Chapter 522

Jennifer rushed to the hospital, only to find she was a step too late. Sanford had already submitted both Michael’s and his own hair samples for the DNA test.

Furious, Jennifer grabbed Sanford by the collar. “What the hell are you trying to do?”

Sanford helplessly let go of Jennifer. “What are you so scared of? I’m just curious about the kid’s background, that’s all.”

“No, wait.” Jennifer finally sensed that something was off.

Jennifer stared at Sanford in disbelief. “You pulled out Mike’s hair? But you don’t have any of Teresa’s hair, let alone the biological father’s. So how could you possibly do the DNA test?”

“Right,” Sanford said slowly and deliberately. “I pulled out Michael’s hair, and my own, to run a DNA test.”

Jennifer looked at Sanford in utter disbelief, then let out a scoffing laugh. “Come on, there’s absolutely no way you’re Michael’s father.”

Jennifer thought, ‘After all, Teresa had never even met Sanford before. So why is he acting so crazy?’

Sanford nodded calmly. “Yeah, I know.”

“Then why this unnecessary move?” Jennifer demanded. “I told you, the kid’s situation is complicated, and I don’t want you meddling in this.”

“I’m not trying to interfere,” Sanford said calmly. “I’m just curious whether I’m actually related to this kid in some way.”

“How is that even possible? Are you out of your mind, or did you forget your meds?” Jennifer shot back at Sanford.

Seeing Jennifer look as if she were itching to check his forehead for a fever, Sanford offered a wry smile. “What if I told you I might be the kid’s uncle?”

Jennifer retorted, “You must be out of your mind. Seriously sick in the head. You need to see a psychiatrist.”

“Say whatever you want.” Sanford shrugged, turning slightly away. “I paid for express service–results in 24 hours.”

“Aren’t you afraid I might just destroy the test report before you ever see it, and never tell you what it says?” Jennifer shot back.

Sanford shrugged. “Then I’ll just run the test again.” Jennifer was speechless.

Sanford gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Seriously though, I took Michael’s hair, right? Shouldn’t Teresa be the one coming after me? Then why is it you?”

Teresa wasn’t worried at all, yet Jennifer was practically frantic. That only made Sanford even more curious.

‘Why was Jennifer so terrified?’ he wondered. All he did was run a DNA test, yet it was enough to send the usually unflappable Jennifer chasing after him in person.

Jennifer clenched her fists. “Stop asking,” she snapped. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Sanford noticed Jennifer looked uneasy and probed cautiously, “Did someone get something on you or are you being threatened?”

“No,” Jennifer insisted, refusing to elaborate.

Jennifer fixed Sanford with a sharp stare and pressed, “Sanford, I just need one straight answer from you. Did you really use your own hair for the DNA test?”

“Yeah,” Sanford replied softly.

“Alright, I’ll trust you this once,” Jennifer said, enunciating each word. “But promise me, if the results show you’re not related to Michael at all, you’ll leave Nareigh for good.”

“Alright,” Sanford agreed, his tone firm and resolute.

‘As long as the DNA test proves Michael isn’t related to me, it’ll also indirectly prove I have no connection to Jonathan. Then I’ll leave Nareigh for good,' Sanford thought.

Rather than just confirming the child’s parentage, what Sanford truly wanted to know was whether Jonathan was actually his brother, and whether the man Liora had been pining for all these years, was, in fact, his father.

Back home, Teresa finally received Jennifer’s call.

‘Sanford actually used his own hair and Michael’s for a DNA test?’ Teresa thought in disbelief. At first, just like Jennifer, Teresa thought Sanford must be either running a fever or simply out of his mind.

However, it suddenly struck Teresa. Sanford bore a striking resemblance to Werner, Donald’s father.

Turning to Jennifer, she asked, “Does Donald have any brothers? Could Sanford be his brother?”

Jennifer asked, “What makes you say that?”

“Don’t you think Sanford looks a bit like Werner? Maybe it’s just because Werner’s older now, but if you really look, don’t you think they look alike? Otherwise, why would he want to do a DNA test with Michael?” Teresa said.

Jennifer fell silent for a moment. Finally, she said, “Let me go ask.” She hung up the phone.

That evening, Jennifer waited for Donald to get off work. Over dinner, she lightheartedly brought up the subject with him. Donald said frankly, “Cheryl’s my only sister. My parents only had the two of us.”

Jennifer chuckled. “I was just kidding. It suddenly struck me that my friend looks a bit like your dad.”

“Not really, I don’t think so,” Donald replied. After all, no one would ever think a stranger looks like their own father.

Jennifer didn’t press further. She told Teresa that Sanford had nothing to do with Donald, but speculated he might be connected to Jonathan.

“No way! Jonathan’s an only child. Irene never had any other sons,” Jennifer said.

“Then Sanford told me he might be Michael’s uncle,” Teresa said incredulously. “Is he out of his damn mind or what?”

Teresa also wanted to know the reason.

Meanwhile, Sanford had stayed nearby the whole time, waiting anxiously for the test results. The moment Sanford got his hands on the test report, he tore it open and scanned the results.

Sanford was calm at first, then a rare smile broke across his face as the tension left his shoulders. He hadn’t felt this genuinely happy in ages. Everything had unfolded exactly as he’d predicted. Still, he turned to the geneticist to confirm it.

Sanford asked, “So, this means I’m related to Michael, right?”

The doctor said, “The test results show some matching DNA sequences, but the similarities are limited.”

The initial autosomal DNA test confirmed that Sanford and Michael were not biologically related. However, a Y–chromosome test can yield results.

In other words, starting from the Lynn family patriarch’s generation, all male descendants in the direct paternal line will share identical Y chromosome.

The DNA test results only showed that Sanford and Michael shared the same paternal lineage. It couldn’t confirm a father–son relationship, let alone determine their exact familial connection.

Sanford declared. “Of course the kid isn’t my son. I’m his uncle.”

The doctor paused for a few seconds. “It’s more likely that you’re a half–uncle or a more distant uncle. If you were his full uncle, the autosomal DNA test should have shown that right away.”

Sanford explained, “That’s because the kid’s father and I have different mothers. So I’m more of a half–uncle than a full one.”

The doctor looked a bit baffled. “Your family situation is really complicated.”

Sanford wasted no more words and quickly left. He immediately sent the DNA test results to Jennifer. Jennifer insisted on meeting Sanford right away.

“Jennifer, I can’t meet you right now, but rest assured my promise stands. My business won’t drag you or Teresa into it. Besides, I’m Michael’s uncle now. I’d never hurt him.”

Jennifer insisted, “Let’s meet face–to–face. I’ll bring Teresa, and we can—”

“Jennifer,” Sanford said with a wry, helpless smile. “If you don’t trust me, then forget it.”

Sanford hung up without another word. Without a moment’s hesitation, Sanford made his next call to Liora.