Chapter 494: Paternity Test
Scott was a man of contrasts.
Growing up, Ashley had always wondered why he continued serving Marshal. Scott was clearly skilled—skilled enough that countless organizations would have welcomed him and offered him a far better position. They would have treated him with far more respect than Marshal ever had.
She had asked him about it many, many times.
And as always, the only response she received was either silence or an answer that had nothing to do with the question.
God knew how many times she had asked him to run away with her.
But Scott never would.
"We move tomorrow night," Ashley announced, concluding the meeting. She then glanced at Gustav. "Good luck."
Gustav merely shrugged and pushed himself to his feet. After sweeping his gaze over everyone in the room, he walked away without another word. The two men accompanying him nodded at the others before following him out.
Everyone else remained: Ashley, Lucian, Red, Khan, and the rest of her faction.
For a moment, they all stared silently at the door.
"They’ll be fine," Ashley assured them when they finally looked back at her.
"We’re not worried," Red clarified. "That’s Gustav. He’ll complete the mission without fail."
Their main operation would begin tomorrow night. They had a little more than twenty-four hours to prepare for the assault that would bury the Di Carpios for good.
But before that could happen, Gustav and Lucian’s men had to deal with the Di Carpios’ allies tonight.
"Start preparing," Ashley ordered, turning toward her men. "And try to get some more sleep. Even if Gustav succeeds, this operation won’t be easy."
Her men exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.
"I’m going back to sleep," Rum grumbled as he rose, the legs of his chair scraping against the floor.
One by one, the others stood and left until only Red and Khan remained with Ashley and Lucian.
"Madam," Khan said as he got to his feet, "please don’t forget to rest as well."
"This is a major operation," Red added, his eyes lingering on the board. "We all need to be in our best condition."
He turned toward Ashley.
"If you need anything else, call one of us."
Ashley’s gaze moved between them, her expression softening. She nodded and watched until they disappeared behind the door.
Now, only she and Lucian remained.
Ashley slumped over the table and rested her head on her folded arms. Lucian leaned back in his chair, quietly watching her.
She hadn’t slept since he told her about his suspicions. Instead, she had spent the entire time revising her existing plan to account for Lucian’s men.
Lucian had remained with her, but unlike Ashley, he had managed to sleep before she and her team arrived.
"I agree with Red and Khan," he said. "Get some sleep."
Ashley hummed and closed her eyes.
"Lucian," she murmured, "you never found out what Marshal has on Scott?"
She knew Lucian had ordered Gustav to uncover everything he could about Marshal and Scott’s relationship.
The same question had crossed Lucian’s mind countless times.
If he could pull Scott away from Marshal’s side, everything would become easier. After all, Lucian knew Ashley would eventually reach her breaking point.
Slowly but steadily, she had begun letting go of the family that had tormented her for most of her life. The progress was painfully slow, but it was still progress—a crack in the hold they had over her.
Scott, however, was different.
Ashley had spent most of her life with him. Lucian was certain that her attachment to Scott was far more complicated than what she felt for the family that had never wanted her in the first place.
Unfortunately...
Lucian shook his head. "We found nothing."
"You truly don’t have any idea?" he asked. "Not even a hint?"
"None at all." Ashley sighed without opening her eyes.
If she had possessed even the smallest clue, she would have done something about it years ago.
"I investigated him before, purely out of curiosity," she mumbled, her voice growing softer. "But every trail led to a dead end."
She released another quiet sigh. "That stubborn old man."
Lucian tilted his head, watching her until her breathing gradually deepened. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he glanced at the blazer draped over the back of his chair.
He picked it up and gently placed it over her shoulders. His fingertips brushed through her hair before he withdrew his hand and settled back into his chair.
Then Ashley spoke again.
"Lucian."
He raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were asleep."
"I was about to be," she muttered. "I sent you the results. The paternity tests."
Her eyes opened halfway as she looked at him.
"I checked the clinics’ databases to see whether they still had my old test results. A few of them did."
"All right," he said quietly, nodding in understanding. "When do you want to know?"
Ashley closed her eyes again.
"Those results don’t matter to me anymore. The other test you ran... that’s the only result that matters to me."
That was the only truth she wanted to hear.
"Go back to the bedroom," Lucian said as he rose. "I’ll oversee Gustav’s preparations."
Ashley didn’t respond.
Lucian sighed but decided to leave her alone. She had prepared nearly everything while the others slept. Now, she deserved to rest while he ensured that Gustav’s team had everything they needed.
The moment Lucian stepped out of the room, however, he stopped.
He glanced back at the closed door before continuing down the hallway. Pulling out his phone, he opened the email Ashley had sent him and found several files attached.
His thumb hovered over the first link.
His steps gradually slowed until he stopped altogether.
Lucian drew a deep breath, uncertain of what he hoped to find. The only thing that eased the heaviness in his chest was knowing that, whatever the answer might be, Ashley no longer cared.
With that thought, he finally opened the file.
His eyes quickly moved across the document until they reached the section that mattered most.
PATERNITY TEST RESULT
The alleged father, Marshal Di Carpio, is excluded as the biological father of Ashley Di Carpio.
The probability of paternity is 0.00%.
Based on the genetic markers analyzed, Marshal Di Carpio cannot be the biological father of Ashley Di Carpio.
*****
Meanwhile...
Click.
As soon as the door closed behind Lucian, Ashley opened her eyes.
Still slumped over the table, she slipped a hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone. The paternity test result was already displayed on the screen.
She silently stared at the zero-percent probability before placing the phone face down on the table.
"Marshal," she whispered, closing her eyes.
You’re going to regret everything.