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Implicated

Since that day, Ares persistently sought Dimitri, who requested to have the falcon kept away from him. Boris, his father, was annoyed and had tried to hunt Ares, but something inside Dimitri prevented him from doing so.

"Son, I don't understand. That animal has only bothered you. Let me hunt it down."

"No, besides, it has a metal ring. That means it belongs to someone," Dimitri was surprised to know that detail. He was supposed to remember nothing.

"Alright, I'll do as you ask," Boris agreed to his son's request, though he felt annoyed.

At that moment, Yulia's shrill voice was heard. Boris immediately distanced himself; he didn't want to hear her nonsense at the moment.

"Good morning, my love. I hope you missed me," she said, planting a kiss on Dimitri's cheek.

Dimitri rolled his eyes. He couldn't understand how he had become engaged to this woman. The more he saw her, the less he liked her.

She was a tall girl with intense green eyes, her fair skin contrasting with the jet-black hair, straight and short to her chin.

Her body was voluptuous, but anyone who saw her could tell that her curves were not natural, nor were the fullness of her lips, which Dimitri found exaggerated.

"Do you like how I look?" she asked, noticing his insistent gaze. "Well, because I got all dolled up for you, especially," she said, smiling flirtatiously.

"It's better if we go to the dining room; breakfast is served," he replied coldly, wheeling his wheelchair towards the dining room. The girl didn't really provoke any interest in him.

She made a disgusted face, but quickly, a smile appeared on her face again. Dimitri was her ticket out of ruin for her and her family.

Dimitri continued to mix memories of his two different deaths; he saw that woman in a wedding dress suffering, but he couldn't see her face; it was too blurry. However, he could hear her calling him and her crying.

Perhaps they were images from a movie he had seen before. Luke, Luke, Luke— that was the name the woman repeated insistently.

On the other side of the city, Laura's grandfather returned home. They had forbidden Sarah from bothering him again, and the girl continued to pretend to willingly accept everything they ordered.

"Oh, I wouldn't be able to intentionally harm Grandpa. I love him too much to do that. I've promised to behave well from now on, and I assure you I will never cause you any more distress."

"I hope so, Sarah. What you did wasn't right. We raised you to be a good girl."

"I know, Grandma. I'm sorry," Sarah was tired of apologizing.

She left the house that afternoon, pretending to go to the tennis club. Instead, she headed to the lower neighborhoods of the city. When she got out of the taxi, she felt fear for a moment, but remembering why she was there gave her the courage to move forward.

The taxi driver had refused to go further into that neighborhood, so she had to walk a good distance. She constantly looked around, homeless men lay on cardboard on the sidewalks, while others gathered around fires to keep warm and endure the cold evening. Whistles and obscene words were not long in coming. The girl quickened her pace, sighing when she finally reached the place she was looking for.

She entered a rundown bar and met a man, a wanted criminal capable of doing anything for money without the slightest remorse.

"Alright, doll, what am I good for?" he asked, his twisted smile revealing a silver tooth. He was a middle-aged man, somewhat attractive in his ruggedness.

"I want you to start harassing someone. Send her flowers, chocolates, whatever you feel like."

"Are you paying me to be romantic? Ha, ha, ha. A man like me doesn't do those things."

"I'll pay you handsomely. I'll send you a message with her location after a while. On that day, you'll give her a kiss, and someone will take pictures."

"Doll, I'm a highly sought-after man. I won't expose myself like that."

Sarah pulled out some jewelry she had stolen from Laura. Her sister didn't wear them, so it would take a while for her to notice.

"Being highly sought-after is exactly why you're perfect for this job. You'll attract attention immediately."

The man's eyes gleamed as he looked at the jewelry. He studied Sarah for a moment, a young and beautiful girl with so much malice inside—how intriguing.

"Alright, but this only covers the initial payment," the thug said, confident that the girl didn't know the true value of those jewels. He was sure he could squeeze more out of her.

"I'll give you the same amount again once you've completed the job. You'll need to record a video and send it, saying exactly what I instruct."

"Perfect, deal's done. Don't even think about not paying me, or you'll get to know the real me, and you won't like it, doll," he said, gripping her chin tightly. Sarah swatted his hand away.

"I'll get in touch with you. Wait for my instructions," she said, quickly walking away.

