Chapter 134: You and I will be in danger.
Ashley paused, dwelling on her thoughts longer as she reorganized the timelines of the past and the changes in the current one.
A minute later, the quiet chat box rang again.
[Sending you the materials~]
As soon as she read that, a large file followed. Ashley checked it, opening it through safe software just in case Omen had embedded something to track her. Once she was certain it was clean, she went through all the files — bank transactions, identification profiles, records, and the like.
Ashley narrowed her eyes, skimming through everything.
After reaching the last file, she frowned. "These are not helpful."
To summarize it all, Patrick had shaken hands with a few of Dominion’s enemies to take Lucian down. However, she already knew this — and Dominion surely did as well.
The file also suggested that Lucian had already dealt with it. It didn’t state it outright, but the evidence pointed to it. Especially since Patrick was reported missing and, until now, had not been found. The bodies recovered from the people listed were enough to confirm it.
The most alarming part, however, was that these individuals were now classified as mercenaries. They came from newly formed groups, effectively cutting off the trail. It made it difficult to determine who had actually sent them.
[Now, send me the headgear!]
[Ghost: Useless info.]
[Excuse me?]
[Ghost: I said find the master puppeteer, not this bs.]
[This is all the information available! Ghost, do you think I perform miracles?! I can only get what I can, alright? Also, I’m already scared of what you’re doing! Are you tired of living in the afterlife that you’re trying to mess with Dominion?]
Ashley blinked, rereading Omen’s panicked reply.
"How do I tell him I’m not messing with Dominion?" she muttered, because literally, Dominion was sleeping in the family room.
[Ghost: Dig deeper.]
[Can’t.]
She stared at his message, only for another one to appear.
[Master boss, even if I dig deeper, this is all I can gather. I’m serious about this. My gut is telling me more of this? You and I will be in danger.]
Again, Ashley reread Omen’s message and noticed the shift in his tone. This guy might be the most unserious person she had ever known, but at the same time, he would do everything to be number one again in the game.
That headgear in the game was worth more than his own life.
"If Omen can’t find more information, it only means..." she muttered, leaning her arm against the table. "The person behind it has come prepared."
"Or the conspiracy behind it is much bigger than I thought."
With that thought in mind, her expression darkened.
She ignored Omen’s chat and continued working on her laptop, conducting her own research on the ambush and the person behind it. Deep down, she knew Dominion had already conducted its own investigation and likely had answers. But since Lucian hadn’t disclosed anything — and she hadn’t asked — she wanted to stay updated on the situation in the underground world.
It had been a while.
And although Lucian had no issue discussing important matters in her presence, she still needed time to refresh her understanding of the current tides of the underground.
As Ashley dug deeper, she ended up looking into White Serpent.
"Huh?" she hummed, knitting her brows as multiple tabs appeared on her screen, only for them to disappear almost immediately.
Soon, her screen was filled with information about White Serpent.
"So, White Serpent has welcomed its new Don, huh?" she muttered. "I think I missed this detail before."
Then again, White Serpent was just another organized crime group in the underground — one she had nothing to do with.
As Ashley read through the information, she suddenly paused.
Deep lines formed on her face as something caught her attention.
Why?
Because the information connected White Serpent to another group — one that Marshal Di Carpio had temporarily allied with.
Yes.
It was the same mission — the last one Ashley did for the Di Carpios — where she was arrested.
That mission had actually been Marshal sending reinforcements. And since she was disposable, he sent Ashley along with a few others.
During that mission, Ashley confronted several people.
And some of them were from the White Serpent Brotherhood.
"Seventh... Division?" she whispered, checking the identities of those taken down during the incident. "Those guys were from the Seventh Division of White Serpent?"
As the words slipped past her lips, Silvestre’s voice echoed in her mind.
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!
Meaning, they came from the same division as Silvestre.
And it reminded her of how he had casually mentioned that some of his friends had died in an incident, leading to a restructuring within their ranks in passing.
Ashley’s lips pressed into a thin line, her emotions conflicting.
Even though she didn’t appreciate White Serpent infiltrating Dominion and spiking Lucian’s drink, encountering someone grieving the deaths she had caused reinforced the guilt that had been gnawing at her all her life.
Silence fell as she stared at the screen, trying to make sense of the emotions swirling in her chest.
"Don’t..." she whispered, almost as a warning. "...don’t let your emotions take over."
She shook her head and closed the tab, digging deeper into White Serpent and their current movements. Then, she returned her focus to Dominion and the growing interest surrounding them in the underground.
Ashley immersed herself in the information, attempting to refresh her memory even as guilt resurfaced within her.
But as she worked tirelessly, her keyboard echoing in the dead of night, her fingers suddenly stopped.
The glow of the screen illuminated her face, revealing the subtle shift in her expression.
Ashley gulped as she drew a slow breath, sensing danger right behind her.
Her heart slowed, and her breathing steadied.
Who could get this close... inside Dominion?
This was Dominion.
But then again... that was also the answer. This was Dominion.
And if it had been infiltrated, no one would be surprised.
Drawing another breath, Ashley briefly closed her eyes. When she opened them, she felt someone reaching out from behind her.
Before they could grab her — or worse — she moved.
Reaching for the top of her laptop, she snapped it shut, plunging the room into darkness. Then she grabbed the arm reaching for her and kicked her chair back.
To her surprise, the chair stopped mid-motion.
He blocked it.
Her grip tightened on his arm, but he countered immediately, pulling her toward him.
Ashley reacted quickly, dropping her weight low and sliding downward. But even then, her attacker barely bent before yanking her back up.
They exchanged blows in the dark, the chair clattering to the side.
When she saw an opening, Ashley slid toward the fallen chair, grabbed it, and smashed it against the table until it broke apart. She snatched a jagged piece and lunged to stab him. But he blocked it, striking her arm and redirecting the attack.
Taking advantage of the moment, he tackled her to the ground, pinning her arms and legs against the carpet.
Thud!
Ashley braced for the impact, but instead, she felt a hand cradle the back of her head, softening the blow.
Huh?
Her eyes widened as she stared at the figure above her.
She blinked repeatedly, realizing the weight on one of her arms had lifted. He reached for the makeshift stake in her hand.
"There is a gun under the desk," he said calmly. "Pull that out next time."
The moment his voice reached her ears, Ashley gasped as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
"Lu — My baby HUSBAND!?"