[ At Golden Villa... ]
Athena sat on the couch while observing Dominique silently. He didn’t talk to her. He just kept drowning himself with beers. Athena didn’t stop him. She thought it was better for him to get drunk than let him hurt himself while he was sober. At least, if he got drunk, Dominique would just fall asleep.
Dominique sat beside her, already slightly intoxicated, his cheeks flushed crimson from the effects of alcohol. It did not take long before Dominique rested his head on her shoulder, leaning to her.
"Shing~ for , Athenaaaa. I wannaaa...hear your voice," Dominique mumbled, his words trailing off as he made his request, his speech slightly slurred from his drunkenness.
With a gentle sway, he closed his eyes, nuzzling his nose into her hair as he inhaled her scent. He sunk further into her body to feel her warmth.
Athena just pursed her lips. She didn’t know if she was annoyed by him or she pitied him. Dominique looked so vulnerable tonight, his emotions unstable. At this certain mont, he longed to hear Sabrina’s voice and singing.
"Hmmm... can you... shing for e?" He repeated his request, still sniffing her scent. Her presence gave him a sense of comfort, slightly easing the pain of his loss. He wrapped his left hand around her waist, his eyes still closed.
anwhile, Athena could only comply with his request. She started to sing a song. Surprisingly, she chose a song that fit the current status of their relationship and Dominique could relate to the song– ’Love is Gone’.
[ *Listen to the song Love is Gone by Dylan Matthew and Slander* Credits to songwriters and singers]
~Don’t go tonight...
Stay here one more ti~
....Remind what it’s like, oh
And let’s fall in love one more ti...
~I need you now by my side~
~It tears up when you turn down...
I’m begging please, just stick around...
....I’m sorry, don’t leave , I want you here with ~
~I know that your love is gone...
I can’t breathe, I’m so weak, I know this isn’t easy~
...Don’t tell that your love is gone
That your love is gone...
As Dominique listened to her song, he could feel the pain in his heart.
’She’s gone... and her love for is gone...’ Dominique thought to himself inwardly. His eyes began to tear up. He even buried his face in the nook of Athena’s neck.
Athena just continued singing the song. Deep inside, she wished to see Dominique suffer and regret for betraying her and for breaking her heart. She wished that she would be the reason for his tears.
’One day... I’ll be the one to leave you, breaking your heart into pieces...’ She swore to herself, feeling so determined.
Eventually, Dominique lay on her lap, still hugging her waist. Before she finished the song, he drifted off to sleep. Athena just stared at him with complicated emotions. Her expression turned cold.
’I’m only doing this because I have to make you fall for ... I have to endure this and pretend...’ Athena exhaled deeply, shaking her head. She leaned her back on the sofa and slamd her eyes shut.
Athena had no choice but to accompany her ex-husband tonight, not leaving his side. She had completely forgotten about Vladimir who had been waiting for her at her penthouse.
*****
*A few hours later....*
[ At Athena’s Penthouse... ]
Vladimir woke up only to find out that Athena had not returned yet. He rose from the couch, scanning the house. There was no sign of Athena.
He began to feel alard and anxious. It was already 2 o’clock in the morning but Athena hadn’t co ho yet.
"Where is she?" His face darkened with worry.
He dialed Athena’s number. Her phone was ringing but no one was answering. Furthermore, she didn’t respond to his last ssage, intensifying his worries.
"Don’t tell sothing happened to her? Is she being targeted?" Vladimir began to overthink. Since the accident failed to harm Athena, he thought the mastermind sent another person to harm her.
"Damn! Athena, please pick up the phone!" Vladimir kept pacing back and forth across Athena’s living room as he continued contacting her.
Ring! Ring!
He kept calling her. And on his fourth attempt, finally, the call got connected. But to his disappointnt, he heard a different voice from the other line. It was not Athena! It’s a guy.
"Hello?" A male voice resounded from the other line.
Vladimir’s face turned dark, his eyes bloodshot. His fingers reflexively tightened his grip on the phone. "Who the hell are you? Where is Athena? Why are you holding her phone?" His voice seethed with rage.
There was a mont of silence from the other line. This irritated Vladimir further.
"Who are you?! Speak up! What did you do to Athena? I swear I’ll kill you and hunt you down even in hell!" Vladimir burst out, his heart racing with both fury and concern.
