The next morning...
The Moretti Estate awakened long before sunrise.
Servants moved swiftly through the sprawling mansion, ensuring every detail was flawless. Fresh white lilies adorned the entrance hall. Crystal chandeliers shimmered beneath the golden Tuscan sunlight streaming through the towering windows. Security personnel took their positions while technicians conducted final checks on cameras, projectors, microphones, and live broadcasting equipment.
Today wasn't merely another scientific conference.
Today was history.
For fifteen long years, Dr Lavanya Moretti had devoted every waking hour to a theory the world had dismissed as impossible.
Today...
She would prove every one of them wrong.
The mansion's grand auditorium slowly filled with distinguished guests.
Renowned gynaecologists...
Geneticists...
Embryologists...
Molecular biologists...
Medical ethicists...
Scientists from some of the world's finest universities.
Representatives from prestigious medical journals occupied the front rows, their notebooks already open.
International news channels adjusted their cameras.
Television crews whispered hurried instructions into their headsets.
The excitement inside the auditorium was unlike anything the estate had witnessed before.
Everyone had received the same invitation.
"Presentation of the First Clinically Verified Human Parthenogenesis Case."
Many had come believing it was impossible.
Others had come hoping to witness history.
A few had arrived simply to expose what they assumed would be another scientific fraud.
No one expected what they were about to see.
The Moretti family occupied the first two rows.
Dr Sumitra Iyer sat quietly beside her husband, Dr Krishnamurthy.
Despite decades spent in medicine, even their expressions reflected quiet anticipation.
Their daughter had carried this dream for fifteen years.
They had watched her endure ridicule.
They had comforted her after rejected publications.
They had celebrated every tiny breakthrough.
Now...
Their eyes shone with silent pride.
Beside them sat Don Vittorio Moretti, calm as always, though the faint smile on his lips betrayed his excitement.
Arjun leaned back in his chair, curiosity evident in his expression.
"You think Amma actually proved it?"
he whispered.
His younger brother shrugged.
"If she says she did...
she probably did."
Both chuckled softly.
Only one person remained completely silent.
Damiano.
Or...
Vihaan.
To the scientific world, he was merely Dr Lavanya Moretti's eldest son.
To the culinary world...
He was Damiano Moretti.
Dressed in a simple black shirt and tailored black trousers, he looked every bit the composed celebrity chef the cameras adored.
Only those who knew him well could notice the exhaustion hidden beneath his calm expression.
Dark shadows lingered beneath his eyes.
Sleep had abandoned him days ago.
His gaze wandered absently across the auditorium.
He wasn't listening to the conversations around him.
Instead...
His thoughts drifted thousands of miles away.
Back to London.
Back to a television studio.
Back to a young woman whose trembling voice refused to leave his memory.
"I never lied."
He shut his eyes briefly.
The words still hurt.
The lights dimmed.
Conversations faded into silence.
A spotlight illuminated the stage.
Dr Lavanya Moretti stepped onto the podium.
She wore a graceful ivory silk saree with a deep emerald border, her long hair neatly tied back.
There was no nervousness in her posture.
Only quiet confidence.
The confidence of someone who had waited fifteen years for this moment.
The auditorium erupted into warm applause.
She smiled gratefully.
"Thank you."
The applause slowly faded.
For a brief moment, she simply looked around the hall.
At her parents.
Her husband.
Her children.
Her colleagues.
Her critics.
Then she began.
"Fifteen years ago..."
Her calm voice echoed through the auditorium.
"...I presented a hypothesis that many of you sitting here today dismissed."
A few scientists smiled sheepishly.
Others shifted uncomfortably.
"I proposed that under extraordinarily rare genetic circumstances..."
"...human parthenogenesis could occur."
The enormous screen behind her lit up.
A title appeared.
Human Parthenogenesis: A Clinically Verified Case Study
Silence settled over the hall.
"I was told it violated biology."
She smiled gently.
"I was told it belonged in mythology."
A soft ripple of laughter passed through the audience.
"I was advised to abandon my research."
She paused.
"I didn't."
The applause came naturally this time.
Not loud.
Respectful.
She waited patiently before continuing.
"For fifteen years..."
"I searched."
"I researched."
"I failed."
"Again."
"And again."
"And again."
Her eyes glistened slightly.
"But science does not reward those who surrender."
"It rewards those who continue asking questions."
The entire auditorium listened with unwavering attention.
Then...
She clicked the remote.
The first medical report appeared on the massive screen.
Patient details.
Clinical observations.
Gynaecological examinations.
Every document carried official hospital seals.
"This young woman first came under the care of Dr Sumitra Iyer."
She turned toward her mother.
"My greatest teacher."
Dr Sumitra smiled warmly.
"Later..."
"She continued receiving medical supervision through my trusted colleague in London."
Another report appeared.
Then another.
The audience watched silently.
Lavanya's voice became more clinical.
"Multiple examinations confirmed an intact hymenal ring."
"Repeated laboratory investigations showed no evidence of sexual intercourse."
"No spermatozoa."
"No assisted reproductive procedures."
"No donor material."
Every statement was accompanied by authenticated documentation.
The murmuring inside the auditorium slowly disappeared.
Scepticism gave way to concentration.
Lavanya advanced to the next slide.
The DNA analysis.
A complex chromosomal chart filled the screen.
Colour-coded genetic sequences.
Mitochondrial mapping.
Cellular analysis.
Microscopic imaging.
"This..."
She said quietly.
"...is the child's complete genetic profile."
Every scientist leaned forward.
"There is no paternal genetic contribution."
The room became absolutely still.
"The child possesses only maternal chromosomes."
Another slide appeared.
The DNA comparison.
Mother.
Child.
Perfect correspondence.
No paternal markers.
None.
The silence was deafening.
One elderly geneticist slowly removed his glasses.
Another scientist stood up unconsciously, staring at the screen.
Several journalists hurriedly began typing notes.
Television cameras zoomed in on the presentation.
Arjun frowned.
Something felt strangely familiar.
He couldn't explain why.
He looked toward his mother.
She wasn't celebrating.
She wasn't smiling triumphantly.
She simply looked...
Proud.
Quietly proud.
Damiano remained motionless.
The scientific terminology barely registered.
His thoughts lingered elsewhere.
Somewhere deep inside...
An uneasy feeling had begun to grow.
A strange sensation.
As though invisible threads were slowly weaving together.
Threads he couldn't yet understand.
Lavanya allowed the silence to linger.
She knew exactly what every person in that auditorium was experiencing.
Disbelief.
Wonder.
Curiosity.
Finally...
She smiled.
"Science is never complete with data alone."
Her voice softened.
"Behind every medical report..."
"There is a human being."
She stepped away from the podium.
Her eyes moved toward the large wooden doors at the side of the auditorium.
"I've spoken enough."
A gentle smile spread across her face.
"It is now my privilege..."
"...to introduce the remarkable young woman whose courage made this research possible."
She paused.
Emotion shimmered in her eyes.
"Please welcome..."
"...the living proof of my thesis."
Every single person in the auditorium turned toward the entrance.
The massive wooden doors...
Began to open.