DNA Test

After a moment of hesitation, Vessara decided to mention the real reason she had come.

"Mrs. Barclay... I actually came today to ask for a favor."

The woman immediately looked at her.

"What is it?"

Vessara paused briefly before answering.

"I need the Blood Orchid."

Mrs. Barclay froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard.

"The Blood Orchid?"

Vessara nodded.

"I urgently need it for a medical treatment."

Vessara’s expression turned serious.

For several long seconds, Mrs. Barclay said nothing.

Vessara’s heart slowly tightened.

Then suddenly—

Mrs. Barclay turned and rushed upstairs.

Vessara blinked in confusion.

Did she just…

Leave?

Was that a silent refusal?

Before Vessara could process what was happening, Mrs. Barclay hurried downstairs again.

This time, she was carrying an exquisite antique wooden box.

"Look."

She stopped in front of Vessara and carefully opened the lid.

Inside sat a flowerpot containing a single dark crimson blossom.

The flower was beautiful in an almost unsettling way. Its petals had dulled to a deep wine-red color, as though it were slowly dying.

Just as Vessara had suspected.

Without the proper nourishment, the Blood Orchid had reached the end of its life cycle.

There was no time to waste.

Ignoring Mrs. Barclay's startled expression, Vessara pulled a slim dagger from her belt.

With one swift motion, she sliced across her wrist.

The blade flashed.

Blood immediately poured from the wound.

Mrs. Barclay gasped.

"What are you doing?!"

Vessara didn't answer. She extended her bleeding arm over the flowerpot.

Drops of blood splashed onto the dark petals.

A familiar wave of dizziness hit her.

For a brief moment, memories of being used as a living blood bank flooded back.

The suffocating helplessness.

The endless needles.

The feeling of slowly being drained dry.

Her face grew paler by the second.

Yet the Blood Orchid began changing before their eyes.

Its withered petals gradually regained their color.

The deep crimson brightened.

The flower straightened.

It was as if life itself had returned to it.

Vessara had no idea how much blood she'd lost.

The room spun.

Only when Mrs. Barclay cried out in panic—

"That's enough!"

—did she finally snap back to reality.

Mrs. Barclay rushed forward and tore a strip of fabric from her sleeve, desperately trying to bandage the wound.

Vessara shook her head.

She pulled a capsule from her pocket, twisted it open, and poured a fine white powder onto the cut.

The bleeding stopped almost instantly.

Only a pale scar remained, winding across her delicate wrist.

The sight was enough to make anyone's heart ache.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Barclay."

Vessara offered an apologetic smile.

"I didn't mean to frighten you."

But Mrs. Barclay suddenly began to cry.

"You really are my daughter." Her voice trembled with emotion. "Only women of the Barclay bloodline can revive a Blood Orchid."

Tears streamed down her face.

"The last time this flower bloomed was during my great-aunt's lifetime."

She looked at the flower, then back at Vessara.

"For years, there hasn't been another daughter born into the Barclay family."

Her voice cracked.

"And now you're the only one who could bring it back to life." She grabbed Vessara's hand tightly.

"Mrs. Barclay, I think there's been a misunderstanding."

Vessara tried to explain.

She only knew this method because of something she'd learned during her years in prison.

But before she could finish—

A booming voice suddenly echoed from outside the living room.

"My daughter's home?!"

The voice was filled with excitement.

"Where is she?"

A tall man rushed inside moments later.

Vessara immediately recognized him from the information she'd gathered.

The head of the Barclay family.

Alexander Barclay.

The moment he saw her, he froze.

His eyes instantly reddened.

For a man known throughout high society for his composure, the sight was shocking.

His hands lifted slightly as though he wanted to embrace her.

Yet he seemed afraid to touch her.

Afraid she might disappear.

"Sweetheart..."

His voice shook.

"It's you, isn't it?"

Mrs. Barclay quickly stepped forward.

"It's her."

Tears filled her eyes again.

"Her blood revived the Blood Orchid."

The tenderness in their gazes was overwhelming.

Vessara had never experienced anything like it.

Not once during her years with the Laurents.

Silence settled over the room.

She didn't believe it.

There was no way she could walk out of prison one day and suddenly discover she was the lost daughter of one of the most powerful families in the country.

"Mr. Barclay. Mrs. Barclay."

She raised her hands helplessly.

"I really think you've made a mistake."

"I'm not your daughter."

"I'm just someone with a rare blood type."

Seeing that she still didn't believe them, Alexander immediately turned toward his staff.

"If you can revive the flower, there's no mistake."

Then he gestured sharply.

"Run a DNA test. Right now."

Vessara stared in disbelief.

Moments later, a man stepped forward carrying a medical kit.

He lowered his head respectfully.

"Miss."

Vessara glanced at him and sighed.

"So we're drawing blood?"

"The fastest and most reliable method."

The man's voice was calm.

Behind his black-rimmed glasses, his sharp eyes carried an air of quiet authority.

Even the way he drew blood was remarkably gentle.

The warmth of his fingertips brushed against her skin for only a moment before he stepped away.

Then came the waiting.

An awkward silence filled the room.

Vessara still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she was suddenly taking a DNA test with the Barclay family.

Then—

The front door burst open.

"Oh my God, seriously?"

A young woman's annoyed voice echoed through the house.

"I was having a perfectly good shopping day. Why did I have to come home?"

The girl walked into the living room dressed head-to-toe in designer brands.

Then she saw Vessara.

Her expression instantly changed.

The shopping bags slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Dad."

Her voice sharpened.

"Who is she?"

At that moment, the man responsible for the DNA test returned.

His expression was complicated.

He first nodded toward Mrs. Barclay.

Then he turned to Alexander.

"Sir..."

He paused.

"The DNA results are back."