Garrick and I rushed to the hotel and found the front desk. I tried calling that number before but it didn't work. I could guess that the person who was staying with my son was Dominic, because that number was the one I had memorized four years ago. That's Dominic's phone number.
I called Vivian, but she hung up.
It wasn't until they got to the hotel that we knew they had already left.
"Aren't they supposed to leave tomorrow morning?" I worriedly asked Garrick.
"As far as I know, they are. But all of a sudden they're leaving in such a hurry, even taking Kenelm away, I think Dominic figured something out."
My whole body trembled with fear. I can't imagine Kenlem being held captive by Dominic. Just now, Dominic sent me a picture of Kenelm sleeping soundly. That makes me can rest assured that my son is okay. But that doesn't guarantee my son's future is safe.
What a dangerous man Dominic is, I have experienced it myself, so I understand very well. Once he is angry his rage is terrible. He kills without fear and is willing to do anything to get what he wants.
By now, he'd most likely guessed that I was alive. The fact that I lied to him for four years would certainly make him angry and want revenge on me. The way revenge can cause me the most heartache and despair is definitely to hurt my son.
"Don't worry, Esther. Dominic will definitely get back to you and ask to see you. Until then I think Kenelm will be fine."
I sat on the ground and kept shaking my head. I understand Dominic too well. If he didn't know Kenelm was his son and only knew it was my son, he certainly wouldn't have let Kenelm live. Because the boy's life proved that I had a child with another man and betrayed him, an arrogant man like Dominic could not accept that disgrace.
On the other hand, if he knew that Kenelm was his son, all the anger would be on me, because I hid his son from him for four years. He certainly won't give me custody of Kenelm or see him again in the future no matter how much I beg him.
Whatever the outcome, I can't accept it.
"First, let's tell Frederick, he'll definitely come up with a way." Garrick said.
...
Dominic told Ethan to carry Kenelm into the bedroom on the second floor, while he himself sat in the living room pouring himself a glass of wine. Four years ago, he used to drink a lot of alcohol, the stronger the alcohol concentration, the more intense he drank. He drank so much that his stomach ache and nausea came frequently, but he didn't stop.
Someone said that drinking too much alcohol will forget sorrow and love, but they seem to be wrong. He drank a lot, but he never slept well at night. The more he drank, the more sober he became, the fear, disappointment and despair of witnessing the death of Esther Joan tormented him every night.
After about three years, he quit drinking, because the doctor said that if he continued to drink so much, his stomach would become ulcerated and his life would be ruined. It's been a long time since he opened the wine cabinet again and got himself a glass of fine white wine. Its taste is no longer bitter and acrid in the throat like it was a few years ago. But maybe its taste wasn't the cause, the real cause was in his taste buds. It's back.
"Very good. You're so good, Esther Joan. You ran away for four years and left me to torment and blame myself when I thought it was me who killed you." Dominic smiled self-deprecatingly, talking to himself while looking at his glass of white wine.
Ethan quietly stood beside him and handed him a file.
"Sir, our detective has found some information regarding Lady Esther Joan and her life for the past four years."
"Some information? No, Ethan. I need all of it."
"...Yes sir. I'll get back to the detective and report back to you soon."
Dominic nodded lightly, took a sip of his wine, and looked up the stairs.
"Is Kenelm asleep?"
"Yes sir."
Dominic flipped through a few pages of the document Ethan had just handed him, then found information related to Kenelm. Kenelm aka Kenelm Vincent, three years old, born and raised in Goderich. Information and him were scant, but there was one thing that caught Dominic's attention. Kenelm was only three years old, which means Esther was pregnant with the boy at the time she went missing.
"How long does it take to get his DNA test papers?"
"Tomorrow morning, sir." Ethan still said respectfully. Then he hesitated for a moment as if he was about to say something more, then remained silent.
"What's wrong? If you have something to say, say it."
"Sir, I think that without Kenelm's DNA test, he can be seen as your son."
"Hmm? Why?" Dominic raised his eyebrows excitedly.
"Because... you two are exactly alike."
Ethan said with a small smile, he guessed that Dominic must still be confused about this sudden change to not notice something so simple. Kenelm is identical to Dominic as a kid. If you put a picture of Dominic's childhood next to Kenelm, many people will think that the picture is Kenelm's. Straight eyes, high nose bridge, no bushy eyebrows and sometimes slightly pursed lips, Kenelm's features were all identical to Dominic's.
Kenelm will subconsciously have some habits like Dominic that if you don't pay close attention, people won't notice. For example, eye contact with other people. Both of them have very stubborn and headstrong looking eyes, however Dominic seems a bit sharper as he has grown up and experienced life.
"Really, I should have realized that sooner, shouldn't I?" Dominic laughed, it seems that whenever it comes to Kenelm, Dominic's mood will be uncontrollable but happy.
"Yes sir."
"Okay. You can go back and rest." Dominic leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes.
