"What I did, no rookie could accomplish, so it's not for any rookie. Do I look like a rookie to you?" Lavínia demanded, her voice firm and defiant. Her eyes sparkled with restrained anger, locked on Paula. The proximity between the two women carried an unmistakable tension.
"But... aren’t you a rookie?" Paula stammered, visibly intimidated by Lavínia's assertive stance. The younger woman's confidence seemed to shake the older woman's composure.
"Look at me and decide for yourself," Lavínia challenged, stepping even closer. Paula swallowed hard, averting her gaze.
"You... you're right. It's not for everyone, so... congratulations," Paula conceded in a low voice.
"What do you have in that bag?" Lavínia asked, her voice cold as ice. The mix of curiosity and distrust was evident in her tone.
"I brought him a clean shirt to change into. It’s what he
Cap. 60: Shy Gestures"What are you talking about?" Lavínia asked, genuinely curious."One day, you mentioned something interesting—the reason you truly started practicing law. What was it?" Zen pressed, his eyes fixed on hers."Oh... that?" Lavínia averted her gaze, a sad glimmer in her eyes. "It’s a bit of a complicated story. I had left home that day.""You too?" Zen asked, surprised."What do you mean?""Go on.""I had discovered that my father had used his legal expertise to take everything from my mother, so I left with nothing. While I was walking down the street at that hour, a few meters away, I saw a young man struggling to walk, and right behind him, a man was following. At first, I thought he was running away, but then I realized he hadn’t even noticed the man, who pulled out a knife and lunged at him. I didn’t think twice and ran toward them. When the man stabbed the boy for the first time, I grabbed a rock and, before he could stab him again, I struck him hard on the hea
Chapter 61: From Always, We Were."I was curious about that day, but I couldn't go back to the hospital. I wanted to know how you ended up in that situation," Lavínia confessed, her voice a silken thread as her eyes sought his."I lost my memory after that incident. Everything before that was gone for me—except you. You stayed here in my mind, even now," Zen replied, his deep, husky voice echoing in the humid bathroom."Why?" she asked, uncomfortable, her gaze shifting to the droplets of water trickling down the wall."Because I wanted you," he said, sitting up, water streaming down his body as he looked at her with an intensity that made her shiver. "It's pathetic, isn't it?" He smiled, a bitter smile that revealed the depth of his feelings."You held onto your feelings for me all this time? What did you want, to have some fun?" Lavínia questioned, her voice trembling."No, I fell in love with you. I'm tired of saying it over and over. Since our first night together, I can't get you
Cap. 62: You and Me"I thought you were serious, but you were just bragging?" she teased, her voice rough with desire as she continued to trace light circles on his abdomen.He smiled, a cynical grin that quickly faded when he saw the determined expression on her face. Lavínia’s eyes sparkled with an intensity that left him breathless. Before he could react, she leaned in and kissed him with intensity."Wow..." he moaned, tilting his head back. The sensation of her warm lips on his member was intense, almost painful. The position they were in now allowed him to admire the perfect curve of her back, from the base of her neck to the curve of her buttocks, which rose provocatively. "Lavinia..." he groaned, feeling his muscles tighten. He grabbed her hair, gathering it into a long, brown ponytail, holding it tightly, feeling an explosion of sensations like never before.She rose again with triumph in her eyes, confidence radiating from every pore of her skin. Adrenaline pulsed through her
Chapter 63: Time for the Dead to Rise AgainZen paced back and forth, watching her with an amused smile. She was still sitting at the table, her legs weak and a slight blush on her cheeks. The intensity of the previous night left her feeling a little dizzy, but it was a pleasant sensation."It wasn’t me who was supposed to cook for you?" he asked, breaking the silence."Since we’re going to live together, we can take turns, right? I still have a few things to sort out," he remarked thoughtfully as she got up with some difficulty."Damn... what have I gotten myself into?" she murmured, more to herself than to him."Someone who knows how to cook and do a lot of things very well, right here," he said, placing a plate of food in front of her, a satisfied smile on his lips."We’re going to Alpha Corp. Keep being discreet. Relationships are forbidden there.""What kind of company does that?" he asked curiously."It’s a precautionary measure. All employees must maintain professional conduct,
