She Was Never Just a Pretty Face novel Chapter 68

After Lori left, Luther sat in silence for a while.

The setting sun cast a golden glow across his face.

Half in the light, half in shadow.

After a long time, he leaned forward, crushed his half-smoked cigarette into the ashtray, and walked into the private suite. He stripped off his clothes, changed into a crisp, immaculate three-piece suit, and slowly tied his tie.

Throughout the entire process, he remained completely expressionless.

There was even a stern rigidity in his gaze.

Soon, he would host the press conference and personally declare that little Annie was his biological daughter. It was a lie, but coming from him, no one would dare question it. Still, the bitter humiliation of the charade was something only he could feel.

...

In the conference room.

Over fifty mainstream media outlets were waiting for the verdict.

No one dared speak loudly; the room buzzed with urgent whispers.

The sharp click of leather shoes echoed from the entrance.

Luther walked in slowly.

The DNA results were already sitting on the podium.

Lori stood dutifully by his side.

Even though he had braced himself, Luther felt a deep wave of revulsion as he opened the envelope—Hilda was his legal wife, yet he was forced to stand in front of the world and legitimize her affair to save face. It was an absolute disgrace for any man, but he had no other choice.

Luther didn't even look at the result.

He was entirely convinced the child wasn't his.

He mechanically prepared to read his scripted statement.

—The test confirms that Annie Cassidy and Luther Sanford share a biological father-daughter relationship.

But he stopped halfway through the sentence.

Luther froze.

He stared intently at a single line of small print on the page.

[Conclusion: The DNA test confirms that Annie Cassidy and Luther Sanford share a biological father-daughter relationship.]

Luther's knuckles turned white.

He stared dead at that line of text, terrified he was hallucinating.

His sudden pause sent a shockwave through the room.

—So she really wasn't his.

That gave Attorney Crane all the confidence he needed. He stepped aside, allowing the notaries to capture the officially stamped conclusion on camera. Looking out at the sea of reporters, he announced clearly: "Following a public, notarized collection process, I am here on behalf of Aegis Group's legal team to read these results. We trust this puts an end to all speculation. The conclusion is: Annie Cassidy and Luther Sanford share a biological father-daughter relationship. We will now display the official document on the screen for your records."

Dead silence fell over the room.

It was a result no one had anticipated.

She was actually Luther's biological daughter.

Lori was the first to start clapping.

Moments later, the rest of the Aegis Group staff joined in with thunderous applause.

The PR department didn't post the dry text of the conclusion. Instead, they uploaded a family photo of the three of them.

—Luther, Hilda, and little Annie.

It was taken at the birthday banquet earlier that afternoon.

Luther held little Annie in one arm while holding Hilda's hand with the other. Hilda leaned gently against his shoulder, her beautiful features relaxed and content.

The picture radiated an undeniable warmth.

They looked exactly like a deeply devoted, loving family.

Within minutes, tens of thousands of comments flooded the post.

The internet was collectively swooning over the ultimate power couple.