Chapter 74That day was historic, but it went undocumented. Bayer had officially signed the ownership of Dimon’s companies behind closed doors, attended only by shareholders and investors. She was now more influential than ever. After a private lunch with the shareholders, by early afternoon, all Lavínia wanted was to return home.“You’re really not going to tell us where you’re living now?” Zara asked, visibly upset.“No, I’m not,” Lavínia replied as they headed toward the elevator.“Why do I feel like you’re hiding something?” Zara muttered.“What do you mean? I’m just taking care of my safety. Everyone knows you two are my assistants, so people might think where you are, I’ll be too. And they’ve tried to kill me plenty of times already.”“True... Well, take care of yourself, but at least give us the address. I promise we won’t tell anyone.”“Relax. Where I’m staying...” Lavínia paused, her lips pressing together thoughtfully. “I believe I’m safe,” she remarked before stepping out of
Chapter 75"You still haven’t answered me. What are you talking about?" he insisted, as they exchanged glances, swallowing hard."It's nothing, really..." his mother murmured thoughtfully. "Why did you suddenly move without saying anything?""Oh... that? It was just something sudden. I just decided.""That's not something you decide on a whim; we didn’t even talk about it. Besides, how did you move here if most of your clothes are still there?""Because I didn’t move here permanently, I just... needed some space, some privacy of my own. So, I organized everything first and thought of having this experience..." he explained, but as his mother stepped closer, looking at him with concern, his voice trailed off."Did you hurt yourself again?" she asked gently, holding his hand and examining the bandages, then looking at him with pity."Don’t worry, okay?" he sighed, his voice calm."What happened? Was it that same patient you always treat again? Maybe she needs more specialized care or a
Chapter 76: The Cultivated Hatred"How do you even know where this woman is if she doesn’t even show up at the company she owns?" Zen asked, disbelief evident in his voice."Indeed, but recently Mr. R shared a lot of information with me, and I’ve been investigating. Of the three of us, he’s the only one who’s seen Mrs. Bayer in person, and she has two right-hand people.""Are they in the company?""And you know them well: Samuel and Zara.""Lavinia’s assistants?" he asked, the realization dawning on him."Exactly. From what I’ve heard, Samuel was one of the few assistants who worked well alongside Mrs. Bayer, and Zara has been one of her best friends since she started her business. They were always around Mrs. Bayer.""Strange... doesn’t Lavinia know Mrs. Bayer?""I don’t know what their connection is. I’m trying to dig up something about your girlfriend, but there doesn’t seem to be much besides a messy marriage that no one really knows how it ended.""Pretty badly, I’d say, consider
Cap. 77:Lavinia's warm and damp skin shivered under Zen's insistent touch. Their lips intertwined in a hungry kiss, his tongue exploring every corner of her mouth. A muffled moan escaped Lavinia's lips as Zen wrapped her in his arms, lifting her off the ground and placing her gently on the soft bed. His body molded to hers, hot and pulsing.Zen gripped her waist firmly, his fingers digging into her skin. With a swift movement, he positioned himself between her legs, pressing against her. His lips trailed downward, leaving a path of wet kisses along her neck, descending the curve of her shoulder to her breast, lightly biting her nipple, eliciting a gasp of pleasure as Lavinia writhed beneath him.Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as he explored every inch of her body, his hand sliding down the elastic of her intimate piece, leaving her bare. His tongue traced a hot, wet path along her stomach, circling her navel, and venturing into her most intimate parts."Zen..." s
Chapter 78:When Zen opened his eyes, it was still the middle of the night. The world seemed to spin in a slow vortex, like a misaligned carousel. With blurred vision, he spotted Lavínia asleep beside him, serene amidst his inner turmoil. His thoughts, however, were far from that room. Fixed on the figure of Mrs. Bayer, a mixture of pity and determination consumed him.Minutes passed as he battled the urge to stay there. Restless, he jumped out of bed and headed toward the kitchen. The door creaked softly, waking Lavínia. Her large, expressive eyes gazed at him in the dim light. She hadn’t been able to sleep either. A sigh escaped her lips, revealing a restlessness that mirrored his. Ever since she saw him come home, stained with blood, a question had been hammering in her mind. Had he visited the patient? The possibility haunted her, fueling a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. The last time he’d come back bloodied, he had no injuries, making her wonder if he had done something wrong
Chapter 79Zen’s mother still tried to reach them before he sped off in the car, but it was in vain. Zacarias observed the scene through the rearview mirror, his expression serious. This was only the beginning of a story that promised to be long and complex."Don’t strain yourself so much, calm down," Zacarias urged, trying to soothe her. The concern in his voice was evident."How can you expect me to calm down? What does Zen have to do with this Cedrick?" she asked, her voice trembling."I know, it’s really strange that he has all these ownership documents belonging to this Cedrick, but I believe there must be an explanation," Zacarias tried to sound optimistic, but doubt lingered in the air."Really? The same explanation we got when the center was mysteriously shut down just days after he was admitted there?" she questioned, her voice laced with suspicion.Two weeks after Zen was discharged from the hospital and brought straight to their home, the center they had dedicated their liv
Chapter 80"You're quite late!" Zara asserted in a restrained voice, a hint of disdain flickering in her eyes. At the same time, Lavínia slammed the car door harder than necessary, trying to mask her agitation. Zen, who had already stepped out through the other door, watched her with an ironic smile while she glared at him, as if silently asking what he was doing."We're working together. Besides, what's there to hide? I just found you on the road and offered you a ride—you looked like you were having a really bad day," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.Turning his back, he walked away as if he were being punished for something. However, he suddenly turned back, as if remembering something important."Don't you dare slam the car door like that again. Remember, it's borrowed," he warned, twirling the keys with an air of superiority, catching the disdainful look Lavínia shot him."Then buy your own with the bonus you got," she muttered through clenched teeth, her voice laced wit
Chapter 81” The Hidden Heir"I don't know..." Lavínia sighed thoughtfully, her eyes distant. "I promised that bastard Bowen that he wouldn’t advance in any business if it depended on me, but I don’t know if I can expand my business with that corrupt Romanov. I don’t want dealings with men like him, besides the fact that he wants something beyond that." Her voice was low, filled with resignation."Who doesn’t?" Zara said, smiling discreetly, a wicked glint in her eyes. She stepped closer to Lavínia, closing the distance between them. "After all, who really loses in this story? You or Romanov?""So? If you were waiting for me, did you find out anything important? It can't just be because you wanted to keep an eye on me," Lavínia asked impatiently as the elevator cabin ascended. With each passing second, her curiosity consumed her."You'll be surprised when you find out," Zara said excitedly, her eyes gleaming."What is it?" Lavínia insisted, her voice trembling with anxiety."Remember t
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