My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin

Minutes ago...

A large team of designers and the glam crew cared for Ashley. Her instructors were also present to see the finished product.

But they were not the most shocked by her final look.

Rather, it was Ashley herself.

Standing in front of the fullbody mirror, she stared at her reflection in utter shock. Her red lips parted slightly, her eyes widened just a bit—barely recognizing herself.

"This is..." she touched her cheek, her gaze following her reflection’s movements. "... me?"

Everyone’s smiles around her brightened. Even Reina nodded in satisfaction, pleased by the elegant beauty before them.

It wasn’t like Ashley was unpleasant to the eye. If anything, everyone knew she had a naturally beautiful face and a fit body that suited her. But this was the first time they had truly seen her appear so ladylike.

Not just for them, but for Ashley as well.

Even in her previous life, she never entrusted herself to others and usually stuck to her preferred style. Obviously, her sense of style had been terribly off.

Ashley pursed her lips and gracefully turned to everyone in the room, smiling.

"Thank you," she said from the bottom of her heart. "You are all godsent."

She nodded, containing the strange feeling swelling in her chest. Something she had never felt before. Her eyes scanned every person in the room who had helped her until her gaze landed on Reina.

Reina wore a small smile and nodded at her approvingly.

It was a strange feeling. Even when Ashley had earned Reina’s "approval" in her previous life, it had never felt like this, as though she was receiving it for the very first time.

"Madam," Reina broke the silence as she sauntered to Ashley’s side. She stopped beside her and reached for her earring, adjusting it slightly.

Once she met Ashley’s eyes, she nodded. "Do not overthink it," she said. "Aside from everything else, enjoy the night."

"Haha," Ashley let out a soft chuckle. "I’ll try."

Smiling, Reina rested a hand on Ashley’s shoulder and gently turned her until she was facing the mirror once more.

"Madam, remember," she hummed. "This is the woman standing before them. Don’t falter."

To be honest, Reina had the urge to correct herself for what she had said before. Seeing Ashley now—and knowing how hard she had worked these past few days—Reina’s confidence in her had grown immensely.

*****

[Present Time]

Reina smiled from the mezzanine along with the others, watching Ashley at the top of the stairs. All of them wore satisfied expressions, especially when their gazes drifted to the people gathered below.

The room had stilled at the sight of Ashley, shock written across every face. Even Lucian stood frozen in place, simply staring at the woman draped in red elegance.

Her hair was styled into a beautiful, loose low bun, with soft strands intentionally framing her face. Some trailed down her slender neck, drawing the eye toward the exquisite jewelry resting there.

Below, a tight, strapless red dress hugged her figure, accentuating her natural curves. With her hair up, her collarbones added an extra touch of allure to the dress’s quiet elegance. Draped over her arm and arching across her back was a fluffy white scarf.

Ashley descended, each step careful yet graceful.

And still, no one made a sound except for the sharp clicks of her stilettos. Even when she stopped before Lucian, Nolan, Primo, and Gustav, silence lingered.

Her brows lifted slightly as she blinked at them, almost innocently.

I know I look good... but why are they staring at me like this?

"Uhm..." she cleared her throat. "Hello? Is anybody here?"

She waved a hand at Nolan and Primo, snapping them out of their daze. Both the old and the young blinked in surprise before smiling.

"Madam, you look stunning," Nolan said with satisfaction. "Too stunning."

Then Primo, who had already written something, raised his drawing pad.

[Wow.]

Ashley chuckled and bent slightly, resting her hands on her knees.

"Primo, I look good, don’t I?" she asked with a smile.

Primo nodded enthusiastically, watching her red lips curl into a smirk.

"If I do... should you give me a kiss for good luck?"

"???"

Primo’s breath hitched, his eyes widening as his face turned bright red. He watched as she tilted her head and pointed playfully at her cheek.

Little did she know, she had just snapped Lucian out of his daze.

A kiss?

His gaze drifted toward Ashley and Primo. Watching his son’s flushed face, he swallowed, his thoughts spiraling elsewhere.

"Fine," she clicked her tongue lightly as Primo fumbled with his fingers. "I’ll try again next time—"

Smootch!

Nolan almost flinched, and Gustav’s brows furrowed at what happened next.

Ashley’s brows shot up as soft, small lips landed on her cheek for just a second. Slowly, she turned her eyes to Primo, only to see his face had grown even redder, as if he were about to pass out.

"Haha. Pri... mo...?" Her laughter faded as her voice trailed off.

Primo suddenly jumped back and sprinted away as fast as he could.

She frowned slightly, concern flickering in her eyes.

"Did I make him uncomfortable?" she wondered aloud, only for Nolan to chuckle.

"The Young Master is simply flustered," he explained. "But I am certain he isn’t angry."

Ashley let out a small breath, glancing toward where Primo had run off with lingering concern.

Then again... knowing him, he would’ve coldly written [NO.]

She chuckled softly. "I guess I’ll make it up to him later."

Then she turned to Lucian.

Lucian maintained his composure, but the moment their eyes met, he lowered his gaze slightly.

If she were to ask how she looked, the answer would be obvious. But that wasn’t what he was bracing himself for.

It was what she had asked Primo to do.

Much to Lucian’s dismay, Ashley only met his gaze for a brief second before looking past him.

"Oh, Gustav!" she called, stepping lightly to the side to show herself. "What do you think? Am I pretty?"

The moment the words left her lips, the room stilled again, but for an entirely different reason.

Gustav’s breath hitched as his heart nearly stopped. His wide eyes shifted past Ashley... straight to Lucian.

The boss didn’t look at him, but everyone could feel it.

The temperature had dropped, and his aura was pitch black.

Gustav couldn’t see Lucian’s expression, but he could feel the suffocating pressure radiating from him.

This woman—!

Gustav mentally clenched his teeth, glaring at Ashley, who was casually modeling herself in front of him. It had been a while since he had to deal with her, but now that she had another chance, she was practically trying to get him killed!

"Haha!" Ashley laughed, waving her hand. "Look at Gustav. He’s too mesmerized, he can’t even talk~!"

Nolan cleared his throat while the others lowered their heads, horrified. Then they peeked at Gustav, only to see a man on the brink of pulling out his gun and ending his own misery.

As for Ashley, she simply turned away, ignoring him, and faced Lucian, who still hadn’t moved.

Just a glimpse of his dark expression was enough to know Gustav’s neck was on the chopping block once more.

Her lips curled into a smile. Her gloved hand rested gently on his shoulder. Standing slightly on her toes, she leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Like magic, the tension around him eased as he tilted his head slightly.

Barely pulling back, she tilted her head and met his eyes, her smile still radiant.

"Such a handsome date I got," she giggled, winking. "Lucky me~!"

The corners of Lucian’s lips curled into a slight smirk as he offered his arm to her.

"Shall we?" he said, his voice low yet laced with quiet pleasure.

For a split second, she caught a flicker of something dangerous in his eyes.

Still, she smiled and took his arm, her fingers wrapping around it.