“Opportunity for what?”
“To destroy you. Simeon has come into contact with Deyan. He has presented himself to him as a defender of justice. He has offered to finance a large-scale lawsuit against you. For compensation for lost profits for the last thirty years. We are talking about an amount that could completely ruin you. Simeon is not interested in the case. He wants to pressure you, to destroy your reputation and the price of your shares, so that he can buy the rest of “Empire” for pennies. Naum’s family is just a weapon in his hands.”
I hung up the phone and felt trapped. My attempt to do good had turned into a bullet aimed straight at me. Deyan, in his righteous anger, was blind. He didn’t see that Simeon was a vulture circling above them, ready to feed on their tragedy.
The dilemma before me was terrifying. If I fought the case, I would look like a heartless monster trying to crush his victims a second time. All my ugly secrets would come out. I would hurt Lilia and Deyan even more, dragging them into a dirty legal battle.
If I didn’t fight, if I agreed to pay, I would lose everything I had fought for all my life. And what was worse, I would let Simeon triumph.
At the center of this storm stood two children who were forced to grow up too quickly, and an old, sick man who didn’t even suspect that his name was once again embroiled in a battle for money and power.
I knew I had to talk to Lilia. Deyan was driven by anger and Simeon’s manipulations. But Lilia… she still had that light, that humanity in her. Maybe she was the only person who could understand that sometimes the biggest enemy is not who you think.
Chapter 4: Separated by Silence
I went to the clinic. Not to see Naum – I didn’t dare face him, even if he was conscious. I went in the hope of meeting Lilia. I found her in the small café on the ground floor. She was sitting alone at a table, staring into a cup of untouched tea. She looked even thinner and paler under the harsh fluorescent light.
When she saw me approaching, she tensed up. Her whole being exuded a defensive posture.
“What do you want?” she asked, without even greeting me. Her voice was quiet but sharp.
“We need to talk, Lilia.”
“I think my brother was clear enough. We have nothing to say to each other.”
I sat down in the chair across from her, without waiting for an invitation. “It’s about Simeon.”
At the mention of his name, something flashed in her eyes. Maybe surprise, maybe suspicion.
“How do you know about him?”
“I know who he is, Lilia. And I know what he’s doing. He’s not helping you. He’s using you. Your pain is just a lever he’s using to try to break down the door to my company.”
She looked at me coldly. “And what are you doing? You’re paying for grandfather’s treatment to ease your conscience. Everyone uses someone. It’s just that some do it with money, and others with promises of justice.”
Her words pierced me. Maybe she was right. Maybe my motives weren’t so pure either. Maybe at the bottom of it all was a selfish desire to feel better, to ease the burden of my guilt.
“You may be right,” I admitted, which surprised her. “But there’s a difference. I’m trying, albeit ineptly, to repair the damage I’ve done. Simeon is doing more damage by pretending to be a savior. He’ll drag you into years of dirty legal battles. He’ll drain you emotionally, make your life a living hell, and when he gets what he wants, he’ll throw you away like a used handkerchief.”
The silence stretched. Lilia swirled her glass with her fingers. I could see the inner struggle in her.
“Deyan believes him,” she said finally. “He’s so angry. He wants revenge. Simeon speaks to him in his language. He promises to see you destroyed, to give our family back what’s rightfully theirs.”
“And you? Do you believe him?” I asked quietly.
She looked up at me. In the depths of her eyes I saw the same intelligence and insight that I had noticed in the café. She was not naive.
“I don’t trust anyone,” she replied. “I learned the hard way that trust is a luxury. But I see what anger does to my brother. He doesn’t sleep, he doesn’t eat. He’s neglected the university he fought so hard for. The only thing that keeps him going is this thirst for revenge. If I take that away from him, he’ll collapse.”
That was the crux of the problem. A family tragedy had torn them apart. Deyan had gone off to war, and Liliya was trying to keep the peace, to take care of her grandfather, and to protect her brother from himself. She was stuck between them.
“The case will start, right?” I asked.
She nodded. “Simeon’s lawyers are already preparing the documents. They say they have an ironclad case. Old contracts, witness statements…”
Of course they did. It was my fault. There were no two opinions on the matter.
“Lilia, I don’t want to fight you in court,” I said sincerely. “I don’t want to cause you any more pain. But I can’t let Simeon win. Not like this.”
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