Chapter 4: Everyone Will Be Tested

At nine the next morning, the reception area at North Sound Family Genetics was packed with Bellamy family members.

Graham, Celeste, Adrian, Tessa, and two relatives who handled the restaurant finances and purchasing had all come.

Celeste wore oversized dark sunglasses and looked as if she’d aged ten years overnight.

The moment she saw me, Tessa deliberately raised her voice.

“So you stayed in a hotel last night, sis-in-law? With who?”

I pulled out my phone and opened the recorder.

“Say that again.”

She clamped her mouth shut.

Adrian looked at me with open mockery.

“So this is you now? All you know how to do is record people, call the police, and hire lawyers?”

“I also know how to show a judge that you knowingly cooperated in a hidden livestream after learning the report was fake.”

A flash of panic crossed his eyes.

“You don’t have any proof I knew.”

“You should keep telling yourself that.”

The staff led us into the registration room, verifying everyone’s driver’s licenses, birth certificates, and guardianship documents one by one, taking photographs and assigning tamper-evident seals.

Then they read out the testing panels:

Graham Bellamy and Owen Bennett: grandparent-grandchild relationship testing.

Graham Bellamy and Adrian Bellamy: father-son relationship testing.

Adrian Bellamy and Owen Bennett: father-son relationship testing.

I looked at Tessa again.

“What about the fourth one?”

She folded her arms.

“Why should I test?”

Graham’s voice was hard and cold.

“Didn’t you say last night that a true Bellamy has nothing to fear from a test?”

Under the relatives’ gazes, Tessa’s face went from red to pale and back to red again.

“Fine. Test me. I’m obviously your daughter.”

Celeste shot to her feet.

“There’s no need to drag Tessa into Nora’s scandal.”

Graham turned to look at her.

“It’s just a cheek swab. Why are you more afraid than she is?”

Celeste’s fingers gripped the strap of her handbag so hard her knuckles whitened.

“I don’t want this family to be laughed at by outsiders anymore.”

I reminded her mildly, “The person who livestreamed the family’s private joke to outsiders last night was your daughter.”

Enraged, Tessa signed the voluntary testing form on the spot.

The staff recorded everything on video and opened separate sample kits.

When it was Owen’s turn, he clung nervously to my clothes.

Adrian stood two steps away but made no move to comfort him.

He only stared at the camera and asked the technician, “How soon can we get the results?”

“Expedited processing is three business days. Once the electronic reports are generated, verification codes will be locked simultaneously. The paper copies can only be opened at the designated location with authorization from all four adult test subjects.”

Graham chose the study in the old family house.

I agreed, but added one condition.

“My lawyer and Officer Brooks need to be present.”

Celeste murmured, “Do we really need to guard against each other like thieves?”

I looked at her.

“Before last night, I didn’t think so.”