CHAPTER 312: A CALL

At York City District Hospital...

By the time Aaron, Enzo, and Vladimir arrived at the hospital, they were surprised to see the empty ward. Dominique and Athena were nowhere to be found.

Vladimir’s rage flared up as he headed to the nurse’s station to inquire about Athena and Dominique’s whereabouts.

"What’s going on here? Where is the patient? Have you seen the woman who watched over him?" Vladimir asked the nurse sitting at the front desk. There was an urgency in his tone.

The two nurses exchanged glances with one another, looking confused.

"Maybe the patient and his guardian were brought to the examination room. Let me check, sir. What is the Ward number, Sir?" she asked.

"The ward number 404," Enzo responded while tapping Vladimir’s back, reminding him to calm down first.

Meanwhile, Aaron was standing next to Enzo, trying to call Athena’s phone number. However, no one was answering the phone.

After a few seconds, the nurse verified that there was no follow-up check-up for the patient in Ward number 404.

"Sir, are you sure the patient and his guardian are not in the room? Upon checking the schedules, there is no pending examination for that patient."

"What?!" Vladimir snapped at her. He had a bad feeling about this. "Then, where are they? Don’t tell me the patient was discharged already?"

The other nurse shook her head. "So far, no one has processed his discharge today. The hospital bill hasn’t been settled yet in our records."

Vladimir clenched his fists tightly. He hated the thought that Athena and Dominique were together somewhere in the hospital. But they didn’t know where to find them.

"Your patient is missing. And yet you have no idea where they were. What kind of hospital is this?!" Vladimir burst out, releasing his frustrations.

The two nurses were frightened by Vladimir’s actions. He subconsciously raised his voice, catching the attention of the other people surrounding them.

Enzo stepped in again to mediate between the nurses and Vladimir.

"Bro, calm down. Maybe Athena and Dominique just went out of the room to discuss something. Let’s go back to the ward and wait for them to return," Enzo suggested, grabbing his shoulder.

Vladimir could only take a deep sigh, obeying Enzo’s words. They were about to leave the nurse station when Aaron suddenly tugged the hem of Vladimir’s shirt.

"Uncle, someone answered my Mom’s phone. But she is not the one who was on the other end of the line. He asked me if I knew you. He is looking for you. The man wants to talk to you, Uncle." Aaron said, informing Vladimir.

Vladimir and Enzo met each other’s gaze before he extended his hand to get the phone from Aaron.

"Give me that. I’ll talk to him myself," he coldly said.

Aaron handed the phone to Vladimir. Enzo also waited for Vladimir to talk to the man on the other line.

"Who took my sister’s phone?" Enzo murmured while staring at Vladimir.

"Who are you? Where did you get this phone? Have you seen the phone’s owner?" Vladimir bombarded him with questions. He was dying to know Athena’s whereabouts.

"Oh, Yes! I’ve seen her. Are you Vladimir Ivankov?" The man’s deep, elated voice was heard over the phone.

"Yes. It’s me! So answer my questions!" Vladimir barked.

Hearing Vladimir’s irritated voice, the mysterious man chuckled sardonically. "Hahaha! Right timing! I was about to call you when I noticed that someone was calling her. Actually, the woman is with me! If you still want to see her alive... then you have to comply with our demands!"

Vladimir’s already mad expression turned darker upon hearing his last words. "What the fuck did you just say?! If you dare touch her, I’ll hunt you down even in hell!"

Enzo and Aaron were flabbergasted at Vladimir’s dramatic reactions. Did something happen to Athena? Who was the man from the other line?

"What is he saying?" Enzo asked Vladimir confusedly.

But Vladimir just signaled Enzo to keep quiet. He clenched his teeth until his gums bled. He attentively listened to the caller despite him being so furious right now.

"What do you want?!" Vladimir’s icy tone echoed in the hallway. "Tell me! Just don’t hurt her!"

Enzo and Aaron suddenly became more anxious. Their gut feelings told them that something was wrong happening right now.

The man finally revealed his demand. "Give us back the company’s shares you took away from Dominique Smith, or else, you won’t see this woman ever again."

The kidnapper started to intimidate and threaten Vladimir using Athena’s life.

Vladimir appeared to be at his boiling point. He hated the fact that Athena’s life was in danger. And one person came to his mind, who would be the mastermind behind this– Dominique Smith.

Athena suddenly disappeared together with Dominique. He could only suspect him to be the one pulling the string.

"Remember. You can’t tell the police about this. Your woman’s safety depends on your actions. We will only give you twenty four hours to fulfill our demands. I will contact you again once you are ready to transfer the company shares to us. Mr. Vladimir."

The man was about to hang up when Vladimir made a request of him.

"I need to talk to her and hear Athena’s voice! I want to make sure she is safe! Put her on the line! I’ll give you what you want!"

Vladimir didn’t hesitate. If they wanted the company, he could give it back as long as Athena could be saved.

But he was aware that for bad guys like them, there was no guarantee that they would release Athena once they got what they wanted.

Another crisp laugh was heard from the other line. "She is still sound asleep like a sleeping beauty. Do you want me to disturb her? Haha. Don’t worry, Mr. Vladimir. I’ll contact you again. I will allow you to see and talk to her. For now, you have to prepare the documents first."

Without waiting for his response, the kidnapper hung up the phone. Enzo looked at Vladimir worriedly, grabbing his shoulders.

"What’s wrong? What happened to my sister?"

Vladimir pursed his lips, his fingers gripping the phone tightly. Then, he informed them of the conversation he had with the kidnapper.

"Someone kidnapped Athena. They were asking me to hand over the company’s shares to them. I think... Dominique did this... as revenge."

Enzo fell silent as soon as he heard that. His face was painted with worries and concerns for his sister’s safety.

"No way! I shouldn’t have left her alone with him..." Enzo staggered back as though he had lost every ounce of his energy.

The two men had forgotten that Aaron was there, listening to their conversation.

"No! Uncle Dom is not a bad guy. He won’t hurt my Mommy! You must be mistaken, Uncle." Aaron suddenly spoke up, interrupting the two men.

Both Enzo and Vladimir looked at Aaron helplessly. Unable to control himself, Vladimir grabbed Aaron’s shoulders and looked at him intently.

"I told you! That guy can’t be trusted! You should have stayed away from that man. Now, your mother is in danger because of him! You were the reason why Athena came here! You exposed your mother to danger because you trusted the wrong man!" Vladimir said, blaming the young boy.

Aaron was incredibly hurt by Vladimir’s remarks.