CHAPTER 317: A DEAL

Dominique’s eyes were burned with fury as he gazed at the man. He had been searching for him all these years, but failed. Who would have thought he would see this man today?

"It looks like we’ve been fated to meet each other. And now, you are under my mercy again. Hahaha!"

The man’s sinister laughter echoed in the room. Then he continued... "You might have survived that... But this time... no one will save you."

"You bastard... even if I die... I’m going to drag you to hell... with me!" Dominique couldn’t stop himself from talking back at him.

Athena could only dart her gaze back and forth between Dominique and the leader of the kidnappers, confusion and curiosity evident on her face.

"Do you know him? Who is he?" Athena asked Dominique in a whisper.

Dominique’s attention was diverted the moment he heard Athena’s voice.

’Damn. I can’t let her know that this guy is her father’s underling who killed my family.’ Dominique thought to himself while clenching his fists.

In the end, he chooses to keep his silence, afraid that the man will reveal the truth in front of Athena.

"Well... we have a beautiful woman here. So she is your mistress. Hahaha." The man spoke again, insulting Athena.

"She’s clever, isn’t she? Managed to seduce you and walk away with your company. Haha. But I can’t really blame you..." The man stepped closer to Athena, gripping her chin with a cruel smile.

"Don’t touch her, you bastard!" Dominique roared, his fury igniting the moment the man laid a hand on Athena.

He thrashed against his restraints, the coarse rope digging into his wrists and leaving red marks. The mere thought of that man laying a finger on her was enough to drive him mad.

The memory of his tragic past came flashing into his mind. Those men tried to rape his mother and her sister in front of him. It was a very traumatic experience for his young self.

And now, he was both mad and scared that these men would also try to do the same with Athena.

However, the man just laughed at him sarcastically. "Why are you so afraid, Mr. Smith? Does this bring back some old bad memories?" He continued provoking him.

Dominique ground his teeth so tightly that his gum almost bled. He wanted to kill this man right away. However, he couldn’t do it, given his situation.

If he continued to retaliate, the man might not hesitate to harm Athena in front of him. He needed to keep his emotions in check for Athena’s safety.

"I am begging you... Please don’t touch her. I’m willing to give you everything. My money... even my life. If you want my other company, you can have it.... Just let her go." Dominique tried to negotiate with the man once again.

"Haha. I can’t release her no matter what. The instructions from my Boss are clear... I have to kill both of you. But if you will listen to me... I can give both of you a peaceful death. She can die in your arms.... Haha, like the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet."

Dominique swallowed hard before nodding in agreement. "Fine. I’ll obey you... as long as you and your men won’t ever touch her."

"Dom, have you gone mad?! Stop listening to their words. No matter what you do, they won’t spare us...." Athena complained, feeling so helpless. She couldn’t see any benefits for trying to negotiate with them.

But Dominique could only give her a bitter smile.

’You don’t understand. I just want to protect you with everything I have. I’ll do anything... as long as you won’t experience what my mother and sister had experienced in the hands of these men.’

"Alright. I’ll prepare your last will and testament. Your company should be mine; in exchange, my men and I won’t ever touch her nor defile her. That’s our deal." The man said with finality.

After saying those words, the man turned to his underlings.

"Let’s move to the next phase. Bring them to the car. We will transfer to another place... the ideal place where this couple should die peacefully. Hahahaha."

After issuing his command, his underlings moved quickly to untie both Athena and Dominique. However, they were blindfolded and escorted to the waiting vehicle.

Dominique could feel the guns being pointed at them, a silent warning for them to behave. Rough hands led them into the car.

Moments later, the engine roared to life, and the car began to move, carrying them toward an unknown destination.

Inside, they were flanked on all sides by masked men, making sure that they wouldn’t be able to escape.

"Don’t be afraid..." Dominique whispered, gently squeezing Athena’s hand in reassurance.

Athena could only sigh deeply, feeling the heavy tension. She didn’t know what would happen next. Deep inside, she was silently praying.

’Please... I hope Vladimir can find us before it becomes too late.’

The entire journey lasted for thirty minutes. The car finally stopped.

"Move out!" The leader said, ordering his men.

The next thing that happened was Athena and Dominique being dragged out of the car.

Still blindfolded, the two were escorted inside the house. The moment they reached the living room, the men removed their blindfolds.

Athena and Dominique were surprised when they recognized the place. They were currently inside the Golden Villa– Dominique’s property.

"Haha! Surprise! I bring you back to your love nest! Are you happy now, Mr. Dominique Smith?" The leader said in his mocking tone.

Dominique gritted his teeth, trying to control his raging emotions. He had a bad feeling about this. This was truly part of their plan to frame Dominique for this crime.

"Bring her upstairs while Mr. Smith and I will talk here... man to man," The leader instructed again.

Athena held Dominique’s hand tightly upon hearing that. It looked like they were trying to separate them again.

But Dominique just gave her a reassuring smile. "Just wait for me there."

Athena shook her head, her face painted with worry and concern for Dominique. She didn’t want to let go of his hand, yet the men had already dragged her away from him.

"Dom..." she murmured as she watched him one last time.

When Athena disappeared from their sight, the man placed a paper and a pen on the table in front of Dominique.

"You have to obey me as part of our deal. Haha. I won’t touch her if you do as I say. Here... you should write your suicide note. Admit and confess your crime that you kidnapped her as part of your revenge... Write something dramatic..." the man began giving him instructions on what to write in his suicide note.

"Tell them you love her and you choose to die with her. You don’t want other men to have her. That she is yours alone, that’s why you did this. If you can’t have her, it’s best for her to die in your arms."

Dominique could only grip the pen tightly as he listened to the man.

"Hahaha. You will look like an obsessed lover who can’t get over her," The man made a remark while laughing.

The man also put a small bottle of liquid poison on the table.

"Here. This is how you are going to die. You have to drink this poison."

The man laughed again. "Stop glaring at me. Just start writing now. Don’t worry... I’ll give you the best reward before you die."