Chapter 154 Your woman seems upset
Hank’s POV
I desired Nora so much that when she expressed a desire for intimacy, I took the opportunity to propose to her, and she accepted.
My joy was overwhelming, and as we spent the night together, I couldn't help but envision her in a wedding gown. I was eager to solidify our relationship quickly, but I didn't want to appear desperate, so I decided to wait a week or two before discussing marriage.
Having Nora in my life made everything worthwhile, even leaving my lucrative job. It allowed us the freedom to spend time together whenever we pleased. I looked forward to supporting her business and seeing it flourish beyond her dreams.
However, our peaceful morning was unexpectedly disrupted by Octavia.
"Hank, Vanni has blacklisted me, and I'm in trouble. Cage and his gang are after me. He deceived me. I'm hiding in my basement because I'm injured. He nearly killed me, Hank," Octavia pleaded as I reassured her, "Stay put, I'm on my way."
I could track Octavia using her GPS as long as her phone remained on. There was no time to explain the situation to Nora, but my urgency stemmed from the fact that Octavia was Roger's biological mother.
Helping Octavia felt like helping Roger, but as soon as I got into my car and confirmed her location, I realized it would take me at least five hours to get there, even by helicopter. So, I called Gio.
"Octavia needs help," I informed him.
"So, what do you want me to do?" he asked indifferently. I sighed. "I'm just letting you know, in case you want to come. She's still Roger's biological mother."
There was a brief silence before he responded, "Where is she?"
"Mexico," I replied. It didn't take long before he said, "We'll use my helicopter."
I drove to the Dawson tower to meet him since it had a helipad, and two bodyguards accompanied us.
"Do you still want her?" Gio asked. I scoffed. "I'm engaged to Nora."
"Then you have a storm brewing when you come back because I overheard Molly talking on the phone with Nora before leaving the house. Your woman seems upset."
Damn, I should have been more patient in explaining it to her, but I knew Molly would help calm her down. "I will take care of everything as soon as we return."
Gianni contacted a business partner, and we landed on his helipad before driving to Octavia's house.
Cage's men were still present when we arrived and tried to stop us. "This is private property. What do you want?"
We didn't expect these individuals to recognize us, but we didn't have time to argue with them.
“Step aside. This property was purchased with my money, and I have the right to access it at any time," Gio asserted, displaying the expenditure alert to the guards.
I was surprised to learn that he monitored Octavia's spending, despite having gifted her the money.
"No one is here. Miss Octavia has been absent for two days," one of the guards informed.
"It doesn't matter. Step aside," Gio insisted, prompting the guards to make a call as we hurried past them, following the GPS.
"Octavia!" I called out as we reached the basement.
"Hank, I'm here," her voice sounded weak, leading us to find her buried under a pile of debris. As we cleared the dirt off her, I overheard one of the men we encountered earlier.
"Boss, she's here, but some men have discovered her."
They were unaware of our true identities, and I hesitated in rescuing Octavia to uncover the culprits behind the attack.
Octavia was battered and bruised. "What happened to you?" Gio demanded, his voice filled with anger as Octavia trembled, seeking comfort in my arms.
"Vanni, you..." she began, but we were interrupted by approaching footsteps, and a bitter smile crossed my face as I recognized the newcomer.
He was accompanied by a group of about fifteen men.
"We need to get her to the hospital," one of the bodyguards suggested, and I knew he was right.
However, I hadn't expected Cage to make it so straightforward for us. “So, you've returned to the gang after all," I said to him. He scoffed, "I never left the gang, and I never loved this woman."
With a bitter smile, I stared at Octavia, her head lowered in shame. Though I didn't want to pick on her, Gio did.
"You disobeyed me for this psycho, and now look at you," Gio scolded.
"Don Gio and his assassin friends," Cage said mockingly. I was glad he was showing his true colors.
"For what you did to her, you have to pay," I said firmly. There was no hint of remorse on his face.
"You should find out what she did to end up like this. I didn't care about her, but I never intended to do this to her, even when she kept the money from me."
"So, it's all about the money," I pointed out. He frowned as if I were a joke. "What else is she good for?"
"I loved you," Octavia said tearfully. Cage smirked, "Well, I loved you too, just like all the other girls, but you had to send an assassin after the last one," he said, leaving me and Gio confused.
"Can someone explain what's going on here?" I asked. Octavia spoke through tears, and I had to pay close attention to hear her clearly.
"Hank, I started a business before I came for the wedding, and when we got back, I found someone else in my office. Cage had my business transferred to his sister and told me to use the ten million to start another," she explained.
I admired Gio for how he used the money to drive a wedge between them and reveal Cage's true character. She continued,
"When I tried to use the card, I was told it could only be transferred to a verified business in my name, and a percentage of the profit would go to the Dawson's group. When I told Cage, he accused me of setting it all up. Then..."
"Then what?" I encouraged her to continue. She went on,
"I overheard him speaking on the phone with someone, instructing them to kidnap a girl for him. Later, I heard him telling his sister that the girl was the one he truly loved and wanted to marry."
She choked back tears, but I refrained from offering comfort as she had brought this upon herself.
Then, she made a shocking revelation. "I used my resources to contact the person he sent to kidnap the girl and paid double for her to be killed. However, Cage discovered the payment receipt I made and forced me to confess."
"You mean you tried to kill someone because of him?" Gio's anger flared.
"I attempted to reach out to the assassin to cancel the order, even offering more money, but he refused to accept my request because the payment she made was substantial," Cage interjected. "That's why I took this action against her," he added.
No wonder he had no regret. Octavia had done the worse but a sense of familiarity washed over me as they discussed the girl.
"What is her name?" I asked, my voice trembling. Gio noticed my reaction and inquired, "Are you alright, Hank?"