His Mistress is His Ex-Wife-Chapter 324: Athena’s Decision

Alfonso Williams was sitting in his study when he received some bad news.

"Boss, the mission failed! Who would have thought that an infamous international organization was connected to Vladimir Ivankov?! He is not an ordinary businessman. I’ve heard that his father was the leader of the Ivankov Clan!" The gang leader reported to Alfonso.

I’ve lost too many men!" he shouted, desperation rising in his voice.

"You have to help me get out of the country, before it’s too late!" There was a sense of urgency in his voice.

Alfonso’s eyes widened in disbelief as the words sank in.

"What the hell?! Are you serious?!"

Yes," he replied without hesitation, his voice tight and anxious. "Dead serious. We’re dealing with a powerful organization that we cannot afford to provoke. I have to disappear before they catch up to me."

He glanced around nervously, as if expecting someone to be listening. He barely managed to escape from Miguel’s men.

"They’ve already launched a manhunt. If they get their hands on me, I won’t just be killed, they’ll torture me until I give up the name of the mastermind behind the kidnapping. You will get implicated here, Alfonso. So make sure that I can escape, or else, they will target you as well. I can’t let them find me," the gang leader said, pressuring Alfonso.

"Fine! Fine! I’ll help you. Just tell me what you need and your location," Alfonso replied. He was threatened by the fact that they would have to deal with an infamous organization.

He had no choice but to get rid of the gang leader first before he could give away his name to the enemy.

But the gang leader was very cautious even towards him. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Just send me my money! I’m still hiding. I can’t expose my location to anyone!"

Alfonso clenched his fists, cursing the gang leader in his mind. ’This guy is still clever! He doesn’t trust me at all.’

"Wait for my instructions. I will try my best to help you." Alfonso said.

Deep down, he was already thinking about how to track his location.

"Alright! Make it fast. Don’t let them catch me otherwise, you will also suffer the consequences." The gang leader reminded him.

When Alfonso hung up the phone, he summoned the captain of their family guard. He had to make a move before his name would be mentioned by the gang leader as the mastermind.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Athena finally regained consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered open, adjusting to the soft light of the room. The first face she saw was Vladimir’s. He was sitting at her bedside with his eyes closed. He looked tired.

"V," she softly mumbled.

Vladimir’s head snapped toward her, eyes opening wide with relief. The moment he heard her speak, all the tension he’d been holding onto seemed to ease. He quickly leaned closer, his gaze searching hers.

"How do you feel?" he asked urgently. "Are you in pain? Hurt anywhere? I’ll call the doctor, just wait here—"

But before he could rise from his seat, Athena gently reached out and grabbed his hand, stopping him in place.

"V, don’t worry. I’m fine now. Thank you for saving me..."

Vladimir fell silent as he clenched his fists. He was not the one who managed to rescue her. It was Dominique. But he didn’t say it. He couldn’t bring himself to.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight, protective embrace, feeling grateful she was alive and safe.

But Vladimir froze the moment he heard her next question.

"Where’s Dominique?" Athena asked, her brows furrowing with worry. "What happened to him?"

The genuine concern in her voice struck Vladimir like a blow to the chest. His heart tightened painfully, and jealousy flared quietly within him.

She had just woken up, barely out of danger, and the first name on her lips after his was Dominique’s.

He looked away for a moment, trying to compose himself.

Noticing his silence, Athena realized her mistake. She didn’t mean to mention Dominique in front of Vladimir. It was just a slip of the tongue since she was worried about him.

Dominique was the last person she saw before she fainted. She didn’t know if he was safe or not. Those words just came out of her mouth naturally.

Despite his jealousy, Vladimir still answered Athena, making it look like he wasn’t affected by her question.

"You don’t have to worry about him. He is safe. He probably went home."

Vladimir chose to keep his father’s relationship with Dominique a secret from Athena. She didn’t have to know about it.

Meanwhile, Athena somehow felt relieved after knowing Dominique was also safe.

"V, where is Aaron? "I want to see my son. When I thought I was going to die... all I could think about was never being able to see you or my son again."

Her words pierced straight into Vladimir’s heart.

Without saying a word, he tightened his embrace around her, holding her as if he were afraid she might slip away again.

"It’s my fault," he murmured, his voice laced with guilt. "I failed to protect you. I never should have left you alone, Athena. I’m so sorry..."

He pulled her even closer, his hands shaking slightly.

"I promise you. This will never happen again. I’ll never let anything or anyone hurt you. Not while I’m still breathing." Vladimir’s words were filled with conviction.

Athena could only nod before resting her head on his shoulder.

"Aaron is with Lanny. I told them to eat dinner first. They will come back later."

They were still locked in a quiet embrace when the door to the hospital ward slowly opened. Gael stepped inside, clearing his throat to announce his presence.

His eyes immediately found Athena, relief washing over his features. He had rushed to the hospital the moment he heard the news.

Startled by the sudden interruption, Athena and Vladimir gently pulled apart, both turning toward the door.

"Gael..." she whispered, her gaze filled with conflicting emotions upon seeing her best friend.

"V, can you give us a moment? I want to talk to Gael... alone."

Vladimir fell silent, curious as to why Athena wanted to talk to Gael alone. He reluctantly nodded before leaving them.

When Vladimir left, Gael quickly approached Athena, worry etched on his face.

"Are you hurt?" He asked her softly.

However, Athena gave him an accusing look.

"Gael, did you know that Dominique had nothing to do with Sasha’s abortion scheme?" Athena asked sharply.

"Why did you hide it from me?" She didn’t waste her time confronting her best friend. She was hurt because her best friend hid the truth from her.

Gael stood frozen, the weight of her words hitting him hard. He lowered his gaze, unable to meet her eyes, guilt written all over his face.

After a long moment, he gave a slow, reluctant nod.

"I’m sorry, Sab..." he said softly, using the name only someone close to her would dare to say. "Yes, I knew. I hid it from you because... I was afraid."

"I was scared that if you knew the truth, you’d start to doubt yourself and feel conflicted about your revenge... I was afraid that your resolve would weaken. I didn’t want you to fall for him again. I thought... I was protecting you." Gael finally answered her truthfully.

Athena didn’t utter a word. She just bit her lower lip and slammed her eyes shut. Then tears started to stream down her face.

In that moment, a quiet certainty settled in Athena’s heart. She had to tell Aaron the truth about his father.

Dominique had done nothing wrong. He truly loved their son. Aaron deserved to know. He had the right to learn who his real father was.