Meanwhile, Ashley sat in the back seat of the car, giggling to herself with her phone in hand and an earbud in her ear, watching the entire scene unfold at Black Dragon Corporation.

Red and Tank, seated up front, glanced back at her.

She had been giggling as though she were watching something hilarious online. They exchanged a look and shrugged, having learned by now to simply let her be. They had seen the perks — and they had no intention of losing them.

As for Ashley, her focus stayed fixed on Lucian.

The modified voice everyone heard in the meeting had been pre-recorded, but the CCTV footage was something Ashley was controlling in real time from her phone. Having already breached the company’s security system, manipulating it remotely was almost trivially easy.

Her smile deepened as she recalled how the whole thing had come together.

*

*

*

A few nights ago...

"I’m going to put you on the board."

Ashley, who had just settled beside Lucian on the bed, turned to look at him. He was propped against the headboard with the blanket already pulled up, a laptop resting on his legs, and thin-rimmed glasses on his face. He shifted his gaze toward her with an almost lazy ease.

"Would that be alright with you?"

Ashley tilted her head, a small furrow forming between her brows. "You mean a chessboard? Or the board of directors of Black Dragon Corporation?"

Both.

Lucian adjusted his position. "Aside from the High Chamber, Dominion has different factions."

"I know," she said.

"The faction I’m referring to is made up of the people who have stood behind me," he continued. "Those who had every reason to support me and every reason to keep me in power."

After all, their positions existed because Lucian sat at the helm of Dominion. If he fell, they fell with him. That was the risk they had accepted when they chose to back him at the time of his ascension. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"With everything that’s happened, they’ll want reassurance," he explained. "Not just words — proof."

Some had already begun to quietly question his position. Even if the doubts hadn’t spread openly through Dominion yet, his people were not blind to the larger picture. They wouldn’t voice it directly, but Lucian knew how these things worked.

He needed something — or someone — to show his own people that none of this was enough to bring him down.

And the perfect person for that was...

Lucian raised his brows at her, waiting.

"Lucian, you hired Ghost, so if you want others to know, I have no problem with that," she said, scooting closer. Concern was clear in her eyes. "But are you sure this will work?"

His brows furrowed slightly, so she pressed on.

"What I mean is — Ghost is just Ghost. I don’t think that’s enough."

For a moment, Lucian could only stare at his wife, at the genuine concern written plainly across her face. His mouth opened, then closed. In the end, he just looked at her.

"Ghost is more than enough," he finally said, almost wanting to laugh at how utterly unaware she was of the persona she had built for herself. "I’ll show you."

Ashley blinked, almost innocently, then nodded.

And so that night, Lucian walked her through the plan — how he intended to introduce Ghost to his own faction, and what he hoped it would accomplish.

*****

[Present Time]

Lucian had not come into today’s meeting hoping the board would be satisfied. He already knew they would be.

What he had hoped for today was for Ashley to understand one thing.

Even before she became Ashley De Luca — even before she was the Madam of Dominion — she had already been someone who was not merely feared, but valued in a way that was tied to no one.

"Master, is this real?" Lukas was already beside Lucian’s desk by the time they reached the office. "You actually — I mean, did you really get Ghost on our side?"

Lucian studied his reaction with mild curiosity. "I didn’t know you’d be this pleased, Lukas."

He glanced over at Gustav, who had just stepped in. Unlike Lukas, Gustav remained composed, but the quiet smile on his face told Lucian everything he needed to know.

"Master, who wouldn’t be?" Lukas said. "When we brought up the idea of bringing Ghost over as part of your agreement with the Di Carpios, you were against it."

That had been part of why Lukas had been so dissatisfied with this marriage to begin with.

Beyond the supposed truce with the Di Carpios, Dominion hadn’t seemed to gain much from the arrangement. Marshal not causing problems for them was something, perhaps, but barely. And even if Marshal had stopped being a nuisance, Ashley had brought considerable trouble of her own — especially in the first six months. She may have settled down since then, but Lukas knew what she was capable of. He knew she could turn on them without a second thought.

Lucian let out a dry chuckle, rising from his seat after collecting what he’d come back for.

"Be nicer to her, then," he said, turning to face Lukas one last time. "I’ll arrange for you to meet Ghost in person one day."

Lucian could only hope Lukas would have enough face once that happened.

With that, he walked out, casting Gustav a brief sideways glance as he passed. "You don’t need to see me out. You will have a guest today."

Gustav dipped his head and held it there until Lucian’s footsteps faded. When he looked up, a wide grin had spread across his face.

"Even after all these years, he still manages to surprise me," he murmured, then caught Lukas staring at him with a peculiar expression. "What?"

Lukas tilted his head, frowning slightly. "Gustav... did he just say Ghost is a woman?"

Gustav knitted his brows and replayed the exchange in his mind, then shrugged. He had been a little too busy quietly marveling at Lucian to pay close attention.

Because with that announcement, anyone conspiring in the shadows would have good reason to reconsider. It wasn’t merely a reassurance to Lucian’s own faction. It was a message to everyone working against him that he still had cards left to play.

"Not sure," Gustav said. "You probably misheard."

Lukas stared at him with open judgment. "Why did I even ask you?" he muttered, turning on his heel. "What would you know?"

Gustav watched him go, shaking his head slowly at the ever-contrary Lukas.

*****

Meanwhile, as Lucian entered the parking structure, he slowed to a stop.

Someone was just stepping out of their car nearby. A familiar figure who froze the moment he spotted Lucian and stared back at him.

"Ah!" The man jabbed a finger in Lucian’s direction. "You! You — I finally found you!"

And then he came marching over.

Who was it?

The very same person who had been hounding Lucian over the dent he had allegedly caused.

The van owner.