My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin-Chapter 56: Don’t Believe People So Easily

Meanwhile, Nolan had been standing in line for hours. He looked ahead and sighed heavily.

"At this rate, we might not be able to reach the counter until the mall closes," he muttered, turning to the other queue to look for Ashley. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

His brows drew together when he didn’t see her behind him. Their queues were moving at different paces, and he had lost track of who was ahead and behind. But when he looked again, he finally caught sight of her further up.

Nolan heaved a sigh of relief. "What was I thinking?" he murmured. "The madam wouldn’t try to leave now."

If Ashley had planned to escape, she would’ve done it long ago. She could’ve taken control of the car on their way here or slipped away when she stopped by the restroom after they arrived. But throughout, Ashley hadn’t shown any sign of doing anything other than getting her hands on the game Primo requested.

To his surprise, he saw Ashley nod at the person she was talking to before stepping out of the queue.

"Madam?" He furrowed his brows, watching as the person she had been speaking with took her spot.

"Hey, Nolan," she called quietly. "It seems there’s another way to get the game."

She leaned closer and whispered, "From what I heard from the guys in my line, some people have been lining up here since yesterday."

"What?"

"But not all of these people are here just because the game is fun," she added knowingly. "Some line up early so they can resell it at double or even triple the price."

Surprise washed over Nolan’s face as he looked at her, nodding slowly. When he glanced at the queue again, he finally understood—not everyone was here just to play the game. Some were here for business.

"That makes sense," he muttered.

"Hear me out," Ashley said, clearing her throat. "The guys told me they have a contact nearby who already got the game yesterday."

Nolan frowned. "If that’s true, why are they still lining up?"

"Duh? Because he’s selling it three times the original price." Ashley clicked her tongue. "I’m going to buy it even if it’s ten times the price. We have the money, and that’s still better than staying in this line."

"Don’t believe people like that so easily."

Suddenly, Ashley and Nolan turned toward the person standing in front of Nolan. A young man glanced back at them, his eyes darting between the two.

"Is this your first time?" he asked, nodding as if they didn’t need to answer. "Not everyone here is lining up just to play. Some treat this like a small business. But because long lines like this are normal, people use different tactics to kick out their competition."

Both Ashley and Nolan frowned at him.

"What I’m saying is, some people will try to get you out of line by making you leave your spot," he clarified, jerking his chin toward Ashley. "What you did is smart—paying someone to hold your place. But don’t just take people’s word for it. You can listen to me or not, but don’t say I didn’t warn you."

With that, the stranger turned back around as if he hadn’t just interrupted their conversation.

Nolan and Ashley exchanged a look.

"I think he has a point," Nolan said. "Whether he’s telling the truth or not, it’s possible."

Ashley pouted slightly before looking at him. Seeing that look in her eyes, Nolan knew he had to decide quickly before she could say anything.

After all, they only had two choices: who would stay to keep Nolan’s spot, and who would check if the seller was real.

A moment later, Nolan smiled. "Madam, why don’t you go?"

"Nolan, you should go," she said at the same time. "Huh?"

"Haha," Nolan chuckled and nodded. "I trust you, Madam. I want to trust you."

Besides, whether she stayed or not, they would be separated anyway. Ashley would have a chance to leave either way. So it was better if she handled the negotiation and confirmed the reseller.

I don’t want to keep doubting her, Nolan told himself. One last chance. If she escapes, then I’ll never doubt myself again. But if she doesn’t... I want to believe this is real. That she won’t break the Young Master’s and the Master’s hearts.

Ashley blinked at him before smiling. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Oh..." She tilted her head slightly before smiling brightly. "Then I’ll go check it out. I’ll come back quickly once I get it."

Nolan hummed, listening as she explained where the reseller was. But just as she turned to leave, she stopped and looked back at him.

"Nolan," she called with a smile. "Thanks. I’ll be back... I promise."

"..." Nolan pressed his lips into a thin line, seeing the sincerity in her eyes. "I’ll be waiting."

With that, Ashley walked away from the queue to find the reseller and get the game, even if it cost ten times the original price. As for Nolan, he kept his spot, hoping the reseller’s claim was true so they could finally leave this line.

*****

Thirty minutes later, Nolan checked his watch and furrowed his brows. He looked around, growing uneasy as Ashley still hadn’t returned.

"No, no," he whispered, shaking his head. "She’s probably negotiating... or maybe the reseller is asking for more."

It was also possible that others were competing to buy it first.

"That’s right," he nodded, pushing away the uneasy thoughts. "That must be it."

But even as he reassured himself, nervousness crept into his chest. Another ten minutes later, Nolan was restless, convinced something had gone wrong.

Then, two familiar figures suddenly appeared beside him.

When Nolan turned, he immediately recognized them.

"Gin? Vodka?" he called in surprise. "What are you—"

"Nolan," Gin said quietly, "you need to go home now."

"What?"

"We found the madam trying to escape again," Vodka said. "She’s being dragged back to the mansion. You also need to explain yourself to the master. He’s furious this time, Nolan."

Confusion settled heavily in Nolan’s chest. He shook his head. "No, the madam wasn’t—" Or did she really try to escape?

The mere thought of it almost crushed Nolan’s hope when, out of nowhere, a voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Excuse me?"

Before he could finish, a man in a hoodie approached them.

"Are you Nolan?"

The stranger looked him up and down as if confirming something. "Yeah... you look just like she described," he muttered before raising a paper bag. "That woman asked me to give this to you earlier, but some men dragged her away. So she told me to hand this to you instead."

"Sorry," he added with an awkward laugh. "Took me almost an hour to find you. But this is the game she bought."

Nolan took the bag and checked inside. The game’s box was there, the same poster printed on its cover.

Slowly, he looked back at the young man.

"You were the reseller?" he asked.

The young man nodded.

Nolan’s heart sank as everything fell into place.

Ashley hadn’t tried to escape.

She hadn’t come back... because she had already been dragged away.

"No..." he whispered, turning to the Dominion guards in quick panic. "Where’s the master?"

Both men furrowed their brows, but before they could, Nolan hurried away, knowing... Lucian would make a huge mistake.