My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin-Chapter 14: Zero Value

Days later...

Nolan looked out the window at the beautiful landscape surrounding the estate.

Unfortunately, one particular spot ruined the entire view.

The same spot where Ashley was sulking.

"..." Nolan instinctively shifted his gaze beside him, where Primo was standing, also looking at Ashley.

For days now, Ashley’s mood seemed to have gone from very high — sky-high, even — to the pits of hell. Even the air around her was so gloomy that even the usually grumpy Gustav would look like a jolly person next to her.

Was it because she kept losing against the young master that her pride was crushed? I didn’t know games could leave such an effect on someone.

Nolan let out a sigh as the thought crossed his mind.

"Master, should you go easy on the Madam?"

"..." Primo looked up at him, curiosity clear in his eyes, as if silently asking whether that was really allowed.

"It might uplift her mood a little," Nolan advised quietly, watching the hesitation and confusion swirling in the young master’s eyes.

To be fair, Nolan was worried — even until now. He was worried that Ashley might be up to something again, and this time it wouldn’t just affect Dominion or Lucian, but Primo directly.

So far, though, it didn’t seem that bad.

Besides, Primo looked more alive these days. Even though the two of them constantly played against each other, there was this lingering excitement every time he finished his studies. Often, he would rush back to his room to find her there.

Now, on this particular Saturday morning, here Primo was, standing by the window with him, staring at the spiraling Ashley.

[Okay.]

Nolan smiled subtly, nodding at him before shifting his gaze back to where Ashley was spreading her gloominess.

Unlike what they were thinking, though, that was not the reason Ashley’s mood had hit rock bottom.

"Damn it," she muttered, crouched near the ruined garden while mindlessly picking up some weeds. "I should’ve woken up from the very beginning instead of six months later."

She sighed heavily for the umpteenth time.

In the past seven days since she woke up from her death, aside from spending time trying to beat Primo, she had also been trying to remember the events that had occurred in the six months before her death rewired her brain.

And the more she delved into it, the angrier she felt toward herself.

Why did I do that? Why did I believe that made sense? Just why?

Those thoughts spiraled endlessly in her mind.

It wasn’t like she didn’t know the answer.

"I didn’t just trust him," she whispered. "And... I loathed the fact that even after everything I did for Marshal, and after he shamelessly discarded me, he’d ruin everything for me once more."

It wasn’t Lucian she was trying to destroy in her previous life, but Marshal. She believed that if Marshal was benefiting from this marriage, she might as well ruin it without regard for who would get hurt in the process.

Aside from the lack of trust between her and Lucian, she rebelled because she refused to be used by her father. She didn’t want Marshal benefiting from her misfortune.

Quite ironic, considering she had tried to be useful just to survive — until Marshal discarded her. That was her turning point, making her realize that no matter what she did for him, her value remained the same.

Zero.

"To make it worse, I just realized the night I woke up that I leaked information to the underground and ruined a deal Lucian had worked so hard for," she clasped her hair in distress, hanging her head low. "Stupid — idiot!"

She had done that because she thought it would keep him busy and allow her to sneak out.

But obviously, Lucian had seen that coming.

"Not only did I leak the information for free, I even failed to escape," she seethed, only for her anger to magically subside with another sharp huff. "I wasn’t this stupid before."

Or maybe she had been foolish all along.

For believing that if she were useful enough, stained her hands enough, and brought home enough success, her father would eventually value her as more than just the mistake he had made for believing a deceitful prostitute’s claim that she was carrying his "son."

"That explains why Lucian has been busy these days," she hummed, puffing her cheeks as she kept plucking the weeds aggressively. "It’s my fault. I haven’t even seen him except during mealtimes, but even then, he’s working."

Her face soured.

"I can’t even blame Gustav for that, since it’s my fault he has to work hard and save what he can from my own doing."

"In my previous life, after what I’d done... Gustav always stepped in," she muttered.

Not that Lucian would directly tell her, but he never minded having her around when they talked about classified matters.

But since then, Gustav had made sure she was never around, since Lucian wouldn’t mind her presence.

That was also the reason she couldn’t even visit Lucian — not when guards were stopping her from going to the separate guest house within Dominion’s lot.

"Come on, brain, let’s get to work," she knocked lightly on her head, urging herself to remember more about what had happened.

Five years was a long time. There was no way one could remember everything in perfect sequence.

She knocked her head again, thinking deeply about what came next.

Then she suddenly paused.

"Right..." she whispered as her eyes slowly widened. "It’s around this time that Lucian would have to go on a business trip to meet someone—"

She sucked in a sharp breath. "...fuck me."

Ashley jumped from her spot, the weeds in her fist scattering into the air. She hurriedly rushed inside, her heart thumping hard against her ribs.

After she leaked important information regarding Dominion’s expansion plans, the deal fell through. And since this expansion would step on a lot of dangerous people’s toes, Lucian would be ambushed, and the very person he would meet would die.

That would earn Dominion another formidable enemy.

In her previous life, Lucian might have survived the ambush, but it left him with lasting injuries.

Lucian was already unhealthy with his sleeping problems and that smoking habit of his. Those injuries he would suffer from that ambush would only be the beginning of all the disasters that would follow.

After all, in this world, when the man in power weakened, the greedy ones would circle him like vultures.

One of those vultures was Marshal.

*****

"Master."

Lucian stopped at the entrance of the main residence upon Gustav’s call. He turned to face the latter, waiting for him to speak.

"I still think we should bring more men with us," Gustav said sternly. "It’s dangerous."

They couldn’t just leave half of their best men rotting in this house just to watch over Ashley. Surely, that shameless woman had no idea what in the world she had just done.

After leaking such important information and earning Dominion unnecessary enemies, Lucian also had to weaken his forces just so they could catch her if she tried to escape again.

The additional enemies were not the problem; they had already expected that if the deal pushed through.

But not when their main forces were split.

"We can just leave a few soldiers to guard this place—" They didn’t need to leave their elite members just to babysit her.

But he halted when Lucian intervened mid-sentence.

"Gustav, I already made my decision before I left the meeting," Lucian said. "Gather our men. We’ll leave."

He would’ve left already, but he wanted to check on Primo first.

And maybe... Ashley.

Bitterness crept onto Gustav’s face as he balled his hands into tight fists. But before he could try to convince his boss again — or before Lucian could repeat his words more firmly — a loud noise drew their attention.

Both men turned their heads toward the sound, only to furrow their brows upon spotting Ashley by the stairs.

There she was, clumsily dragging a large suitcase down the steps, a large hat on her head paired with a pink dress. It looked like she was going on a vacation.

Once she reached the landing, she straightened her back and smiled at them brightly. As if nothing strange were happening.

"Let’s go!"

Lucian: "..."

Gustav slowly turned to Lucian. "...Master?"

At the same time, Nolan and Primo arrived and saw the situation. Nolan blinked while Primo tilted his head.

Meanwhile, Ashley had already started dragging the large and heavy suitcase toward the door.