Chapter 141 – The Hidden TruthLavínia took the bottle from Zara’s hand with a grateful gesture, opened it, and took a sip while staring at her."Good luck. It's a shame that Samuel is leading and won't be participating in the game, but if you win, don't forget to invite him to celebrate," Lavínia joked."Gather up!" Samuel ordered, and everyone joined their respective groups.Lavínia positioned herself next to Zen and Adrian as the teams began to disperse in different directions."It might be in an obvious place," Adrian commented while Zen kept his attention fixed on the map."The sun is still strong, so it's important we stay hydrated," Zen warned, adjusting his backpack. He took out two bottles of water, handing one to Adrian and extending another to Lavínia, who showed the bottle already in her hand."What’s this?" he asked, frowning as he took the bottle from her hands."It's just water. Zara gave it to me..." Lavínia began, but before she could finish, Zen threw the bottle away
Chapter 142 – The Hidden RetreatThe two were alarmed. Zen carried her in his arms when he realized she showed no signs of consciousness, but the situation seemed more complicated than they had imagined.“What are we going to do?” Adrian asked, staring at Zen in panic.“I don’t know. We should have gone back. Now we’re almost halfway across the island, near the edge of the map. How are we going to get her help in time?” he lamented, keeping his gaze fixed on her.“Come with me. There’s an inn nearby.”A young man suddenly appeared, carrying a bundle of tied branches.“Who are you?” Zen asked, suspicious.“Look... I don’t think this is the time for that question. Put your friend on your back and follow me. There’s a healer here who can help. At the very least, it's closer than the inn near the beach. And, just to correct you, you’re not even close to halfway across the island yet. Now let’s go!” he urged them.Adrian helped Zen adjust Lavínia on his back, and the two followed the myste
143 – A Night in the Hidden ParadiseZen walked toward Lavínia, who stood still at the center of the lake, gazing at the great waterfall."What?" she sighed softly, feeling Cedrick’s arms wrap around her waist, embracing her from behind. His lips pressed a kiss to her shoulder before he rested his head there. She simply placed her hands over his and tilted her head, savoring his embrace."Trust me..." he whispered, but despite the sound of the waterfall and the birds singing in the background, she could hear him clearly."I will trust you," she murmured, feeling him tighten his arms around her. "At this moment, you're the only person I can look at and trust blindly.""I promise I won't disappoint you," he said, his voice contrasting with the peacefulness of the place."How are we going to get back? I don’t even know how we got here.""Surprise!" he teased, turning her to face him. "What do you think of the place where we were found?""Where we were found?""Yes, this place saved us wh
144 – Drowning in the PastThey knew she was crying because of Zara, but no one knew what to say. Silence stretched between them as they continued drinking together, unable to dispel the tension in the air. The night felt endless, and the one who had been the most eager to drink was, in truth, the one still the most sober, trying to keep control of the situation."You're going to marry me, right?" Zen asked Lavínia, his voice thick with the hiccups of drunkenness. "Look! I promise I’ll buy you flowers every day, I swear! I’ll buy flowers and make you breakfast. You are the first and only woman I can love. I don’t care what anyone says, as long as you’re with me. I will make Bowen pay for every single day of his life—no one lays a hand on my woman and walks away unscathed.""Really?" Lavínia asked, equally intoxicated, her face still swollen from crying. "I loved seeing him on his knees, begging for his life! And I know you can do it! I know you can take care of me because you kill eve
Chapter 145 – A Night to Forget"No! My God!" she screamed, jumping up and waking the two men, who were startled. Then, as they assessed the situation, all three of them jumped off the bed, each retreating to a corner of the room, staring at each other in speechless shock."What happened?" Adrian asked, his head spinning with pain. "I don't remember anything..." he murmured as Lavínia covered herself, wearing only the bikini from the previous night."Shit! What did we do?" Zen muttered in an existential crisis, sitting on the floor and staring at Adrian. Both men were shirtless. "If you dared to touch him..." he couldn't finish the sentence, while Adrian also sat down, holding his head."No! That’s very unlikely. I wouldn’t do that!" Lavínia asserted, stomping her foot in denial—until someone knocked on the door. She quickly grabbed a robe and put it on."Glad you're up. It's time for breakfast. I'll take you back to the trail; people must be worried about you.""Right! And we’re head
146 – The Truth Behind the Lies"How is this possible… So, she was right there from the beginning." One of the girls commented excitedly, breaking the silence."Well… We’ll head home in the late afternoon. Enjoy as much as you can, and if you still want to, go ahead and interrogate Mrs. Bayer as you planned. She’s not as terrifying as she seems." Samuel said, glancing at Lavinia, who looked a little downcast as she gazed at Zara, who returned her look with a smile."Unfortunately, you’ll have to do that at the company. We need to head back, but don’t worry—tomorrow will be a day off for Alpha Corp." Lavinia announced, and everyone cheered.After boarding, the boat trip continued. Zen stayed by her side, and this time, the whispers grew even louder—everyone found it strange that an ordinary employee was so close to Mrs. Bayer."Come with me!" Lavinia called, pulling him by the arm, ignoring the curious looks."Did something happen?""I forgot to tell you something very important," she
