Chapter 6 - The Secret of M-17
We returned to Luka's estate late that afternoon. The victory in the boardroom was intoxicating, but the lingering mystery of my father's work still hung heavy over us.
Inside the library, Luka unlocked a hidden wall safe behind a row of ancient history books. He brought out a small, metallic cylindrical drive that required two biometric inputs to open.
"Your father gave me his thumbprint encryption before he died," Luka explained, placing his hand on the primary scanner. "He told me that the final piece of the key would only be held by his biological descendant."
I looked down at Maya, who was fast asleep in her bassinet near the warm fireplace. "You mean me?"
"No," Luka said softly, looking at the sleeping newborn. "Not you, Elena. The compound your father developed—M-17—was a targeted gene-editing therapy designed to cure hereditary blood disorders. When you were pregnant, your father realized that Julian had secretly administered a synthetic toxin to you over several months, trying to make you sickly and dependent on his care."
A chill ran down my spine. "Julian... poisoned me while I was pregnant?"
"He tried to," Luka corrected, his jaw clenching with suppressed fury. "But your father intercepted the medical supplies. He synthesized the neutralizer directly into your prenatal care. When Maya was born, her blood was tested in the hospital lab—that was the file that 'mysteriously disappeared.' Her body manufactured the complete, pure antibody sequence. Maya’s biological profile is the physical cure for the very toxin Julian spent millions trying to patent."
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Tears streamed down my face as I looked at my sweet, innocent daughter. Julian hadn't just abandoned us because he was tired of me; he ran because he realized the hospital lab was about to run a full toxicological panel on Maya’s blood—a panel that would have exposed his slow-poisoning plot to the entire world!
Luka walked over to me, stepping into my space, and wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb. "He will pay for every single drop of fear he gave you, Elena. I promise you that on my father's memory."
