Nikolai bathed Mila and changed her into a soft orange jumpsuit. She giggled at him as he kissed her tiny nose.
"Let go meet Mama," he said, carrying her downstairs.
Viktoria leaned down and kissed Mila's forehead.
"Come home soon, my little sunshine."
"Ba Ba," Mila said.
"Bye, Mil!" Lily's kids said together.
"Ba Ba!" Mila happily waved at everyone.
A few moments later, Nikolai's car drove away.
A few minutes later, the car parked outside Lilith's apartment.
Nikolai opened the door and walked inside.
He saw Lily cleaning the apartment and carefully folding clothes.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi," she replied with a smile.
"Hi, baby. How was seeing Great Grandma today? Hmm?" Lilith asked as Mila immediately hugged her.
"So, how was the orientation?" Nikolai asked.
"It was boring. Nikki and I made my very first friend. Her name is Ksenia. She is also Russian, and we both got the job at the same café Kalma told me about. I gave her an offer. She ranked 4th. She is gay," Lily said casually.
"That's good," he replied normally.
"Are you okay?" Lily asked.
He nodded before rubbing his hands together.
"Actually… they got someone for me… They want me to get married again."
"Oh… uhmm… that… uhmm… as long as you're happy with it," Lilith said, holding her tears back.
He gently cupped her face.
"But I want you. You're the one I'm happy with. I don't want any of this, Lilith."
She looked deeply into his eyes.
Slowly, she leaned forward.
She stood on her tiptoes.
Then…
She softly kissed his lips.
Nikolai's eyes widened in complete shock.
She quickly pulled away.
"Y… Y… Y… You kissed me!" Nikolai said.
Mila was lying on the couch.
Lilith nodded shyly.
"Mil, did you see what Mama did now?" Nikolai asked excitedly.
Mila giggled and clapped her little hands.
He was so happy that he wrapped Lilith in a tight hug.
"What do you want me to wear if I come home?" she asked.
He looked lovingly into her eyes.
"A pink saree with some soft jewelry. Any one, my love."
He cupped her face once more.
She smiled warmly.
"I will."
Six days later…
Chand had been getting closer to Nikolai, but he never got close to her.
Every day, he went to work.
After work, he spent countless hours with his daughter before finally returning home.
Mila had slowly begun talking.
Nikolai patiently taught her every day.
Today was the 10th.
Lilith would finally resume fully at Helixor Prime Academy.
She was taking a bath.
Meanwhile, the entire family had gathered inside her apartment.
After finishing her bath, Mila was preparing to leave with Nikolai for his office.
Lilith carefully completed her skincare routine.
She had bathed with turmeric.
She gently applied rose oil across her skin.
After that came rich shea butter.
"All done, Mimi!" Yulian announced.
"Yayyyy!" Mila clapped excitedly.
Capisan carefully styled Mila's hair.
"Pretty?" he asked.
She nodded with a smile.
Kalma checked Lilith's tote bag.
"Here is water, Boss," Kadia said as she handed over the bottle.
"The kit is ready. Pads, lip balm, hand sanitizer, cream, chargers too," Arina reported.
"Is the kheer ready?" Vishal asked.
"Haan (Yes)," Oyiva replied.
"Ammi (Mother), lunchbox is ready," Fariha said as she placed the lunchbox carefully into the bag.
"It's not heavy," Seris checked.
"I like this kind of bag. It's nice," Olivia commented.
"Us too," the ladies agreed.
Lilith finished getting ready.
She lightly sprayed Dior perfume.
She opened the apartment door.
She stepped outside.
Everyone froze.
She looked even more gorgeous than before.
Nikolai was dressed in a grey polo shirt, ash-colored pants, and a white watch.
Lilith became very, very, very shy.
It was exactly 7:23 a.m.
"Amma migavum azhagāga irukkirār (Mother looks so pretty)," Kishore said.
"Haan (Yes)," everyone agreed as they hugged her.
"Here, Ammi (Mother)," Fariha said, feeding her the kheer served in Zafraan glasses.
Everything was being recorded live.
The Muards watched from New York.
Sohan and Riyana watched their daughter proudly.
"You look gorgeous, love," Nikolai said.
"Thank you, Nikki," she whispered shyly.
"Come, let go."
Everyone continued staring at her.
Lilith was wearing a fitted dark navy blue blazer over an ivory white collared shirt with a striped tie and a plaid pleated skirt. The outfit had a fashionable modern take on the classic school uniform style. The blazer featured elegant gold buttons with a small gold brooch attached to the lapel. The pleated skirt was relatively short while still covering her knees. Completing her look, she carried a black On Cloud 9 Tote Bag that added a refined and sophisticated touch to her appearance. Her hair was styled in a braided half-up, half-down hairstyle with no accessories except tiny flower earrings and the smallest gold nose ring stud that was almost impossible to notice.
