Commitment?

Dimitri had gone to the hospital to see who the child was that Laura loved more than her own life. He felt a deep hatred, even though he knew the little boy was not to blame.

He inquired about the room number, making the receptionist uneasy in his presence. Being an attractive man, it was easy for him to obtain the information he needed, a simple smile sufficing.

"Young Luke Lombardo is in room 722, South Wing, seventh floor," the receptionist said, smiling flirtatiously.

"Thank you very much, miss."

Dimitri felt nervous yet anxious; he was finally going to meet the result of the woman he loved's infidelity with that man.

He rode the elevator, his forehead beading with cold sweat. When he was dealing with Luke, he was accustomed to handling difficult matters, even putting powerful and dangerous people in their place, always with an iron demeanor. But now, it was different. It hurt to know that this child was not his son.

Standing in front of the room door, he paused for a moment before knocking. He took a deep breath to gather courage. It seemed ridiculous to feel this way, but he couldn't help it.

Finally, he dared to knock on the door. Laura's grandmother quickly answered, thinking it was the nurse, only to be surprised to find an unfamiliar man before her.

"What do you want?" She asked suspiciously, as she didn't believe this man could be a doctor.

"Good afternoon, I'm the head of Laura Cassini," he said politely but in a cold tone.

"Then you must know where my girl is. I haven't heard from her for a few days, just received a message saying not to worry about her."

"Laura will be out of the country for some time. She has signed a contract with our company, committing to us in exchange for covering her son's medical expenses."

The grandmother didn't like that at all, but she thought Laura would communicate. She didn't want any confrontation with this man; after all, the child's surgery had been successful, and he seemed to be recovering completely soon.

The woman stepped aside for Dimitri to enter. As he did, he immediately locked eyes on the bed, where a fair-skinned, light brown-haired boy was playing with his hands while lying down.

Noticing Dimitri's presence, the little one fixed his innocent gaze on him and then gave him a childish smile.

Dimitri felt a strange sensation in his chest, inexplicable. He could see the color of the child's eyes, a deep blue, just like his own.

He remembered that in the video the criminal had sent to the media, he could see that man's eye color was also blue. He hadn't covered his face since he was a wanted criminal, and his photograph was all over national media.

He walked over to stand beside the child. Luke immediately reached out to him. When he didn't pick him up, the child made a cute gesture, and then he started crying. Dimitri took the little hand, and the child, seeing that he paid attention, started laughing.

"It's strange for Luke to smile at strangers. He's a very wary little one."

The grandmother spoke the truth; the child didn't like strangers approaching him, let alone letting them touch him.

Dimitri's expression changed immediately. He couldn't believe that Laura had dared to give that child his name. He said goodbye to the grandmother and left immediately.

He hurried towards the mansion, eager to confront her. She had no right to give that bastard his name; he was the son of a criminal. He saw it as a mockery, but he stopped himself, remembering that he was no longer Luke Lombardo. If he confronted her, he would come off as a lunatic.

It was at that moment that Sarah called for him to pick her up for dinner. During dinner, he tried to distract his mind from facing Laura once and for all, so he engaged in trivial conversation with Sarah.

The next morning, he left early for the corporate office. Before arriving, he had to divert his path as his father wanted to talk to him. Dimitri wondered if his father already knew about his marriage to Laura.

He headed towards the Petrov mansion. Upon arrival, his father and Yulia were waiting for him, both wearing serious expressions. He noticed that Yulia had been crying.

"Has something happened?" He asked immediately.

"You still ask? You haven't been home for several days. Yulia has been here waiting for your arrival. I don't understand how you haven't even bothered to answer her calls."

"I'm sorry, Yulia. I've had a lot of work at the corporate office. I hope you can understand. I'll make it up to you later."

"Yulia may be able to understand you. A love-struck woman puts up with anything because she's blind. But I am your father, and you don't deceive me so easily. There's a charity event this weekend. I hope you can attend with your fiancée. I can't go this year, but I hope you can represent me."

"It will be a good opportunity to go out together, my love. You've neglected me a lot. It's on Saturday night. How about you pick me up at nine?"