147 – The Shadows of the Past"Look... you think fast, and that's what I like about you, but you're wrong! You are my blood as much as the blood running through my veins, but you know nothing about the past.""You... why do I have to be kept in the dark?""You didn’t need to know because all you had to do was follow my orders. After all... you are my successor. What happened to your mother’s family is no longer your concern.""Please... what is really happening? Did you make her sister kill herself? Please..." Zen begged, feeling as if his head was about to explode."I met Mery in a different way, and if you want to know, now that he is with her, neither you nor I will ever have a chance to find her.""Why are you so sure we won’t find her?""Because the way I found Mery was unusual and tragic. That’s why I bought her," he said with a dark smile."How did you find her?""Mery is a healthy woman, but she was hospitalized. She lived in an isolated area. I discovered her by chance during
148 - Unraveling the TruthAfter a few minutes, Lavínia went upstairs and entered his room. She found Zen sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed, his gaze lost. Without saying a word, she sat beside him. The two remained in silence, side by side."Do you know how you're going to face the world out there after learning the truth?" he asked, still trapped in his thoughts."Are you talking about how to face the ones trying to kill me?" she retorted with a bitter smile. "I'm hurt, broken, disappointed... It's so many things.""You were thrown into all of this out of nowhere... You should get out while you still can," he advised, his voice low."Why are you saying that?""Because I'm not good, she's not good, and the people around you are not worthy of your trust.""But I want to trust you.""I remember our conversation... I opened my mouth and said too much...""Did you really kill people?""That's what I am. I know I treat you well, I pretend to be a good guy, and I'm like this on
Chapter 167: The Final Chapter"This is so strange..." she murmured to herself, as if everything were upside down, or as if it were a dream. She simply stepped back and sat in the chair with her daughter in her arms.Lavínia felt her heart racing as she held the little girl. It still felt like a distant dream, an illusion her mind had created to ease the pain of the past few years. But there she was: soft skin, golden curls, and eyes that resembled Cedrick’s, yet held the same intensity Lavínia saw in the mirror."Mommy..." the little girl murmured, stretching out her tiny hands to touch Lavínia’s face. Instantly, tears streamed down Lavínia’s cheeks, uncontrollable."You called me..." Lavínia whispered, but her voice broke midway through the sentence, overwhelmed by emotion.Cedrick stepped closer, resting his hand on her shoulder, his eyes filled with something between tenderness and guilt."She already knows you, Lavínia. I made sure of it. Every night, when she asked about you, I
Chapter 166: The Unexpected ReunionShe began watching the recordings. The cameras had been installed on the same day she was admitted to the hospital, and as soon as the footage started playing, her eyes filled with tears. Cedrick himself had installed the cameras."I knew it… You were there. You never truly abandoned me!" she murmured, unable to hold back her tears.She fast-forwarded the video, watching as he cared for her every day, tending to her skin, her nails, her health. But the more she advanced through the recordings, the more something unusual caught her attention. Everything started to become clear. She sped up the video even more, noticing her growing belly until she realized, she had been pregnant. But she never got to see the child. The last footage of Cedrick showed him on his knees, crying at the foot of the bed, as if something terrible had happened. She fast-forwarded a bit more, but there was nothing else. After that moment, he stood up, kissed her face, and left
Chapter 165: Until the Last SecondSamuel stopped in front of the door but hid, observing the two women through the small gap. He was surprised by Zara’s condition and how pale she was, but at that moment, he only wanted to listen to their conversation."I've been waiting for you all this time," Zara said with difficulty, while Lavínia kept her distance, watching her."I'm sorry for what I did to you...""No one knows what I really discussed with that man the day the accident happened," Lavínia interrupted, and Zara fell silent. "Why didn’t you open up to me? Why didn’t you tell me he was forcing you to do it? He told me he wanted to kill me once and for all, but you said you would do it. You could have told me, and... you know that, in the name of our friendship, I would have done everything to save you. But you chose the worst option. If you were hurt by me, you shouldn't have gotten close to me and deceived me. I truly believed in you as my best friend, the only one who was ever so
