Chapter 297: Chapter 297 Blood Samples
Rose initially assumed it was Ariel climbing back into the SUV, too impatient to wait.
But the thought vanished almost instantly.
Ariel was far too small to climb into an SUV by herself.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She turned around.
Before she could react, a dark figure lunged from the back seat.
A strong hand clamped tightly over her mouth and nose.
Rose’s instincts took over. She shoved at the driver’s door, trying to escape, only to realize someone outside was holding it shut.
The cloth covering her face carried a faint, sickly sweet smell.
The scent rushed into her lungs.
Her vision blurred.
The strength drained rapidly from her body.
She struggled to keep her eyes open, desperately trying to look through the windshield.
Ariel...
That was the last thought in her mind before darkness swallowed her whole.
******
Meanwhile...
At the Taylor family estate.
The main reception hall had already filled with guests.
Ryan had also arrived.
Earlier that morning, Samantha had asked him to accompany her while the DNA samples were collected at the Taylor residence.
Rather than standing near the testing area, Ryan sat quietly off to one side, leisurely sipping a cup of tea.
Nearly every branch of the Taylor family was present.
Grace had two daughters and a son.
Derick’s older and younger sisters had both come.
Several members of the younger generation were gathered nearby as well.
Alicia watched with unconcealed curiosity as the medical team’s staff finished preparing their equipment.
James sat beside Ryan.
Although his expression remained calm, his thoughts were anything but.
Part of him desperately hoped the results were genuine.
Another part prayed they weren’t.
Ryan took a slow sip of tea before glancing sideways at him.
"If the test confirms it," he asked evenly, "have you thought about what you’ll do?"
James froze.
After a long pause, he answered quietly, "I haven’t."
Ryan’s voice remained calm.
"Really? You used to think very highly of Samantha."
"You even considered her a friend."
The words landed like invisible blades.
James couldn’t help remembering everything.
How he had admired Samantha.
How he had defended her.
How he had dismissed Rose with nothing but prejudice and contempt.
Only after getting to know Rose had he realized how capable—and how remarkable—she truly was.
Looking back now, his former arrogance felt unbearable.
He could now clearly see both Samantha’s strengths...
...and her flaws.
The clearer they became, the more uncomfortable he felt.
She was supposed to be the younger sister he had searched for all these years.
The family he had longed to find.
Yet only after discovering who she truly was had he been told...
She was his sister.
A woman whose morals and motives left him deeply conflicted.
The contradiction gnawed at him day after day.
He had not been sleeping well.
With a bitter laugh, James shook his head.
"Saying all this now feels like you’re putting me on trial."
He looked toward Ryan.
"If she really is my sister..."
"...I don’t want her to become the kind of woman who destroys someone else’s family."
"It’s different when it’s a stranger."
"But not my own sister."
"You know what happened in my family."
"I just..."
"I can’t accept it."
His voice grew quieter.
His mother had died when he was four.
Old enough to remember.
She had always smiled warmly.
He still remembered her lifting his baby sister into her arms and asking, "Would you like to live with Mommy and your little sister?"
Back then, he had been too young to understand.
He only knew his parents argued.
Wanting them to stay together, he had innocently replied, "I want Daddy too."
His mother’s expression at that moment...
He never forgot it.
Only after growing older did he understand what that look had meant.
Heartbreak.
Soon afterward...
His mother drove her car into a lake.
She died.
His baby sister disappeared.
His family fell apart overnight.
Then...
A young woman who had frequently visited their home appeared.
She had been his mother’s close friend.
She had just entered college.
Smiling gently, she had asked him, "Would you like me to be your new mommy?"
Only then had he realized what had truly happened.
His mother hadn’t simply lost her husband.
She had been betrayed by both her husband...
...and her closest friend.
James had never liked interfering in other people’s relationships.
When it came to Ryan and Samantha, all he knew back then was that Ryan had been forced into a loveless marriage with Rose.
As Ryan’s friend, he naturally sympathized with him.
Because of his prejudice against Rose, he had subconsciously accepted Samantha as Ryan’s "true love."
But now...
Looking past all the excuses...
Stripping away every layer of justification...
Samantha’s actions were no different from the betrayal that had destroyed his own family.
If his sister became another Victoria...
He would never be able to accept it.
The thought tormented him.
Ryan had quietly witnessed every step of James’s emotional struggle.
He set his teacup down.
His voice remained perfectly calm.
"She’s stayed by my side all these years despite knowing I had a wife."
"You’ve always supported her."
"I thought you’d already forgotten your mother."
James was speechless.
The irony struck him like a boomerang.
If only...
If only he hadn’t stood by and silently accepted Samantha’s interference in Ryan’s marriage...
Perhaps things would be different now.
"Let’s begin with mine."
Derick’s voice interrupted the heavy silence.
The conversation came to an end.
Everyone looked toward the medical team.
The equipment had been fully sterilized.
Everything was prepared according to protocol.
Grace sat at the head of the room, watching every step with unwavering attention.
Ryan said nothing further.
There was no need to continue reopening James’s wounds.
Derick took his seat.
Even he couldn’t hide his nerves.
After Sophia disappeared all those years ago, life had never truly moved forward.
He watched as the needle pierced his skin.
Nearby...
Samantha instinctively tightened her fingers.
She glanced at Daisy.
Without saying a word, Daisy gently patted her hand before giving her a reassuring smile.
That single look eased Samantha’s worries.
Everything was under control.
She relaxed.
After Derick’s sample was collected, Grace looked toward her.
"Your turn."
Samantha stood immediately.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of hesitation.
No guilt.
No anxiety.
No uncertainty.
She smiled confidently.
"Okay."
The certainty in her demeanor was unmistakable.
James frowned.
Ryan lowered his gaze once more, slowly turning the now-cold teacup between his fingers.
The technicians collected Samantha’s blood sample.
Grace asked, "When will the results be ready?"
The lead technician smiled politely.
"The report will be available within forty-eight hours."
Grace finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
Seeing that everything was finished, Ryan rose from his seat.
Just as he was about to leave—
The phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
Every eye in the room instinctively turned toward him.
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