Cap. 48: SuspeitosLavínia waited outside, unable to contain her anxiety. After all... what had he managed to get? She couldn't help but smile skeptically, thinking he was trying to take advantage of something."Are you ready?" he asked, stepping off the porch and showing her the brown envelope, just as the gate to the neighboring house opened, and an elderly woman hunched over appeared."Good morning, sir..." she said in a slow voice, approaching the two of them. "What happened to the girl who lived in this house until yesterday?" she asked, and Zen's Adam's apple bobbed aggressively, but he quickly composed himself."Ah... the young lady who lost her sister in a tragedy?""You know her, I saw you at her house twice.""Yes, yes. After her sister's death, she wanted to move out and sell the house, you know... It was expected that she wouldn't want to stay in this neighborhood, in the same house she lived in with her sister.""But how is that possible?" the woman asked, outraged. "She
Chapter 49: The Case Will Be Won"Where did you buy these suits? They’re really nice, tailor-made, and... so intricate," she commented, examining them."My friend bought them at a thrift store.""The thirty-thousand-dollar watch too?" she asked with irony in her tone."The truth is, it’s all borrowed. Do you think I would have these things? He’s happy that I’m in such an important company and said appearance mattered, so he lent them to me.""What is he? A billionaire?""Yeah... I think so." He pressed his lips together, shrugging."And he still talks about me? Because I benefit from my rich friend?""He didn’t give me these things, he lent them to me. But I don’t live off of him; I still work and take care of my stuff. Besides... I thought you were interested in reading the documents I managed to obtain.""Of course!" she confirmed, sitting on the bed and pulling out the evidence from the envelope, tossing them onto the bed. At first glance, Lavínia was speechless when she saw everyt
Cap. 50: Don’t You Remember?“What do you want?” Lavínia asked, feeling her hands tremble.“I’m the only one taking care of her. If it weren’t for you, her illness wouldn’t have progressed so quickly. Do you know how many millions I spend on treatments and research just to ensure the disease doesn’t advance?” she asked in a restrained voice.“All you’re doing is fighting the inevitable. Just let it go, daughter… It’s not that I don’t care about her, but all that money is being wasted.”“And that’s why you decided to stop the treatment and let her wither away without my consent?” she asked angrily.“You’re spending it all unnecessarily. I’ll find out where she is and put an end to this absurd, meaningless treatment! Can’t you see your situation? You’ll lose that case against the prosecutor, your company will collapse in the media, and you’ll be accused of defamation. No one will trust you again!” he declared.“If you don’t believe I can win, then you shouldn’t say you want to stand by
Chapter 51:Zen remained silent, walking inside accompanied by his mother, who was still surprised.“How do you remember her if you lost your memory on the day you were attacked?” his mother insisted.“It’s not like I remember who my parents are. I only remember her because, before I passed out, she was the last person I saw. Even so, she doesn’t remember that I was the boy she saved that day.”“What are we supposed to say? What exactly do you have now?” his father asked, concerned.“Nothing yet, for now. I understand why she doesn’t remember me. It was just an unfortunate encounter, and ten years have passed. But I never imagined I’d meet her like this and that we’d end up working together,” he commented, smiling with satisfaction.“How did your paths cross?” Lilian asked, showing concern.“It’s very ironic. It’s as if we
Cap. 52: You Won’t Have Anything.“What the hell is going on? Who is this Mrs. Bayer? Everything points to her being Mrs. Bayer. She has all this money, pays millions for treatments, and no one ever sees her in the office. My head is already hurting, but I have ways of finding this out without stressing over it,” he grumbled, standing up and heading to his room.“Do you think he’s in love with that woman?” Zacarias asked his wife, sitting next to her.“They can’t get close, especially knowing what that man said the day he was arrested. Zen can’t know that we followed everything to the end and how complicated it was for her to win the case.”“We don’t need to talk about that. Besides, he’s still in jail, and he won’t be getting out anytime soon.”“Still… it’s possible that the promise he made in the past will come back to the
Cap. 53: Changing the Environment"Where do you think you're going?" Zara asked, sitting beside her."Nowhere special, I just want a place where they won’t find me." She sighed, thoughtful."Are you thinking about going to Dubai, Paris, Hong Kong... there are so many possibilities. Even if you don't succeed in this case, you'll still be a billionaire, so...""Are you too? You act like you don’t know me. I never lose a case! Mrs. Bayer is known for being invincible, remember? And I’m not going to lose that title to a corrupt prosecutor." She stated, annoyed. "Leave me alone!" she repeated firmly."I didn’t say you’d lose, but we have to think of all possibilities. Considering the information I have, it’s almost crazy for you to go to court with just assumptions.""Of course, you're right. You can leave now, I’ll deal with this mess later.""Are you really going to move?"
