Chapter 7: Connected Paths
"Lavinia fixed her gaze on the man in surprise and crouched down, trying to hide quickly after recognizing him as the same man from the previous night."
"What are you doing, miss?" the ambulance driver asked. "Is he coming? He can't see me!" she hissed through her teeth. "Actually, he's asking the cars to move aside," the driver said, keeping his eyes on the young man.Lavinia stood up and saw Zen a few meters away, knocking on the side of each car, telling them to clear the way.
The traffic was chaotic, with cars honking incessantly. The ambulance's siren pierced the air, a shrill sound echoing through the streets. The driver finally managed to move as Lavinia watched Zen until the ambulance passed him. He hadn’t noticed she was inside.When they reached the hospital, Lavinia's father received care in time and was finally out of danger. At that moment, she sat in the waiting area, lost in thought, recalling the young man who had helped clear the way for the ambulance. Her musings were interrupted when her friend Zara approached, accompanied by her mother.
"We have the recruitment session; there's less than twenty minutes left. Should we postpone?" Zara asked anxiously. "None of them know who you are yet. There are all those presentations after the exams and interviews. You always know how to pick the best professionals."
"True, and besides, I have to present myself to those already selected and approved and give that welcome speech they always expect since we're such a prestigious company," Lavinia remarked, pressing her lips together. "Still… maybe it's better to postpone. It's not that urgent." "Go!" her mother interrupted abruptly. "Your father won't want to see you here right now, and you need to deal with this matter. I know your father isn’t doing well with his cases, but I believe it’s just a phase. I know it’s because of me, but don’t give up on him yet," her mother said, sounding apprehensive."Then… let me know if anything happens. I'll be back if necessary," Lavinia replied hurriedly, following her friend to the company.
Zen, on the other hand, had arrived late for the interview. He thought he’d be disqualified for the delay, but he didn’t care much. He was dressed in standard attire, except for the blazer. Instead of formal shoes, he wore new running sneakers, and his shirt was half-open, revealing just his collarbone.
He drew the attention of most female candidates and disapproving glances from the male ones. But all he did was sit in a relaxed manner, waiting, bored, while staring at his wristwatch.
Lavinia had just arrived at the elevator when she was greeted by Samuel, one of her business partners—a tall man with an athletic build, a strong personality, and a beauty to match.
"You're late!" he said coldly, greeting them with a brief nod. "How are things going?" Lavinia asked. "Everything’s fine; the interviews haven’t started yet. The candidates are going through the initial criteria, though one of them arrived late." "Disqualify him!" Lavinia instructed coldly. "Yes, I'll do that as soon as we head up. The first rule is not to be late. I found it bold of him to come in, knowing he wasn’t allowed to participate anymore," Samuel remarked as they entered the elevator cabin.Upon reaching the floor, as she stepped out, Lavinia accidentally dropped the clipboard containing the candidates' names, drawing the attention of everyone waiting in the hallway for their turn to be called for the interview. Before she could stand up, she squeezed her eyes shut, staying on her knees.
"Lavinia, are you okay?" her friend Samuel asked, frowning. "Just… damn it!" she muttered softly while Zara, prompted by Lavinia, crouched next to her. "He’s here. Just follow my lead and agree with whatever I do!" Lavinia warned before standing up. "What are you talking about?" Samuel asked, confused. "Just follow my lead and agree with everything I say," she repeated as she stood up."Thank you, Mrs. Morrys and Mr. Devan," she said in a trembling voice, formally addressing her two friends with a slight bow, causing them to step back and stare at her in shock. "I’m so sorry for dropping your documents. I hope this doesn’t affect my chances in the interview!" she added with a dramatic pause, pretending to be genuinely desperate not to be disqualified.
"Heavens…" murmured Zara Morrys, staring at Samuel Devan.
"Ah… I see!" Samuel sighed, smirking with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You’ve already shown how useless you are to our company. I hope your skills are good enough for us to overlook this incident!" Samuel asserted as Lavinia lowered her head, squeezing her eyelids and lips shut. "Maybe you should ease up," Zara whispered in warning. "I’m just obeying our business shark," he replied indifferently."I’m so sorry, sir," Lavinia said through clenched teeth, then moved toward the candidates.
"The selection’s starting right here. One arrives late, and the other is clumsy. There are always those who don’t fit in but still want to try their luck," one of the men grumbled as Lavinia approached, joining them.Zen remained frozen, watching her while she pretended not to see him. Walking past the candidates, she positioned herself at the very back, a bit behind Zen, among the last candidates, trying to stay hidden.
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