Sofia stared at the photograph.
"Who?"
Naomi looked toward Marcus.
"The person who controlled Blackwood's reproductive database."
Marcus's expression darkened.
"Arthur Bell."
"Arthur had access," Naomi said. "But he wasn't the only one."
Daniel placed both hands on the desk.
"We need a complete audit."
Sofia nodded.
"And we need to know whether the second child is alive."
Lily stood beside Isabella.
For once, the teenager seemed younger than her years.
"Does that mean the baby could be my sister?"
Sofia turned toward her.
"We don't know."
"But if the records are true—"
"Records aren't people," Sofia answered gently. "And the records in this family have lied before."
Naomi opened another sealed document under the supervision of the federal investigator.
It contained a donor code.
PATERNAL SOURCE: M-01.
Daniel went still.
Marcus looked at him.
Sofia noticed.
"What?"
Daniel's voice was quiet.
"M-01 was my original designation."
The silence became unbearable.
Sofia stared at him.
"No."
Daniel shook his head.
"That doesn't prove I contributed genetic material."
Naomi nodded quickly.
"Correct. The database could have reused an old identifier."
Sofia looked at the report.
"Then we test everything."
An investigator collected authorized comparison samples and arranged independent analysis.
Nobody attempted to force Lily into testing.
Nobody treated the newborn as property.
For the first time, the family allowed medical and legal professionals to manage the evidence rather than trying to solve everything inside the villa.
But Sofia could not sleep.
Near midnight, she walked into the old west wing.
The walls were no longer sealed. The photographs had been removed for preservation, and the rooms were being converted into a public archive.
She stopped before a photograph of Charles Hawthorne.
The man who had tried to rescue children while carrying secrets of his own.
"Why didn't you destroy it all?" she whispered.
A voice answered behind her.
"Because destroying evidence also destroys the victims' chance to prove what happened."
Sofia turned.
David stood in the doorway.
Daniel's twin looked tired.
"You heard?"
He nodded.
"Daniel called me."
Sofia studied him.
"Do you think someone used Daniel's genetic material?"
"I think someone wanted us to believe that."
"Why?"
David stepped closer.
"Because they know how you react when your family is threatened."
Sofia folded her arms.
"Meaning?"
"You investigate. You confront people. You walk straight toward danger."
She looked away.
David continued.
"That's exactly what Arthur used to predict."
Sofia turned back.
"Arthur is awaiting trial."
"Yes."
"Then who is directing this?"
David hesitated.
"Someone who learned from him."
At that moment, Daniel called.
The independent laboratory had discovered something unusual.
Not a confirmed parentage match.
A discrepancy.
The DNA profile assigned to M-01 contained genetic markers inconsistent with Daniel's archived sample.
Sofia exhaled.
"So it wasn't Daniel."
"Not according to the preliminary comparison."
"Then who?"
Daniel paused.
"Someone altered the donor profile."
"Can they recover the original?"
"They're trying."
Sofia heard voices in the background.
Then Daniel spoke again.
"Sofia, the laboratory director wants to talk to you."
A woman came onto the line.
"Ms. Ramirez, we found a handwritten annotation on the original sample inventory."
"What does it say?"
"The sample was transferred from an older collection."
"How old?"
"More than thirty years."
Sofia frowned.
"From Meridian?"
"Possibly. But the storage record uses a different name."
"What name?"
The doctor hesitated.
"Project Genesis."
David went pale.
Sofia noticed immediately.
"You know it."
David stared at her.
"Evelyn told me Genesis was a failure."
"What kind of failure?"
He swallowed.
"The first attempt to create children from stored genetic material without the knowledge of the donors."
Sofia felt the blood drain from her face.
Then Daniel spoke through the phone.
"There's one more thing."
"What?"
"The sample wasn't labeled with a person's name."
Sofia waited.
Daniel's voice tightened.
"It was labeled with a date."
"Which date?"
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"The day Charles Hawthorne supposedly died."
TO BE CONTINUED…
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