The files showed that, on paper, she really was a Rivers family child — which meant Sloane’s claim might be a lie. Tony frowned and continued scanning. The next documents detailed how the Rivers family had treated Sloane and Samantha differently, and how the family had arranged for Sloane to be locked away in an asylum for five years to protect Samantha’s position. The more Tony read, the deeper his frown grew. Further pages recounted Sloane’s work with medicine — how she had turned hopeless cases into recoveries time and again, saving many lives. From those records, she appeared to be an upright, compassionate person. As for Sloane’s story about being kidnapped by Jessica, the investigation so far had found no conclusive evidence. Tony’s hesitation persisted because both Sloane and Lucas had mentioned Jessica. The three of them were tangled up in events from over twenty years ago; if they hadn’t actually encountered Jessica, they couldn’t possibly know those details. But Sloane said Jessica was dead — dead without witnesses — so none of their claims could be proved. Charlie, after all, was Jessica’s brother, and the timeline and details Sloane had offered matched the account of Jessica’s death during the Cultural Revolution. Claiming he was avenging Jessica made sense. Tony paced the study, the papers crumpling in his clenched hand. Night had fallen outside and sleep would not come. Early the next morning, trouble had arisen with the company’s operations in Country F, and Tony had to fly out himself. Before boarding, he handed a folder to his secretary, Dania. "In three days my wife will go to the hospital for the paternity test. Give this to Grayson before then. He’ll know what to do." Dania took the folder and smiled. "Yes, sir." After Tony left, Dania sat in the car and stared at the packet in the passenger seat. Hesitation crossed her bright face; she opened the folder. She found a paternity report inside. Flipping to the last page, her eyes caught the bold line: Paternity confirmed. Tony said Beth would go for the test in three days—this already-completed report must be fake, she thought. Why would he prepare a forged paternity report?Dania had worked for Tony for eight years and knew something about the couple’s lost child. That child had supposedly died shortly after birth — so who was this Sloane? The car’s air conditioner hummed softly as Dania sat a long while. An hour later she appeared at Grayson’s office. "Dr. Grayson," she said, handing over the folder. "Mr. Tony asked me to give you this. He said you’d know what to do after you read it." Grayson adjusted his glasses and opened the documents. He frowned when he reached the last page. "This is Mr. Tony’s instruction?" he asked. "Yes," Dania replied. "He said you’d know what to do." Grayson nodded slowly, put the papers back in the folder, and slid them into his drawer. "Tell Mr. Tony I understand what needs to be done." Dania let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and turned to leave.