Chapter 101 – A Mysterious Move"A special dinner is being announced. Mr. Romanov is throwing a party to celebrate his son's engagement, and it looks like I received an invitation too," Lavínia commented dispassionately, showing the email on her phone to her friends."Are you kidding? Why are they doing everything so fast?" Zara asked, surprised.Samuel approached and sat down next to them, curious. "Are you planning to attend this event?" he asked, looking at Lavínia."Where has he been? Has he returned to Alpha Corp?" Lavínia inquired, referring to Romanov."From what I've heard, he's been going in as if nothing happened," Samuel informed."That's strange. I thought he would never set foot in Alpha Corp again," Zara commented."So did I. When he returns, are you going to fire him?" Samuel asked Lavínia."He doesn’t know that I’m Mrs. Bayer. If he wants to leave, he can do it on his own. But if he stays, he’ll have plenty of reasons to walk out. I don’t care what he does anymore. I n
Chapter 102: The Worst Enemy Has a Name and a Surname“What happened there doesn’t matter anymore as long as I’m fine,” Lavínia stated firmly.“Even so… I know that meeting wasn’t planned for either of you, but you know what’s even stranger? Mr. Romanov never told his son who Lavínia Bayer really is. He literally still has no idea who you are. It’s like he did this on purpose,” Samuel observed, intrigued.“What could be going on? I think, as a precaution, you should tell him the truth,” Zara suggested, worried about the situation.“That guy… Zen or Cedrick, whatever his name is, has nothing to do with me anymore, and we have no reason to speak to each other,” she said sharply, making it clear she didn’t want to discuss the matter any further.“Okay…” Samuel sighed, thoughtful as he glanced around the mansion. “We need to keep this completely secret for now. No one can know you’re living here,” he warned, as if an important thought had just crossed his mind.Meanwhile, Valmont was on h
Chapter 103 – The Mystery of Mrs. Bayer"I don’t know anything about her illness, if she had any signs that she might develop it… She’s going to have to start doing tests. This disease is too cruel," Samuel commented with concern."I'm scared..." Zara murmured."Lavinia doesn’t help. This way, we won’t be able to protect her from anything," Samuel grumbled, lost in thought."What are you planning to do?""I'm going to investigate why she’s still married to Bowen and why she refuses to divorce him. It’s impossible that she still loves that man. And if she did, why would she have gotten involved with Zen? She’s not like that," he murmured, deep in thought.At Alpha Corp, Zen was now trying in every way possible to find out who Mrs. Bayer was. With every employee directed to him, with every interview, he slipped Mrs. Bayer into the conversation."How has it been working alongside Mrs. Bayer?" he asked one of the senior attorneys who worked near Lavinia Bayer. He was surprised to discover
Chapter 104 – A Long Story"Are you okay?" Zen asked, extending a handkerchief and carefully wiping the corner of Cintia’s lips."Heavens... This is going to be so much fun," Cintia remarked, her gaze fixed on the trio entering the restaurant."What are you talking about?" He turned, facing the trio. His eyes met Lavínia’s for a few seconds before he quickly looked away, as if indifferent."Looks like I won’t be having a peaceful lunch in this restaurant," she commented, turning back to her plate and stabbing her fork into the food with boredom."You let trivial things like this affect your appetite? I’m starving," he said indifferently, enjoying his meal while Cintia simply observed.Lavínia, on the other hand, remained still, watching them from afar."So? I never thought we’d run into them this quickly," Zara commented, keeping her gaze on Lavínia, who seemed unaware of her presence."Should we go to another restaurant?" Samuel suggested to Lavínia, but she just shrugged and headed
Chapter 105 – A New Problem Arises“Are you taking bets or something?” Zen asked darkly as he stood up abruptly, startling everyone around him.“We’re not mocking you, it’s just that—”“You’re right. If you want, you can bet, but if I were you, I’d get out of this company.” He muttered, his voice laced with frustration.“So, are you leaving then?” one of the lawyers asked, curiosity in their tone.“I haven’t found what I’m looking for yet,” Zen replied before walking away with firm steps.He headed upstairs. The moment he entered, it was as if the place had turned into complete chaos. Boxes were stacked in every corner, and prosecutors rushed back and forth, flipping through documents, trying to organize the mess.“Oh… Lavínia’s assistant has arrived!” one of the men announced with an ironic smile.“Ah, great. Assistant Obedon, we need you to take these boxes to the storage room, if possible, right now. We’re in the middle of reorganizing. With Bayer taking ownership of Dimon Enterpri
Chapter 106 - The Weight of Secrets"We really have quite a situation here," Zara commented, turning her attention to the outside through the glass, a mischievous smile on her lips. When she noticed Lavínia clearing her throat in discomfort, she turned to her friend."What are you talking about?" Lavínia asked, pretending not to have heard, but her eyes couldn't hide her curiosity."I get it... I totally get it. How could he use you and now be engaged to someone else?" Zara remarked, her gaze fixed on Zen, who was distracted by his phone."You too?" Lavínia asked skeptically, trying to disguise the jealousy consuming her. "He didn't use me. After all, I’m the married one here, as far as I know. Go over there and make him do something else," she ordered, trying to sound indifferent, though the tension in her voice was evident."Why? It’s been so long since we had a... you know, a distraction? The girls could use a break like this, and what better than to just look and..." Zara trailed
