The DNA kit sat on the marble kitchen counter like a loaded gun.
Damien stared at it as if it might explode. Lena stood across from him, her arms folded, trying to be the pillar he needed even as her stomach twisted with anxiety.
"You don't have to do this now," she said softly.
"I do." His voice was steady, but his jaw clenched. "If Paul's playing with fire, I'm going to burn him first."
He opened the box, removed the swab, and with mechanical precision, followed the steps. Every motion was sharp, deliberate like he was trying to prove he wasn't afraid.
But Lena knew better.
Damien Blackwood was terrified.
Two Days Later
The results came via encrypted email. Damien didn't open them right away.
Instead, he spent the day in meetings, delivering calm commands to a panicking board and projecting confidence to a company teetering on the edge. Lena stayed by his side the whole time, silent but steady.
Only once they were back home, the city glittering behind them, did he finally sit down and open the file.
Lena watched from the armrest of the couch, her hand on his shoulder.
Damien read it once. Then again.
He didn't speak.
"Damien?" Lena whispered.
He finally looked at her and for the first time since she'd known him, she saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
"It's true," he said hoarsely. "Harold isn't my biological father."
The silence that followed was crushing.
Lena reached for his hand. "But he raised you."
"I was a lie," he muttered. "A pawn. No wonder he treated me like a business project."
"Stop," she said firmly. "You're not a lie. You're the man who kept a company running, who held his family name together under fire, who... who saved me when I had nothing. Blood doesn't make you who you are."
He closed his eyes, emotion cracking through the surface. "You don't understand, Lena. If I'm not a Blackwood... I lose everything. The company. The legacy. The power to stop Paul."
She squeezed his hand. "Then we fight another way."
Meanwhile – Paul's Penthouse
Paul sipped a glass of scotch, watching the chaos unfold on his phone.
"The bastard finally knows the truth," he said to his assistant. "Let's see how long he holds out without that precious name of his."
The assistant hesitated. "There's... more. Someone's leaked the adoption file to the press. It mentions the mother. The biological mother."
Paul's smirk faded.
"Who?" he asked sharply.
The assistant handed him a copy of the file.
Paul read the name and his hand trembled.
"No... it can't be..."
Back at the Blackwood Penthouse
Damien stared at the screen long after the DNA result had faded from view.
Then he opened another document Lena had found hidden in his father's old files an unsigned letter, never sent. It was addressed to "D" and written in careful, elegant handwriting.
> You were never meant to be used as a pawn. I made the choice to protect you from the people who destroyed our lives. Forgive me for the lies. One day you'll know why I did it all. "M".
"Do you think this M is my biological mother?" he asked Lena.
She nodded. "And I think Paul knows who she is. You saw his reaction the day your mother's name was mentioned."
Damien leaned back, eyes blazing. "Then it's time we pay him a visit."
Next Morning – Paul's Office
Paul looked up from his desk as Damien and Lena walked in unannounced.
"Well, well," he drawled. "If it isn't the fallen heir and his wife. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Damien didn't speak. He tossed the DNA report onto Paul's desk.
Paul scanned it, then smiled cruelly. "So, the illusion is finally over. How does it feel, knowing you're not who you thought you were?"
Damien stepped closer, his voice low and dangerous. "I don't care about your games anymore. I want to know her name."
Paul raised a brow. "Who?"
"My mother," Damien said. "The woman you've been hiding all these years."
Paul stood, slowly. "You're not ready for that truth."
Damien's fists clenched. "Try me."
Paul smirked. "Very well. But remember you asked for it."
He turned his monitor around and played a video. It was old, grainy yet the voice was unmistakable.
A woman, elegant, with cold blue eyes... the same eyes Damien saw in the mirror every day.
Lena gasped. "That's..."
Damien stepped back, as if the ground had cracked beneath him.
"My mother," he whispered. "She was part of your family."
Paul smiled. "Now you understand. This isn't just about business. It's about revenge. Because she chose your father over me. And you her son got everything I was supposed to have."