Chapter 214
Joseph stopped at a breakfast diner three blocks from the hospital. He had barely sat down before the owner recognized him. The man flatly refused to take Joseph’s money, leaving him feeling a little awkward
While they chatted, Joseph noticed that the owner’s movements were a little stiff, and he coughed occasionally. It was enough to make Joseph suspect a serious lung condition.
Since it was early and the diner was empty, Joseph gently advised him not to start every morning with a cigarette and a cup of tea.
The owner just sighed, admitting he’d been under an immense amount of stress lately. He had elderly parents to support, kids to raise, and a mortgage to pay. After finishing the breakfast rush at the diner, he drove for a ride-hailing service whenever he had a spare moment and delivered parcels on the side.
He did whatever it took to make ends meet.
Seeing that the owner was determined to keep pushing until he couldn’t anymore, Joseph could do nothing but wish him well. He didn’t press the man to get a medical examination; he merely hoped his clinical judgment was wrong and quietly left extra cash on the table when he walked out.
Back at the hospital, Joseph finally turned his phone back on. It was instantly flooded with missed calls, most of them from Cora. There was also a text message from Grace. Joseph immediately called Grace back and learned that they had obtained Warren’s DNA sample.
Preliminary lab results showed that Warren wasn’t biologically related to Natalie or Selena. However, the test wasn’t conclusive yet, and further testing was required for absolute certainty.
Joseph muttered under his breath. “Natalie isn’t Warren’s daughter? Then whose child is she? Still, Cora went to a hot spring resort with him. That alone is unforgivable.”
Curious, Joseph asked Grace how she’d managed to get the sample. Grace didn’t mince words. She told him one of her guys had pulled a plastic bag over Warren’s head and beaten him badly enough to open up a few wounds. That was how they got the blood for the test.
As for where they caught him, it was the exact location Joseph had tipped them off about-Sky Palace.
What Joseph didn’t know was that after his public confrontation at Lowell Group, Warren had gone into hiding. He avoided his usual haunts and hunkered down with a secret lover.
Grace had searched for him for days without luck. But thanks to the address Joseph provided, she tracked him down instantly and took the opportunity to vent some of her anger.
Joseph wondered if Warren ever imagined this kind of bloodshed would find him. It was time the man paid the price for sleeping


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