Chapter 84

Teresa returned home and rested for one evening. The very next morning, she was back at work, busy at the office.

Meanwhile, Michael woke up early. For days, he had been counting down on his fingers—one day, two days, three days. Finally, the third day arrived. He promptly dialed Christian on his smartwatch.

“Mr. Dunn, the 99 report at the hospital should be out today, right?” he asked.

Christian, mid-breakfast and preparing for work, paused. ‘99?’ he wondered. It took him a couple of seconds to realize. “Ah, you mean the DNA test report, right? The hospital notified me yesterday. I’ll take you to get it this afternoon,” he replied.

“Great! I’ll wait for you!” Michael said.

Christian sighed as he hung up. He hadn’t expected Michael to remember the DNA report so clearly. It seemed he genuinely wished Jonathan could be his father. Sadly, this dream was bound to be shattered.

Jonathan had already returned to work that day. The bandage on his arm was off, but his shoulder injury hadn’t fully healed. From the outside, though, it wasn’t noticeable.

Later, Christian dropped off some documents and a freshly dry-cleaned coat for Jonathan at his office. He was about to leave but hesitated and asked, “Mr. Lynn, wouldn’t it be nice if you had a child?”

Jonathan frowned, glancing up. “Are you offering to have one for me?” he asked.

Christian felt embarrassed. “No, no, that’s not what I meant! I just think it’d be a shame if someone with genes as excellent as yours didn’t have a child to inherit them,” he replied.

Jonathan didn’t reply. Instead, he let out a bitter chuckle. He knew full well that Teresa would never have his child. Perhaps he would remain childless his whole life, growing old alone.

Leaning back in his leather chair, he toyed with a pen. “If I ever had a child, I would announce it to the world as joyful news. Unfortunately, I don’t. You may leave now,” he said.

“Yes, Mr. Lynn,” Christian responded, closing the door behind him with a sigh. As he thought, Jonathan would never have children.

When the workday ended, Jonathan had no social engagements that evening. Thus, Christian could leave on time.

Michael had been waiting eagerly at home. As soon as Christian arrived, Sherry curiously asked, “Where are you taking Mike? If something happens, I won’t be able to explain it to Teresa.”

Just as Christian was about to respond, Michael interjected, “It’s a man-to-man secret, right, Mr. Dunn?”

Amused by Michael’s cheeky response, Christian laughed and said, “That’s right. I’ll bring Mike back soon. Don’t worry.”

Sherry shook her head with a smile and said, “Make sure you come back quickly. Don’t cause trouble for me.”

Christian assured her and drove the boy to the hospital. At the hospital, the nurse handed them an envelope and said, “This is the DNA test report for Mr. Christian Dunn and Michael Johnston. Please take care of it.”

“Thanks,” Christian replied.

Since the test required an adult’s ID, Christian had used his own. However, the DNA sample was taken from Jonathan’s hair. Michael could easily distinguish the short, straight strands from Christian’s buzz cut and Jonathan’s soft, fine ones. In short, it was Jonathan’s and Michael’s hair used for the test.

Christian felt sorry for Michael. If they had tested his own hair, the resemblance might have been 30%. But with Jonathan’s? Probably not even 1%.

Christian took the envelope and brought Michael to sit in the hospital waiting area.

“Mr. Dunn, this means Mr. Lynn can finally be my daddy, right?” Michael asked.

Looking at Michael’s hopeful eyes, Christian hesitated. He didn’t want to crush Michael’s dreams but knew it was inevitable. The reality was harsh, and even children weren’t spared.

“As I said before, Mike, if you see the number 99, then yes. If not, then no. Even if it’s not, no crying, okay? You need to understand. Mr. Lynn is someone who can’t possibly have kids. But, oh well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Christian replied.

Michael still didn’t fully understand what DNA tests were. He only knew that a test could confirm whether someone could be his father. And he really wanted Jonathan to be his father.

“Mr. Dunn, I’m opening it now!” Michael said.

“Go ahead, but stay strong. Life is harsh,” Christian said, laughing at himself. He was accompanying a three-year-old to a DNA test he knew was pointless. He thought, ‘I must be too free. Letting the kid deal with reality is a part of growing up.’

“Mr. Dunn, I can’t read these complicated words,” Michael said.

Christian took the test report and replied, “The front pages are just details. What matters is the last page—the result. Take your time flipping through it. I’ll grab some juice for you.”

As Christian returned with a juice box, Michael came running over, jumping with excitement. “Mr. Dunn, look! It’s 99! And there are two 99s!”

“How is that possible? You must’ve read it wrong,” Christian said, casually taking the test report and taking a sip of juice. One glance later, he nearly spat out his drink in shock, drawing disapproving looks from people nearby.

He gripped the report tightly, eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at the bolded text on the page: “[The likelihood of this biological relationship is 99.99%.]”