Chapter 107: The Unexpected Rescue.He ended the call, throwing his phone onto the sink with more force than necessary. Then, he composed himself, the white t-shirt clinging to his body, and left the office, forgetting the button-up shirt he had tossed into the sink. He had no idea how much time had passed, but the feeling of emptiness was strange. He put on his blazer, adjusting it over his shoulders, and headed for the elevator.When he reached the parking lot, Valmont was waiting, leaning against his car, his expression impassive.“What are you doing? Making sure I don’t run away?” Zen asked, irony evident in his voice.“You know, I’m responsible for making sure you fulfill your missions. And your obligation right now is to attend your engagement party,” Valmont replied, fixing his gaze toward the elevator, where three people had just stepped out. Zen turned to look at them.“Looks like wherever I go, she’ll be there,” he murmured, averting his gaze. “At least I won’t see her at th
Chapter 108 - A Masked PresenceLavínia didn’t get a look at the car, just like Samuel, who seemed indifferent to knowing who was living in the mansion next door."Why are you so interested in knowing who it is? Are you wondering if it’s some rich young guy?" Samuel asked, drawing her gaze, which showed no reaction."Are you implying that I’m after a rich man? That doesn’t make any sense." Zara retorted, her voice laced with irony."Why are you two even arguing?" Lavínia asked, confused, noticing the tension between them. They quickly changed the subject to cover it up.There was still half an hour before the party when Zen arrived at the Romanov mansion. The living room had only a few guests, so he sat down on the couch, leaning back with a discreet groan of pain."Is Jenner here already?" he asked Valmont, who was standing nearby, observing the room."She’ll arrive with her parents. There will be quite a few important people here tonight, and your identity won’t be a secret to the m
128 - The Family Secret“Lavínia is showing signs of her mother’s hereditary disease,” the doctor began, his expression serious. “We didn’t expect the symptoms to appear before she turned thirty. If I had predicted this... maybe we could’ve started treatment earlier to try to inhibit the effects.”“What do you mean?” Zen asked, the tension clear in his voice.“That, little by little, Lavínia may start forgetting who she is, what she knows, what she is capable of. Her neurons might begin to degrade and...”“But what about her mother?” Zen interrupted, confused. “Her mother lasted years, right?”“No... It’s not exactly like that.” The doctor sighed. “Lavínia’s mother went through an extremely difficult time in the beginning. The disease, in its early stages, presents itself very aggressively, until the body adapts to the changes. But when that happens, the person is never the same. They start a slow, but irreversible, walk toward death, from the moment the symptoms appear.”“How’s that
127: "The Unseen Truth"While everyone at the recovery center was stunned and unsure of what to do, the cameras had recorded everything that had happened. The room was engulfed in a heavy silence as the footage was played again, as if trying to make sense of the inexplicable.Lavínia kept her gaze fixed on the screen, her face pale, her heart racing. She immediately recognized the woman who had entered her mother’s room. Her stomach churned at the thought of the worst, but she continued watching, and what she saw left her speechless: her aunt Eleonor, with a cold, determined expression, trying to suffocate Elena. The footage continued to show Zen, stumbling drunk, entering the room, grabbing a syringe, and injecting something into the woman, who then collapsed unconscious.“I-I…” Lílian tried to stammer, uncomfortable. “He didn’t kill her…” she added, her voice heavy with tension. “He only injected Elena with the medicine. Your aunt is sleeping in one of the rooms.”“Thank goodness…”
Chapter 126: "Fugitive in Search of Refuge"After paying for the taxi, he entered with her, who sat on the sofa.“What the hell… what am I going to do?” he asked, messing up his hair in impatience and staring at Elena sitting on the couch, her expression indifferent.“Are you okay?” she asked, swallowing dryly, her voice dragging.“You keep talking…” He sighed uneasily. “Why did you come here?”“I’m scared, I don’t want to stay there, and I don’t want to die,” she confessed, frightened.“Your daughter is going to cause a big mess because of you. Why don’t you go back? How did you get here without knowing where I live?”“I followed you and waited until that man left. I need you to hide me, please.”“Why?”“You saw… that woman, who I don’t want to call a sister, is trying to kill me. With my death, my husband can take the fortune that’s in my name.”“Damn, ma’am, your family really loves money.”“My daughter has millions saved in my bank account for my treatment. I’ve had her working ha