"She’s sleeping in my house. I’m her boyfriend... and you? Who are you?" Dominique replied coldly.
Vladimir was taken aback for a mont when he heard that. He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. He couldn’t believe it.
"Stop ssing with . She has no boyfriend. Tell where she is. Now!" Vladimir was already screaming. There was a sudden surge of jealousy in his heart.
Athena told him she was going ho and she would et him at her place. How could she sleep in soone else’s house? And what he hated the most was that this guy was claiming she was Athena’s boyfriend.
Instead of answering, Dominique hung up the phone. Vladimir’s eyes widened in disbelief. He dialed her phone number once again. However, he could no longer contact her. Dominique switched off Athena’s phone.
"Fuck! Who is that asshole! I’ll beat him up once I see him!" Vladimir threw his phone to the floor, venting out his frustration. It broke into pieces because of the impact.
Without further delay, he dashed out of the house. He would search for Athena, mobilizing his n. If he had to turn the city upside down, he would do it just to find her.
He couldn’t bear the thought of Athena being together with another guy, sleeping in his house.
Since he broke his phone, he couldn’t contact his n. So Vladimir headed to his mafia headquarters. Upon arriving at their hideout, he disturbed the peaceful sleep of his n, dispatching them to look for Athena.
"You are not allowed to return without bringing her back to !" Vladimir commanded them with a threat.
His n imdiately moved to do their tasks. They didn’t want to disappoint their leader. When everyone left, Vladimir pondered who the guy who was with Athena right now.
If he was Athena’s boyfriend, then he would be heartbroken. "I haven’t confessed my feelings to her yet. I can’t accept this."
Feeling the need to find out the truth, Vladimir rushed to Lanny’s apartnt. She was the only one he could think of who could give him an answer. Athena never hides secrets from her best friend, Lanny. Lanny might have known sothing about this guy.
*****
Ding! Dong!
Bang! Bang!
Ding! Dong!
Bang! Bang!
Vladimir relentlessly rang the doorbell, his frustration evident in the forceful pounding of his fist against the door. The loud commotion roused the occupants of the apartnt—Lanny and Enzo—from their sleep, their senses jolted awake by the unexpected disturbance.
"Damn you! Stop breaking my door!" Lanny’s voice carried a mix of irritation and concern as she hurried towards the source of the noise, her steps echoing through the apartnt.
But before she could reach for the doorknob, Enzo intervened, gently restraining her with a protective gesture. "Let handle this," he insisted, positioning himself between Lanny and the door as if shielding her from whatever awaited on the other side.
Lanny blinked in surprise, touched by Enzo’s protective stance. She nodded, allowing him to open the door in her place. When the door was pulled open, they were greeted by Vladimir’s furious and anxious look.
"Hey, what’s wrong with you? How dare you make a scene as early as this morning?" Lanny reprimanded her brother.
Vladimir just ignored her ranting. He stepped forward, holding Lanny’s shoulder. "Tell the truth. Does Athena have a boyfriend? Who is he? What is his address?! Athena is with him right now!"
Lanny: "..."
Enzo: "???"
"Bro? Are you dreaming? A nightmare perhaps? What are you saying?" Lanny didn’t know whether to laugh or not. But Vladimir looked so serious.
"I’m not joking, Lanny. Tell the truth. Where is she? Who is this guy?!"
Enzo just darted his gaze back and forth between Vladimir and Lanny, a surge of concern coursing through him. Vladimir’s tight grip on Lanny’s shoulders fueled Enzo’s instinct to intervene, fearing she might be in discomfort.
However, before he could do it, Lanny held his brother’s arms, removing and putting them down as she spoke, "Where did you get that ridiculous idea, Bro? Athena doesn’t have a boyfriend. She only has a best friend and that person is Gael. You don’t have to worry about it. Gael will never take advantage of Athena."
"But the guy who answered Athena’s phone is not Gael! I’m familiar with Gael’s voice! That conceited guy is not Gael!"
Lanny: "???"
’Huh? What does he an by that? Athena was with whom?’ Lanny pondered to herself.
A few seconds later, her eyes widened as a suspicion ca to mind. ’Wait... Don’t tell Athena is with Dominique right now?’ Lanny glanced at her brother worriedly.
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