"Ah, sir, one more thing. This has to do with Vivian Odette. Today she was rioting and scolding the bodyguards, then she insisted on coming to you because you didn't answer the phone."
Dominic heard the name, his brow furrowed slightly, and he let out a small sigh.
"Rearrange my schedule. Bring Vivian here tomorrow."
Dominic then returned to his room to rest.
In a villa in the suburbs...
Vivian was lying in her room, with a syringe in her hand.
After coming out of the water, Vivian was exhausted, her face pale and clearly tired. She thought that Dominic would definitely jump into the water to save her without hesitation, because she knew she was a special existence for Dominic. However, because of a woman he met not long ago, even Esther Ambar and Dominic were not close, but abandoned her.
This obviously left Vivian disappointed and surprised. What happened next made her even more depressed and angry. Because Dominic completely ignored her, didn't look at her for even a second like it didn't matter to him if her life was okay or not. He gave all his attention to Esther Ambar, the worried look and bewilderment on Dominic's face something Vivian had never seen with his own eyes until today.
It took Vivian four years to match Dominic Arnold, but the arrival of Esther Ambar changed everything. It only took her 4 days to make Dominic completely forget about Vivian, and that made Vivian find it difficult to accept.
She lay in a luxurious bedroom but kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She bit her nails thinking, there were bad premonitions in her heart, it seemed that her original plans were all wrong. She wondered if she was too subjective and overconfident to give Dominic and Esther a chance to meet. Right now, the one who is insecure is her.
That night, Vivian had a long dream. She dreamed of meeting Dominic for the first time.
At that time, Vivian was only eighteen years old. She has a youthful and innocent beauty, full of positive energy. Her family is middle class, well off but not too rich. One day she went to the hospital to visit a sick friend, she met Dominic. At that time he still didn't know who she was, the two of them just passed each other like two strangers. But the mysterious and attractive charm from the man in the black nightgown made Vivian unable to resist but had to look back.
Her first impression of Dominic was that the man was so beautiful. He was as handsome as a knight or some god out of a myth, with a tall body, broad shoulders, long arms, and an angular face full of masculinity. His gaze was sober and calm, he casually passed others but made them pay attention to him.
Vivian watched him until the figure of the man disappeared behind a turn in the hospital corridor.
It was not until later that she learned that he was Dominic Arnold, the richest famous billionaire, wielding fearsome power and also a notorious arms dealer. She was lucky enough to meet Dominic at the hospital because he was there for a stomach exam.
Since that first meeting, she could never forget Dominic.
The second time Vivian sees him again is when in the city center there was a shooting at a nearby bank. She was shopping in a convenience store and accidentally witnessed the terrifying massacre. People fled in panic, many were hit by bullets and were seriously injured. Vivian trembled and ran away and hid behind a car. At that time, she saw a black car driving in the direction of the bank without turning around and running away.
Vivian was surprised, she quietly observed and then realized that the man in the car was Dominic. His subordinates took less than 5 minutes to make the group of bank robbers and gunmen all lying on the ground and unable to move.
Firearms and smoke make the street dusty, the scene is dilapidated and scary, almost no one is nearby, except for the wounded who cannot move on their own and Vivian is quietly hiding behind a car .
A man respectfully opened the car door for Dominic to step out. He was like a king standing at the top looking down at everyone. He approached the leader of the bank robbers, now breathing and covered in blood, then Dominic grabbed the leader's hair and forced him to face up to talk.
"You shouldn't touch my possessions." His voice was cold and emotionless, neither angry nor worried.
The surroundings were unusually quiet, only Dominic's voice could be heard clearly. And that made Vivian's heart flutter.
"Damn it, you son of a bitch, just kill me." The leader still seemed honorable and defiant, he didn't notice the murderous intent in Dominic's eyes. "The police will come soon, if I break the law I'll end up in jail, hahaha, and you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the muzzle of Dominic's gun was pressed against his temple. After that a loud bang rang out, the leader died while his eyes were still wide in surprise.
"The money they steal will be used for their funeral. Clean up this mess."
Dominic ordered his subordinates, then he took a white handkerchief to wipe the blood from his hands and face. For him, killing was not a new thing, the more people annoyed him, the more painfully he made them die.
"Be careful!"
Vivian saw one of Dominic's bank robbers suddenly point his gun at him. He's not dead yet, but he's still trying to find a way to harm Dominic. Vivian saw that and defiantly rushed out and blocked Dominic's body, taking the bullet into her thigh.
Blood gushed out and pain struck. From Dominic's gaze, she could see his astonishment at her sudden appearance and heroic act of self-sacrifice. If this were a scene from a movie, Vivian would be a hero to be reckoned with. But unfortunately, real life is different from the movies, and Vivian feels stupid for risking her life to save someone she's never even talked to.
However, if she was given the opportunity to choose and change her decision, she would still do it. Because she knew, thanks to that recklessness, that she had the only chance to get to know Dominic, whom she fell in love with at first sight.