Chapter 264

Verena's brow furrowed in clear annoyance. A spark of impatience flickered in her eyes as she replied,"Absolutely not."

The blunt refusal hit Luis hard. He felt his confidence drain away, leaving him slumping in his chair. With a defeated sigh, he pressed a hand to his forehead,at a complete loss.

He couldn't help feeling disappointed.

Yesterday, he'd blurted out the wrong thing and left in a rush, and today he'd only made it worse by suddenly asking for her chat app number. He figured his reputation in Verena's mind was probably shot,but he promised himself he would find a way to make up for it later.

For now, he had to focus on getting that strand of her hair for the DNA test. After thinking it over, Luis finally settled on a plan.

He gave the spoon a calculated flick, sending it tumbling to the floor near Verena's feet.

With a touch of regret in his expression, he said,"Mrs. Bennett, would you mind picking that up for me?"

Verena barely hesitated, reaching down out of courtesy to retrieve the spoon.

While she bent over, Luis quietly reached out and snagged a few stray strands of hair from her shoulder, moving so quickly that she didn't notice a thing.

She straightened up and handed him the spoon,but before she could say anything, Luis shot to his feet."Sorry,Mrs.Bennett. Something just came up. I need to go."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left the restaurant in a hurry.

Verena sat there, the spoon still in her hand, watching Luis' retreating figure with a puzzled frown.His behavior left her feeling irritated and confused.

She couldn't make sense of his odd actions.

Outside, Luis clutched the tiny plastic bag holding Verena's hair as he hurried to his car and made straight for a hospital.

He reached the hospital in record time, heading straight for the lab where DNA tests were handled.Without wasting a minute, Luis handed the hair samples to the lab technician. "Please, I need this processed as fast as possible," he said, urgency sharpening his tone.

Normally, these results took days, but Luis wasn't just any person. He leaned on his connections,making sure the request jumped to the front of the line.

The staff recognized his name and status, and no one dared delay. They got to work right away, prepping the samples for immediate testing.

With nothing left to do, Luis paced the hallway, and then dropped onto a bench near the lab, his nerves stretched tight.

He kept glancing at the closed door, every second stretching longer than the last. His heart hammered in his chest, and his thoughts ran wild.

If the test said Verena wasn't his sister, what then?

Would everything he'd been searching for disappear in an instant?

But if she really was his long-lost sibling, how could he possibly make up for missing all those years?How could he face her now?

The waiting felt endless.

At last, the lab door swung open. Luis shot to his feet, unable to keep his anxiety from spilling out.

A doctor stepped out, test results in hand. Luis met him halfway, barely keeping his voice steady. "Do you

have the results?"

The doctor scanned the report, and then offered a small, reassuring smile. "Congratulations, Mr.Sampson.The results confirm the blood ties."

For a moment, Luis stood rooted in disbelief.

Tears stung his eyes as he whispered, "She's really my sister. After all this time, I finally found her."

Wiping his eyes, Luis hurried to his car,fumbled with his phone, and dialed a number, hands still trembling with emotion.