My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin

Lucian had thought about it over and over again, barely sleeping at all. Tommy had told him he didn’t need to see the results, and Lucian believed him. The man hadn’t even seemed curious about them.

Ashley, however, had been looking forward to seeing them.

"Hey."

Ashley’s sleepy voice echoed through the room. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up and looked at him.

Lucian was propped up beside her, his back resting against the headboard.

"Sleep some more," he whispered, allowing her to crawl closer until her head rested against his chest. "We still have three hours before we land."

She closed her eyes and hummed. "You still haven’t slept?"

"I did..." He trailed off when she peeked up at him. "...a little."

"You should sleep." She released a deep breath. "I’ll take it from here. I’m just going to lie down for a little longer."

"It’s all right." He chuckled lightly. "Sir Tommy’s men have taken care of everything."

A small smile touched her lips as she kept her eyes closed.

For a while, silence reigned in the room as the couple cuddled. Lucian’s fingertips gently brushed across her back, attempting to soothe her back to sleep. However, Ashley had already slept for several hours straight. She felt better and more refreshed than she had in a long time.

Not to mention, the knowledge that she wouldn’t have to fight anyone today or tomorrow gave her the peace she desperately needed. She could already imagine spending a few days with Primo and returning to her usual routine. Most importantly, she wanted to check on the people from the base whom she had sent to the farm and see how they were adjusting to their new lives.

There was so much she could do that didn’t require putting her life on the line.

Ashley smiled at the thought, almost excited about the days ahead of her.

Then, she noticed Lucian’s unusual silence.

Her eyes slowly opened before she lifted her gaze to study his face.

"Lucian, is something wrong?" she asked.

Lucian met her gaze. His lips parted, but he closed them again without saying anything. That simple reaction was enough to make Ashley sit up.

"Something is wrong?" she whispered. "What is it? Lucian, you need to tell me now."

Within seconds, her mind had already leaped to a hundred different conclusions. A look like that from Lucian could mean anything.

"Isabella Di Carpio escaped," he began, sitting upright and turning to face her. "From what we know, she left with people who weren’t part of the Di Carpio family."

He proceeded to explain what had happened behind the scenes. He told her how some members of the Di Carpio family had abandoned Marshal and Scott. He also told her about the men who had taken Carmella to the port and how they had attempted to leave her behind before Tommy’s men stopped them.

Ashley nodded in understanding.

"That’s not surprising," she muttered. "No one had ever truly threatened Marshal’s power. Scott was the only one genuinely loyal to him."

Without her—or rather, without Ghost—inside the Di Carpio family, the men’s confidence in Marshal had been superficial. Above all, the enemy they had faced was Dominion.

"That isn’t the problem," Lucian said, bringing her attention back to the current dilemma. "We have a much bigger one, and I don’t know exactly what it is yet. Do you remember the DNA tests I ordered?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded. "One between Marshal and me, and another between Uncle Tom and me."

"I received the results."

Her eyes briefly lit up. "Really?"

Her smile stiffened as soon as she saw his expression.

Lucian didn’t need to tell her what the results were. His face had already given her the answer.

"I didn’t mean to see them, but I accidentally opened the file." He released a shallow breath. "I’m sorry."

Ashley pursed her lips before forcing a smile. "That’s disappointing."

It was, Lucian thought.

"I want to run another test," Lucian proposed, watching as she looked up at him. "This time, I’ll ask someone else to handle it."

Ashley smiled faintly. "Lucian, why would you want to do it again? It isn’t going to change the results unless they were tampered—"

She trailed off, her brows drawing together. She studied her husband once more and realized there was something more behind the way he was looking at her.

"You think someone tampered with the results?" she asked. "What makes you think that?"

"Isabella," Lucian answered almost immediately. "I kept wondering why anyone would be interested in her. After seeing the results, I realized I might have been asking the wrong question."

It wasn’t about what Isabella could do.

It was about what her existence could mean.

And what these unknown people could achieve by using Isabella—or whom they intended to reach through her.

Ashley’s mouth fell open as realization struck her like lightning.

"Memphis," she whispered, and Lucian nodded.

"You think he wants to use her as leverage against Uncle Tom?"

"You’ve seen what his men are capable of and how much weight his words carry, even in a city like that."

Dominion had caused a massive disturbance, but Tommy had still managed to seize control of the city and all its exits. Even during the cleanup, several mercenaries had helped them while others monitored Interpol. Tommy’s men had even diverted Interpol to prevent them from reaching Dominion or catching a glimpse of any of its members.

For someone who was supposedly retired, Tommy was remarkably well-connected.

That was also why they had managed to leave the country so smoothly, with the assistance of several influential and powerful figures within the territory.

Surely, Tommy possessed—or knew—far more than he had revealed.

"So, it’s possible Memphis approached Marshal for that reason?" Ashley guessed.

Lucian nodded. "And right now, they don’t know that Marshal confessed."

The couple held each other’s gaze, Ashley’s eyes gradually lighting up.

"If that’s true, then we have an advantage," she whispered.

Lucian nodded again.

"That is... if the DNA results were truly tampered with," she added.

"I ordered Gustav to spread word of what happened. He has already told several people who will ensure the information reaches the right ears," Lucian explained. "Once the news reaches them, all they will know is that Marshal was shot down without putting up a fight."

He paused. "I’m telling you this because I know you’ve been looking forward to seeing the results. It seems the answer will have to be postponed for a little while longer."

Ashley smiled faintly and released a soft chuckle.

"It’s all right. Lucian, a piece of paper no longer determines who I am or where I belong. I know where I belong. I know my place in this world." She cupped his lean cheek and gently brushed her thumb across it. "It’s right here—as your wife and Primo’s mother."

Her smile widened. "And whether the results were tampered with or not, I know how to handle grenades."

Lucian studied her face before releasing a relieved sigh. A small smile crept across his lips as he nodded in understanding.

"Strangely enough, that’s almost exactly what Sir Tom said," he commented lightly. "One more thing. Isabella could never be their daughter."

Ashley chuckled. "I know."

"Hmm?"

"Marshal always suspected Carmella of sleeping around behind his back." Ashley shrugged. "He had several paternity tests done himself. I know because I found the results while snooping around their house when they were away."

However, no one else would know that, would they?

Ashley and Isabella weren’t born very far apart. More importantly, no one truly knew what had happened behind the Di Carpios’ closed doors.

It would be easy for anyone to make whatever claims they wanted... now that both Marshal and Carmella were dead.