My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin-Chapter 75: Gazillion Kind Of Rich

Madam Shyaan was one of the most influential figures in the world of agriculture, with most of her clientele and connections among the elites. She and Mr. Ramirez — the two people Liza introduced to Ashley — were very different.

At the same time, their expertise in their respective fields earned them immense respect in the industry.

And now, Madam Shyaan wanted Ashley to attend an exclusive charity event she was hosting. It wasn’t just an invitation—Shyaan had sent a message right after, telling Ashley she wanted to introduce her to some people.

"...." Ashley sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the soft copy of the invitation on her phone.

According to it, the official letter would arrive in a few days. But Shyaan had simply been too excited and gave Ashley a heads-up.

An exclusive charity event, huh? she thought.

Ashley looked up, imagining the lavish parties she had seen before. She had never attended one — at least, not as a guest — but she had been to a few as a bystander or simply dropped by. Carmella — Marshal’s wife — loved parties and often threw lavish celebrations for Isabella.

Be it a birthday or a graduation, Carmella always had an excuse to celebrate her daughter. Obviously, shelling out large sums of money for Isabella was never a problem for Marshal. But Ashley was never meant to attend any of them. If anything, she was hidden away to help in the kitchen.

In my previous life, Lucian took me to a few exclusive parties, though, she thought, pursing her lips as she remembered how she had embarrassed herself at all of them.

Not only did she embarrass herself, but she also embarrassed Lucian in front of many people because of her lack of etiquette, her ugly sense of style, and just everything. It was the reason he made her take private lessons in etiquette. But even then, she failed.

Others might not say it to her face — especially not when Lucian was around — but she knew she had made a laughingstock of herself. Yet, he kept bringing her with him, regardless.

"..." Ashley pursed her lips as she gazed down.

Meanwhile, Lucian, who was sitting on his side of the bed, couldn’t help but glance at her. His answer to her previous question had been simple.

"Up to you."

But even after that, Ashley remained seated in silence. Minutes had passed, and as he watched her back, his curiosity slowly grew.

His mouth parted, tempted to ask what was troubling her, but he hesitated. They didn’t have that kind of relationship. Not yet. He didn’t want to overstep. Even so, her silence worried him.

Just then, Ashley turned and looked at him in silence. His brows rose slightly, unsure what she was staring at. Even as he tried to read her, he couldn’t tell what was going on in her mind.

Little did he know, Ashley was thinking about something only the Lucian from her previous life could answer.

Now that I think about it... this guy made me do a lot of things in the past. Taking lessons, forcing me to attend private classes, even pushing me to get a degree... even teaching me how to socialize.

She blinked, tilting her head slightly.

Back then, I always thought it was just his way of punishing me. But the more I think about it now... the more it feels like... he was preparing me for something.

She didn’t want to entertain the thought, but the realization was too heavy to ignore.

It almost felt like Lucian had been preparing her for a life outside Dominion. As if that had been his plan all along — for her to survive in a world beyond the violent life they lived.

"If you don’t want to go, then don’t." After a stretch of silence, Lucian finally spoke, breaking the quiet between them. She had been looking at him as if asking for help, after all.

"Madam Liza will understand," he added coolly.

Much to his surprise, she ignored that and asked something else.

"Lucian, would you be proud of me if I became rich?" she asked. Her voice — and even the look on her face — carried an innocence that seemed impossible for someone like her. "I mean, like filthy rich. Very rich. Something like that."

A moment of silence fell between them as they held each other’s gaze. Then, as always, he answered without hesitation.

"No."

She frowned deeply. "Why not? Just to clarify, I’m talking about billions — maybe even a gazillion kind of rich. Me, Ashley. The rich lady, Ashley. That’s not going to make you proud?"

Lucian drew a slow breath, relaxing against the headboard. "Surviving is enough."

His answer was short and vague, forcing her to interpret it through his logic.

What he meant was that she didn’t need to become insanely wealthy for him to be proud of her. Just her being able to survive until now was already enough.

Her mouth slowly formed an O. She blinked a few times before snapping her attention back to him. Then, Ashley placed a hand dramatically over her chest.

"That’s... weird," she mumbled, confusion crossing her face. "I think my heart just skipped a few beats — the heck?"

She hurriedly crawled onto the bed and knelt beside him. "Look! Am I having a panic attack or something?" she asked, grabbing his hand and placing it against her chest.

Lucian furrowed his brows as he felt her heart pounding. It was beating unusually fast, making him tilt his head slightly. Then, his expression shifted.

"Can you hear it?" she asked, confused.

He didn’t answer, but he could. It could feel it racing against his palm, just like how his heart beat against his chest in the same rhythm.

His thoughts halted as he felt distracted by the softness of her chest.

She’s not wearing a bra, he noted, glancing at her to see if she was teasing him.

But the confusion and genuine concern on her face told him otherwise. He cleared his throat, his pinky brushing lower as if testing the boundary. When she didn’t react, the corner of his lips lifted slightly as his hand subtly moved downward, inch by inch.

"How long do you plan to keep my hand on your chest?"

"Huh?" she snapped out of her thoughts, finally realizing where his hand had drifted. Instinctively, she slapped it away and jolted back.

Lucian merely raised a brow, looking away to hide the smirk forming on his lips. He almost laughed when she clicked her tongue and muttered,

"Pervert."

Ashley quickly slipped under the blanket, pulling it up to her shoulders and wrapping herself protectively. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she watched him place his laptop on the bedside table before grabbing the remote to turn off the lights.

As Lucian prepared to lie down, he paused at her soft voice. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Good night, Lu."

He turned, seeing only her head peeking out from the blanket. She smiled with closed lips, her eyes gently squinting.

He let out a shallow breath and nodded. "Night."