Chapter 64:"What the hell is going on? Why haven’t they put out that damn fire? She didn’t deserve an ending like this..." one of the lawyers protested, his desperation clear. His eyes were red from crying."We won’t even be able to properly pay our respects, Mrs. Bayer!" one of the female lawyers shouted hysterically. Everyone was still panicked, their faces twisted in pain and anger."She didn’t deserve to meet such an end," another added, his voice choked with emotion."No, we’re not letting this slide! We’re Mrs. Bayer’s lawyers, aren’t we? We’re one of the best law firms out there. Together, we can see this through. I don’t care about getting into a dangerous fight. We warned her so many times. We knew this could happen, but she never listened...""We’ll see this investigation to the end. Dimon will rot in jail if it’s the last thing I do," Samuel announced furiously, his fists clenched.Suddenly, the large glass door swung open, revealing Lavínia. Pale but resolute, she stepped
Chapter 65: My Desire Is to Have It All!"Mrs. Bayer, it's so good you're here! Have you heard the news?" Zara approached her excitedly, but Lavinia raised her hand, signaling her to back off. Her eyes, once full of life, now carried a chilling coldness."What’s wrong with her now?" one of the lawyers asked, perplexed. Like him, everyone was intensely curious. Lavinia’s change in demeanor was drastic."As we all know, this tragedy occurred, and... no one knows that the person who died in that fire was Lavinia Bayer, the owner of the entire Alpha Corp empire," Lavinia's voice echoed through the room, dripping with cruel irony."Why don’t you get straight to the point?" Samuel asked, stepping forward and meeting her gaze with defiance. But she smirked disdainfully, revealing a side of her personality no one had seen before."I’m saying this company will crumble when everyone finds out Lavinia Bayer is dead. You all have nothing else to do here; the building will be sold before the scand
Chapter 66: Get Rid of Bayer"I told Mr. R you were heading to the warehouse. You’ll only get there through Manah—won’t she find that strange?""She will, but just like she keeps secrets, I have mine," he replied, while Valmont treated his answer with indifference."You two won’t last as long as expected, will you? Besides, your father wants to meet with you.""I hope it’s to congratulate me and tell me Dimon has already been arrested.""It seems it wasn’t Dimon who blew up Lavínia’s apartment," he informed, leaving Zen intrigued."What do you mean?""In fact, he knew Lavínia lived there and heard about the fire, but it wasn’t him. There were a few attempts on her life, and supposedly she accused her husband, but we don’t know if it was him either. We’ve been investigating and keeping an eye on this man, and the crimes were well-planned. Several methods have been used to try to kill Lavínia, most involving fire or poison.""Why are you investigating this?""Because Mr. R found it inte
Chapter 67: More Than Trapped:"So, Mrs. Bayer is a young lady and not elderly?" he asked, as Mr. R smiled—a smile that didn’t reach his eyes."You’re still naïve. Six years ago, after an incident, she started erasing everything about herself from the internet. No one dares to post any images of her these days, but I remember very well the first time I saw that angelic face. If she weren’t a problem..." he murmured, pressing his lips together, lost in thought. A dark glint shone in his eyes."Isn’t what you have already enough?" Zen asked, his voice showing indignation. With every word Mr. R said, his curiosity and distrust grew stronger."You’re a grown man now. If you knew Mrs. Bayer, you’d understand why she’s so pursued, loved, and hated.""I have no interest, especially now that I’ve gotten the woman I wanted," Zen remarked indifferently."I haven’t seen this woman yet, but I believe I will soon. It’s a pity she’s not Mrs. Bayer—it would’ve made it easier for you to get me what I
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