Chapter 493

On the chilly night under a sky dotted with dimly shining stars, Teresa had been waiting for ages. Her mom and Hayes’ dad hadn’t come home yet. She was so sleepy that her eyelids kept drooping, and eventually, she dozed off into a slumber.

As the night deepened and silence spread, the excitement was still palpable at the suburban casino.

Zoe lounged at the reception desk, legs crossed, munching on barbecued ribs while scrolling through her phone, engrossed in the latest TV series. The sound of someone rapping on the bar snapped her attention away from the screen. A raspy male voice followed, “Hey, time to settle the tab!” Looking up, Zoe saw a lean, tall old man with twinkling eyes, a cigarette dangling from his lips. It was the head of the Hematology department! Zoe stood up, all eagerness and smiles, “Sir, you’ve made money tonight, right? Forget the tab, it’s on the house. After the big favor you’ve done for us, how could I possibly charge you?”

The man waved off her offer with a chuckle, leaning on the bar to close the distance while lowering his voice conspiratorially, “Don’t you worry. I’ve sacked that intern! Got someone else to draw blood tomorrow. Someone who knows the ropes. I’ll make sure your grandson is drained dry!”

“Stop it! He’s not my grandson. Manley is my one and only!” Zoe retorted, and promptly spat on the floor in emphasis.

The man wasn’t surprised. After all, as a service provider at The Atlas Private Hospital, he was well-

versed in the intricate web of relationships within the elite families they catered to. Affairs, mistresses, and secrets were all part of the daily dealings, as long as the price was right.

He was about to leave when a thought struck him, he turned back to Zoe, his face alight with gossip.

“Zoe, hope you don’t mind me asking, but is Yuna really your daughter?”

Zoe bristled, slapping the counter with impatience. “What kind of question is that! Of course, she’s my daughter!”

The man’s brow furrowed in confusion, scratching his chin. “That’s odd. Why would someone come to me this afternoon to get Yuna’s blood sample for a DNA test?”

Zoe was baffled. “Do you remember who it was?”

He considered for a moment, then it hit him. “The Fitzgerald Group! Hackett Fitzgerald! That’s right, Hackett himself came with his butler!”

Cold shot through Zoe. Hackett? Robert’s father? If they were seeking a paternity test, they should have taken Marguerite’s sample, not Yuna’s. What were they up to?

A sinister thought dawned on Zoe – the Fitzgerald family must have found the child they were looking for. But because Marguerite and Yuna looked so alike, they weren’t sure which one was theirs.

Seizing the head of the Hematology department by the collar, Zoe hissed, “Do me another favor!”

“What now?” Hammond asked, wary.

Zoe whispered her scheme into his ear, then pulled back with a smirk. “Well, will you do it?”

The head of the Hematology department had seen Zoe’s ruthlessness before, but this time he hesitated. She was challenging the authority of Hackett Fitzgerald.

“Look, you’re even able to help me on Hayes’ blood drawing. This should be a piece of cake for you, right?”

“It’s easy enough, but they’ll get the DNA results by tomorrow morning. How could we possibly delay that?”

“Can’t you find a reason to postpone it for half a day? Don’t worry, I’ll make it worth your while.”

Zoe’s eyes narrowed cunningly. She punched a hefty sum into her phone’s calculator and showed it to him in secret, “Think about it. That’s your cut.”