Cap. 54: "We Live Together Now.""What are you thinking, Mr. Obedon?" Valmont asked, his piercing gaze fixed on Zen, who avoided eye contact, nervously running a hand through his hair."Is she sleeping? Did you drug her and bring her here? She's going to kill me! Do you know how angry that woman can get?""I've never seen her slap you," Valmont said indifferently, crossing his arms."She's a lawyer, Valmont! She could sue me, who knows?" Zen huffed, exasperated.Valmont laughed, a short, bitter laugh."And you can defend yourself, Mr. R already told you not to waste your law degree. How many things have you done in your twenty-four years? You're turning twenty-five next month and still have this empty head, you idiot kid!" Valmont asserted, giving Zen a light tap on the back of his neck. "And I still can't believe I have to serve a kid like you," he grumbled, shaking his head.Zen rolled his eyes."Bend down, servant!" he mocked, a sarcastic
Cap. 55: I Don’t Need Love."Exactly what I expected is happening," she said with satisfaction, her eyes shining as she showed Zen the news on her phone. "The apartment is on fire, and the firefighters still haven’t been able to control the flames. The whole building has been evacuated, and one person is missing."Zen frowned, the news catching him off guard. "Don’t tell me that’s the apartment you were staying in?" he asked, his voice wavering slightly."Exactly. I knew he was investigating me. I noticed on the cameras that someone strange was always lurking around my apartment, making sure I was inside. So, I faked it with pillows to make it look like I was sleeping in my bed, and as soon as the guy who was watching me moved away, I slipped out in disguise and climbed down the stairwell. I was exhausted when I got here. The black smoke rising in the distance was proof that I was right, and he was trying to kill me."
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 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 100 – A Hidden Truth"When were you planning to tell me what’s going on?" Samuel asked, his voice filled with reproach as he opened the envelope containing their medical exams."I wasn’t hiding anything, I was going to tell you..." Zara muttered, her head lowered, drawing a worried look from Lavínia."What’s happening with Zara? And why did you decide to return to the city so quickly?" Lavínia questioned, her voice edged with surprise and anger."Because this is the best place for both of you. In our old town, there aren’t doctors equipped to handle your delicate conditions. When I took Zara to the doctor, I found out that she’s been treating a brain tumor for a year. It doesn’t seem to be progressing, but she still needs treatment to prevent it from turning malignant. But she’s been hiding it and hasn’t been undergoing treatment for an entire year. What do you think is going to happen?" Samuel directed the question at Zara, who looked away, unable to hold back her tears."Zar
Chapter 99: The Unspoken TruthZara stumbled backward, startled, and the jar shattered on the floor, its sharp sound echoing through the kitchen. The light flickered on, revealing a chaotic scene: glass shards scattered everywhere and Zara, pale. Samuel rushed toward her, concern etched on his face.“Don’t move,” he ordered, his voice firm, cutting through the silence. His eyes scanned the floor, assessing the extent of the disaster. The shards of glass sparkled under the light, like tiny malevolent stars.With careful movements, Samuel approached Zara, avoiding the glass fragments.“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice trembling. His proximity made her nervous, yet comforted her at the same time.He carefully picked her up, feeling the lightness of her body. The sensation of holding her in his arms was strangely familiar. He placed her gently on the cold marble table.“How can you be so careless?” he scolded, his voice softer than the tone he’d used before. His eyes shifted to t
