My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin-Chapter 57: WHY. HIM. AGAIN?

Minutes ago...

Ashley beamed as she sat on the bench, waiting for the reseller to get her her "good" stuff. It sounded a little illegal, but she knew she would come home victorious and brag about her "sufferings" to Primo.

"Hehe..." she chuckled, only for her surroundings to dim so suddenly.

"Huh?" Ashley looked up, blinking once as she caught the dark and hard expressions of those looking down at her. "Wait, I—"

Before she could say another word, the men yanked her by the shoulders and dragged her away with them.

"Wait—what—hey! It’s not what you think!" Ashley struggled, but the more she did, the tighter they held onto her.

"There’s no use struggling," one of the men remarked. "Even the master will not hear a word you say!"

"You psycho! If you were escaping, how dare you drag Nolan along with you?"

"You’re dead this time," another one remarked.

But Ashley just gritted her teeth and didn’t listen to a word they said. "Wait—I..." she trailed off, putting all her weight into her feet to make it harder for them to drag her.

As she did, she caught sight of the guy she had been transacting with.

"Hey!" she shouted at him. "Look for a weird-looking butler named Nolan in the queue and give it to him!"

The youth, who was bringing the game back for her, furrowed his brows at the woman being dragged away by men in suits.

"Give it to him, or I’ll find you!" she threatened loudly enough to draw even more attention than they already had. Even with her arms restrained and her heels dragging across the floor, she managed to raise two fingers, point them at her eyes, and then at him.

"..." The youth blinked, unsure whether to call the police or look for this weird-looking butler named Nolan.

After a second, he shrugged and turned to walk away, thinking he had just gotten paid for nothing. But then his steps halted when he remembered the look on her face. He gulped, knowing she might actually find him.

"With how she negotiated with me, I don’t think that psycho is kidding."

His face soured at the thought, and in the end, he went back to the queue to look for this weird-looking butler. But now that he had found him, the youth was once again left staring at the old butler and the men in suits hurrying away.

"At least they’re not dragging him away," he muttered, wondering why that woman was being dragged around like some convict. "I wonder if they’re some kind of criminals... or just from some sick rich family. Oh well, not my business."

The youth chuckled as he patted his pocket, thinking it was a good day for him.

But unlike the youth, who had a good day, his client’s night was only just beginning.

*****

"Wait—ack—" Ashley tried to explain the situation to the men Lucian had sent after her, but before she could, they jabbed something into her nape.

It stung, and her vision instantly blurred.

"Shit," she breathed out, her hand shooting to her neck on instinct. She barely managed to look back at them before her consciousness quickly faded.

But before she fell unconscious, she whispered, "...why?"

The men stood outside the car and stared at her lying in the trunk. Their eyes were cold, their expressions shrouded in darkness.

"This bitch..." one of them clicked his tongue. "If she doesn’t die today, I’ll kill her when I get the chance."

"Let her be," another said, already walking away. "Let’s just bring her back to the territory. If there’s someone who should kill her, that should be the master."

Their expressions soured, knowing there was no way Lucian would actually kill her. However, they still hoped that tonight, Lucian would teach her a harsh lesson. Not to mention, judging by Lucian’s aura, he was truly furious this time.

With that, they shut the trunk, leaving her there instead of putting her in the backseat.

*

*

*

One hour later...

Ashley let out a groan, her nose scrunching even before she opened her eyes. The thick smell of smoke filled her nose, drawing a cough out of her. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

At first, all she saw was darkness.

"Ugh..." she groaned and coughed again, waving a hand in front of her as she sat up.

Deep lines formed on her face; her strength was almost nonexistent. She was used to this, though. At least, her body was. After the last time she struggled and hurt someone, the members of Dominion had started carrying a drug to sedate her so they could bring her back without any hassle.

"Ouch... I feel like I was tossed around while I was out..." she trailed off, only to feel a shiver crawl down her spine.

On instinct, Ashley turned her head to the other side of the bed. Her entire body froze the moment she caught the silhouette seated on the chair beside it.

There, Lucian sat in the darkness, and even though she couldn’t see the look on his face, she could feel the murderous intent pouring off him.

The only thing clear to her was the lit end of the cigarette between his fingers and the smoke he exhaled into the room.

"Lu..." she trailed off as she tried to move toward him, only to realize one of her feet was chained. Ashley glanced down and tugged at it, only to hear the metal clank.

Her mouth opened and closed before she turned to Lucian again. This time, she saw him slowly rise to his feet.

Panicked, Ashley reached out to him even though her foot was restrained at the other end.

"Lu, it’s not what you think—" But before she could touch him, he grabbed her wrist aggressively and placed a knee on the edge of the bed.

Her face twisted at the strength of his grip, as though he meant to break her wrist. "Ouch..."

"Why..." he breathed out, his chest rising and falling heavily.

Then, in the next second, he shoved her down onto the bed and growled, "WHY. HIM. AGAIN?!"

His growl echoed through the room, making her flinch. Now that he was hovering over her, one hand gripping her wrist and the other pressing down on her shoulder, her heart seemed to stop for a moment as her breath hitched.

Why... she thought. Why is he this angry?

From what she remembered, Lucian would be angry, but not to this extent.

But right now, it truly looked like... he was going to kill her.