His Mistress is His Ex-Wife
Chapter 107: Confession

Chapter 107: Confession

"I like you!"

Athena: "..."

Vladimir’s sudden confession caught her off guard. Her body stiffened and her eyes widened in utter shock.

’What did he just say? Is he serious?’ Athena blinked several times. She just felt his grip tightening around her body.

"V?" Her voice trembled as she called his name. She didn’t know if she heard it right or not.

"Athena... you don’t have to answer me now. I just want you to know that I like you. I have feelings for you. I can no longer hide it from you." Vladimir mustered up his courage, confessing his feelings to her.

Athena was tongue-tied. She didn’t see this coming.

"This is the first time I feel this way about someone. I always want to see you. I want to protect you and keep you safe. I feel jealous whenever I see you with someone."

"I wish to assist you with your revenge. I want you to trust me... and rely on me. Because I want to be a man for you. I hope you will just give me a chance... to show you how much I care about you and how important you are to me." Vladimir spoke spontaneously.

His heart was beating rapidly inside his chest. He was nervous and anxious. He didn’t know how Athena would react to his confession. In the end, he just embraced her tightly, afraid to see rejection in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Athena remained silent, her mind still processing his words. Her heart was also pounding rapidly.

But she knew in her heart that she couldn’t answer Vladimir right now or even respond to his confession. She wasn’t ready for a serious relationship, especially now that she still had something to do.

Her goal was to avenge her father’s death, take back their company, and punish those traitors who betrayed them.

"V..." Athena finally found her voice to speak up.

When he heard her, he drew back, gazing down to meet her in the eyes. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her smile. He didn’t see any negative reactions in her eyes.

Athena reached out to hold his shoulders. "I appreciate your sincerity toward me. But... I can’t reciprocate your feelings for now. You still have a lot of things you don’t know about me. I’m a broken woman... You have to know me first before you can decide whether you truly like me or not."

"I’m certain of my feelings. Nothing will change... I assure you that." Vladimir insisted, caressing her face.

"Try me, Athena. Allow me to know you more. Please open up with me," he added in his soft voice.

Athena heaved a deep sigh. She didn’t want to be unfair with Vladimir so it’s time for her to be honest with him and tell him her true identity.

She held his hand, pulling him toward the sofa. "Let’s sit down first."

Vladimir obediently followed her. The two of them settled down on the couch, facing each other.

"V... My real name is not Athena. As you know Lanny let me use Ivankov’s surname to give me a new identity. Your father granted her request because she fulfilled one of his wishes– to have a grandson." Athena started to open up with him, revealing her true identity to Vladimir. She thought Vladimir had to know her because she wanted him to reconsider his feelings.

Vladimir nodded, listening to her attentively. "Yes, I know that. I’ve asked my father before. I was against it."

He didn’t want Athena to carry the surname Ivankov before because it would look like his father adopted Athena and she would become his adoptive sibling.

But when he found out that Lanny did it to protect Athena, he no longer complained about it.

"My real name is... Sabrina Williams." She revealed it to him.

Vladimir was dumbfounded upon hearing her real name. It rang a bell. He tried to scan his memories where and when he encountered that name.

It did not take long before he recalled something.

"Enzo is my elder brother. I’m part of the Williams Family. And I was married to Dominique Smith. I was presumed dead... five years ago. I changed my face... through plastic surgery."

There was a moment of silence. Vladimir looked at her intently. Things started to make sense. No wonder, Athena was so worried about Enzo. It turned out he was her brother.

But what had caught his attention was Dominique Smith. He couldn’t believe that Athena was already married to that guy.

"Did you come back because of him? Do you still love him?" Vladimir asked her, clenching his fists. He held his breath, waiting for her response. He was afraid that she would tell him that she still loved her husband.

Vladimir remembered that Dominique was now married to Sasha Gomez. It was included in the report given to him by his subordinate.

"Yes, Dominique is one of the reasons why I came back," Athena honestly replied.

Vladimir’s expression turned grim and his eyes became gloomy. He was disheartened for a moment when he heard it.

’So she still loves him...’ Vladimir looked down, concealing his jealousy and disappointment. But then again, Athena spoke up to clarify his wrong assumption.

"And no... I don’t love him anymore. My feelings for him are pure hatred and resentment. He betrayed me. He is the main reason for my revenge. I will crush him down along with his current wife."

Vladimir hastily lifted his head, and all his unhappiness disappeared instantly. He gazed at her with eyes filled with hope.

’Does it mean... I still have a chance?’ Vladimir’s heart ran wild once again because of that thought.

"If that is what you want, I’ll help you. I will destroy him for you," Vladimir said through his gritted teeth. He was willing to destroy anyone just to make Athena happy.

But Athena shook her head in response. "No, V. I want to do this myself. This is my fight. I hope you understand."

Vladimir has conflicting thoughts right now. He wanted to do revenge for her but Athena didn’t agree.

"If you don’t mind, Athena... May I know what he did to you?" Vladimir was curious about her past. He couldn’t believe that her husband hurt Athena.

’He is so stupid! He is so lucky to marry her. Why did he have to betray her?’ Vladimir pondered to himself. But deep inside, he was grateful since he got the chance to know her. If Dominique didn’t betray Athena, then she wouldn’t leave him.

Athena smiled bitterly as she began to share her past with Vladimir.

"He deceived me. He made me believe that he loved me. It turned out, he just wanted to acquire our family’s fortune. When my father got terminally ill, he finally showed his true color, forcing me to sign the divorce paper."

"He had been cheating on me with his secretary. He conspired with my Uncle as they took over our company. My brother and I were kicked out of the company..."

"This is the second reason why I came here. I’m going to take our company back... everything they took from us. And this time... I will protect my brother... It’s my turn to protect him. He made a lot of sacrifices because of me... for keeping me safe."

Vladimir could no longer control his emotions. He was mad at those people who made Athena suffer. He wanted to punish them by himself.

’I swear... I will make them regret hurting Athena.’

Vladimir pulled Athena once again, hugging her. "I’ll keep you safe, Athena. Please trust me. Allow me to help you." After hearing her story, he felt a strong desire to protect her and make her happy. She didn’t deserve those unfair treatment from her asshole husband and money-grubbing relatives.

"Just tell me what you need. I will do my best to support you..." he added, gently stroking her hair.

Athena buried her face on his chest, feeling the warmth of his embrace. This man in front of him was so amazing. She felt like he didn’t deserve her. There were lots of women who were more deserving of his pure love.

Dominique broke her heart and she didn’t know if she could still love someone like she used to. For now, she just wanted to focus on her goal. She didn’t have time for love.

Mustering her courage up, Athena broke the hug and she looked straight into his eyes.

"V... I’m telling you this, not because I want to ask for your help but because I’m letting you know who I am... Now you know my past... I’m not the woman who can accept your feelings... because I don’t deserve you. And for now, I have to focus on my revenge–"

Vladimir cut her words by pressing his forefinger on her lips. "Don’t worry, Athena. I’m willing to wait for you. Just allow me to take care of you and show you my sincerity. Nothing changed with my feelings."

"And don’t feel pressure, Athena... I’m just telling you this because I don’t want to hide my feelings any longer. And I don’t want to regret it...by not telling you sooner."

After saying that, Vladimir leaned closer to her, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.