Chapter 4 - The Truth in the Blood
The silence that followed Mary’s revelation was absolute.
Vivian stepped back, her heels catching on the fringe of the Persian rug. "She's lying! She's making it up to turn you against me, Alexander! We're supposed to be married next month! Our families have merged our assets!"
"There will be no wedding," Alexander said. The words fell like heavy iron blocks onto the hardwood floor.
"Alexander!" Vivian gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You can't do this! My father owns forty percent of the shipping lines in Incheon! If you break this engagement, he will withdraw his backing, and your uncle's faction will challenge your leadership at the board meeting on Monday!"
"Let them challenge me," Alexander said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "I survived my father's war. I survived my uncle's assassins. If your father wants a war, I will burn his fleet to the waterline."
He gestured to the two guards at the door. "Take Miss Chen into the private conference room. Confiscate her phone, her smartwatch, and any communication devices. She stays here until the medical reports arrive."
"Don't touch me! Get your hands off me!" Vivian screamed as the two muscular security officers stepped forward, efficiently seizing her arms and escorting her out of the main room. Her desperate shrieks faded as the heavy oak doors of the conference room clicked shut.
Two medical technicians dressed in crisp white coats entered the penthouse, carrying silver medical cases. They bowed respectfully to Alexander before setting up their equipment on the dining table.
"Mr. Han," the lead doctor said politely. "We are ready for the samples."
Alexander walked over to the sofa where Kieran and Kyla were sitting. As he approached, the fierce, terrifying mafia boss vanished, replaced by a man whose heart was breaking into a thousand pieces. He knelt on the floor in front of the two children, bringing himself down to their eye level.
Kyla looked at him, reaching out to pat his cheek with her small hand. "Daddy, why were you shouting at the mean lady?"
"I was just... clearing away some bad weather, sweetie," Alexander said softly, his deep voice trembling slightly as he brought his hand up to gently cup her face.
Then he looked at Kieran.
The little boy looked back at him, his small jaw set with the same stubborn courage Mary possessed. "Are you going to hurt my mommy?" Kieran asked directly.
Alexander felt a lump form in his throat—a sensation he hadn't experienced since he was a child. "No, Kieran. I would give my life before I ever let anyone hurt your mother again."
Kieran studied Alexander's face for a long moment, searching the dark eyes that were so identical to his own. Slowly, the defensive posture in the boy's small shoulders relaxed. "Okay. You can take the cotton swab from my mouth now."
Ten minutes later, the technicians had drawn buccal swabs from Alexander, Mary, Kieran, and Kyla. The rapid DNA analyzer began its rhythmic, electronic hum on the table.
Mary sat on the far end of the sofa, wrapped in a black cashmere coat Alexander’s staff had brought for her. She watched Alexander as he sat on the floor, patiently building a tower of wooden blocks with both Kieran and Kyla.
Seeing him like this—the ruthless mob boss playing on the carpet, his dark hair messy, his hands gently guiding Kieran’s small fingers—sent an overwhelming ache through Mary's chest. This was the man she had fallen in love with six years ago in Florence—the man behind the dark legacy, who possessed a soul capable of profound, fierce devotion.
"Mary," Alexander spoke softly, not looking up from the blocks. "I know you hate me. You have every right to."
"I don't hate you, Alexander," Mary admitted quietly, looking down at her hands. "I hated the silence. I hated that you let them drive me away without a single word."
Alexander stopped building the tower. He turned his head, his dark eyes meeting hers with unbearable grief. "I thought you chose to leave. On the day the doctor told me the baby was dead, Victor brought me a signed document—a non-disclosure agreement with your signature at the bottom, alongside a receipt for a bank transfer into an offshore account."
Mary gasped. "I never signed any agreement! I never took your money!"
"I know that now," Alexander whispered, his voice cracking slightly. "I kept that document in my desk drawer for five years. Every time I missed you... every time I wanted to search the earth to find you... I opened that drawer, looked at your signature, and forced myself to believe you had traded our love for cash. It was the only way I could survive the pain."
He reached into his back pocket, pulled out a worn, leather wallet, and extracted a folded piece of paper. He handed it across to her.
Mary unfolded the paper. It was a photocopy of a contract dated five years ago. At the bottom was her name, written in a graceful, fluid script.
"That's not my handwriting," Mary said, her tears finally overflowing, dripping onto the paper. "My 'M's are always rounded at the top. This is sharp. It's a forgery."
Alexander leaned his head back against the edge of the sofa, closing his eyes as a long, ragged sigh escaped his chest. "Five years. They stole five years of our children's lives. They stole five years of us."
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The DNA analyzer on the table chimed, its digital display flashing bright green.
The lead technician printed out two sheets of paper and walked over, placing them respectfully into Alexander's hands.
Alexander looked down at the paper.
SAMPLE A (Kieran Han) & SAMPLE B (Alexander Han): Probability of Paternity – 99.99% SAMPLE C (Kyla Han) & SAMPLE D (Mary Vance): Probability of Maternity – 99.99% SAMPLE A (Kieran Han) & SAMPLE C (Kyla Han): Monozygotic/Dizygotic Twin Match – CONFIRMED.
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Alexander held the papers in his shaking hands. He looked up at Mary, the cold dark king of Seoul brought completely to his knees by the absolute truth printed on a sheet of paper.
"They're ours," Alexander whispered, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "Both of them. They are ours, Mary."
