Chapter 171 - No Choice

[ Golden City District Hospital… ]

Marceline and Enrique were both watching Grandpa Roland in the ICU when Enrique received a phone call from his father, Ronan.

Upon answering the phone, he was surprised as someone else was talking on the other line, not his father.

"Is this Mr. Enrique Zhou?" A stranger's voice was heard.

"Yes, this is me, speaking. May I know who this is? Why do you have my father's phone?" Enrique was puzzled as to where his father went. 

Ronan had a serious expression when he left the hospital a while ago. It looked like he was about to meet someone for a confrontation.

"Mr. Zhou, this is from Golden City responder. Your father is involved in a vehicular accident. He is badly injured. We are currently rushing him to the Golden City District Hospital."

Enrique didn't know how he would react after hearing this another piece of bad news. He almost lost his balance. Fortunately, he was able to lean on the wall.

Marceline, who was standing next to him, noticed the shaken expression of Enrique. "What happened?"

Enrique's face became pale. He felt like every ounce of his energy was drained. Their grandfather was in a coma and declared a brain-dead patient. His mother was imprisoned. And now, his father got into an accident.

'Is the Zhou Family cursed?'

"My father… he got into a car accident and is now being transported here. Marceline… I know you hate my father… but can you please pray for his safety?" There was a sullen look in his eyes when he said those words to Marceline.

Meanwhile, Marceline was also taken aback when she heard this unpleasant news. Part of her felt sorry for Enrique. This cousin of hers also showed a genuine concern towards her so she somehow felt sad for him. Though she hated his parents, she couldn't hate Enrique. He had nothing to do with his parents' crime.

Marceline just held his hands, squeezing them gently to comfort him. This gesture was enough for Enrique to regain his strength. At least, Marceline didn't hate him completely. She was still there, comforting him despite everything that happened to her and his family.

"Thank you, Marceline." Enrique pulled her into a hug. "I have to go. Please accompany our grandfather first. I will go to ER and wait for my father." He left hurriedly.

Seconds later, Kira joined Marceline, bringing her some food. She hadn't eaten anything yet. 

"Is there something wrong?" Kira asked her worriedly. Kira just arrived after visiting the Police Station. He made sure that Evelyn couldn't leave the prison. 

"My Uncle got into an accident. I don't know how it happened. But the timing is very odd. Can you please check this incident and find out what happened?" Marceline requested Kira. She was too tired both physically and emotionally. The Zhou Family was in a chaotic state right now.

"Ok. Just leave it to me. Here, eat this first. You need this to recharge." Kira handed the food over to Marceline.

Marceline didn't have an appetite but because Kira made an effort, she would try to take some bites.

When Kira saw Marceline eating her food, he became at ease. That was also the time he followed Enrique to the Emergency Room to see Ronan. He would investigate this incident.

Upon arriving at the ER, Ronan was already being treated by the doctor and nurses. Enrique was shocked to see Ronan's severe injuries. Blood was oozing out of his head. His entire face and body were covered with blood. Ronan was barely breathing.

With his remaining strength, Enrique called his sister, Natasha, informing her of what happened to their father.

While Enrique was focused on his father, Kira started to move, gathering information about the accident. He approached the responders, secretly reading their memories.

After a few minutes of scanning their memories of the scene, Kira found something suspicious. He saw a familiar face– Vladimir!

'What is he doing there? Does he have something to do with the accident? But why? Ronan and Cedric are allies.' Kira mused to himself. Then he glanced at Ronan who was now being transferred to the operating room. He had to undergo major surgery. He received several fractures and bone injuries.

They were also waiting for the CT scan result. They had to find out if there was internal bleeding or blood clots in his brain. He hit his head during the collision.

Kira would dig deeper about this accident. He smelled something fishy with Cedric's adviser. Kira could tell that Vladimir was someone whom he couldn't underestimate. He also had a mysterious vibe in him.

Sometimes, Kira was wondering who was the real leader of the White Claw Pack. Was it their Alpha, Cedric Morgan, or their wise adviser, Vladimir?

