When Ashley first heard that Primo was actually Lucian’s nephew, the shock was brief. What lasted was the realization of why Lucian hadn’t spoken of it to anybody — that even Nolan was unaware.

It would be a huge problem if others found out.

But there was something else Ashley had realized: Nikki.

When she married into Dominion, Nikki had already been sent away. Others assumed it was because Nikki was needed to assist in Dominion’s legalization efforts. Since Dominion was a large international organization, it made sense to have trusted people running a few of the international branches.

That was what Ashley had known from her previous life. But after Lucian told her about Primo and Emma, she realized his reason for sending Nikki away wasn’t as simple as that. He had sent her away because she knew about Emma.

And if she knew about Emma, Nikki also knew about Primo.

It worried Ashley more than she could ever express. Although Nikki’s loyalty was tied to Dominion, it was never to Lucian. The woman had her own ulterior motives — and someone like Nikki would do everything to get what she wanted. Even if it meant risking her life by using that information against him.

Ashley knew that much about her, having dealt with the woman in her previous life.

Above all, Ashley, of all people, knew how cruel this world was to the illegitimate.

Right now, Dominion answered to Primo’s every whim simply because of Lucian. But the moment some bastard questioned it, it would become a massive problem — and people’s loyalties had a way of shifting far too easily.

So, while Lucian planned to take this secret to his grave, Ashley would rather prepare for the worst. Deep in her heart, she hoped it would never come to that. But she couldn’t ignore a threat just because another person in the world knew about it. This information was a ticking time bomb for Dominion.

And she was not about to watch it land directly in Primo’s lap.

*****

Red, Vodka, and Rum stood outside the ward in complete silence, deep lines etched into their faces as they each turned things over in their heads.

Rum opened his mouth, then shut it, his expression twisting.

In the car, they had been the ones telling her to stop her nonsense. Now, they were the ones who couldn’t force a single word out.

How had that happened, they wondered.

"Is she..." Rum finally found his voice, drawing the other two’s attention. "...is she actually... really smart?"

Red and Vodka raised their brows and looked upward.

"Is she?" Red blurted. "She sounded smart for a second."

"Yes," Rum nodded. "For exactly one second."

Vodka nodded in agreement.

"Wow — that woman... wow!" Rum laughed and scoffed at the same time, his gaze drifting to the closed door of the private ward. "I can’t tell anymore if she’s dumb or smart, or somehow both. Is she playing us? Or is she just really good at turning an argument around — wow. That’s insane!"

As Rum wrestled with his thoughts in barely coherent words, Vodka and Red turned toward the closed door.

They truly hadn’t expected Ashley’s answer.

"Trust, huh?" Red murmured, leaning against the wall. "She still does... even after being abducted?"

Even though Red and his group had escaped any real punishment, what happened still weighed on them. She had been taken right in front of them. How could she still trust them? Red had even been considering asking Lucian to reassign them.

He had been wondering whether female members of Dominion should replace them, so someone could follow her into places like restrooms without issue.

A quiet exhale escaped him, earning a sideways glance from Vodka.

Silence settled between the two of them while Rum was still somewhere between fascinated and mortified.

*****

Meanwhile, inside the ward, Ashley stood with her back to the closed door.

Her abductors were inside. Khan, who had only just regained consciousness, lay weakly on one of the beds. Rus, Nelek, and Warriyo sat on their own respective beds.

The ward was wide enough for all four of them, though it had originally been a private room for a single VIP patient.

"Ah!" Rus jolted upright, pointing a finger at Ashley, then looking at the others. "It’s — it’s her! Chopstick lady!"

Nelek frowned at him. "We can see her, Rus."

Warriyo nodded, snapping his gaze toward her. Khan, meanwhile, tried to sit up, only for her to speak first.

"Don’t force yourself," she said as she walked in, heading straight for the couch. "I heard you just woke up. You still need plenty of rest."

Once Ashley settled onto the armrest, she scanned their faces. "So, how are you guys?"

The answer she got was a scoff. None of them said anything else.

Before she arrived, Rus had already been filling the others in on everything — how he had made it back to Ashley, how the Knights Gang had been executed, how other men had sedated her and moved her to a cargo hold, and everything that followed.

So unlike the initial picture they’d had of her — Lucian’s quiet little wife — their view of her had shifted completely.

The woman sitting across from them was not just Lucian’s wife.

She was Dominion’s Madam.

And right now, their lives hung in the balance at her discretion.

"I believe you’ve been informed," Ashley began, arms resting on the armrest, eyes moving slowly across the faces before her from her corner, where she had a full view of all of them. "Dominion is not going to kill you." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Nelek exhaled. "We heard," he said. "But no one told us why."

"Because why would they tell you why — when you already know?" She narrowed her eyes, her voice edged with something playful. "You already know why."

Silence followed as the four exchanged glances. Of course, they had an idea. They had been discussing it among themselves since Khan woke up.

Her lips stretched slowly until her eyes crinkled with the smile.

"So?" she hummed. "What’s your answer?"

She tilted. "Are you joining Dominion? Or rather, specifically, the madam’s faction?"