CHAPTER 182: CHAPTER 182: I HAVE NO RIGHT TO INTERFERE

The genetics testing center laboratory.

A young intern test analyst sat at the workstation, his eyelids drooping heavily, his head bobbing, almost collapsing onto the equipment.

Working overtime continuously to process urgent samples had left him exhausted.

He suddenly jolted awake, shook his head, forcing himself to concentrate, and began verifying the recently completed set of genetic match results against the corresponding sample numbers.

When he reached the set labeled "Justin Holden" and "Jesse Ellison," his movements froze abruptly, and his face turned pale.

Something was wrong!

He frantically checked the previous operation records and sample labels, cold sweat breaking out instantly.

He had made a mistake; he accidentally compared Justin Holden’s genetic sample with another child’s sample that came in the same batch, rather than with the sample of the little girl named Jesse Ellison.

It’s over, his mind buzzed.

This was a major error, and the client had paid a hundred thousand for expedited service, demanding absolute accuracy and speed.

The erroneous report had already been automatically sent to the client’s email according to the process.

"Lewis, what’s wrong? You look terrible,"

An older female lab analyst walked over, concerned, and asked.

She was a senior staff member here.

Lewis snapped back, clumsily moving the mouse, his voice trembling slightly.

"Noth...nothing, Miss Wright, I’m fine."

As he spoke, he quickly located the error report that had just been generated and sent, decisively clicking to permanently delete it.

He thought that as long as he quickly redid the correct match, and sent the accurate result before the client noticed, maybe he could fix it.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and picked up the sample bag labeled "Jesse Ellison" again.

His hands were trembling slightly from anxiety.

He opened the sealed bag, carefully using the tweezers to pick up the few delicate strands of hair inside.

Just as the tweezers were about to grasp the strands, his hand slipped uncontrollably, and the tweezers’ tip knocked the crucial hairs away.

The fine hairs floated down lightly, bounced once on the smooth testing bench, and fell onto the dark anti-static mat on the floor, disappearing instantly from sight.

Lewis’s face went from pale to blue, and he squatted down abruptly, almost lying on the floor, fumbling the area with his hands, eyes wide, breathing rapidly.

"What exactly are you doing?" Miss Wright looked at his odd behavior, frowning, her tone becoming stern. "Did you make a mistake?"

Lewis slumped to the ground, hopeless, his voice mixed with sobs: "Miss Wright, I think I messed up a set of samples, and I lost the correct sample, the wrong report has been sent out."

Miss Wright’s face immediately darkened, reprimanding him.

"I’ve told you numerous times; for all expedited, especially high-fee commissioned test results, they must be double-checked before being sent. How could you be so careless?"

"The client was pushing too hard, and they paid so much money, so I thought I’d rush it out,"

Lewis babbled in defense, but he knew this was no excuse.

He was just too tired and careless; if it were any other day, such a mistake would not have occurred.

Miss Wright watched him, lost and aimless, sighed, and waved her hand.

"Alright, leave this to me for now. You just tidy up this place."

Lewis felt a wave of relief mixed with shame and whispered, "Thank you, Miss Wright..."

Miss Wright went to her office computer, pulling up Justin Holden’s commission information.

She examined Justin Holden’s name and contact details, her brow furrowing slightly, feeling that this name sounded familiar as if she had heard it somewhere before.

After thinking carefully, she suddenly recalled.

A few days ago, an old classmate of hers, Isabel Dalton, who now worked as a prison guard, had mentioned privately, asking her to watch out for whether a lawyer named Justin Holden was coming for a paternity test, particularly if it involved a little girl called Jesse Ellison.

At the time, Isabel’s tone was somewhat serious, but she hadn’t explained much more.

Miss Wright hesitated for a moment, then picked up her personal mobile phone, walked out into the corridor outside the lab, and dialed Isabel Dalton’s number.

The call connected quickly.

"Isabel, it’s me." Miss Wright whispered, "That Justin Holden you asked me to watch for indeed came for a paternity test today."

On the other end, Isabel Dalton’s voice immediately tensed: "What’s the result?"

"There was a mishap," Miss Wright explained, "An intern on our side made an operational mistake, not only mixing up the samples for comparison and sending the wrong report but also losing the correct child’s sample, so we temporarily cannot obtain an accurate result."

Isabel Dalton was silent on the other end for a few seconds, Miss Wright heard her seem to take a breath of relief.

"It’s okay." Isabel’s voice regained calmness, "If it’s messed up, it’s messed up. Just let it be; such a result is actually the best."

Miss Wright was a bit puzzled, but didn’t probe further, simply saying: "Alright, I understand."

"Thank you, old friend." Isabel thanked her.

"No problem, happy to help."

Miss Wright ended the call, still hesitating whether or not to inform Lawyer Holden about this incident.

Anyone who could afford a hundred thousand for expedited service must be influential, not an ordinary person.

Isabel Dalton, having spoken with the analyst, immediately informed Jean Ellison about the matter.

