CHAPTER 461. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. Kidnapping, Milo?He settled her in the car, buckled her in, and called Jhon."Ready. We can go.""With or without the girl?""With the girl," Milo replied. Within minutes, Jhon had everything set and headed to the airport.He, too, was curious to meet the woman, but at least he expected her to arrive walking on her own two feet."Kidnapping, Milo? This is an interesting twist in your career," Jhon quipped. "Did she refuse to come, and you decided to take matters into your own hands... or arms? Are you smelling her?""I’m just breathing, Jhon. Don’t be an idiot. And besides, she smells good," Milo grumbled as he carried her onto the plane. "Of course she wanted to come. She just fainted when I mentioned Niko’s name. I don’t know why, I guess it means something to her. Now do something useful and grab her bag, will you?"Ten minutes later, they were seated in the private jet. Milo made sure she was comfortable in one of the seats, and they took off immedi

CHAPTER 462. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. I just can'tCalming her down was harder than Milo had expected. After all, there were many years of accumulated pain in that girl's heart. But when Anja began to lose her breath again, she had no choice but to pull herself together and calm down.They landed at Zurich airport and immediately got into the cars waiting for them. Jhon headed to Lucerne, where Chiara and her daughters were waiting, while Milo took the girl to a lovely hotel in the city center.Anja looked around nervously as they entered, and Milo noticed her instinctively wiping her hands on her pants, as if she was afraid of dirtying something. The suite was huge, with a bedroom, a living room, a small bar, and a terrace."I hope you like it. You'll stay here for a few days until we can decide what to do," Milo explained, leaving her bag on the couch. "For now, rest, take a bath, try to calm down. I'll come by this afternoon so we can go to the clinic for the DNA test. Okay?""Um... okay.

CHAPTER 463. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. Not Something to Give BackMilo was convinced that Anja was Niko's mother, but he couldn't just hand the child over. He needed time to get to know her in an environment where he could control any situation.He watched her come out a few minutes later, and after thanking the doctor, they headed back to the hotel."The test results will take a couple of weeks," Milo murmured, and she walked to the terrace window, hugging herself."And when... when will I be able to see him?" Anja asked, and the concern in Milo’s eyes told her it wouldn’t be soon. "You don’t want me to see him.""I’d prefer to wait for the results first and have some time..." He bit his lower lip, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I need time to spend with you, to get to know you. I’m sorry, but Niko is with me. I’m his guardian, and I have to make sure you're good for him," he confessed honestly. "Since he came to me, I haven’t stopped searching for you, not a single day, because I unde

CHAPTER 464. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. MemoriesAnja could see it in his expression, what he wanted to know, what he wanted to ask her, but she couldn't resist because, in the end, the truth was that she was a woman who had killed a man, and Milo needed to understand why. It was obvious that he was intrigued by her story, and she couldn't miss the opportunity to talk to him about what had really happened."Can I ask you a question?" he pressed her, and she nodded with an exhausted gesture. "Go ahead." "What really happened? Why did you spend three years in prison?"Anja pressed her lips together but held his gaze. "By now, I would’ve thought you already read my case report," she said with a resigned tone in her voice. "I did," he replied. "But that's just what other people wrote about things they didn't live through. I want you to tell me what really happened, in your own words, because if there's one thing I know, it's that no one kills another person just for fun unless they're a socio

CHAPTER 465. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. Infarction…Milo frowned. "Could they have had something to do with his disappearance?" She shrugged. "I don’t know... I don’t know anything anymore. But if I had to do it all over again, I would."Milo nodded sadly. "I'm so sorry for what you went through," he said softly. "No one should have to go through something like that. And I’m sorry for making you relive that moment." "Don’t worry," Anja replied. "It's part of my life, and I can’t change it. I can only change who I was; I can only be stronger." But Milo was sure that wasn't all. She wasn’t stronger; she was more isolated, lonelier, more vulnerable. Anja no longer believed in anyone or anything, and that would eventually destroy her life. But maybe when she had Niko back... yes, when she had Niko back, everything would be different."Want to come with me to get that computer?" he encouraged her, completely changing the subject. "Plus, it’d be good for you to get to know the city a little."