Chapter 164: Awakening and Unanswered QuestionsAnother month had passed. As always, Ronald went every morning to perform Lavínia's routine examinations. It had been a week since Samuel had finally returned, and he was now staying at the hospital, catching up on everything that had happened."I still don't understand. Why did he leave like that, just out of nowhere?" Samuel asked, confused."I don't know either... He was just exhausted. He spent months taking care of her, and as soon as she stabilized, he left. Supposedly, he needed to rest.""Maybe… But I really didn’t think he would be that kind of person. He promised he would stay with her until the end," Samuel said, disappointed. Ronald only pressed his lips together and sighed."Can you keep this a secret? Can you not tell her about the time he was here with her?""But… How am I supposed to do that? She will definitely feel hurt knowing he didn't care.""Just do it. Tell her he disappeared and left. How do you think she’ll feel
Chapter 163: The Silent FarewellThree months had passed with great difficulty. Lavínia's pregnancy was becoming increasingly complicated. These had been the hardest months for Cedrick and also for Ronald, Lavínia’s doctor and friend. Both were exhausted and had dark circles under their eyes, the result of the many relapses she had suffered and the repeated threats of miscarriage."Prepare yourself for what might happen," Ronald warned apprehensively."I won’t prepare because I’m not going to lose either of them. You’ll make sure of that, right?""How many times can she hold on to the baby? And for how long? She won’t make it! You have to choose. If this pregnancy continues, you could lose both of them!" Ronald stated firmly."I’m not ready… There’s so little time left until she reaches seven months… They’re both holding on! Please… Don’t give up on them. Lavínia will wake up… She won’t carry another burden like this.""As a doctor, I’m only looking out for her well-being. If she does
Chapter 162 - A Promise KeptZara remained silent for a few seconds before pointing to a notepad and pen. Cedrick handed them to her, and she wrote down an address. As soon as he took the paper, he rushed out of the room. Leaving the hospital behind, he called Valmont, who was closer to the indicated location.When he arrived, the place was already surrounded by police cars and an ambulance waiting nearby."I came as fast as I could," Valmont informed him just as the gates were broken down, no one had come to open them."Supposedly, everyone must have left and abandoned her," Cedrick commented, running inside, feeling the weight of the situation and fearing it was too late.Mery was found in an improvised hospital room. She had been there for three days without medical assistance. The house had been abandoned all that time, and her skin was pale, her lips cracked from dehydration."She’s still alive!" one of the paramedics announced as they placed her on a stretcher to rush her to the
Chapter 161: A Second Chance“She could stay in this state for years, but there’s another problem, and I didn’t want to tell anyone except you.”“What’s happening?”“Come more often and stay by her side. Maybe it will help her, and who knows… with a lot of luck, your daughter might survive too.” He explained, trying to contain the tension.“What do you mean? Are you saying she’s pregnant?”“Three months along. We performed some detailed ultrasounds, and… it’s a girl. But she might not have a chance to survive. And even if she does, early pregnancy is very delicate, and she… she might be born with some complications due to what happened.”“Wait… You’re telling me she’s carrying our child? Me, her, and… a baby?”“That’s right. Still, both of them are at risk of not waking up. I haven’t told anyone else about the pregnancy to avoid further distress. But you are the father of the child she carries, and you deserve to know, because now, they only have you.” He warned, then left, leaving Ze
Chapter 160: The Unexpected Betrayal"Of course, I know. I found a will in Dimon's email. He was handling a rather peculiar contract, but I only found an unsigned copy. Romanov was well-prepared.""What did it say?""At this very moment, all of Romanov's assets, including Alpha Corp, have already been transferred to another ownership. But no one knows to whom.""What are we going to do?""Keep working until everything starts to collapse," she said indifferently.She said goodbye to Samuel and headed to the parking lot. Getting into her car without a care, she started driving. Suddenly, she noticed a shadow rising from the back seat. The man was wearing a hat, but he quickly removed it."You scared me!" she murmured, slamming on the brakes. "HR manager, Axel? What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to open the door, only to realize it was locked."I thought you'd want to see me again," he commented, taking off a wig and peeling away a second skin that concealed his true face.At th
Chapter 159: The Courtroom’s Final Verdict“What is she talking about?” people whispered in confusion as Lavínia organized the papers on the table.“Ladies and gentlemen, the court has a solemn duty to ensure that justice prevails, regardless of circumstances or the power of those involved. The case before us today is a clear example of how the truth can be distorted by hidden interests and manipulations.”Lavínia’s voice was firm, echoing throughout the courtroom.“Initially, all the evidence pointed to Cedrick Romanov’s conviction for serial murder. For days, we analyzed testimonies, documents, and evidence presented by the prosecution. Given this information, this court was inclined to sentence the defendant to 30 years in a maximum-security prison.”She paused, looking directly at the audience before continuing:“Yes, I said ‘was’.”Viktor Romanov lost the gleam in his eyes at that moment. He knew this wouldn’t end here. Lavínia’s gaze on him was like a sharp blade, declaring that