"Look at this girl. Kissing someone and recording a video—it's the easiest job anyone has ever given me."

The thug fondled the stolen jewelry in his hands, knowing he would be paid a fortune for practically doing nothing.

Sarah returned home as if nothing had happened, wearing the brightest of smiles on her face, completely happy because she was about to achieve what she had planned.

"And what's with that smile?" the housekeeper asked.

"How can I not be happy? Grandpa is already home and recovering."

"Well, you have a very good reason for that smile."

"That's right, I do."

Days later, Laura was leaving the clinic where she had gone for her pregnancy check-up. She had seen the image of her little one for the first time and heard the rhythmic beating of its heart. A great excitement filled her chest. Luke's parents had accompanied her, feeling joy at the thought that they would have their grandson in their arms in a few months.

"Wait here, dear. We'll get the car; it's a bit far," Laura waited at the hospital door while they fetched the car.

At that moment, a burly man approached her, and without warning, he planted a passionate kiss on her. Startled, Laura couldn't react immediately. When she finally did, she pushed the man away.

He grinned broadly, as if he knew her, his silver tooth shining again.

"What's wrong with you, idiot?" she asked, disgusted. She felt nauseated at the memory of that man's lips. Luke's father got out of the car, trying to reach the man, but he was younger and managed to escape.

"Who was that man?" James asked.

"I have no idea. He kissed me. Disgusting," Laura wiped her mouth repeatedly, feeling profound disgust.

"We won't leave you alone anymore, daughter. We need to be careful. Sometimes we forget that we don't know why they killed Luke. It's best to hire the bodyguards again. That man could have harmed you."

Thinking about her son's safety, Laura agreed immediately. She had asked to dismiss the bodyguards after Luke's death, as they hadn't been able to protect him. They returned home in silence, each immersed in their own thoughts.

Luke's parents couldn't understand who could have a motive to kill their son. It was true that he was feared in the business world, but precisely because of that fear, they believed that no one would dare to harm him.

The police investigation hadn't made any progress; they couldn't find any clues leading to who had ordered the murder.

Upon arriving home, the housekeeper informed them that someone had sent roses. Surprised, they approached to see who the sender was.

"Our plan worked perfectly; now we can be happy without anyone in the way. I love you, Laura."

Words of love were written on each of the following bouquets. Luke's parents looked at Laura, displeased.

“What the hell is all this about? First the kiss, and now these roses with these cards,” James asked, staring at his daughter-in-law.

“I don't know, I don't understand. Clearly, someone wants to implicate me.”

“That seems to be the case for me too. It's absurd. Do you think Laura would be so obvious if she had anything to do with our son's death?”

James calmed down hearing his wife; she was right. Someone involved would never be so blatant.

“Whoever tried to implicate me is either a child or a fool in doing this.”

Sarah remained hidden, feeling furious. She needed to improve her plan; apparently, Luke's parents believed in Laura blindly.

Days later, on the morning news, they showed a video sent by a man feeling guilty for Luke Lombardo's death. Previously, they had shown images of him and Laura kissing.

“I shouldn't have fallen into his trap. I should have realized it in time. Now, I feel remorse. I killed Luke Lombardo. Laura and I have been lovers for a long time. She asked me to murder him after the wedding; she wanted it to be really tragic to seem like a poor girl suffering. I asked her to run away, not to do it, but ambition won over the love she has for me. I'm sorry, I regret it.”

The man seemed genuinely distressed. The news knew he was a hired killer, making it easy to believe what he said.

Luke's parents turned to Laura, horrified. The poor girl couldn't speak; she was terrified and didn't understand what was happening. Who wanted to harm her?

As always, Sarah lurked in the shadows, covering her mouth to stifle her laughter.

At the Petrov mansion, they watched the news during breakfast, as Boris liked to stay well informed about everything.

“I can't believe it. That woman's husband was murdered while celebrating the wedding; it was truly tragic. Luke Lombardo must be turning in his grave hearing what's happening. That woman has no heart; she ordered his murder just to get his fortune. I thought her suffering was real; now I see she was just pretending.”

Yulia couldn't help but comment. Even though she thought Laura was a fool, she had been discovered. She would be more careful.

Upon hearing what Yulia said, Dimitri was petrified. That aligned with the images and the name he had dreamed of.

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