Chapter 444
With Old Mr. Wilkinson having spoken, Tristan couldn’t argue. As his father had said, it was a bit callous, but it was the responsible thing to do for the Wilkinson family.
Marcia, however, was starting to panic. The Wilkinsons were far more astute than she had anticipated; the entire family was too sharp to be fooled easily. She had the jade pendant and the birthmark, yet they still insisted on a DNA test. She couldn’t let that happen. Once they did the test, her fate would be sealed.
Laurel glanced at her. “You have no objections, do you, Ms. Carson p>
“I… of course not Marcia’s mind raced, desperately trying to find a plausible excuse to refuse the test. Before she could come up with anything, Maya spoke first. “It was my oversight. A test is absolutely necessary. I’ll call someone to come collect the samples right now p>
“That won’t be necessary.” Laurel stopped her, adding casually, “Lawrence Quinn happens to be nearby. I’ll just have him bring his team over p>
Maya’s heart skipped a beat. “But… you two are divorced. Is it really appropriate to bother him with our family matters?” The Quinn family controlled the majority of Cresthaven’s medical resources, including most of its research institutes and private hospitals. If they handled the DNA test, there would be no room for manipulation.
Old Mrs. Wilkinson sounded displeased. “What’s inappropriate about it? The Wilkinsons and the Quinns have been allies for generations. A divorce doesn’t mean they’re mortal enemies now.” Besides, their split had been amicable, and they’d been so busy they hadn’t even found the time to finalize the paperwork.
Maya had to pivot, feigning concern. “Alright… I was just worried about Laurel p>
Laurel completely ignored her and stepped aside to call Lawrence.
Maya then turned to Tristan. “Dad, the DNA results will take time. Should we ask the officers at the door to leave for now?” If this woman truly was a Wilkinson the car accident-which hadn’t seriously injured Elissa anyway-would become a trivial matter. Elissa had no connections; with enough money, getting her to drop the charges would be simple.
“Let them go for now,” Tristan said, glancing at Marcia. He hadn’t expected his long-lost daughter to turn out like this, but he relented. He and Maya then walked toward the door, with Marcia trailing close behind, refusing to miss the chance to see Elissa humiliated.
*A car accident? So what?* Marcia thought gleefully. *In the end, that bitch can only stand by and watch me become the Wilkinson heiress, completely powerless to stop me p>
When the doors to the grand hall opened, Elissa instinctively scanned the emerging group for Suzanne Jensen but saw neither her nor Laurel. Only Tristan, Maya, and Marcia came out.
The moment Tristan appeared, the police officers stepped forward. After a brief exchange, they nodded and prepared to leave.
Elissa frowned. “Officer, didn’t you say Marcia was involved in the accident and that you needed to take her in for questioning p>
“I apologize,” the officer said, hesitating. “The situation has changed. She is temporarily unable to accompany us to the station p>
Elissa didn’t know what had changed, but she didn’t miss the look of smug triumph
in Marcia’s eyes. She knew then that whatever Maya had told Suzanne outside had
worked. The Wilkinson family had chosen to side with Marcia.
A bitter feeling erept into her heart. She looked at Tristan from a distance and forced a slight smile
“Mr. Wilkinson, may
I see Suzanne p>
Shë still couldn’t believe Suzanne would do this. Since they’d met,
St couldn’ybelieve
Suzanne had always felt like a warm,
maternal presence, like family.
Tristan didn’t even need to ask; he knew Suzanne must be torn. Her affection for Elissa was genuine, but if Marcia was truly their lost Vera… he knew his wife would be agonizing over the choice. It was better, he decided, for him to be the bad guy.