Chapter 98 - The Secrets We Hide“We need to go back now!” Zara hurriedly warned. Lavínia, calm, continued getting ready as if nothing important was happening.“Go back? Being here feels so good,” she sighed, indifferent, her eyes focused on the mirror.“God… I can’t believe we did this!” Zara threw herself onto the bed, covering her face with her hands. The guilt and shame consumed her.“What are you talking about?” Lavínia asked, not understanding her friend's reaction.“Didn’t you realize what we were doing?” Zara asked, incredulous. Lavínia’s expression, however, was one of genuine confusion. “Samuel, we didn’t even care that he was a man. How many times has he seen you without clothes?”“Oh… many times, I think,” Lavínia sighed, as if recalling a distant memory. “He’s like my bodyguard. Although at first, I did it on purpose, it was a test to see if he was really focused on his work and took it seriously. And he managed to earn his place and rise in his career, becoming one of t
Chapter 97: Confessions and Revelations“How come? I didn’t see anyone.” Zara stopped, incredulous.“Are you sure?” he asked, a tone of irony in his voice, fixing his gaze on her as he stood in front of her with his arms crossed, his muscles accentuated by his short-sleeve cotton shirt with a small opening at the collar.“Yes, normally you always disappear when there’s a woman around, but I haven’t seen anyone these days.”“Oh... you haven’t seen any women?” he asked with sarcasm.“No!”“It could be, maybe I’m walking around with an angel. She’s as beautiful as one.” he sighed, while Zara kept her attention on his subtle smile, not realizing who he was referring to. Zara crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.“Who?” she sighed, placing a hand on her chest as if feeling her heartbeat quicken.“You’re so slow, I haven’t been seeing other women because I’ve been seeing one already, and she tends to put her foot in my face.” Samuel averted his gaze as though hiding something.
Chapter 96: The Unseen Secrets"Finally, you got out of that crazy department, huh?" Cintia said enthusiastically, guiding him into the room."Is this where I'll stay?" he asked, his voice laced with a mix of surprise and distrust. After all, why such a big and well-equipped room for him, all of a sudden? The room was spacious, with modern furniture and a stunning view of the city."Considering your specialization, you should've taken over this room a long time ago. We have a list of staff to attend to during your off hours as well. I'll warn you, the employees who work directly with Bayer are the most demanding. They become machines, I believe there's not one who doesn’t cause problems that could lead to stress or even a heart attack.""This woman seems really troublesome," he commented indifferently, though a strange sense of unease stirred inside him."You don’t know her?" she asked, eyeing him curiously."Not really," he replied, his gaze distant."Bayer really chose to hide well,
Cap. 95: The Love I SoughtWhen Cedrick opened his eyes, darkness enveloped him like a cloak. The smell of mold and dust was suffocating, mixed with a faint odor of metal that made him nauseous. He tried to get up, but a sharp pain ran through his back, making him groan. The walls seemed to move, shadows dancing in a macabre ballet. Where was he? What had happened?The memory of the argument with Romanov and the needle being driven into his arm came rushing back. A wave of panic surged through him. He was trapped.His father had taken him to the worst place. The image of Romanov smiling, with that look of triumph, appeared in his mind, sending a shiver down his spine, as his childhood memories came flooding back, taking shape in that filthy place.With difficulty, he managed to crawl to the door. His hands trembled as he tried to open the rusted doorknob. With each attempt, fear grew. The door wouldn’t budge. He started banging loudly, screaming for help, but his cries were lost in th
Chapter 94: A Web of Deceit"Are you already like this? Have you met his mother? What is she like?" Lavinia asked."She only gave us a room, thinking we were a couple. We were super uncomfortable, no bed, and she gave us a mattress to sleep on the floor. He didn't deny it, just smiled. His mom is so sweet, she treated me so well." Zara sighed, filled with nostalgia."That's good. I never met his mother, actually, I never even knew anything about his family in the years we've worked together. But I know he has a lot of emotional baggage; a lot happened to him while he was working for the state as a soldier." Lavinia said with anticipation."Ah... I know, he's always out having fun and dating different women, but what's funny is that it seems like he's trying to suppress something inside him." Zara observed, thoughtful. That vulnerable side of Samuel intrigued her."Maybe..." Lavinia commented, deep in thought. "You can use this time at his mother's boarding house to learn more about hi