Chapter 142: Location
"Change it."
Hearing Lucian’s quick order made everyone frown—everyone except Ashley. If anything, her smile stretched so wide her eyes began to squint.
"Thanks!" She leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You’re the best!"
Seeing this, their faces twitched. Having a woman sitting on their boss’s lap was one thing, but this shameless display of affection?
Finally, they had seen what everyone had been talking about... or so they all thought.
Instinctively, they glanced in Gustav’s direction. The man looked back at them as if silently saying, Now you understand my dilemma, don’t you?
"Ahem!" Lukas cleared his throat, forcing a strained smile. "Master, Madam, these are the best locations I have found for Dominion. While the madam’s concerns are valid, I also considered not only convenience for you and Dominion, but also our safety."
"Master, I agree with him!" one of them chimed in. "The school you’re sending the Young Master to is outside Dominion’s jurisdiction or anyone’s. There may be small gangs here and there, but it’s not the best place for any underground organization to operate."
"Considering the kind of government that place has, it will be tricky even for us!"
Another spoke up, "Master, with all due respect, please reconsider your decision. Lukas selected these areas with Dominion’s best interests in mind."
Lucian tilted his head slightly, letting them speak. But his answer remained the same.
"Sure," he nodded. "I’ve given it more thought. Change it."
Lukas’s breath hitched as he stared at his boss in shock. This was the first time Lucian had dismissed everything he said, just because his wife didn’t like the options based on nothing but her whims.
"Master." This time, Gustav stepped in, noticing the atmosphere in the room darkening. "Please consider it seriously. I’m not saying you haven’t, but Lukas is your advisor."
An advisor Lucian didn’t need most of the time.
Ashley pursed her lips, stopping herself from voicing her thoughts aloud.
"It’s alright," Lukas said, forcing a smile. "I will revise the options and find a better location, as the master instructed. However, since the Young Master’s school will open soon, we may not have much time."
"Exactly!" another echoed. "Master, it’s not just the location; we also need to consider time."
Lukas nodded in agreement. "How about this?" He glanced at Ashley. "Madam, we can temporarily choose one of these locations while I find you a better place. Something more suitable for your taste."
"But if you do that, Primo will have a hard time going back and forth," she frowned. "He’s eight! How can he spend three hours on the road every day when we could spend that time beating the big boss?"
"Huh?" Everyone furrowed their brows in confusion. "Big boss?"
"What I’m saying is—no," Ashley shook her head. "We’re not staying there. I don’t want to."
Disbelief spread across their faces. Some scoffed at her shallow reasoning before turning to Lucian, only for him to give a small shrug.
"Hah..." Gustav ground his teeth, unable to stop himself as he shot her a deadly glare.
He would try to be unbiased... next time.
"Madam, if you are that adamant, then why don’t you find a place for us?" Gustav challenged, holding himself back from cursing her out in front of Lucian.
"Yeah, why not do it yourself?" another added. "It’s not that easy."
"Finding a place for Dominion to stay for almost an entire year isn’t simple," someone else said. "You have to consider location, proximity to the school, and everyone’s safety, including yours."
Everyone nodded, looking at her with thinly veiled ridicule.
Had she forgotten they were Dominion?
Even if she was clueless and selfish, she should at least remember she was part of Dominion. It wasn’t just their safety—it was hers as well.
I thought people were exaggerating since things have been quiet lately, someone thought. But I guess I underestimated this femme fatale.
"Master, please hear us," Gustav said, turning to Lucian before casting Ashley a discreet but sharp glare.
Ashley scrunched her nose. He wasn’t even trying to hide that he wanted to kill me.
"The madam keeps making demands, but the work only doubles for us," he continued. "Since she dislikes these locations, it would be best for her to find one that ensures everyone’s safety, convenience, and minimal travel time for the Young Master."
He sneered slightly as he glanced at her. "That way, we won’t waste time figuring out what meets her high standards."
A few people snickered under their breath. Even Lukas, who usually maintained his composure, glanced at Gustav. They didn’t always agree, but today, they shared the same sentiment.
With that, everyone turned to Lucian, pleased to see him considering it.
"Alright," Lucian said, making them sigh in relief. He turned to her, asking, "Do you have a place in mind?"
Ashley’s small smile widened. She quickly hopped off his lap and marched toward Lukas. Stopping in front of him, she tilted her chin toward the red marker in his hand.
"Borrow," she said softly, palms open.
"Ah."
Though confused, Lukas handed it to her.
Everyone watched as she approached the board, bit off the marker cap, and began crossing out the circled locations.
"This is too expensive. This one’s too crowded... too ugly. And this one’s too far from Primo’s school," she muttered, striking through each option Lukas had carefully selected.
When she finished, she stepped back and studied the map for a few seconds. Then, after a brief pause, she circled a different location.
"Heh." She turned around, hands behind her back, smiling. "This!"
"Huh?" Everyone leaned closer to the map. Then, their faces soured, expressing their opinions one after another.
"That’s an empty lot."
"There’s nothing there. You’re joking... right?"
But all they heard was Ashley clicking her tongue. She calmly walked back to Lucian, grabbed the tablet, and then extended her arm to Lukas.
Lukas furrowed his brows, but seeing her shake it forced him to take it.
"That’s not an empty lot," she began as she watched everyone walk closer to Lukas and check the tablet. "It’s an unused one."
She paused as she crossed her arms, propping herself against Lucian’s armrest.
"It used to be a residential area. Since the school is in a more secluded location, people lived nearby, but after the land was bought, they were forced out."
"But due to budget issues, the project was paused and hasn’t been picked up yet," she continued in a matter-of-fact tone. "Compared to the other locations, this one is only more or less five kilometers away from the school."
Ashley looked at Lucian. "Primo could use a bike to go to school for exercise."
Lucian nodded, satisfied with the idea. Then, she shifted her attention back to them.
"If you actually checked the map, you’d know that this is the best part," she continued casually, marching back to the physical map sprawled on the board. "Behind this area offers a strong terrain advantage for Dominion."
She added as she marked the little terrain spots. "This one, we can use them for chopper landings. There’s also a pre-built tunnel system."
She cocked her head to them.
"In case of an ambush, we’ll have multiple escape routes or even counterattack paths, once Dominion familiarizes itself with the layout."
Lucian watched quietly, even though he had already seen everything while she had been scrolling earlier.
"Also..." She grinned at him and at everyone else. "It’s up for sale. I just confirmed it — right over the last slide."
"All you have to do is buy it~. One big expense, but it becomes an asset. Once Primo graduates, we can turn it into a mall... or our retirement home."
As the words left her lips, she looked at Lucian coquettishly.
Lukas and Gustav opened their mouths, then closed them again, stunned into silence. Others just stared at her blankly.
"There’s no way that—" Gustav started, only to be cut off.
"Lukas, do as she said," Lucian ordered, his gaze lingering on Ashley for a moment before shifting to the others. "Now."
"But —" Gustav halted, and everyone was trying to plead with him when Ashley cut in right away.
"Shhh!!!" Ashley raised a finger to her lips, hushing them before she winked, saying, "You’re welcome."
They quickly moved to verify everything Ashley had said, convinced she had made it all up. There was no way she found that location so easily.
To their surprise... everything was true.
Or rather, better.
Because the place she had chosen... had the potential to become Dominion’s second fortress.