âGuiding you towards the zenith of your existence with this revelation?â Damienâs inquiry held a weighty tone. âIâm not one to indulge in altruism; thereâs little purpose in engaging in trivial matters for strangers,â he declared with a detached air.
With those words, he turned on his heel and departed, Cherise cradled securely in his arms.
Caleb remained rooted to the spot, watching Damienâs departure, his urgency demanding release.
âThis morning. I received communication from the DNA testing facility!
âThe disclosure illuminates that the child your spouse, Cherise, recently embraced as her own is the clandestine offspring of her and Sebastian!
âAre you truly inclined to disregard this revelation without further consideration? Really?â
Damien halted abruptly in his stride, casting a piercing glance back at the audacious journalist who remained undeterred. âAnd who might you be to presume entitlement to classified information from the DNA testing facility?â
Caught off guard, Caleb faltered momentarily.
The authenticity of the source did indeed warrant scrutinyâ¦
âThe origins of my intelligence are inconsequential: what holds significance isâ¦â
âWhy, pray tell, would the provenance of your intel be deemed inconsequential?â This time, Cherise found her voice nestled in Damienâs embrace.
Struggling to extricate herself from Damienâs grasp, she continued, âTo my understanding, DNA testing necessitates voluntary consent. Upon application, the facility is entrusted to safeguard the confidentiality of the findings.â
Her earnest gaze bore into Calebâs conscience. âHence, the source of the revelation bears paramount importance. This raises questions regarding the credibility of the testing facility and the integrity of it examiners.
Calebâs countenance paled imperceptibly. âButâ¦â
âFurthermore. Cherise drew a deep breath, her resolve unwavering. âMy husband disclosed to me that he dispatched samples of the childâs and Sebastianâs hair for comparison, as Sebastian adamantly asserted his paternity.
âHowever, neither my spouse nor I ever sought a DNA analysis. Thus, who conducted the test unbeknownst to us?
âIn a scenario where neither party availed themselves for testing, how can the results be divulged to you? Is this examination truly impartial and just?
âI harbor doubts that a facility lacking in ethical rectitude could furnish results of unequivocal accuracyâ
Cheriseâs rapid succession of assertions left Caleb utterly dumbfounded..
Never had he envisaged Mrs. Damien to be so eloquent.
Witnessing Calebâs pallid silence, Cherise drew a deep breath. âLet us bring this to a close. Should anyone dare to propagate future rumors insinuating that Alexis is the illicit progeny of Sebastian and myself, brace yourselves for a missive from our legal representative!â
With that pronouncement, she turned, clasping Damienâs hand in preparation to depart.
âWhat if it were I who made such a claim?â
At that juncture, a frigid male voice reverberated through the room.
All eyes turned to behold Sebastian, ensconced in a wheelchair, garbed in pristine white, being wheeled gradually into the midst of the gathering. âCherise, the child undeniably belongs to you and me. Why do you vehemently disavow it?â
Cherise narrowed her eyes. âThatâs preposterous!â
Even in the absence of her recollection, she remained steadfast in her conviction that she would never conceive a child with someone as loathsome as Sebastian!
âAnd why?â Sebastian yawned, adjusting himself in the wheelchair, his gaze casually drifting towards Cherise. âFive years past, heartbroken by Damien, you terminated your liaison with him, took up residence with me in Lermille, conceived my child, and delivered in Lermille Hospitalâ¦â
There lingered a trace of wistfulness and nostalgia in his gaze. âHow could you so readily forget?â
With that, he tapped his temple as though a sudden realization dawned upon him. âAh, I neglected to mention you were drugged by Damien, resulting in the loss of all your memories.â