My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin

"Did you find the person who spiked my drink last night?"

Silence fell over the room as Gustav lowered his head. Meanwhile, Lucian walked back to his chair and sat down.

"Unfortunately, none of the cameras at the event—including the body cams from the servers—captured the person who served you that drink," Gustav began, taking out printed photos of key details. "However, in one of the footage, it shows that someone did approach you that night to hand you the drink."

Lucian arched a brow as he examined the printed photo.

The image, taken from CCTV footage, showed Lucian standing among the crowd, with a server positioned right beside him.

From this alone, Lucian noticed two things.

First, the server seemed aware of the camera angle. From where he stood, it was clear he was using Lucian as cover while serving him.

Second, there was only one drink on the tray.

"..." Lucian’s mood darkened as he stared at it. "No footage from the body cam?"

Gustav shook his head. "Unfortunately, none. We checked all the servers’ body cams and reviewed them throughout the night. A few of them served you, but not during that time."

Which meant the server wasn’t part of the crew.

Gustav didn’t need to spell it out for Lucian to understand.

"There’s also another important detail," he continued, placing another file in front of Lucian. "Although the server managed to sneak in and out without leaving a trace, I noticed someone among the guests last night."

Gustav’s expression hardened as Lucian picked up the new file. As soon as Lucian opened it, Gustav resumed his report.

"One of the guests had an unusual tattoo on the back of his hand, as seen in one of the body cam footages," Gustav explained, pointing to a printed photo of a person taking a glass from a tray. "However, when I checked the guest list, there was no such person who had such a tattoo."

"It’s that tattoo, Master," he added, his eyes sharp. "The same one used by the White Serpent Brotherhood."

The White Serpent Brotherhood was one of the largest organizations in the far east. They were comparable to Dominion in scale, but unlike Dominion, they had no intention of becoming legitimate. If anything, they dealt in every kind of trade—including those Dominion had abandoned.

The Black Dragon Dominion had existed for a long time within the criminal world. However, only under Lucian had it begun transitioning toward legitimacy. The dons before him had all failed, though they shared the same goal.

After years in that world, even the last don had grown tired of living like a criminal.

The White Serpent Brotherhood, on the other hand, had only existed for a few years. And yet, they had expanded at an alarming rate. Unlike Dominion, they were far more aggressive.

And now, it showed...

They had infiltrated Dominion’s territory.

Lucian stared at the photo, focusing on the snake tattoo inked on the back of the man’s hand. He couldn’t see the person’s face, but the fact that someone like this could enter their domain undetected spoke volumes.

"The one who spiked your drink and this person may be working together," Gustav said, lowering his head. "Based on the timestamps, any footage of this man with the snake tattoo disappeared after Madam announced the body cams."

Lucian glanced up. "They probably didn’t expect the servers to have body cams."

"Yes," Gustav nodded. "And it wouldn’t be surprising if they erased their traces the moment they realized that. However, it seems they overlooked this detail—one that leads directly back to their organization."

Aside from their allies, no one in the underground world would dare provoke Dominion.

But if it was this organization... Gustav wouldn’t be surprised. They were new, aggressive, and reckless.

"If this is true, then we can assume the White Serpent Brotherhood is testing Dominion’s power," he concluded. "How should we deal with them, Master?"

Lucian didn’t answer immediately. He stared at the photo in silence.

But he wasn’t thinking about how to deal with them.

He already knew how.

What troubled him was something else. He had been too distracted last night to notice such a presence near him.

Not good.

Lucian couldn’t afford that kind of lapse, not even in his own territory. With Dominion moving toward legitimacy and gaining a political backer—thanks to Tommy—they were no longer just an underground force.

They were becoming something more.

And people wouldn’t sit still and watch that happen. Especially those who stood against them.

Dominion was already terrifying. But once Lucian fully cleansed its name, its influence would extend into the political sphere, where true power lay.

Even if that wasn’t his intention, others had already assumed it was.

And some people wouldn’t allow it.

"Send men to one of their branches," Lucian said calmly, lifting his gaze to Gustav. "Make sure the White Serpent understands the warning. There won’t be a next time."

Gustav nodded. "Yes, sir."

"And..." Lucian placed the photo down, sliding it toward Gustav before flipping it so it faced him. "Tell them to hand this person over."

Lucian straightened, his expression cold. "I believe they left this footage on purpose," he said. "And used that drug to make sure you would investigate."

Gustav frowned. "Why would they—" He stopped as realization struck. His expression twisted with anger.

If Lucian was right, then they wanted to be discovered.

They were mocking Dominion.

But before Gustav could dwell on it, he looked up again.

"Master, if this was deliberate, why ask them to hand him over?"

Lucian slipped his hands into his pockets. "Feed their egos. Fooling Dominion is a badge of honor. Let them carry it... for now."

In other words, Lucian would strike once, and everything would collapse.

Gustav held his breath, then bowed. "Understood, Master."

*****

Meanwhile, at the airport...

"Sorry, sorry!" Ashley apologized as papers scattered across the floor after she bumped into someone.

She crouched down to pick them up, reaching for one, only to pause when another hand picked it up at the same time.

That wasn’t what made her stop, though.

It was the snake tattoo on the back of the person’s hand.

White Serpent Brotherhood.