CHAPTER 466. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. A More... Enthusiastic PartThe clothes, three sizes too big, didn’t do her justice, but Anja had a doll-like figure, with sexy curves in all the right places. The right places to awaken all sorts of primal instincts in him, instincts he thought he had long controlled since becoming a father and a moral example to follow. The problem was that there was a part of him, a considerably... enthusiastic part, that at that moment only wanted to set a different kind of example.Milo closed his long coat and shook his head. "No... nothing, I didn’t say anything," he muttered. "Hi!" "Hi," Anja smiled at him softly. "I see you... liked the clothes," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I loved them, thank you. You didn’t have to, but I get that I can’t present a project in jeans, right?" she said, trying to smooth out the dress. "But this is the only one I’m accepting, I didn’t even touch the others." "But they’re yours." "No, of course not. The last

CHAPTER 467. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. "Daddy!" Anja felt all eyes on her, but Milo leaned in close to her ear. "Don’t be scared. They’re just stunned because you’re the first girl I’ve ever brought here." She tried to laugh, but in truth, she was incredibly nervous. Milo offered her the main seat at the table, and she took out her laptop to present the project she had designed. She began to outline in detail her vision for creating a temporary home for rescued children, where they could receive love, attention, and care until they were reunited with their parents.She discussed the architectural design needed for play, learning, and rest; the professionals who would work on the project; and gave a general estimate of costs. The atmosphere grew tense as the lawyers listened intently to Anja, but they seemed to have objections to every one of her ideas. Finally, the head lawyer spoke up. "The project is excellent in theory, but in practice, it’s a bit difficult to execute. Perhaps it woul

CHAPTER 468. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. Dying of LoveMilo crouched down to catch Niko, who was running toward him with open arms, always expecting the airplane move where Milo would lift him up and spin him around a couple of times. "Champion! What are you doing here? I thought you were going to the park this morning!" he said, picking him up and planting a loud kiss on his cheek."I'm sorry, Mr. Keller," the nanny apologized. "We were at the park, but he suddenly started calling for you and crying, and he wouldn’t calm down until I brought him here." "Don’t worry, sometimes he gets a bit restless, but we can handle that," Milo replied kindly. He spun Niko around, and the little boy clung to his neck like a tiny monkey. "Daddy!" Niko exclaimed, making Milo burst into laughter. "Do you want to go get ice cream?" "Ice cream!" the little one agreed eagerly, and there was Milo, standing in the hallway, his son in his arms, a wide smile lighting up his face. The child giggled and stretched

CHAPTER 469. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. Therapy is too expensiveShe quietly ate her ice cream, watching Niko. He was a beautiful child, and in almost every way, he looked much more like her than anyone else. "How old are you, sweetheart?" she asked warmly, trying to strike up any kind of conversation with him. It seemed like a neutral topic. He held up two little fingers and said confidently, "These." "Two years old?" Anja smiled, delighted as she watched him continue eating. She felt like she was dying of love just watching him. "Mm-hmm," Niko responded, looking at his father with curiosity, as if wondering why there was a stranger asking so many questions while they ate ice cream. "He doesn’t talk much yet," Milo explained to Anja. "When we rescued him, he didn’t say a word. Now he has a bigger vocabulary, though it’s still a bit... well..." "Dirty?" Anja asked with a smirk, seeing Milo make a face. "Yeah, sorry about that. When I was with the team, I used to swear a lot. I’ve almost

CHAPTER 470. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. A Form of Betrayal"Let’s assume I’m an intelligent woman," Anja said with an impassive expression, crossing her arms over her chest. "Tell me about this proposal."Hamish smirked. He had joined the firm in the last year and, thanks to his talent, had quickly become second-in-command of the legal department. Fortunately or unfortunately, Anja had enough experience to know that talent and hard work were not the same thing, so she was certain that whatever this man was proposing was not good."I know you’re in this project for the money," Hamish began bluntly."I’m in it for the kids, but yes, I suppose I get paid well," she replied."Well, there’s a difference between being paid well and earning what you deserve."Anja narrowed her eyes. She could smell the greed on the lawyer, like a festering wound. Maybe that was her sixth sense after everything she'd been through: detecting rotten people."And how much do you think I deserve?" she challenged."A lot.