Chapter 122: All The Best
Meanwhile, just outside the coffee shop, Red and Rum stood by the entrance.
From their spot, they could see Ashley and that silver-haired trash talking.
"The hell?" Rum grumbled in disbelief. "How in the world does she know someone like that?"
Red didn’t answer, keeping his attention on Ashley and the man with her. His expression remained stern and grim as he studied the tattoo peeking from the man’s neck.
"Say, Rum... am I tripping?" he asked without looking away. "Isn’t that tattoo the symbol of the White Serpent?"
Rum raised his brows and glanced at Red’s side profile.
It was true that Ashley told them to wait in the parking lot. She was just going to send Shyaan off and didn’t plan to stay long. However, no matter how questionable Ashley’s reputation and image were in their minds, protecting her was still their job.
So, they came to check on her.
Then, they saw her bump into someone.
They intervened when the man approached Ashley—not because they recognized his tattoo, but out of instinct. They could smell danger from him.
Now that they were observing him more closely, the large tattoo peeking from his exposed skin reminded them of that organization.
"White Serpent, huh?" Rum rocked his head. "It does look like it."
"They say the bigger the snake, the higher the rank," Red muttered. "Considering how massive his is, doesn’t that make him at least an underboss?"
Rum nodded, then shrugged. "But why would they send someone like that into Dominion? They wouldn’t dare."
Red slowly shifted his gaze to Rum, already regretting bringing him along. He should’ve brought Gin—the brain of their group—instead of this loudmouth.
"Red, you know people these days get tattoos just for aesthetics," Rum argued. "There’s nothing wrong with that! But in the underground, no one would dare step into Dominion’s territory. Especially people like that. Otherwise, they’d just be picking a fight with us!"
"They’re not that stupid, are they?" he added with a shrug.
Red listened, rocking his head slightly. Although he wasn’t convinced, it made some sense. The ground they stood on was under Dominion’s protection. Someone from the White Serpent wouldn’t casually walk into it.
"We’ll see," he hummed, keeping his eyes on Ashley. "What the hell are they talking about?"
"He’s seducing her, isn’t he?"
"Shut up."
Rum narrowed his eyes, darting his gaze between the two figures inside. "He’s definitely hitting on her. I’m gonna tell Master!"
Red shot him a look. "If he’s innocent, do you really want him dead?"
Did Rum forget Lucian was ready to skin June alive not long ago?
*****
Ashley sat in the backseat, deep in thought.
Red glanced at her through the rearview mirror, noticing how unusually quiet she was. She had been staring out the window in complete silence.
It made him uneasy, like she was planning something again.
To his surprise, Ashley suddenly snapped her gaze toward him.
"Do you know what kind of ice cream Lucian likes?"
For a few seconds, silence filled the car. Red’s face twitched, mentally hissing.
For a second, I thought she was planning another grand escape... damn it!
Rum chuckled awkwardly from the front passenger seat, glancing back at her.
"Hehe... from what I know, Master doesn’t like sweet things."
"Eh?" she tilted her head. "But he keeps telling me I’m sweet."
"..."
Both Red and Rum deadpanned, staring straight ahead.
Meanwhile, Ashley rubbed her chin, genuinely thinking about it. What she didn’t know was that the two men silently sympathized with Gustav and the driver from last night, having been trapped in the same vehicle as Lucian and Ashley.
"I’ll just get him anything!" she declared, leaning back with a sigh as she turned to the window again.
Ashley clicked her tongue, thinking about her meeting with that man.
"Silvestre. That’s the name I go by now! And I’m part of the White Serpent’s Seventh Division. Meaning, we’re ranked seventh!"
Another deep exhale escaped her as she recalled his proud declaration. She didn’t want to dwell on it, so she focused instead on what to get Lucian on the way back since she had promised to buy Primo some games.
He really changed, she thought. He’s not the same quiet kid... like a wild, wounded animal.
Back then, the boy had been quiet but fierce. He got into fights with other kids and never backed down. Yet with her, he listened without question.
He wasn’t loud, but his actions spoke enough.
Now, he was completely different.
And being in this world, she knew that behind Silvestre’s smile were all the scars they had carried just to survive.
Not to mention... that fool came into Dominion because of me.
She exhaled again, caught in a moral dilemma about whether to tell Lucian or not.
If Lucian found out a member of the White Serpent was in his territory, it wouldn’t sit well with him. Or with anyone in Dominion.
She was just glad these two weren’t asking questions.
Ashley shook her head and pulled out her phone. She was about to check her contacts when a message from an unknown number appeared.
[From: Unknown
This is my number, Boo. <3]
"How troublesome," she muttered, thinking about how to respond.
She appreciated that the boy who had always lingered in her thoughts was alive. Not just alive, but doing well in his own way.
No matter what, the memories she shared with him were something she quietly cherished.
Ashley closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she began typing.
[To: Unknown
I’m really glad to see you. Knowing you’re well puts my heart at ease. However, please don’t contact me again. If you know I’m part of Dominion, it’s best we don’t stay in touch. What you did is risky. I hope you don’t do this again.
All the best.]
After sending the message and seeing it marked as read, Ashley immediately blocked the number.
Then she checked Lucian’s chat. He hadn’t replied earlier, so she sent another message.
[To: My Baby Boo <3
I bumped into a member of the White Serpent Brotherhood. I’m fine, though—it’s not what you think. I’ll tell you about it later.
Anyway, Rum told me you don’t like sweets. Is that true? If so, does that mean you don’t like me? You said I’m sweet!]
Ashley frowned as her mood dipped, glaring at her phone as she saw the message delivered.
Then, she saw him typing.
"You’d better answer me right," she muttered under her breath, completely forgetting about Silvestre as her focus shifted to her husband. "Or... you’re dead."
The two men in front furrowed their brows, glancing back, wondering who she was threatening so intensely.
[From: My Baby Boo <3
He’s lying.]
*****
Meanwhile, aboard a private plane, Silvestre tilted his head. The smile on his face was gone; he wasn’t even frowning. He simply stared at his phone, expression blank, rereading Ashley’s message.
[...All the best.]
"..." He leaned back in his seat, twirling his phone between his fingers. "Interesting. I thought she’d cry if I mentioned that boy."
He blinked, then snapped his gaze back to the screen, a dry smirk tugging at his lips.
"Then again... she slaughtered my men some time ago." His eyes darkened slightly.
"I’m starting to get really interested in Lucian’s wife."