*****

[ Triple W Headquarters… ]

Cedric almost forgot about the upcoming visit of Dominique Silvano and his wife. But he was reminded by his Beta about this visit. Now he was having a problem as Ronan just broke their alliance today. He refused to cooperate with the Werewolf Clan anymore after finding out the truth.

Cedric was in this dilemma when Vladimir sought his presence. Cedric allowed his adviser to enter his office.

"What do you need?" Cedric asked him feeling irritated.

"I know the solution to your concern. You have no choice but to help Evelyn. She can open the portal gate for us. She's now a gatekeeper, remember?" Vladimir suggested.

"No!" Cedric firmly said. He wanted to punish Evelyn for harming Marceline, that's why he decided not to help her.

"I will talk to Ronan. I'd rather talk to him than help Evelyn," Cedric added stubbornly.

"But Ronan Zhou can't open the portal gate within the week. We can't postpone the visit of Dominique." 

Cedric frowned upon hearing that. "What do you mean by saying he can't open the portal?"

"Didn't you see the afternoon news? Ronan Zhou got into a vehicular accident just a few minutes ago. I heard that he received severe injuries and he's in critical condition," Vladimir nonchalantly said, hiding the triumphant smile on his face.

Cedric was taken aback for a moment. What great timing was this?!

"We have no choice but to help Evelyn. We need a gatekeeper for the Northern Portal. Dominique Silvano chose to pass through our territory. We must fulfill our job by welcoming him well." 

Cedric cursed inwardly. Things didn't go according to his plan. Helping Evelyn would also mean intervening with the Zhou Family's matters. This would break the deal between him and Kira.

Cedric heaved a deep sigh. "Alright! Go and get her out of the prison. But make sure that vampire will not know that we are the ones who help her."

"I understand, Alpha. Let me handle this."

Feeling annoyed, Cedric dismissed Vladimir right away. Vladimir left his office, satisfied with the turn of events. He succeeded!

On the other hand, Cedric remained seated on his executive chair, massaging his temples. He didn't know why he suddenly got anxious at the upcoming visit of Dominique and Serena. He felt like something big was going to happen.

"Should I use Dominique to deal with this vampire? I can't let him stay alive. With his presence, I can't approach Marceline Zhou as it is part of our deal. I should let Dominique meet this arrogant vampire."

Cedric was thinking of setting the two for them to meet. Once Dominique found out that Marceline Zhou's husband was a vampire, the Werewolf King might do something to eliminate this strong vampire.

"Damn! This cunning vampire. I don't know why I couldn't win against him! Just you wait, Kira. I might be cooperating with you right now. But I think I can also use you to battle against the Werewolf King. You must die. You are a big threat to me."

Cedric was still worried that Kira would tell Dominique Silvano about the rebellion and mutiny he was plotting against the current ruler of the Werewolf Clan. He wanted to replace him and steal the throne from Dominique Silvano.

'I must find the missing werewolf princess as soon as possible!' Cedric thought to himself.

Cedric stood up and contacted the team leader whom he tasked to find the missing werewolf princess and Dylan.

"Do you have news about Dylan and the missing princess?" 

"Alpha, Dylan's body couldn't be found. We didn't see any sign of him in the city. I think he is already dead. So you have nothing to worry about. Not seeing his body is also an advantage for us." 

"Without his body, no one will know how the werewolf prince died. He will also be declared as missing. We can put all the blame on the Vampire Clan," The team leader reassured Cedric.

"Alright. Then how about the princess?" He asked them with so much interest in his voice. Cedric was anticipating hearing a piece of good news related to the werewolf princess.

"Alpha, we also have progress. We find the lead. We are now currently tracking her location. We will give you an update within the week!" The team leader answered him with his elated voice. It looked like they finally found a clue.

"Good! At least, we've confirmed that the werewolf princess is still alive. Go and find her as soon as possible! I will give you a big reward!" Cedric encouraged the team.

"Got it, Alpha! We will not disappoint you. We will do our best to find her exact location as soon as possible. We will bring her to you!" The team leader was very confident.. It's just a matter of time before they would finally find and meet the werewolf princess.