Jean Ellison hung up Isabel Dalton’s call, her heart still pounding from the recent news.

Justin Holden really went for a paternity test; he moved so quickly.

Fortunately, Isabel said, the result excluded a paternal relationship.

Unexpectedly, this mistaken result turned out to be the best outcome.

Jean Ellison’s taut nerves relaxed slightly.

This way, Justin Holden should completely give up and not bother her and Jesse anymore, right?

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Jean Ellison thought it was the delivery she ordered. She composed herself, walked to the door, and peeked through the peephole.

Standing outside was not the delivery person, but Justin Holden.

Why would he come here?

Wasn’t the test result already... Could it be that he’s still not giving up?

Jean took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and then opened the door.

"Lawyer Holden?" She displayed just the right amount of surprise on her face, "What brings you here?"

Before Justin Holden could answer, Jesse Ellison rushed from the living room and excitedly hugged Justin Holden’s leg.

"Uncle Holden, you really came."

Jesse looked up with a bright face, eyes sparkling.

"You said you would bring me a KFC meal today, with new picture books and toys, right?"

Jean’s face immediately darkened. She looked at Justin Holden, her expression questioning.

Justin lowered his head, smiled warmly at Jesse, and handed her the KFC paper bag he was holding.

"Yes, as promised to Jesse, Uncle Holden won’t forget. Go enjoy it."

Jesse cheered, clutched the paper bag, and ran back to the living room.

Jean watched her daughter’s back, her brows furrowed. She turned to Justin Holden, her tone displeased.

"Lawyer Holden, if Jesse wants to eat something in the future, I will buy it for her. There’s no need to trouble you constantly."

Jesse, listening from the living room, pouted and muttered softly.

"But mom, you said yourself that KFC is junk food, fried and unhealthy, and wouldn’t let me eat much..."

Being exposed by her daughter, Jean’s expression was a bit unpleasant, but she maintained her tone.

"Eating it occasionally is okay, but we mustn’t always let others spend money unnecessarily."

Jesse murmured an "oh," lowered her head, and began searching for toys, evidently not paying much attention to her mother’s words.

Justin Holden looked at Jean, seemingly indifferent to the distance and rejection in her words.

Waiting for Jesse to run off, he turned back to Jean, his voice steady.

"The main reason I came today is to see you. I have something I’d like to discuss."

Jean’s heart tightened, but her expression remained unchanged: "What is it?"

Justin took out an exquisite envelope from the inside pocket of his suit and offered it to Jean.

Jean didn’t take it, just stared at it.

Justin explained, "Two tickets to a musical, the Volsk original version of ’Anna Karenina.’

Jean’s eyelashes fluttered.

She knew about this production; it was almost impossible to get tickets for, something she used to love dearly.

Her bookshelf indeed held many books of Volsk literature.

Justin noticed her subtle reaction and continued, "You seem interested in Volsk literature. I thought you might enjoy it. These tickets were a client’s thank-you gift; no money was spent. I hope you can accept them."

His reasons sounded convincing, and his demeanor was humble.

Jean was silent for a few seconds before she refused, her voice cold.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Lawyer Holden, but I have to look after Jesse at home, so I probably won’t have time to go."

"You don’t need to worry about that," Justin seemed prepared, his tone natural. "If you’re willing to go, I can have my family’s servant come and take Jesse to my parents’ place. My parents and their nanny are very good at taking care of children. Jesse will be safe there, so you can rest assured."

At the mention of children, Jean thought of Leah Sutton’s unborn child and the threatening messages Leah had sent her.

She needed to keep her distance from Justin Holden.

"No need, Lawyer Holden."

"I don’t feel comfortable leaving Jesse with someone else."

Justin looked into her eyes, his deep gaze surprisingly softened.

"Alright, I’ll give you the tickets. You can go whenever you like. There are three showings, at different times."

Jean looked at him in confusion, almost instinctively asking.

"Aren’t you going with me?"

Upon saying it, she realized the question sounded a bit off.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Justin chuckled lightly, his cold, dark eyes fixed on hers, slightly mesmerizing.

Jean pressed her lips together, "That’s not what I meant, you’re always..."

He had previously forced her into many things, so perhaps this time he wasn’t forcing her to go to the musical with him.

If it meant going with him, she was resolute in not attending.

In the past, she had invited Justin to musicals, and he refused every time, always having something else to do.

Now it seems he wasn’t uninterested, wasn’t quite clear on Volsk musicals’ schedules, just that he didn’t want to go with her before.

"From now on, we’re just friends, Miss Ellison."

"These two tickets are for you. You can go by yourself or with someone else. I have no right to interfere."

For the first time, he distanced himself from her. Jean was surprised, momentarily unsure of what he meant.

Does he no longer suspect that she is Claire Caldwell, so he’s letting go?

Friends...

She had no intention of being friends with him; if they were strangers, she’d gladly accept that.