CHAPTER 311: HELD CAPTIVE!

Dominique stared at the door for a long moment. Athena’s last words kept replaying in his mind.

’No. I can’t stay here doing nothing. I still want to see her. If I give up now, I won’t be able to see her and Aaron again. Vladimir will do everything to separate them from me.’

He felt the urge to chase after Athena. Without further ado, Dominique got off the bed and removed the IV drip from his arm.

He rushed out of his private ward to search for Athena. He believed that she hadn’t left the hospital yet because she would probably wait for Aaron.

With a strong resolve, Dominique took the elevator going to the hospital lobby. He hoped he could still find Athena there.

Meanwhile, Athena slipped into the restroom to compose herself. She hadn’t expected her last conversation with Dominique to shake her so deeply.

She splashed cold water on her face, as if trying to wash away the traces of her tears. As she lifted her head, her gaze locked on her reflection in the mirror. Her fists clenched at her sides, trembling slightly.

"Don’t let his words get to you, Sabrina," she murmured to herself. "You’ve already chosen to start fresh with Vladimir. Dominique is just part of the past — a past you swore you’d bury and forget once you achieve your goal."

When she finally gathered her emotions, Athena stepped out of the restroom. But little did she know, someone had been following her ever since she had entered the hospital.

She picked up her phone to call Enzo. She wanted to leave the hospital because she couldn’t face Dominique right now.

"This is the last time I will let Aaron stay in the hospital to take care of Dominique," she murmured to herself.

She was about to dial Enzo’s number when, out of nowhere, a man crept up from behind and pressed a handkerchief over her nose and mouth.

Athena struggled, thrashing against his grip, but he was far stronger. A sharp, chemical scent filled her senses, making her head spin. The more she fought, the dizzier she became, her vision blurring.

Within seconds, her body went limp. She fainted, collapsing into the man’s arms. Without wasting a moment, he scooped her up and made his way toward the fire exit.

But just as he reached the door, a voice rang out behind him.

"Stop! What are you doing to her? Let her go!" Dominique’s roar cracked through the hallway, raw with panic.

He lunged forward, ready to intercept the kidnapper. But he didn’t see the second assailant lurking in the shadows.

Before Dominique could reach them, another figure grabbed him from behind and jabbed a syringe into his neck. The sting was immediate, and Dominique’s eyes went wide with shock as a numbing cold spread through his veins.

His limbs turned to stone. The hallway tilted, twisted. He reached out, fingers grasping at nothing, as the world slipped away.

’Athena...’ he called out in his mind.

Within moments, darkness swallowed him whole as his body crumpled to the floor.

*****

An hour later...

In an abandoned house...

"What the hell is this?!" the big man roared, slapping his underling hard across the face. "You brought the wrong guy, you idiot! He’s not the target we were supposed to kidnap!"

His fury only grew as he grabbed the photo and shoved it in his underling’s face.

"Are you blind? Does he look anything like the man in this picture?!" he bellowed, repeatedly smacking the back of his head with each word. "Use your damn eyes next time!"

"I’m sorry, Boss! Things got messy," the underling stammered, trying to explain. "This guy tried to interfere with the job, so we had no choice... We knocked him unconscious and brought him here."

"Idiot!" the big man snapped, his face twisted in anger. "You should’ve left him behind! Now you’ve dragged us into an even bigger mess!"

"Boss, calm down," another underling muttered, trying to ease the tension. "If you want, we can get rid of him right now. Should we finish him off? No point in keeping him alive if he’s useless to us."

The big boss fell silent, his jaw tightening as he considered the suggestion. His cold eyes shifted toward Dominique, slumped and bound to a chair beside Athena. Both of them remained unconscious, completely unaware of the danger closing in around them.

"Wait,"

the man said, raising his hand to stop them. "I need to call Alfonso first. I have to consult him before making any move on this guy." His voice carried a hint of hesitation, clearly undecided about what to do with Dominique.

The weight of the decision pressed on him, and he knew better than to act without Alfonso’s approval.

Without wasting any time, the man quickly initiated a video call with Alfonso to report the situation.

"Boss, we’ve got a problem," he began, his tone uneasy. "My men messed up. Instead of capturing Vladimir Ivankov, they grabbed this guy."

He turned the camera toward Dominique’s face, making sure Alfonso got a clear look.

On the other end, Alfonso’s eyes widened in shock as soon as he recognized the man. His expression darkened, realizing the gravity of the mistake.

"Yes. I know him. It’s Dominique Smith. He is one of my enemies," he responded.

The leader of the gang was satisfied to hear that. It looked like they caught another big fish.

"What do you want us to do with this guy, Boss? Should I get rid of him now?" he asked Alfonso for his opinion.

"No! Don’t kill him yet," Alfonso barked, his mind already racing with a plan. "This might actually work in our favor. We can use him to cover up our tracks. If we play this right, we can pin the whole crime on that guy."

He leaned closer to the screen, his voice dropping to a calculating tone. "Besides, he’s got a motive. Everyone knows he and that woman were having an affair. We can spin the story. We can say she betrayed him and lured him. She plotted to steal the company from him. Then, as an act of revenge, Dominique kidnapped this woman. It’ll make perfect sense to the public."

"Hahaha! Boss, you are so clever. You are truly the master of schemes!" the underling exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "I love it. We’ll carry out your plan."

Alfonso let out a cold, sardonic laugh. "Exactly. If anything goes wrong, Vladimir’s fury will fall squarely on Dominique. No one will even think to suspect my involvement in this mess. It’s perfect. A win-win situation for us!"

He chuckled darkly. "Hahaha! Keep it up! You can take our next steps and negotiate with Vladimir. Let him know that his woman is with you. You have to threaten him to give up his company shares." Alfonso gave his command.

"Understood, Boss! We’ll handle the next steps from here," the gang leader assured Alfonso with a firm nod. "You can count on us. We’ll keep you updated. Just wait for our good news!"

After ending the call, the gang leader turned to his men with a sharp glare. "Get moving!" he barked. "We need to prepare everything. Contact Vladimir and let him know we’ve got his woman. Make it clear that we will kill her if he disobeys us."

His underlings scrambled into action, knowing there was no room for mistakes this time.