Chapter 125 - Secrets, Shadows, and Unexpected EncountersShe observed for a short moment before stepping back and calling someone."Darling, you won’t believe this, but I found her," she said while heading toward the elevator booth, barely noticing that she had passed by someone familiar."What is that woman doing here?" Zen murmured, suspicious. Still, he wasn’t interested in finding out as he waited for his call to be answered."Valmont, send me the address where Mrs. Bayer’s judge appointment will take place. I remember it’s today, right? The newspapers won’t stop talking about it.""Are you thinking of going?""Yes.""But it’s a restricted event. Normally, only prosecutors and employees from her firm would attend… Oh, that’s right, you’re one of them. Still, you didn’t receive an invitation. You need one to get in.""Valmont, a closed door has never been a reason for me not to enter—you know that. Besides, I need to figure out the real reason behind Lavínia’s marriage. Have you f
Chapter 124 – A Narrow Escape“What do you mean?” Cedrick asked, confused. “I've never seen anything like this before. There was no woman more focused and attentive to her work than Lavínia. If she’s acting this way now, it must be because of what she's been doing lately.”“True... Besides, today is her appointment. She’s finally going to become the judge she always dreamed of being!” Zara commented—until she felt a tap on her shoulder from Samuel.“She’s becoming a judge?” he asked, frowning.“No! Actually, I got mixed up...” she mumbled, bringing her hands to her head. “I think I’m just as exhausted as Lavínia.”“It doesn’t seem like you got mixed up.” Cedrick retorted, suspicious.“You’re still here?!” Cedrick’s mother sighed, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the two.“What’s going on?”“Where is she? I went to her room, and she wasn’t there!” his mother asked, fear in her voice.“Who? Mrs. Bayer?”“Yes, her…” His mother pressed her lips together, placing a hand on her ch
Chapter 123 – Shadows of the PastSamuel and Zara rushed into the room upon hearing her panicked scream. When they found her, Lavínia was curled up in the corner of the bed, while her phone, its screen cracked, lay in the opposite corner where she had thrown it.“What happened?” Samuel asked, trying to calm her down, but she didn’t say a single word.“What could she have seen that scared her this much now?” Zara questioned anxiously. “I keep saying… We need to disappear for a while, maybe go to another country and take a vacation. The problem with Lavínia is that she always insists on facing everything, but it seems like things are getting out of hand.”“I don’t know...” Samuel murmured in confusion, gently laying Lavínia down on the bed. She kept her lips pressed together, still in a state of panic. “What is that man’s motivation? What does he really want?” he asked, as confused as he was concerned, while Zara swallowed hard.“We should ask the doctor to give her a sedative.”“No! I’
Chapter 122 – A Game of Shadows“Well... I saw her a few times after that party,” he commented, swallowing hard, while Zen seemed to have asked on purpose."I'm afraid of a few things..." he confessed, ignoring Valmont's reaction."Of what?""Of losing the things I love. I know I shouldn’t love or get attached to anything—that’s how that man tried to raise me... but I can’t help it. I’m used to clinging to what I never had when I was younger. The day I woke up in that hospital after almost dying, I woke up with a new family. So, it wasn’t a bad day for me. I was only 14, and I didn’t have the cold mind I have today. But that time definitely saved me... or I would have discarded anything that had to do with humanity.”"I know... Romanov wanted to create nothing but a killing machine. You are one, but with feelings. You’ve learned to respect the people you love. But not everything goes the way we want. Things are getting out of control, and with this note, I’m almost certain you might b
Chapter 121 – The Trap"Hey, what are you—" Lavínia tried to step out, but it was too late.The elevator doors shut with a metallic thud, and within seconds, a thick white fog began to fill the cabin. Lavínia pressed herself against the wall, frozen for an instant. Her heart pounded as the chemical scent invaded her lungs, suffocating her.Desperate, she rushed to the panel, pressing the buttons repeatedly, trying to force the doors open or stop the elevator. Her hands trembled as her lungs began to fail. The fog spread rapidly, making every breath more difficult."Someone... help me..." she managed to whisper before a violent coughing fit overtook her, tears streaming from her stinging eyes.Meanwhile, Zen was still sprinting up the stairs like a madman, hearing only the muffled sound of his own footsteps and the deafening pulse of blood in his ears. He knew he had to get there before it was too late.Inside the elevator, Lavínia collapsed to her knees, her fingers still fumbling wit
Chapter 120 - The Silent Threat"She received that?" he asked, standing up."Where is she, and where is that note?""She’s better, she's working, and the note is back in the pile of gifts," she informed him.Cedrick immediately rushed toward the office.All the employees turned to him, confused by his abrupt entrance. He hadn't even realized how fast he had moved."Hey, assistant, what are you doing? I thought your shift was over," one of the women asked."Yeah... but I heard there's a lot of work here. By any chance... is that pile of stuff meant to be taken to storage?" he asked, pointing at the stack of mail addressed to Bayer."Yes, please, if you can... burn everything related to hate messages and gifts," one of them said, still tense. They were all scared.Cedrick grabbed a large box, dumped everything inside, and discreetly hid the envelope under his blazer. He carried the box to the storage room, where, after setting it down, he pulled out the letter and read it.It was exactl