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 68: Without a HomeWhen he got home, he went straight to the bathroom and changed clothes. Lavínia was apparently asleep when he carefully entered the bedroom and lay down beside her.As soon as he closed his eyes, hers opened, revealing she had been pretending the whole time. She turned to analyze him, noticing his hair was still damp from showering and changing clothes.She waited a few minutes, then got up and went to the bathroom as if looking for something. She headed to the laundry basket, grabbed the clothes Zen had been wearing, and opened it, noticing the dark stains on both the shirt and pants."What was he doing?" she murmured, feeling uneasy. Then, she threw the clothes back into the laundry bin. Before leaving the bathroom, she called Zara."Good evening, Mrs. Bayer. Isn’t it a bit late to be calling?" Zara grumbled."Tomorrow morning, I’ll be heading to your apartment. Send me your new address," Lavínia said firmly."Ah... my new address?" Zara asked, widening her
128 - The Family Secret“Lavínia is showing signs of her mother’s hereditary disease,” the doctor began, his expression serious. “We didn’t expect the symptoms to appear before she turned thirty. If I had predicted this... maybe we could’ve started treatment earlier to try to inhibit the effects.”“What do you mean?” Zen asked, the tension clear in his voice.“That, little by little, Lavínia may start forgetting who she is, what she knows, what she is capable of. Her neurons might begin to degrade and...”“But what about her mother?” Zen interrupted, confused. “Her mother lasted years, right?”“No... It’s not exactly like that.” The doctor sighed. “Lavínia’s mother went through an extremely difficult time in the beginning. The disease, in its early stages, presents itself very aggressively, until the body adapts to the changes. But when that happens, the person is never the same. They start a slow, but irreversible, walk toward death, from the moment the symptoms appear.”“How’s that
127: "The Unseen Truth"While everyone at the recovery center was stunned and unsure of what to do, the cameras had recorded everything that had happened. The room was engulfed in a heavy silence as the footage was played again, as if trying to make sense of the inexplicable.Lavínia kept her gaze fixed on the screen, her face pale, her heart racing. She immediately recognized the woman who had entered her mother’s room. Her stomach churned at the thought of the worst, but she continued watching, and what she saw left her speechless: her aunt Eleonor, with a cold, determined expression, trying to suffocate Elena. The footage continued to show Zen, stumbling drunk, entering the room, grabbing a syringe, and injecting something into the woman, who then collapsed unconscious.“I-I…” Lílian tried to stammer, uncomfortable. “He didn’t kill her…” she added, her voice heavy with tension. “He only injected Elena with the medicine. Your aunt is sleeping in one of the rooms.”“Thank goodness…”
Chapter 126: "Fugitive in Search of Refuge"After paying for the taxi, he entered with her, who sat on the sofa.“What the hell… what am I going to do?” he asked, messing up his hair in impatience and staring at Elena sitting on the couch, her expression indifferent.“Are you okay?” she asked, swallowing dryly, her voice dragging.“You keep talking…” He sighed uneasily. “Why did you come here?”“I’m scared, I don’t want to stay there, and I don’t want to die,” she confessed, frightened.“Your daughter is going to cause a big mess because of you. Why don’t you go back? How did you get here without knowing where I live?”“I followed you and waited until that man left. I need you to hide me, please.”“Why?”“You saw… that woman, who I don’t want to call a sister, is trying to kill me. With my death, my husband can take the fortune that’s in my name.”“Damn, ma’am, your family really loves money.”“My daughter has millions saved in my bank account for my treatment. I’ve had her working ha
Chapter 125 - Secrets, Shadows, and Unexpected EncountersShe observed for a short moment before stepping back and calling someone."Darling, you won’t believe this, but I found her," she said while heading toward the elevator booth, barely noticing that she had passed by someone familiar."What is that woman doing here?" Zen murmured, suspicious. Still, he wasn’t interested in finding out as he waited for his call to be answered."Valmont, send me the address where Mrs. Bayer’s judge appointment will take place. I remember it’s today, right? The newspapers won’t stop talking about it.""Are you thinking of going?""Yes.""But it’s a restricted event. Normally, only prosecutors and employees from her firm would attend… Oh, that’s right, you’re one of them. Still, you didn’t receive an invitation. You need one to get in.""Valmont, a closed door has never been a reason for me not to enter—you know that. Besides, I need to figure out the real reason behind Lavínia’s marriage. Have you f
