Chapter 219

Benny's gaze landed on Jennifer, taking a few seconds to place her.

"I'm Teresa's older sister," Jennifer finally said.

"Oh, right." Benny smacked his forehead. "Man, my memory is terrible. Sorry. I'm awful with faces. Don't take it personally."

Jennifer asked, "Are you here for a consultation?"

Noticing her white coat, Benny said, "Actually, I'm looking for my friend's younger brother."

"Donald, right?" Jennifer replied. "He's my colleague. If you're looking for him, you can check his office."

"I already did. Donald's off today, taking a break," Benny said.

"Oh, yes, he's on a break right now," Jennifer said. "Why do you need him?"

Benny stuffed his hands in his pockets, relaxing his posture. "Oh, nothing serious. I just noticed his hair looks amazing. Thought I'd ask him for tips—maybe the hospital's got some secret formula they're not sharing."

Jennifer's eyes narrowed as she studied him. Benny's mind clicked. 'She's Teresa's sister. Same parents. Her hair might work even better for the DNA test.'

"Hey, Jennifer, your hair looks pretty great too," Benny said. He reached out to touch it, but the moment his fingers brushed her head, she slapped his hand away.

"I don't like frivolous men," Jennifer said coldly. "And I'm not interested in you."

Benny rubbed his wrist, looking helpless. "Relax. I'm not into you either. I'm just really into hair research, okay?"

"Wow, that's a weird hobby. What are you, some kind of hair expert?"

"Yeah, maybe I could be," Benny quipped. Realizing Jennifer wasn't someone to joke around with, he turned to leave.

But Jennifer called out, stopping him. "Wait. Stay for dinner. You've helped Teresa a lot."

Benny was about to refuse, but then remembered he still wanted a strand of Jennifer's hair, so he agreed. His friend had told him that hair from close family, like siblings, could be used for a DNA test. The closer the relation, the better the results.

Jennifer entered her office, telling Benny to wait. As soon as she closed the door, she picked up the phone and made a call.

Left alone, Benny pulled out his phone. "Hey, Charles."

"Benny, the hair sample you sent didn't work. We couldn't get any DNA from it. Maybe it's been sitting around too long. You'll need a fresh one," Charles said.

"I know, but it's not like I can just go around yanking strands out of people's heads. Before I sent it to you, I tried another lab, and they said the same thing—no DNA. And to make matters worse, my friend's cousin conned me out of 300 bucks for it." Benny groaned, rubbing his temples in frustration. 'What a waste of time—damn Edward,' he cursed inwardly.

Charles chuckled, "Why are you so obsessed with the hair thing? It's not like it's your kid. Just tell your friend the toothbrush results are good enough and let it go."

"I'm not giving up yet. I want to try again, but I can't just go around pulling my friend's hair," Benny said.

"Then why don't you have your friend and the kid you're testing show up together? Draw their blood on the spot and do the DNA test that way. It's foolproof—100% accurate," Charles suggested.

"If I could get those two in the same room, I wouldn't be running around like this. Unless I knock them out and drag them over myself," Benny said, half-joking.

"Well, it's not entirely off the table," Charles joked with a laugh.

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Catch you later."

Jennifer's office door had been left slightly ajar, and she had been leaning against it, hearing every word. 'Just as I thought,' she mused. 'Benny just couldn't mind his own business—always playing the nosy neighbor.' Jennifer narrowed her eyes and quickly texted Teresa: [We'll deal with our issues later. For now, we need to take care of your friend Benny.]

Teresa, who hadn't replied for ages, responded instantly: [Take care of him? Don't you dare touch him!]

Jennifer replied: [Why would I kill him? I'm just saying you need to make him drop the whole DNA test idea.] She was half-amused and half-exasperated. 'What does she think I am, some mob boss from a TV show?' she thought.

Meanwhile, Benny waited outside. 'Is she messing with me?' he wondered.

After some time, Jennifer walked out and apologized, saying she'd been tied up for an hour. "How about we head to Miriam's? Teresa's there, and her coworker's kid too," she suggested.

"Her coworker's kid?" Benny's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, a little boy under three. He's been staying at Teresa's place for a while now," Jennifer replied.

"Perfect," Benny said, his enthusiasm kicking in. This was exactly what he'd been waiting for. "Any place is fine with me. Plus, I know Miriam pretty well—we're good friends."

On the way, Jennifer asked Benny how he knew Teresa.

"Teresa and I were college classmates. Actually, I was the one who introduced her to her ex-husband," Benny explained.

Jennifer's dislike for Benny deepened. "Oh, so it was you," she said sarcastically.

Benny continued, "Teresa's gorgeous, but she kept running into unreliable guys. Then my childhood buddy came back from studying abroad. I trust his character, so I introduced them."

Jennifer smiled softly, "Maybe you can introduce someone to me when you have time."

"Sure thing. What's your zodiac sign?" Benny asked, intrigued.

Benny had no idea Jennifer was actually two years younger than him. With her sharp, mature vibe and glasses, he assumed she was older.

Jennifer replied, "I don't believe in that stuff, and I don't even know my zodiac sign."

"When's your birthday, then?" Benny pressed.

Jennifer's birthday was in September. Benny did the math—she had to be a Virgo. Looking at her, he was pretty sure she fit the bill—super tidy, a workaholic, and definitely not someone to mess with. 'No doubt about it—she's a textbook Virgo,' he thought.

"I remember Teresa's a Capricorn. You're both Earth signs. If you ever argue, neither of you would back down. You'd just stop talking and break things off completely," Benny said.

Jennifer's grip on the steering wheel tightened. 'Not bad—his analysis is surprisingly spot-on,' she thought. When they arrived at Miriam's, Benny looked around but didn't see the little boy. Instead, he spotted Miriam and Sherry.

Jennifer slammed the door shut, and Benny felt like he'd walked into a trap. It was like he'd stumbled into a den of femme fatales, each sizing him up. There were already three of them, and Teresa was on her way. He was about to face a one-on-four showdown.