Yulia was an expert at pretending not to feel what she didn't. She had been manipulating Petrov with her tears during the days Dimitri didn't show up. The old man felt annoyed. He was also an expert at pretending, but he hoped his son would return soon and take responsibility.

Boris Petrov couldn't stand two things: traitors and women crying.

Dimitri had no choice but to agree to attend the party with Yulia, even though he didn't like it. He owed her a lot.

Days passed quickly. Dimitri arrived home late at the mansion where Laura was. He avoided her; he knew that if he faced her, he wouldn't be able to contain himself. He felt mocked by the fact that the child carried a name that didn't belong to him; Laura could have chosen any other name.

On Saturday night, Laura came down for dinner. She usually prepared her food and took it to her room, but feeling fed up, that day she decided to dine in the kitchen.

As she was leaving to return to her room, she saw Dimitri descending the stairs. He was dressed in a custom-made black suit, looking very attractive. She immediately noticed his fragrance; it was the same one Luke used.

Dimitri insisted on torturing her in this way. Someone had to be feeding him all the details about her late husband. Maybe it was Sarah, but she couldn't understand his motive for doing all this.

As he passed by her, Dimitri completely ignored her, heading out to his car to pick up Yulia.

The blonde emerged as soon as he called to say he was outside. She had put effort into her appearance, the long pearl-colored silk dress accentuating her curves perfectly.

Although her makeup was a bit heavy, it didn't look exaggerated, and her short hair gave her a stylized touch. Dimitri couldn't deny that she was a beautiful woman in her own way. Yulia felt satisfied as she sensed his deep gaze on her.

"Hello, handsome. I'm glad you've arrived," Yulia gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

He didn't respond to the greeting, rushing to drive to the party on time.

Upon arrival, a valet quickly approached. Dimitri got out to open the door, and his beautiful companion stepped out.

Reporters immediately approached to take pictures. He was the most eligible bachelor in the northern side, and now that Luke Lombardo had died, he was the most important CEO in the entire country.

Yulia walked proudly by his side, feeling like she was walking on cotton clouds. All the reporters' attention was on them.

Dimitri felt the attention was exaggerated but decided not to dwell on it.

Upon entering the hall, he saw that it was filled, decorated in a way that didn't resemble a charity gala.

He noticed several important business figures among the attendees, recognizing them from his previous life.

They were guided to an elegantly decorated table. As they walked, several people approached to congratulate them, and Dimitri found the situation strange. He was growing uneasy.

They took their seats in front of the table. Shortly after, a waiter brought them a bottle of sparkling wine and poured it into a couple of glasses. Minutes later, Boris Petrov appeared in the venue, surprising Dimitri.

Slowly, Petrov made his way to the other side of the hall, where he was handed a microphone.

"Good evening, dear friends and partners. I thank you for your presence on this important night. As some of you may know, Dimitri is my only son, and I have a special feeling as I formally announce his engagement tonight."

Dimitri immediately stood up. What on earth did his father think he was doing? In contrast, Yulia smiled broadly.

She took the two glasses, turned to Dimitri, and signaled for him to accompany her to where his father stood.

"Whose idea was it to do this nonsense?" He said with fury.

"I'm sorry, my love. I wanted to give you a surprise. I thought you'd like it."

Yulia pretended to feel upset, though it was the last thing she felt. She was officially Dimitri's fiancée from that day forward, or at least that's what she believed.

Dimitri's face suddenly reddened. He couldn't believe they threw an engagement party without consulting him first. It was obvious that Yulia wanted to force him into marriage, with the help of his father.

He walked towards his father, quickly followed by Yulia, who hurried to avoid spilling the contents of the glasses while trying her best to keep up with him.

"Son, let me congratulate you on your engagement. You know my greatest desire is to see my grandchildren running through the halls. I hope they come soon before I get any older."

Dimitri took the microphone at that moment. Yulia smiled at him, hoping he had some romantic words for her.

"I think there has been a misunderstanding. I apologize. I don't know whose idea it was to play this prank on you, but that's all it is. No engagement will take place tonight. Yulia, I truly apologize. I am aware of everything I owe you."

After saying that, he turned around and walked firmly towards the exit. Boris placed his hands over his chest, feeling the air becoming thick.