CHAPTER 319: COMPLICATED FEELINGS

The gang leader contacted Alfonso immediately.

"Hello?! Are you done? Did Vladimir comply with our demand?" Alfonso asked him expectantly. He had been waiting for his updates.

"Boss! The negotiation is done. Vladimir will definitely comply. But Boss... You won’t believe this. I learned a shocking discovery from Dominique Smith!" he exclaimed in his elated voice.

Alfonso frowned from the other line. "What is it?"

"He said your niece, Sabrina Williams, is alive. She just faked her death! She hides under the identity of Athena Ivankov! The woman we captured."

Alfonso was stunned for a moment. How could that be possible?

"Are you certain about this?" He asked again with disbelief.

"It seems that Dominique is not lying. If you want to confirm it, you can do a DNA test. Shall I get her blood sample and send it to you?"

Alfonso contemplated for a few seconds before he responded.

"No need. Sabrina or not, that woman has to die. I don’t care if she is my niece. Once I spare her life, she will just become a hindrance to my plan. She and her brother should disappear."

Alfonso didn’t show any mercy for his blood relative. He was truly greedy. The gang leader understood that his Boss was afraid of his niece being alive. He had found another reason to kill Athena.

The Gang Leader knew what to do. He hung up the phone while shaking his head.

"We will proceed as planned. Message Vladimir once more. We need to check if they are making a move to comply with our demands." The gang leader ordered his right-hand man.

"Understood, Boss. How about Dominique’s attorney? Are we going to summon him for the transfer of his property and his last will and testament?"

The gang leader’s eyes sparkled in delight upon hearing that. "Yes. We need to contact his attorney. That’s the only way to legalize his last will and testament. Since he is going to die, we should take advantage of this opportunity!"

Meanwhile, Dominique and Athena were still confined in the room upstairs. Unlike before, they could move around because the gang leader agreed not to tie them up. It was part of their deal.

Besides, they were confident that Dominique and Athena had no chance of escaping. The golden villa was heavily guarded, surrounded on all sides by the gang leader’s men. Even if they tried to resist, they were hopelessly outnumbered. To make matters worse, the telephone lines had been cut. There was no way to call for help.

"I’ve managed to buy us some time," Dominique whispered to Athena, trying to offer her some comfort. "They won’t kill us... at least not yet."

"What are you planning to do?" Athena asked him expectantly.

"Don’t worry. I have a way to ask for help. Sooner or later, they will contact my attorney. I can ask him for help without alerting the kidnappers. I can give him a secret signal... So Athena... trust me. You won’t die here. I will make sure to protect you." Dominique’s words were filled with conviction.

Athena could only sigh deeply. She wanted to trust him in this desperate situation. She had no choice but to hold on to this one last hope.

It did not take long before the two men pushed the door open.

"Our leader summons you downstairs. It’s time to contact your lawyer..."

Dominique immediately stood up and followed them without hesitation. Just as one of the men was about to close the door behind him, Athena stepped forward and stopped him.

"What did he do?"

she asked, her voice tense. "Did he make some kind of deal with your leader?"

The man sneered at her, clearly amused.

"You’re lucky, you know that?" he said with a mocking grin. "That guy’s completely head over heels for you. He’s even willing to give up all his wealth and money just to save you. So naive. Ha! But it doesn’t matter what he does. In the end, both of you are going to die anyway. He had already written his suicide note. He will take the blame for this crime. Hahaha."

After saying those words, the man turned around and shut the door behind him.

Athena slowly sank onto the edge of the bed, her body slumping under the weight of everything she had just heard.

Her eyes glinted with disbelief, staring blankly at the door as the man’s words lingered in her mind.

’Is he insane?’ she thought, heart pounding. ’Why would he do that? Sacrificing everything for me?’

Her hands trembled slightly as she clutched the edge of the mattress, her mind racing. "We’re both prisoners. He’s just as powerless as I am... and yet, he’s still trying to protect me."

A lump formed in her throat, a mix of fear, guilt, and something deeper. A single tear fell from the corner of her eye.

Her heart constricted at the thought of Dominique. She could feel his sincerity and his determination to protect her.

"I can’t understand him at all. Why now? Why does it have to be now? It’s too late for us. No matter what he does, we can never go back to what we used to be..." Athena mumbled, convincing and reminding herself not to be swayed by Dominique’s actions.

But deep down, she couldn’t deny the truth that her heart was beginning to soften. Against her will, Dominique was starting to move her again.

She wondered if she was willing to forgive him, especially now that she had learned the truth– Dominique had never wanted to abort their child.

Athena felt so confused and conflicted. She lowered her gaze, overwhelmed. ’I don’t know what to feel anymore...’ she thought, wiping away her tears.

She thought she would no longer care about him. But Dominique began to shake her world once more. In this dire situation, she still hoped that both of them could survive this... both of them. She didn’t want Dominique to die as well.

Athena covered her face with her palms. Her body trembled and shook as she began to sob. Desperate and helpless, she found herself conflicted about her feelings toward Dominique.

’Do I still have feelings for him? No! That’s impossible... It can’t be...’