My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin

Ashley looked back at the backseat, catching Primo and Elliot. Elliot was happily chatting with Primo, already planning their "slumber" party, while Primo glanced at his mother.

She smiled at him and nodded, peeling her eyes from them to the person in the driver’s seat.

"I —" she cleared her throat as her voice came out coarse. "I didn’t know you were a cop."

Julius raised his brows and chuckled. "Ah. Haha. It doesn’t look like it, huh?"

She smiled and bit her tongue. "It doesn’t," she quipped. "I thought you and Raka went to the same school."

"We did, but I changed my mind and joined the police academy," he explained. "He and my wife were classmates in a few classes. She’s a forensic scientist."

"Yeah, I heard," she nodded. "I didn’t see that at all."

Julius chuckled, keeping his eyes on the road. As for Ashley, she sat in her seat and relaxed her entire body. If Julius were in a different division, she wouldn’t be too cautious. But if it were Interpol, she needed to be a lot more careful.

"Anyway, if you need any help, let me know," he offered after a moment of silence. "I don’t know if I can do much with your situation, but if there’s anything I could help you with, I’ll do my best."

Ashley turned to him, her lips pursed into a thin line. "Why?"

"Hmm?"

"I’m sorry." Ashley cleared her throat. "But you barely know our family. So, even when I appreciate your offer, I can’t help but wonder why you are doing more for people you barely know."

He chuckled, giving her a quick side-eye. "Because it’s my job."

Julius set his eyes ahead, smiling.

"The people I help are also people I barely know. And although your situation and their situation are different, I just can’t help it," he explained, keeping it simple. "I’m sorry if that came across differently or as insulting, even."

"Not at all." She shook her head. "I’m just curious, but I’m not saying it’s bad."

He chuckled. "I’m glad to hear."

"Thank you," she expressed with a nod, looking ahead. "But you shouldn’t give out your offers so easily. I might just use it in the future, and you’d better not go back on your word."

"Haha! Don’t worry about it. I don’t go back on my word."

Ashley and even Primo turned to the driver’s seat, their eyes gleaming like predators in the middle of the woods.

Julius raised his brows and instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror, only to see Primo already looking at Elliot. When he glanced at Ashley, she was already smiling.

Did I just imagine that? he wondered. For a second, I thought I said something I’d regret.

He shook his head and didn’t think much about it. Julius refocused on driving in the neighborhood. She had told him to drop them off somewhere.

"Tomorrow is the last day of the event," Ashley hummed after a second, cautiously glancing at him. "Are you going there tomorrow?"

"Hmm?"

"Earlier, we saw some guys from your station," she said. "I thought you were getting arrested."

"Ah..." he chuckled. "Did it look like that?"

"It’s a little intimidating, so I was taken aback."

"Haha! It’s not that important — well, I mean, it is." Julius sighed heavily. "But work is work."

Ashley arched a brow, studying his side profile quietly. She understood that people in the justice system had a lot of cases to work on, and that their work probably piled up from small cases to the biggest cases in the world.

But based on everything she had observed so far, from the parking lot to now, an unpleasant feeling rose in her chest.

If Julius’s colleague were to come to the school instead of waiting for him, that would tell her a few things: Julius was in an important position. And this work... could be related to Dominion.

I may be just anxious or hyper-aware of the effects Lucian’s situation has on the underground and these guys, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

The adults still engaged in small talk until they reached a small neighborhood where Ashley and Primo stepped out. Standing on the side of the street, Ashley and Primo smiled at Julius.

Julius rolled his window down, staring at them. "Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you right to your house?"

"It’s okay," Ashley shook her head, smiling. "We can walk from here."

Julius glanced at the street; it didn’t look too dark. He smiled and nodded at them.

"Take care, both of you."

"Mhm. You too." She nodded. "Thanks."

Julius stared at the mother and son before slowly driving away with his own son. As he drove away, he glanced at them through the side mirror one last time.

I feel sorry for them, he thought with another deep exhale. What a strong young lady to hold everything together for her son despite what her husband is going through.

"Daddy, can I go to Primo’s house next time?" Elliot jumped from the back seat, looking at his father.

Julius hummed and nodded. "Next time."

"Why not now?"

"Because we haven’t asked your mom, and there are still some things in their home they need to settle," Julius explained gently. "When everything is okay, then maybe we can set that up."

He paused and grinned, glancing at his son briefly. "So, let’s pray for their family and hope that everything works in their favor."

"Okay~!" Elliot cheered, nodding. "I will pray for that so we can sleep over at their place!"

Julius chuckled, keeping the light mood for him and his son.

Little did Julius know that praying for Lucian’s recovery was something the entire underground world — or even the agency he worked for — would never wish for.

If anything, they prayed for the opposite.

If only Julius knew that the man he had been trying to chase and lock up was someone he already knew, he would have achieved his life’s goal.