She grabs her purse and hurries toward the door. Stops in front of me. “For what it’s worth, I am telling the truth. Those children are yours. Anna has been lying to your face for weeks.”
“Then the truth will reveal itself.”
She leaves. I close the door and return to my desk. Pull out my phone.
Pavel answers immediately. “Yes?”
“I need a DNA test. Priority.”
“Who?”
“Anna’s twins. Mila and Alexei. Compare their DNA against mine.”
Pause. “What happened?”
“Lina Petrov just left my office, claiming I’m their biological father. I need verification.”
“The friend from university?”
“Yes. Run a full background on her. Income, employment, debts, connections. I want to know why she brought this to me.”
“Understood. For the DNA, I’ll need samples from the children.”
“Get them from their belongings. Toothbrush, hairbrush, whatever you can access quietly. Don’t alert Anna.”
“The hospital?”
“Yes. They still have my samples on file from the last paternity claim.”
This is the fourth time in ten years someone has claimed I fathered a child. The previous three were all lies. Extortion attempts that fell apart under DNA testing.
But this feels different.
The timeline matches. Five years ago, I did frequent hotel bars after bad deals. I did have that one-night stand that led to my celibacy vow. And Anna’s behavior makes more sense if she’s been hiding this.
“How fast can we get results?” I ask.
“Twenty-four hours if I expedite.”
“Do it. Also, pull security footage from the Metropolitan Hotel. Five years ago, in March or April. I want to see if there’s evidence I was there with someone matching Anna’s description.”
“That’s a long time. The footage might be deleted.”
“Find out. If it exists, I want it.”
“On it. Anything else?”
“No. Just get me those results.”
13
LUCA
Twenty-four hours feels longerthan it should.
I’m in a meeting with Dmitri and his associates when my mind drifts. They’re discussing transport logistics for the new Baltic route, something about fuel costs and port fees. Numbers that should have my full attention.
Instead, I’m thinking about a hotel bar five years ago.
