Chapter 2 - The Lethal Bloodline
Payton opened the dossier. Inside were genetic sequencing charts comparing Spencer’s DNA with Chloe’s unborn twins.
"Spencer carries a rare, dormant autosomal dominant gene," Eleanor explained, her voice shaking slightly. "It causes early-onset vascular degeneration. In seventy percent of cases, it manifests before forty. My father died of it. My brother died of it."
Payton scanned the medical notes. "If Spencer has it, why hasn't it manifested?"
"Because his father carried a rare protective suppressor gene that rendered it dormant," Eleanor said, leaning forward. "For five years, I sent you to specialists not just to check your fertility, Payton, but to secretly sequence your DNA. You carry that exact same protective suppressor. If you had conceived with Spencer, your children would have been completely immune, and their bloodline would have saved Spencer through future targeted cell therapies."
Payton’s breath hitched in her chest.
"But Chloe," Eleanor continued, her expression turning terrifyingly cold, "carries a mutated strain that activates the degenerative gene exponentially. The Zurich geneticists confirmed it two days ago. Carrying those twins to term will trigger an autoimmune cascade in Spencer’s body within a year. It is a biological bomb. Chloe knows this. Her father is a disgraced former executive who stands to gain control of Spencer’s holding companies if Spencer dies without an active adult heir!"
Payton stared at the report, her mind reeling. The affair wasn't just a betrayal—it was a engineered trap designed to destroy Spencer and siphon the Davis empire.
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"Why haven't you told Spencer?" Payton asked.
"Because he is blind!" Eleanor hissed, tears of frustration filling her eyes. "He believes Chloe loves him! He thinks those twins are his legacy! If I confront him now, Chloe will convince him to sign over his proxy votes before the symptoms start. You are the only person he actually respects, Payton. Take the money, disappear, and let Chloe think she won. When Spencer falls ill and realizes her betrayal, your absence will be the catalyst that forces him to fight."