They all had breakfast.
Afterward, they locked the apartment.
Lilith sat in the car beside Nikolai and Mila.
Mila kept staring at her mother.
"Mama pretty?" Nikolai asked.
"Y… Ywes!" Mila answered.
Lilith smiled brightly.
She kissed Mila.
"I got a bicycle for school. I forgot to show you," Lilith said happily.
"What?" Nikolai asked.
"Yes, so I wouldn't be going by car, and you will not drop me off. I will ride my bike."
"Excuse me, Mrs. Nikolai… what kind of insult is this?" he asked dramatically.
"Bike!?" he repeated in complete disbelief.
She nodded happily.
"Oh my God… please come home soon. This will not be tolerated."
Lilith laughed.
Soon they arrived at Helixor Prime Academy.
They stopped far away from the main gates.
Everyone stepped out.
Mila held tightly onto her father.
Lilith showered Mila's face with countless kisses.
Mila giggled happily.
"Good luck, Bambi," Nikolai smiled.
Lilith respectfully bent down.
She touched his feet.
She took his blessings.
"What are—" Kalma started.
"Taking my husband's blessings," Lily answered softly.
She hugged Nikolai.
Still shocked, he kissed her forehead.
"Bye-bye, Mila," Lilith said lovingly.
Mila's little face immediately became sad.
"Hm?" she whispered.
Lilith slowly walked away.
When she reached the academy gate, she stopped.
She bent down.
She touched the ground with her hand.
Then placed that same hand against her chest.
"Bless me, Lord," she whispered.
Mila's eyes began filling with tears.
"Ba Ba… M… M… M… Mama…" Mila struggled to say.
"Baby… you just said Mama!" Ethan exclaimed.
"Hmhmhm," Mila nodded, her eyes turning red.
Lilith turned around one last time.
She smiled.
She waved.
"Dada… Mama?" Mila asked sadly.
"She is in school, baby. You will see her soon," Nikolai comforted gently.
Mila sniffled.
She began crying.
"Shhhh… it's okay, baby… it's okay."
They watched as Lilith entered the building.
Only then did they leave.
Nikolai gently wiped away Mila's tears.
She hugged him tightly.
"Now for the next step," Nikolai quietly said.
Meanwhile…
Lilith held her phone while checking her classroom number.
Room 112.
"Excuse me, please. Where is this room?" she politely asked another student.
"Oh, it's over there," the boy replied.
"Thank you," Lily smiled.
He nodded.
She entered the classroom.
She climbed the stairs.
It looked more like a massive lecture hall.
She quietly found a seat.
"Is this seat taken?" a brown, chubby, thick girl asked.
Lilith shook her head.
"Hello. I'm Glória. Half Brazilian, half Russian."
"I'm Lilith, but you can call me Lily. I'm half Indian, half Bengali."
"That's great! Friends… if you're okay with that?"
"Sure, I am."
Both girls giggled.
Soon, the lecture hall became completely filled with students.
Helixor Prime Academy was one of the largest and most prestigious private universities in the world, built across thousands of acres with breathtaking Dark Academic architecture blending Gothic, Neo-Classical, and futuristic design. The academy featured Obsidian Black main walls, Deep Charcoal secondary walls, Midnight Blue roofs, Graphite Black window frames, Dark Walnut Brown doors, Black Granite columns, Antique Gold trim, Matte Black gates, Basalt Gray pathways, Gunmetal Gray roof accents, and luxurious Walnut Leather interiors. It contained more than 500 high-tech classrooms, AI-powered laboratories, massive lecture halls seating from hundreds to over 20,000 students, multiple world-class libraries containing millions of books, archives, manuscripts, digital collections, research centers, rare collections, and 24-hour study spaces. The campus also included luxurious student residences, modern academic buildings, innovation centers, museums, art galleries, research institutes, botanical gardens, lakes, fountains, forests, sports villages, Olympic-standard facilities, hospitals, shopping plazas, restaurants, cafés, transportation systems, advanced security, renewable energy systems, and one of the largest university campuses ever built.
Students enjoyed hundreds of clubs, including the Cultural Heritage Club, celebrating world cultures, languages, history, festivals, traditional dance, music, cuisine, and diplomacy, alongside the Fine Arts Club, offering painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, digital art, fashion illustration, ceramics, printmaking, animation, exhibitions, workshops, and galleries.
The academy offered extensive courses in Business, Engineering, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Law, International Relations, Diplomacy, Psychology, Architecture, Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Cybersecurity, Robotics, Biotechnology, Aviation, Environmental Science, Education, Journalism, Performing Arts, Music, Languages, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and many more, making Helixor Prime Academy a global symbol of excellence, innovation, leadership, culture, research, creativity, and academic prestige.
At that moment, the lecturer walked into the hall.
"Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Helixor Prime Academy."
The morning lecture officially began.