All Chapters of The Wife He Doesn't Know : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Mike froze in the doorway.For several seconds, nobody moved.His eyes went from Ivan to Valeria, then back to Ivan again. The unfinished sentence died on his lips as the reality of what he had walked into finally registered.Ivan stepped away from Valeria immediately, Valeria's face burned with embarrassment. She lowered her eyes, unable to look at Mike or Ivan.“I…” she began.“You don't have to explain,” Mike said quietly.That somehow made the situation worse.Valeria swallowed hard, grabbed her bag, and walked toward the door. She avoided looking at Ivan as she passed Mike. “Excuse me.”Mike stepped aside.The moment she disappeared down the hallway, Mike slowly closed the door then he turned toward Ivan. “What was that?”Ivan didn't respond. Mike stared at him. “Ivan.”“I know what you're going to say.”“No, I don't think you do.”Ivan walked back toward his desk and picked up the file Valeria had found earlier, but he didn't open it.Mike followed him. “You told me she was

Valeria stood outside Ivan's office for several seconds, staring at the closed door. She had spent the entire morning arguing with herself about whether she should come. Pride told her to stay away, but reality had become impossible to ignore. She needed her job, and she needed the income that came with it.She finally raised her hand and knocked.“Come in.”She opened the door and stepped inside.Ivan looked up from his desk, surprise flashing across his face when he saw her. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The memory of yesterday's kiss returned to both of them, but Valeria quickly lowered her eyes.“Sir.”“Sofia.”Her fingers tightened around the strap of her handbag. “I came to talk to you.”Ivan leaned back in his chair. “About what?”“My job.”His expression changed slightly.Valeria took a breath. “I know I was given time off, but I wanted to ask if I could return.”Ivan stared at her.“I don't want to cause trouble,” she continued quickly. “And if I did something wrong, I

The following morning, Ivan arrived at the office earlier than usual. He had barely slept the previous night, and every time he closed his eyes, he remembered the kiss with Sofia. He had promised himself that it would not happen again, but he knew the problem was deeper than a simple kiss. He was becoming too comfortable around her, and that frightened him.He sat behind his desk and opened the first file in front of him, but for several minutes, he tried to concentrate, but his mind kept returning to the same question. Why did he feel so drawn to her?He had known Sofia for months. She was intelligent, reliable, and calm. He had always respected her as his assistant, but lately, something had changed between them, and he could no longer pretend not to notice it.A knock sounded on the door. “Come in.”Mike entered the office carrying a folder. “You're here early,” he said.“I had work to do.”Mike placed the folder on the desk. “I brought the information I promised you.”Ivan's e

Mike entered Ivan's office just before noon, looking unusually serious. Ivan noticed the expression on his face immediately and put down the document he was reading.“What happened?” he asked.Mike closed the door behind him and walked toward the desk. “I noticed something strange outside.”Ivan frowned. “What kind of strange?”“There have been cars around the company since this morning.”Ivan leaned back in his chair. “Cars?”Mike nodded. “A dark car drove past the building three times. The first time, I didn't think much of it. But the second time, it stopped across the street and stayed there for several minutes.”“And the third time?”“It drove away when I looked directly at it.”Ivan was silent.Mike continued, “There are also two men standing near the building. They aren't doing anything, but they keep watching the entrance.”“Did they come inside?”Mike shook his head. “No.”“Then they could be waiting for someone.”“Maybe,” Mike said. “But I don't like it.”Ivan picked up his

Ivan sat alone in his study, staring at the old photograph on his desk.It was the only photograph he had kept from his childhood, he had been seven years old when it was taken. His father stood behind him with one hand resting on his shoulder, while his mother stood beside them with a soft smile on her face. They looked happy, they looked like a family that had no reason to believe that their lives would end so suddenly.Ivan picked up the photograph and stared at it for a long moment.Twenty-one years, twenty-one years had passed, yet he still remembered that night as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. The sound of the gunshots, his mother's scream, his father's body falling in front of him, and the face of the man who had walked away after destroying everything Ivan had ever known.He had spent most of his life trying to find that man, he had hired investigators, he had followed leads that turned out to be useless, and he had searched through old records and questioned people