Chapter 21: Zen Quits the JobLavínia stared at him, intrigued. The dim light of the library highlighted the shadows on his face as she tried to decipher the young man's intentions."Do you think Mrs. Bayer is disturbed, by any chance?" he asked, his voice laden with indignation, leaving her unsettled."Everyone here worships her, but since yesterday, when I came in and saw these letters, horrific and macabre gifts—among them even locks of hair and things that really shouldn't be kept—it made me think about what this woman must be going through," his voice echoed in the silence of the warehouse as his eyes scanned the shelves filled with boxes and objects."She’s not that bad; she has everything," Lavínia commented, forcing a smile."No, someone who receives so many hate letters and malicious gifts will never be truly okay. Plus, now she hides. Otherwise, I would have seen her by now. Mrs. Bayer is certainly someone I could get to know and try to understand," he said, moving closer, hi
Cap. 22: A Recycler?Zen approached her, still holding the books and a few pens he had picked up from the ground."What a strange thing to throw away, isn't it?" she mumbled, uncomfortable."What are you doing here?" he asked, still confused."I wanted to come tell you personally. My parents were causing problems, but you didn't leave the company, so you need to go back to your position so you won't be fired for cause.""Go back?" He smiled, bewildered. "I don’t even fit in there, I shouldn’t be there, and I don’t even know how I ended up there.""But you are. If you want this opportunity, it's still yours. Otherwise, just give up. I'm telling you so you can choose your destiny." She said, turning her back to him but then suddenly stopping and looking him up and down. "Still... I believe you need this job. I don’t know why anyone would be picking up old stuff from the trash like this," she finished, shrugging and walking away."Just what I needed." He murmured under his breath, until t
Cap. 23: Signs of Unbalance He couldn’t hear everything, and ran to his room, feeling an aggressive wave of nausea that made him vomit, while a growing hatred filled his chest. His parents heard a loud scream and something breaking, but didn’t go in to check on him. At that moment, not only was he shaken, but also his mother and father, as they knew how much Zen had protected that girl. “He’s having an outburst again, let him be,” Zen’s father said, holding his wife’s arm when she tried to go to the room. “I know how hard this must be for him, after everything he’s been through... and not even remembering any of it, but I believe he could use some support in these moments,” she said, anxiously. “The girl he was protecting was killed after being abused. What do you think about that? There are no words for that,” she said, still listening to the noise. Zen kept pounding on the mirror, grunting in pain, but he seemed to find some satisfaction as his fingers were torn apart. He did th
Cap. 24: Friend? The "Jaguar" Friend. The elevator door opened, revealing the waiting room. Bayer, elegant and impassive, observed the scene. Samuel and Zara, leaning against the wall, exchanged a knowing look, a malicious smile curving their lips. Zen, with firm steps, crossed the room, his shoulders tense. "Hello, madam..." Cintia, the psychologist, tried to greet Lavínia as Bayer, but was interrupted by Zara, who, with a quick motion, pulled her into a tight and desperate hug. Cintia was surprised by the show of affection, as it was unusual, given that they didn't get along well. Her eyes, behind the lenses of her glasses, revealed a certain unease. Zara, taking advantage of the proximity, whispered something in Cintia's ear, a shared secret that made the psychologist smile as she looked at Lavínia. Zen, feeling more and more uncomfortable, shoved his hands into the pockets of his suit, keeping his eyes distant from Lavínia, who was staring at him with concern, but he hadn’t noti
Cap. 25: This isn't for me."What are you saying?" Lavínia questioned, raising an eyebrow defiantly. Her eyes glittered with restrained anger."That's right!" Zara smiled, a false and cruel smile. Hiding behind the two interns as if they were shields, she continued, "As your superior, I order you to wash the floor of the courtyard and remove all the moss. And as you know, I am your superior. But if you want to leave it as it is and give up, you'll be fired before you’re even officially hired. You have the freedom to choose."Lavínia laughed, a short and bitter laugh."Freedom," she thought sarcastically. "What kind of freedom is that?""I know what freedom I’d want right now, but I'm sure the law forbids it." She approached Zara, her eyes fixed on hers. Her friend took a step back, surprised by Lavínia’s audacity. With a wicked smile on her lips, Lavínia turned and walked out, leaving Zara and her shields stunned."Zara doesn’t know the mess she’s getting into with her behavior!" Lavín
Cap. 26: Always the HelperHer eyes widened in horror. Without hesitation, Zen lunged forward, pushing her along with his body, and she fell onto him, away from the area. The pot shattered into a thousand pieces, the wet soil spreading across the floor. Lavínia, still dazed, looked into his eyes, not realizing what had just happened."Are you crazy?" she asked, still lying on Zen's body, slapping her palm against his chest. Her wide eyes followed his gaze, finding the broken clay pot on the floor. A tremor ran through her body. "Was that about to fall on me?""Not with me here," he whispered, relieved, but with a lump in his throat. The adrenaline still kept him on edge.Lavínia stood up, still tense and unmoving. The shock had left her speechless."It could have been an accident," she murmured, more to herself than to him."Could be," he confirmed, not believing his own words. He knew it hadn’t been an accident. Someone had thrown the pot with intention."It seems like I owe you a fav
Cap. 27: Bayer's Assistant?Lavínia had no choice. Even though she wanted to distance herself from Zen, it was as if he had glued himself to her like a shadow.“You don’t need to hold me so tight, okay?” she grumbled, trying to break free, but he kept her firmly against him. Finally, they managed to get into the elevator booth, and she pushed him hard, creating some space between them.“It’s not my fault you spent the whole afternoon attacking the floor with a broom because of your friend. I’m just helping you,” he replied indifferently, his voice full of irony. Her heels clicked loudly against the floor of the elevator, echoing in the confined space.“Why are you so annoying?” she asked, challenging him. But Zen simply looked at her with an ironic smile, pressing his lips together. The door opened, and they stepped out.Lavínia stormed out, throwing her heels to the ground. Zen picked them up with an exaggerated sigh.“You’re making yourself look like a child,” he commented, his voice
Chapter 28: Cut Cables"You almost had me worried for a moment," she whispered to Zara, her eyes locked on the other woman's. The confidence in her voice was evident."Don’t worry, I’ve changed your credentials. You won’t be Bayer that day. Considering they barely see you, I think the only problem will be the judge," Zara replied, leaning in closer, her smile almost malevolent."Relax, the judge is my friend," Lavínia said, winking back. The complicity between the two was clear."Then good luck, because the boy will be your assistant. How do you feel about that?" Zara teased, a glint of satisfaction in her eyes."About that, I’m going to kill you," Lavínia growled, her teeth clenched. Zara stepped back, a playful smile on her lips."Always so angry!" she teased, retreating before Lavínia could respond.Lavínia sighed, staring at Samuel. One week. One week to deal with Zen as her assistant and still face the court."I have a week to figure this out before the trial," she murmured, more
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