Chapter 165
Chapter 165:
“It is not just a mark!” The Matriarch’s voice boomed. “It is the Vane Crescent. The mark of the Vane women p>
Aurora looked down at her arm. She had always known about the mark, but the name… Vane?
Edward was staring at her face, ignoring the arm. He was looking at her eyes.
“Mother… you were right. The eyes… and now this p>
The Matriarch looked up. She saw the Green. She saw the Gold.
“The Vane Mark… and the Kensington Eyes,” the Matriarch whispered, sinking back into her chair as if struck by lightning. “My God. Edward… she is yours. She is the bridge p>
The Kensington living room had been transformed into a makeshift interrogation zone. The air was thick with tension, smelling of rain and fear.
“Lock the doors,” the Matriarch had ordered. “Call the lab. I want a DNA test. Now p>
Aurora stood by the fireplace, her expression unreadable. Elias stood directly behind her, a silent wall of defense. He had already signaled his security team; they were positioned at the perimeter of the estate.
“This is unlawful imprisonment,” Aurora stated, her voice bored. “I came for dinner, not a genetic screening p>
“You are family!” Edward pleaded, his eyes red and desperate. “Please. Just… let us know. If you are her… if you are my daughter p>
Aurora looked at Edward. She saw the raw pain in his face. It wasn’t the look of a billionaire missing an heir; it was the look of a father missing a child.
“Fine,” Aurora said. “One swab. Then I leave. And I don’t come back unless I choose to p>
Dr. Shaw, summoned from the guest wing, performed the swab with shaking hands. Eleanor watched like a hawk, her mind racing for a way to swap the samples, but Elias’s gaze never left the vial.
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“Fast track it,” the Matriarch commanded. “I want results in four hours p>
“We are leaving,” Elias announced once the sample was sealed. He took Aurora’s arm.
“You should stay,” the Matriarch pleaded. “This is your home p>
“My home is the Obsidian Tower,” Aurora corrected coldly. “And frankly, the hospitality here lacks warmth p>
She turned and walked out the heavy oak doors without looking back.
Outside, the rain was pouring in sheets. A convoy of black SUVs was waiting, engines idling. Elias’s personal security detail.
He opened the door of the lead armored vehicle for her.
“You were in there too long,” he said, his voice low and rough.
“I had to know,” Aurora admitted as she slid into the leather seat. “The Vane Mark… Elias, my mother wasn’t just some random woman. If that mark means what she says it means p>
“It means you are the heir to two empires, not just one,” Elias finished, closing the door. He circled to the driver’s side.
Inside the car, the silence was heavy. Elias turned up the heat. He saw her shivering—not from cold, but from the aftershock of the revelation.
He reached across the console and took her hand.
“We are going back to the Tower. Jones is already there securing the perimeter. No one gets in without my permission p>