CHAPTER 5 — THE BLOOD TEST THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
CHAPTER 5 — THE BLOOD TEST THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
The roar of armored engines outside silenced every voice inside the shattered mansion.
Marco stepped in front of Claire, shielding her as the convoy rolled through the iron gates.
Black SUVs stopped in perfect formation.
The doors opened simultaneously.
Men and women dressed in dark tailored suits emerged with disciplined precision. None wore visible weapons, yet every person in the room instinctively lowered their guard.
The Castellano Council had arrived.
For decades, they had ruled the family's empire from the shadows.
They answered to no government.
They answered to no court.
Even Marco, the most feared boss in Boston, was required to answer to them.
An elderly man with silver hair entered first.
His sharp eyes settled on Claire.
"So," he said quietly, "the rumors were true."
Marco stood his ground.
"You shouldn't be here."
"I had no choice."
The old man glanced at the leather journal in Marco's hand.
"Neither did you."
Behind him, two physicians wheeled in a portable forensic laboratory.
Claire frowned.
"A laboratory?"
The elder nodded.
"If that journal is genuine..."
"...then today's decisions will determine the future of the Castellano bloodline."
Claire felt her pulse quicken.
"I'm not part of your family."
The old man looked at her almost sadly.
"That is exactly what we intend to discover."
Less than an hour later, the dining room had been transformed into a temporary medical suite.
Blood samples were collected from Claire.
Then Marco.
Finally, Julian, still restrained under heavy guard.
Claire stared in disbelief.
"Why Marco?"
One physician answered.
"The journal states Elena Castellano was Marco's older sister."
Marco looked away.
"If Elena was your mother..."
"...then biologically, I am your uncle."
The word hung in the air.
Uncle.
Claire had spent eighty-eight days believing she had no one.
Now an entire family claimed to exist.
Yet she trusted none of them.
The lead geneticist inserted the samples into the analyzer.
Everyone waited.
No one spoke.
The machine hummed quietly.
Minutes felt like hours.
Then the printer began producing pages.
The physician read the first report.
His expression changed instantly.
He read it again.
Silence spread across the room.
The elder stepped forward.
"Doctor?"
The physician slowly removed his glasses.
"The journal was correct."
Claire stopped breathing.
"The DNA confirms a ninety-nine point nine nine percent biological relationship."
Marco closed his eyes.
Claire Bennett was Elena Castellano's daughter.
She was the last direct descendant of the Castellano founding bloodline.
The room erupted into whispers.
Several council members immediately stood.
One elderly woman bowed her head toward Claire.
Another refused to look at her.
Julian simply smiled.
"I told you."
Marco looked at Claire.
For the first time, there was no uncertainty.
No suspicion.
Only grief.
"My sister survived..."
He whispered.
"...long enough to have you."
Claire wanted to feel something.
Joy.
Relief.
Hope.
Instead...
She remembered chains.
Darkness.
And eighty-eight stolen days.
"I don't want your empire."
Every voice stopped.
Claire looked directly at the Council.
"I don't care about your name."
"I don't care about your money."
"I don't care about your power."
"I only want to know why my mother died."
The silence became unbearable.
May you like
Then the oldest council member quietly replied,
"Because someone betrayed her."
