His Mistress is His Ex-Wife-Chapter 323: What Truly Mattered Most to Him.

"Thank you for coming to save us. I owe you this... Don Miguel."

Dominique felt indebted to his foster father, Miguel.

Miguel just tapped his shoulder. "No need to thank me. You are my successor. It’s only natural for my men to save you."

He simply stole a glance at his son, Vladimir. A satisfied smirk flashed across his face after seeing his son’s angry reaction. This was what he wanted to see from him.

"Don Miguel, I have one more request. Please catch the leader of the gang alive. I still need him. I have to settle the score with him. He was the one who destroyed my family."

Miguel was taken aback when he heard that the man who killed Dominique’s family was involved in this kidnapping case.

"Don’t worry, Dominique. I will ask our men to keep him alive," Miguel replied, reassuring him.

"For now, let’s go home. You need to rest. Our men will handle everything here."

Dominique nodded, following Miguel behind. But before he entered the vehicle, he glanced at the ambulance one last time while thinking about Athena.

As much as he wanted to stay by her side, he couldn’t do it due to Vladimir’s presence. He wouldn’t allow Dominique to be near Athena.

The manhunt operation persisted even after Dominique and Miguel had left the area, with the clan elite members still sweeping the surroundings for any remaining members of the gang.

Meanwhile, Enzo and Vladimir rushed Athena to the nearest hospital for further examination, making sure that she wasn’t badly hurt during this rescue mission.

A few hours later, Lanny arrived at the hospital, accompanied by Aaron and Kimmy. The moment they heard the news of Athena’s rescue, a wave of relief washed over them. It was as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted from their hearts.

Inside the hospital room, Vladimir remained by Athena’s side. He hadn’t left her for even a second, his eyes never straying far from her fragile form. His worry ran deep. It spoke volumes about how much she meant to him.

"Mommy!" Aaron exclaimed as he dashed to her sickbed.

Vladimir turned to look at him, giving him a warning gaze.

"Don’t make any noise. Your mother is asleep. She needs it to recover fast," he reminded Aaron in his stern, cold voice. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Deep down, Vladimir felt more upset upon seeing Aaron. He resembled Dominique a lot. With Aaron’s appearance, he was reminded of his rival, whom he hated so much– Dominique Smith.

On the other hand, Aaron pursed his lips, trying to keep his silence. He gently grabbed his mother’s hand upon reaching her.

’I’m glad you are safe, Mommy.’

Aaron stood quietly at Athena’s bedside, his eyes fixed on her pale, unconscious face. After a long moment, he turned to Vladimir, asking him a series of curious questions.

"Uncle..." he began softly, "have you seen Uncle Dom? Was he with my mom when you rescued her? Is he okay?"

The innocence in his voice only made the question hit harder.

Little did Aaron know, his words struck a nerve. Vladimir’s expression darkened. He looked very displeased.

"Don’t mention that guy in front of me ever again, Aaron!" Vladimir snapped, his voice fuming with rage.

Just the thought of Dominique was enough to make his blood boil. His father had disowned him without hesitation, only to turn around and name Dominique, his love rival, as his successor. It wasn’t just a betrayal. It was a deliberate provocation and punishment for him.

"Hey! Bro, what’s going on here? Why are you raising your voice at Aaron? He is just a child." Lanny’s voice was heard from behind. She had just entered the room together with Enzo and Kimmy.

"If you are mad, don’t take it out on the child!" She added, reprimanding her own brother.

Vladimir clenched his fists at his sides, struggling to suppress his negative emotions.

"Come with me! We need to talk." Lanny said, forcefully dragging her brother out of the ward.

Lanny brought Vladimir to the rooftop of the hospital to have a private moment with him.

"What is your problem?! Why are you acting like this?" Lanny confronted him sharply, her eyes flashing with frustration.

"How could you yell at Aaron like that—right in front of his mother, who’s still unconscious? Have you completely lost your mind?"

With her hands planted firmly on either side of her waist, Lanny continued lecturing Vladimir for his misconduct.

"Did you even stop to think how Athena would feel if she woke up and saw you shouting at her son? You think this is the time to let your temper run wild?"

Vladimir had no words to refute that. He lowered his gaze as he realized his mistake.

"I’m sorry," he murmured, taking a deep sigh. "I just got carried away by my emotions. I shouldn’t have done that to Aaron." He acknowledged his wrongdoing.

Lanny could only watch him helplessly.

"Enzo had already told me what happened. Dominique is also a victim. And our father’s men managed to rescue them. You should be grateful that nothing bad happened to Athena because of them... So, why are you still mad?"

Vladimir walked toward the edge of the rooftop, his expression painted with frustration. He gripped the railing tightly, his knuckles turning white.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice low and bitter. "Dominique... he’s our father’s adopted son. And now, he’s been chosen as the next successor."

He laughed dryly under his breath, but there was no humor in it, only resentment and jealousy.

"His men only participated in this rescue mission solely because of him. They were trying to save Dominique... not Athena. I just realized that I no longer have any authority over them, and I felt helpless and useless without our clan’s support."

Lanny was at a loss for words for a moment. She was also shocked by this revelation. Who would have thought that Dominique Smith was somehow connected to the Ivankov Family, especially to their father, Miguel Ivankov?

She had so many questions in mind. She wondered how Miguel met Dominique. How did he end up being his adopted son?

"Do you regret it now? Walking away from our father... cutting all ties with him the moment you chose to fight for your love with Athena?" Lanny asked Vladimir expectantly, her voice laced with genuine concern and curiosity.

Vladimir wasn’t able to respond right away. Lanny saw a flicker of conflicting emotions in his eyes.

After a while, Vladimir slammed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth.

"Of course not... I won’t regret choosing Athena," he responded before walking away.

Lanny had a sullen expression on her face as she watched her brother’s retreating figure.

"Why do I feel like he was lying to me just now? I hope I’ve just been mistaken. Don’t regret your decision. Not now... Athena is already opening her heart to you. Don’t fail her, Vladimir. Don’t disappoint us. Set your priority straight. Don’t waver because of our father’s scheme. He is cunning. We all know that."

Lanny couldn’t help but worry about her brother’s behavior. He was acting conflicted, and she could sense the storm brewing inside him. All she could do was hope that Vladimir would find a way to calm the chaos in his heart and finally realize what and who truly mattered most to him.