Chapter 451 Retesting Paternity with Grace
The possibility of her son still being alive reignited Patricia's determination.
Despite leaving Country Y, she maintained communication with Shane. At his persistent requests, Patricia retrieved an old photograph of her mother from a cherished box. She captured a digital image of the photograph and sent it to him, accompanied by a note: "Grandpa, doesn't my mom bear a striking resemblance to Aunt Elise?"
This photograph, capturing a moment from the year Isabella Laurent passed away, was a spontaneous snapshot of her and Patricia. In it, Isabella held Patricia's small hand, her smile radiating joy towards the camera. Time had not faded the photograph's clarity.
Shane, examining Isabella Laurent's face closely, felt a chill as recognition dawned on him. The trembling of his hands, as he held the phone, mirrored the turmoil within him. There, in the photograph, was his daughter Elise, unmistakable even after twenty years of fatherhood.
When Isabella Laurent had passed away, Patricia was only eight years old, so her memories might have blurred with time, but Shane's recollections were vivid.
The resemblance between Isabella and his daughter Elise — in their eyes, eyebrows, nose, and even their aura — was uncanny. As Shane tenderly traced the image of Isabella's youthful face, a wave of sorrow overwhelmed him, coaxing silent tears down his cheeks.
Under his breath, he murmured his beloved daughter's name. "Elise, Elise…"
Shane cherished the memory of his daughter, whose life took a tragic turn after leaving the Koch family to marry a man who would betray her. Afterward, she plunged into a profound depression, culminating in her untimely death. The thought of his daughter's ordeal twisted his heart with pain.
He recalled how she praised her daughter's innate talent for jewelry design, a gift that, perplexingly, did not seem to manifest in Grace. Ironically, Grace turned out to not be his biological granddaughter.
In the silence that followed his contemplation, Patricia sent another message. "Grandpa? Does the resemblance strike you as well? Are you shocked?"
Shane wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his tumultuous emotions before calling Patricia.
The phone was quickly answered, and Patricia's sweet voice came through. "Grandpa..."
Shane opened his mouth to speak but found himself choked up, the words wouldn't come out.
Hearing his silence, Patricia called out tentatively again. "Grandpa?"
Not wanting to worry her, Shane's shaky hand reached for the cup of coffee on his desk, taking a sip to soothe his throat before speaking in a raspy voice. "Patricia, you're coming to Grandpa's birthday, right?"
He planned to proudly announce at the birthday party that Patricia was his true granddaughter, Elise's daughter.
The Koch family members were honorable people, nothing like Grace with her malicious schemes and ruthless ambition.
Patricia nodded. "Of course. I made a promise to you, so I'll definitely be there."
Shane hadn't intended to cry. He tried to hold it back, but the tears came anyway, his voice was caught in his throat. "Patricia, honey, grandpa's been missing you!" He couldn't wait to see her.
Patricia was caught off guard by his candid words, a brief moment of surprise followed by a warm smile. "Grandpa, I've missed you too! I don’t know why, but I've always felt so close to you, even from the first time we met."
Shane was too choked up to speak.
It wasn't just Patricia who felt this way. He did, too. But back then, he never stopped to ponder why that was. He was solely focused on helping Grace drive away this rival in love, this threat to their future. And... and he had said such cruel things to her.
Thinking back now, he wondered just how heartbroken Patricia must have felt at the time. Having lost her mother at a young age, then threatened by her own grandfather, forced to leave the man she loved and cede him to another woman.
He had never done anything against his conscience in his life, except for that one time, to his dearest granddaughter. The more he thought about it, the sadder he became. The sadder he became, the more he regretted.
Patricia could hear Shane’s intermittent sobs over the phone. Anxious and confused, she asked, "Grandpa, are you crying? What happened?"
Shane shook his head firmly. "Nothing’s wrong, pumpkin! I just can't wait to see you! And I've got something I want to tell you when we do!"
Curious, Patricia asked, "What is it?"
Shane teased, "It's a secret for now. It'll be a surprise."
Seeing he wouldn't spill the beans, Patricia didn't push it. They chatted for a little while longer before reluctantly ending the call.
Shane listened to the busy tone on the other end, unable to bring himself to hang up, as if Patricia were still right there chatting with him.
Grace, holding a tray, stood outside the door with her ear pressed against the wood. Despite the muffled sounds, she could discern the gist of the conversation. Calming her jittery heart, she knocked on the study door.
Shane's response came after a brief pause. "Come in!"
Entering, Grace placed the tray on the desk and smiled. "Grandpa, I made you some tea. It's a special blend a friend brought me from Country Z. Try it and see how it compares to what we have here."
At the mention of Country Z, Shane visibly tensed. Grace, though not overtly showing it, noticed his reaction. Silently, she offered the cup of tea to Shane, who didn’t accept it, his piercing gaze fixed on her as if trying to decipher her intentions.
Feeling a chill run down her spine, Grace asked, "Grandpa, why are you staring at me like that?"
Shane continued to watch her intently, struck by her resemblance to someone he once knew. Initially, her likeness to Elise had convinced him she was Elise's child, but appearances can be deceiving.
Despite the similarities, the undeniable results of a DNA test couldn't be argued with—it was one hundred percent authentic. Yet, Shane was plagued by doubt, feeling there was something he didn't know, something crucial that eluded him.
Grace grew anxious under the intensity of his gaze, feeling as though he could see through to her deepest secrets.
Contemplating whether to leave, she was interrupted by Shane's question, "Grace, do you remember your mother?"
"Of course, I do. She passed away when I was just five, but her image is etched in my memory. I'll never forget," Grace replied.
Shane chuckled mockingly at her heartfelt response and dismissed her, saying, "You can go. I need some time alone."
His doubt lingered; if she truly remembered her mother, why hadn't she recognized the woman in the photo frame on his desk, the woman Patricia had identified immediately?
"That tea..." Grace began, her hand still extended with the cup suspended in mid-air.
Shane didn’t take it, leaving her standing with her arm outstretched. Leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes, Shane wearily waved her away, saying, "I don’t want it. Take it with you."
With her teeth clenched and a malicious glint in her eyes, Grace reluctantly turned and walked away.
It wasn't until the study door had closed behind her that Shane opened his eyes again.
He realized he needed to conduct another paternity test with Grace, and there was no time like the present.
The next day, he took a sample of hair from Grace's comb and headed to the paternity testing center.
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