Chapter 36: An Intern’s Suit Lavínia returned to her apartment and began gathering what had been left behind, mainly the documents Evandro had brought to force her to sign. She quickly crumpled them up and tossed them into the trash. It felt as if she were covering up a crime.She spent the night in Zara’s room, where she slept, and in the morning, they went together with Samuel to the company. "I’ll go buy coffee for the three of us," Samuel announced, glancing at Zara as if giving her a warning. Zara then grabbed Lavínia by the wrist. "Why don’t we go together? We have time, you know," Lavínia suggested. "No! I’ll buy it. It’s better if you don’t show yourself too much, or else I’ll hire bodyguards. Do you really want to come?" he asked. She shrugged, glaring at him before walking off with Zara, who led her to the elevator. Once they were gone, Samuel asked one of the interns to buy the coffee, and he stayed at the reception area, waiting.That’s when he saw Zen walking through t
Chapter 37: The Mission Isn't OverPanic radiated from Zara and Samuel's eyes as they stared at each other. Samuel grabbed her tightly, pressing his hand over her mouth."As I told you, your shift is in the afternoon. Besides, why are you fighting over a younger guy? Are you interested in him? And don't forget: Lavínia owns this place. Do you want to lose your job and never get another one? The only person who can ruin your career is her, and she does it without hesitation," he said, his smile turning dark as the threat in his words intensified."A whim? Doesn't seem worth that much, does it?" Zara retorted with an ironic smile."Good morning, professor," Zen greeted her with a nod."Good morning, Zen," she replied with a grumble, averting her eyes. The irritation was evident, and he noticed it right away."I couldn't warn you earlier since I was thrown into this at the last minute. But I thought a company like this would have more organization when it comes to changes like this," he c
Cap. 38: I Want Your ProblemsMr. R frowned, feigning surprise. “That’s not possible. That case was in the hands of the owner of the firm.” "Are you talking about Mrs. Bayer?" Zen asked, his voice now lower. "Exactly." Mr. R nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "Well, she dumped it on a rookie intern and... I’m working alongside her on this case. There’s no chance of winning. I can’t act as a lawyer—just an assistant." "Why don’t you take the bar exam? You’ve had private tutors since you were twelve. I can arrange everything for you." Mr. R proposed. "Go to hell! I only studied that because you forced me to. I’m not going to practice law just because you wanted to have a tool to cover up your dirty work." Zen shouted, his anger blinding him. "Then figure it out yourself. Remember, that man was your mission. If you really want to prove yourself, make that woman win this case, and I’ll handle the rest once he’s behind bars." Mr. R said with an unyielding tone. "How is she supposed
Chapter 39: Let Me Support YouLavínia averted her gaze, blushing intensely. Her hands covered her cheeks, trying in vain to hide the turmoil of emotions overwhelming her. A mischievous smile curved Zen's lips as he observed her reaction with evident satisfaction."Such nonsense. Why don't you go start your shift with that shameless woman?" she murmured, trying to sound indifferent, but her voice trembled."Cintia is quite professional. I never thought I could learn so many interesting things from a woman. Did you know she has various intriguing skills?" he remarked, crossing his arms and stepping closer. Lavínia stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise."Skills?" she repeated, her voice faltering."Yes, she's the kind of woman with many qualities. I suppose that's why most men..." He left the sentence hanging, an enigmatic smile on his lips."I don't care what she does or doesn't do, and I hope you two aren't breaking company rules," she interrupted, trying to change the subject."W
Cap. 40: Having Lunch with Her?As soon as they left, they headed to a restaurant near Alpha Corp. Lavínia walked briskly, her expression clearly showing irritation."Do you think she’s jealous?" Samuel asked Zara as they discreetly followed behind."Obviously! She never goes out for lunch with coworkers. She’s definitely fuming... If she keeps acting like this, she might reveal her true identity. I need to help her maintain this façade of the naïve and fragile intern. Have you noticed how protective he is of her?" Zara replied, a hint of amusement in her tone."Even so… like I said, there’s something off about this guy. How does an intern, who hasn’t even gotten his first paycheck yet, buy a $15,000 suit?" Samuel asked, still baffled."Are you going to tell Lavínia about this?""No, I don’t want to stir the pot further. Suspicious as he may be, he does seem to genuinely care about her. And with Lavínia acting this immature and making her security more complicated, it’s better to have
Chapter 41: Protect the Poor GirlLunch couldn’t have been more chaotic. Only Zen and Zara seemed to enjoy the situation until Cintia made an announcement. “Lavinia... why don’t you try the dessert? The pudding here is divine; it has a special ingredient,” Cintia teased, serving Lavinia a slice. “No!” Zara immediately shouted, alarmed as she grabbed the pudding. “This stuff shouldn’t even be on this table! What do you think you’re doing? Trying to get accused of attempted murder?” “I’ll eat it instead. It’s not going to kill me,” Samuel said, taking the pudding and having a spoonful. “What’s wrong? It’s just pudding,” Cintia said with a malicious smile, her eyes glinting with a strange light. “You know very well Lavinia has a life-threatening allergy to eggs and anything derived from them,” Zara said indignantly. “Let her be. If she wants to provoke me, that’s her problem,” Lavinia sighed indifferently, while Zen remained frozen by this new revelation. “That’s enough! I’ve lost
Cap. 42“Where are you? Everyone involved has already been gathered, except the one person you asked to keep confidential. Will you resolve this today?”“Where are they?”“At the service base on the outskirts of the city, at that ranch you know so well.”“Then keep them there. I won’t be able to go today.” He informed, watching Bayer discreetly, leaning to the side.“But isn’t the workday over?” He asked curiously.“Yes, but right now… I’m watching someone.”“Are you really that smitten with this woman?” He smiled, skeptical. “They say that after the first night, virgin guys want to spend their entire lives with the woman who took their virginity.” He mocked, laughing from the other side of the line.“Are you crazy? How could a guy like me be a virgin? Besides, I’m here because she’s handling Dimon’s case, and in less than a week, she’ll face the court with some accusations. I want you to get all the evidence we have filed away. She has little time to authenticate the evidence I’m goi
Chapter 43: "Interest in What?""Certainly, she is a very interesting woman," he said, smiling as if harboring a secret."I imagine how sad she must be... losing her sister in such a cruel way," Valmont sighed, pensively. Despite his words, both men kept their eyes fixed on each other while discreetly observing Lavinia, who shifted slightly, adjusting herself on the seat, still asleep.The rest of the trip passed in silence. Zen continued studying Lavinia with an almost hypnotic intensity; she seemed deeply asleep, oblivious to the attention she was attracting. Slowly, he ran the tip of his fingers along the soft curve of her cheekbone. An involuntary smile appeared on his lips as he admired every detail, as if he were gazing at a unique work of art, the most beautiful his eyes had ever seen.So immersed was he in his contemplation that he almost didn’t notice Valmont’s attentive gaze, observing him with an inscrutable expression, as if deciphering the thoughts behind every gesture."
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