Chapter 124 – A Narrow Escape“What do you mean?” Cedrick asked, confused. “I've never seen anything like this before. There was no woman more focused and attentive to her work than Lavínia. If she’s acting this way now, it must be because of what she's been doing lately.”“True... Besides, today is her appointment. She’s finally going to become the judge she always dreamed of being!” Zara commented—until she felt a tap on her shoulder from Samuel.“She’s becoming a judge?” he asked, frowning.“No! Actually, I got mixed up...” she mumbled, bringing her hands to her head. “I think I’m just as exhausted as Lavínia.”“It doesn’t seem like you got mixed up.” Cedrick retorted, suspicious.“You’re still here?!” Cedrick’s mother sighed, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the two.“What’s going on?”“Where is she? I went to her room, and she wasn’t there!” his mother asked, fear in her voice.“Who? Mrs. Bayer?”“Yes, her…” His mother pressed her lips together, placing a hand on her ch
Chapter 123 – Shadows of the PastSamuel and Zara rushed into the room upon hearing her panicked scream. When they found her, Lavínia was curled up in the corner of the bed, while her phone, its screen cracked, lay in the opposite corner where she had thrown it.“What happened?” Samuel asked, trying to calm her down, but she didn’t say a single word.“What could she have seen that scared her this much now?” Zara questioned anxiously. “I keep saying… We need to disappear for a while, maybe go to another country and take a vacation. The problem with Lavínia is that she always insists on facing everything, but it seems like things are getting out of hand.”“I don’t know...” Samuel murmured in confusion, gently laying Lavínia down on the bed. She kept her lips pressed together, still in a state of panic. “What is that man’s motivation? What does he really want?” he asked, as confused as he was concerned, while Zara swallowed hard.“We should ask the doctor to give her a sedative.”“No! I’
Chapter 122 – A Game of Shadows“Well... I saw her a few times after that party,” he commented, swallowing hard, while Zen seemed to have asked on purpose."I'm afraid of a few things..." he confessed, ignoring Valmont's reaction."Of what?""Of losing the things I love. I know I shouldn’t love or get attached to anything—that’s how that man tried to raise me... but I can’t help it. I’m used to clinging to what I never had when I was younger. The day I woke up in that hospital after almost dying, I woke up with a new family. So, it wasn’t a bad day for me. I was only 14, and I didn’t have the cold mind I have today. But that time definitely saved me... or I would have discarded anything that had to do with humanity.”"I know... Romanov wanted to create nothing but a killing machine. You are one, but with feelings. You’ve learned to respect the people you love. But not everything goes the way we want. Things are getting out of control, and with this note, I’m almost certain you might b
Chapter 121 – The Trap"Hey, what are you—" Lavínia tried to step out, but it was too late.The elevator doors shut with a metallic thud, and within seconds, a thick white fog began to fill the cabin. Lavínia pressed herself against the wall, frozen for an instant. Her heart pounded as the chemical scent invaded her lungs, suffocating her.Desperate, she rushed to the panel, pressing the buttons repeatedly, trying to force the doors open or stop the elevator. Her hands trembled as her lungs began to fail. The fog spread rapidly, making every breath more difficult."Someone... help me..." she managed to whisper before a violent coughing fit overtook her, tears streaming from her stinging eyes.Meanwhile, Zen was still sprinting up the stairs like a madman, hearing only the muffled sound of his own footsteps and the deafening pulse of blood in his ears. He knew he had to get there before it was too late.Inside the elevator, Lavínia collapsed to her knees, her fingers still fumbling wit
Chapter 120 - The Silent Threat"She received that?" he asked, standing up."Where is she, and where is that note?""She’s better, she's working, and the note is back in the pile of gifts," she informed him.Cedrick immediately rushed toward the office.All the employees turned to him, confused by his abrupt entrance. He hadn't even realized how fast he had moved."Hey, assistant, what are you doing? I thought your shift was over," one of the women asked."Yeah... but I heard there's a lot of work here. By any chance... is that pile of stuff meant to be taken to storage?" he asked, pointing at the stack of mail addressed to Bayer."Yes, please, if you can... burn everything related to hate messages and gifts," one of them said, still tense. They were all scared.Cedrick grabbed a large box, dumped everything inside, and discreetly hid the envelope under his blazer. He carried the box to the storage room, where, after setting it down, he pulled out the letter and read it.It was exactl