Katherine freezed on the spot. She left the knob of the door and turned to him, "you knew my ex husband came to my office today?"
"I know everything that happens here in the military base." He answered.
She hummed and said, "I did not know much about you so I don't know if you can do what I want to ask of you to do. It's morally wrong."
"Speak." He said icily.
Katherine hummed and tried to calm her overly beating heart, "my ex husband was the one who sent the officer who cut my children's hair."
"That's easy to guess," he answered, totally unsurprised.
Katherine was stupefied. "Well, he has performed a DNA test."
"And the result of it is what he brings to your office. So is he their father?" Derick asked with an expressionless face.
"He came with the DNA test result that proves he's my kid's father but I do not believe in him." She paused and added, "so I told him that we should have another DNA test done this Monday."
"That's fine. So how do I come into the picture?" Derick asked.
"As the god of war, you are equally powerful in the military and in the civilian word. Can you use your influence to talk to the director of the hospital to forge the DNA test result should in case it comes out positive again?" She asked.
"Richard impregnated my bestfriend many years ago while we were married. I don't want him as the father of my children. If I'm as influential as you, I wouldn't have seek for your help but my influence is limited here in Western Ocean City."
"You want to involve me in your conspiracy?" Derick frowned deeply, "is that the kind of woman you are?" He added after a few seconds, "Dissapointing!"
"Huh!" Katherine let out, "I'm not that type of woman, I'm just..."
"Just what?" He interrupted. "If that man is their father, then give him the right to raise his kids. Afterall, the kids had been with you for many years."
"Can't you understand the reason behind it?" She asked, almost crying.
"The reason behind a conspiracy doesn't justify the conspiracy. You may be that type of woman who lies and hides stuffs from others but I'm not that type of man. I am now beginning to wonder why my mother will want me to marry a woman like you. I'm sure you will hide lots of things from me in the future." He said.
His words went like a sharp needle into Katherine's heart. She was an honest and upright woman. It's just that there are some things that happens that forces people to bend their principle.
Katherine nodded simply. She didn't know what to say again. This man will never help her. She then turned back to the door, opened it and walked out.
When it was Monday morning, Katherine went to pick her children up from school. The children attends military school. It's a school built majorly for children of military officers. Civilians are not permitted to attend such school. But the school is not different from civilian schools as they teach them all necessary subjects. Only that, the children in the higher grades does parades and some military training one hour everyday. Once Katherine and her three kids are inside her car, she told them, "guys, we aren't going home."
"Why?" Marie spoke quickly.
"We are heading to an hospital, my ex husband wants to perform a DNA test on you," she confessed. She didn't want to hide something so sensitive from the kids.
"Is he our father?" Marie spoke.
"I doubt it but the result of the test will prove it," she said.
Marie cried, "I want that handsome house that lives with us to me by dad. I don't want anyone else."
"I understand but if we do not do this test, my ex husband will keep troubling me," Katherine said and turned to the backseat to look at the two boys who just listened quietly. She wondered why they didn't say a word.
Marie was seated on the seat beside the driver's seat.
"Are we good to go?" Katherine asked, still facing the boys.
They only nodded in response.
Katherine sighed and began to drive. Her heart was heavy and she couldn't help the heavy feeling of anxiety that settled in her heart. What if Richard is really the children's father?
Eventually, she pulled her car over before the hospital. The hospital was one of the biggest hospital in town. She had chosen this hospital cause it's a different hospital from the one that Richard had first done the test.
Once she stepped down with her kids, she saw someone familiar walking up to her. She was not surprised to see Richard but she was surprised to see Sharon, Richard's mother.
"Katherine, how cruel could you be? You hid my grandchildren from me for many years," Sharon accused, emitting a sad and angry expression.
"My children are not your grandchildren," Katherine frowned at Sharon. She remembered how cruel Sharon was to her when she was married to Richard. Sharon had treated her like a slave just because she couldn't conceive. Yet, she had the mind to speak boldly before her.
"Well, we will confirm soon," Sharon smirked. In a jiffy, they all entered the hospital and began to walk to the paternity test department.
They were soon attended to by a doctor. Once they stated their purpose of coming, the doctor spoke, "Mr. Richard and the children will have to follow me to the laboratory so I can collect their blood samples."
"Alright," Richard said confidently but the children were very reluctant to follow.
"Just do it for my sake, please," Katherine pleaded with her kids who showed no sign of following the doctor.
For their mother's sake, the children decided to follow after the doctor. However, just after the doctor had taken three steps away, a nurse quickly approached him and said, "doctor, there is an order from the director for every personell in the paternity test department to go home immediately."
"What!" The doctor exclaimed. It sounded very strange in his ear. "Are you sure of what you are saying?"
Before the nurse before him could answer, he sighted some military men ordering staffs to evacuate the building immediately. Who wouldn't be scared of men with gun? Perhaps, something was wrong. The doctor turned to Richard at once and spoke," I guess we will make this another time, bye." The doctor rushed inside his office, packed his stuff and ran out of the building.
Richard and Sharon were scared but Katherine wasn't scared as she was a military officer too. She was just confused as to why military men will come here and halt every activity going on here.
Sharon and Richard quickly walked out. Katherine walked up to one the military officer and once he recognized her, he saluted her, "why are you evacuating people from here?"
"The director of the hospital bid us to," the officer answered.
Weird! Since when did the director of an hospital has the right to order military officers? There must be more to this.
"Mommy, what's going on?" Marie asked. The children weren't scared a bit since they are already used to see men in uniforms holding guns.
"Let's leave, I'll find out later," Katherine then evacuated the building with her kids. As she got before her car, someone shouted behind her, "you! Just because you are the surgeon General, you think you can manipulate things, right?" That was Sharon shouting aggressively. She had thought she will return home with those kids today but unfortunately, the DNA test result was interrupted.
Katherine told her kids to get inside her car firstly, afterwards, she turned to Sharon and Richard who were approaching her with a malicious face.
"You are trying to use the military officer to stop the DNA test from happening... How ridiculous," Richard rebuked.
Katherine wanted to defend herself that she wasn't behind the military men coming over to send everyone out of the DNA building but she reasoned again that this people were not worthy of her explanation so she frowned, "I was in your house for many years and couldn't give birth, what makes you think I will suddenly get pregnant during the period you divorced me?"
"Katherine, we must go to another hospital and have the test done. Don't think this silly trick of yours will work," Richard said.
She checked her wrist watch and realized that she still had time, "fine."
Seeing that she agreed to go to another hospital with them, Sharon and Richard heaved a sigh of relief, "quickly, let's go to Tamar Hospital." Richard said.
But Katherine's phone buzzed at this moment and seeing that it was from an unidentified person in the military, she answered and the voice came through," General Katherine, you must return to base now. There is an emergency, copy that"
"An emergency?" She reptead, "I'll be there, copy that." Then she hung up.
"I am sorry, not today again. Maybe next time," Katherine immediately got inside the car.
"You bitch!" Sharon shouted, "what trick are you trying to play? Those children are my grandchildren." Sharom watched in anger as Katherine's car zoomed off.
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