After meeting Beatrice who was currently pretending as Princess Stella, Victoria went to the hospital where Grandpa Roland was receiving treatment.
She already heard about his current condition from Raizel. It looked like there was only one way to cure him, making him stay alive. If they didn't want to lose him as their major sponsor and support, the vampire clan must ensure that Grandpa Roland would not perish in this human world.
Marceline was not around when Victoria arrived at the hospital. Both Kira and Marceline came to work in the Zhou Empire today.
Victoria went inside Grandpa Roland's private ward. At that certain moment, she confirmed the severity of his condition.
"It's been a long time, Patriarch Zhou. I didn't expect to see you like this," Victoria mumbled while looking at Grandpa Roland's face. The old man's body was very frail and weak. The life support machine was the only thing that was sustaining his life.
Sooner or later, his remaining life force would be drained by the poison. Even the life support machine could no longer help him.
"Your son and your daughter-in-law betrayed you… because of their greed. Even humans are capable of hurting their own family members." Victoria couldn't hide the remorse she felt towards those people.
Victoria assessed the pros and cons of turning Grandpa Roland into a vampire. In his current condition, this was the only solution she could think of in order to save the old man from dying.
Victoria was in the middle of weighing the consequences when her phone rang. A member of their elite vampire group called her to inform her about the movement of the werewolves, especially the members of Triple W.
"Lady Victoria… We have bad news regarding the gatekeepers," the vampire immediately reported as soon as Victoria answered the call.
"What is it?" She asked, her perfectly-shaped eyebrows were drawn together.
"The last descendants of the Zhou Family did the turnover ritual. Roland's two grandchildren had become the official gatekeepers of the Zhou Clan. And it looks like they already sided with the werewolves. We could no longer influence them to become our allies."
"Are they Ronan's children?" She simply asked him. She was still calm.
"Yes, our Lady."
"Then how about the only daughter of Roland's eldest son?" Victoria was asking about Marceline.
"She didn't attend the ritual as if the werewolf clan had no plan of making her an official gatekeeper. The two ladies are in conflict. There is an ongoing family feud among the Zhous."
"Damn! We are running out of time. We need gatekeepers for us to return to Kingdom Phantasia." The vampire could hear the sense of urgency in Victoria's voice.
"What are you planning to do now, Lady Victoria?"
Victoria moved her gaze to Grandpa Roland. She stayed silent for several seconds, just watching the old man.
"We need Roland Zhou. Only he can influence his grandchildren. It's time for him to wake up and become like us," Victoria said with conviction.
"Lady Victoria, are you sure about this? Turning him into one of us will not guarantee that he can maintain her sane mind. He might become an emotionless bloodsucker who can't even recognize his own family." The vampire reminded her of the negative effect of turning a human into a vampire.
"We will never know unless we try. Prepare everything. We will transfer Roland Zhou and get him out of this hospital, Now!" Victoria ordered him.
"But what are we going to do to his family members? They will notice once Roland Zhou disappears from the hospital. They will investigate his sudden disappearance."
Victoria just smiled mischievously and said, "We don't have to be afraid of human laws. Even if they try to find us, they can't locate us because we will never leave a trace."
"Who knows? By the time they meet their grandfather once again, he is healthier than before," Victoria added with so much confidence in her tone.
"Okay, Lady Victoria. We understand. We are preparing now." The vampire responded obediently.
"Good. I will handle everything from here." Victoria was referring to hypnotizing the nurses and doctor assigned to watch over Grandpa Roland. She would also ensure to erase the CCTV recordings.
Victoria didn't waste any more time as she started to make a move. She was clueless that by taking Grandpa Roland, she would anger two powerful creatures!
*****
Meanwhile, at the Zhou Empire, Marceline continued ignoring Kira. She focused on her several tasks as the Chairman of the Zhou Empire.
She was still upset about Kira. She was also having conflicting thoughts about Dylan, Dominique, and Serena.
She couldn't get Serena and Kira out of her mind so she was a little bit distracted during her work.
On the other side of the office, Kira also felt the same way. He was thinking about Serena and Selene. He was really torn between the two women and he had no idea what to do.
He already missed talking to Marceline. Aside from that, he felt hungry as Marceline didn't feed him any blood. He was having a big problem right now.
The more Marceline was avoiding him, the more he could feel the longing for her. And he longed for her, his hunger intensified further.
"Damn! What should I do? I can't force her to feed me… But the more I try to restrain myself, the more I crave for her. However, I feel like I don't have the right to show my face to her right now."
Kira sighed deeply, still contemplating what to do. He kept pacing back and forth inside his own office.
"Should I go to her and beg?" Kira immediately shook his head, disregarding his idea. He was worried that she would become angrier once he did that.
Kira was still in the middle of making a decision when Xyon entered his office. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw Xyon.
"Xy, how is your Big Boss? Is she in the mood now?" Kira asked him anxiously.
Xyon just raised his eyebrow and said, "I knew it! The two of you fought, am I right? My big boss is ignoring you as if you are invisible! Hmm, what crime have you done this time, Mr. Alaric?" Xyon interrogated Kira as he brought a chair in front of Kira's desk and sat down.
Kira just glared at him, feeling annoyed as Xyon just rubbed a salt on his wound.
He immediately pointed his forefinger at the door and said, "Xyon… just LEAVE… before I end up making you my meal and sucking your blood. I'm hungry right now."
Xyon: "..."
Not saying a word, Xyon immediately stood up and fled to save his life. He was just teasing Kira but the Vampire King got annoyed easily.
Bam!
The closing of the door resounded as Xyon left his office in a hurry. Kira took another deep breath, massaging his temples.
"Aah! How do I fix this?" He asked his own self.
After a few seconds, Kira stood up as he could no longer stand being avoided by Marceline.
"I have to see her… I want to see her… and talk to her." Kira finally gave in to the desire of his heart.