My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin-Chapter 8: A Kiss?

"This is so good," Ashley giggled as she chewed, almost cursing herself for starving for no reason.

One good thing about this place was the food, yet she had neglected it.

"Hmm?" Her brows rose as her gaze shifted to Lucian, who was giving her a cold sidelong glance. Then she looked at the little boy across from her.

Right, she thought. Primo.

Her chewing slowed as she stared at the boy quietly finishing his breakfast. In her five years of marriage, she hadn’t cared about him. It had been part of her agreement with Lucian that Primo was not her responsibility, and she had left it at that.

For years, she had lived under the same roof as this boy, yet she hadn’t spent even a second with him. If anything, she had been too busy defying her husband. How could she care for another child when she couldn’t even take care of herself?

But now that she thought about it, this boy was pitiful.

"Nolan."

Ashley’s thoughts halted when Lucian’s cold voice rang through the dining room. She blinked and turned to him, only to see Nolan step forward. Then Nolan approached the young master and helped him off the chair.

The boy merely glanced at his father and then at Ashley before leaving.

"I’ll be with the young master," Nolan said to Lucian, leaving the couple alone as he followed Dominion’s little treasure.

Around this time, she thought as she watched Nolan and the little boy walk away, Primo should already be preparing to go to his first big school.

She didn’t care much about Primo in her previous life, but she knew what happened to him. Lucian had sent Primo to a prestigious school as his last resort to give his son a normal life. Lucian hoped that a normal life might make the boy speak.

But that would all backfire... because of her.

Screw you, Ashley.

Her face twisted slightly, only to flinch when Lucian’s cold, distant voice brushed against her ears.

"What do you want?"

"Huh?" She looked at him in confusion.

Lucian leaned back in his seat, staring at her coldly. The emptiness in his eyes was ever-present, and his expression was unreadable. Back then, she had interpreted it as simple coldness and disdain. But now, she saw it as exhaustion.

Ashley pressed her lips into a thin line, sighing faintly at this foolish man who clung to a horrible monster like her. Somehow, just thinking about that made her sad.

"I’m asking you a question," he said, his voice snapping her out of her thoughts. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" she repeated with a furrowed brow, taking a second to understand what he meant. "Ah... you’re asking me what I want."

His brows furrowed. That was exactly what he said.

He narrowed his eyes as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. He expected her to ask for something impossible, just like she used to.

But Ashley couldn’t think of anything she wanted. So she smiled brightly and leaned over the table.

"A kiss."

"?"

She chuckled as she shoved a mouthful of food into her mouth, wiggling her brows knowingly. Meanwhile, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Just a few hours ago, Ashley would have looked at him with repulsion. Even from a distance, her eyes would gleam with disgust. What more when he was close? And yet now, she was asking him for a... kiss?

"No rush." She winked. "We can do it once I finish eating."

Then she continued eating, smiling brightly and giggling.

What... are you doing now? He wondered, his fingertips tapping on the armrest, his eyes fixed on her.

What kind of tactic is this now?

*

*

*

Of course, Lucian didn’t bother with her request. He knew she didn’t mean it. So he left while she continued eating as if she had been starving.

Standing in his home office by the window, he stared outside.

There, Ashley was taking a walk while looking at the empty garden she had uprooted a month ago. She had made a huge fuss about it back then, demanding it be uprooted because she said it was unsightly.

She didn’t like the flowers and had said that if she were to have a garden, only the most expensive and rarest ones should be in it. She had called his taste ugly and mocked him while she was at it.

Lucian crossed his arms, deep in thought.

"Master," Gustav’s voice came from behind him.

Standing in front of the desk was a man with a large scar stretching from beneath his eye down to his cheek. Another scar crossed over it, making it look like a cross.

"Gustav, find out what she’s up to now," Lucian ordered coldly, his eyes fixed on his rebellious wife. "She’s changed tactics, but she is not one to give up."

Gustav frowned deeply and sighed. "Master," he said, but stopped himself from adding anything more.

Everyone in this house was displeased with Ashley for how childish she had been and for how she had humiliated their boss. More importantly, her actions had hurt Dominion—like when she sold information to the black market not long ago, ruining the deal Lucian had worked on for years.

Lucian glanced over his shoulder. "And keep following her lover’s movements."

"Yes, Master." Gustav lowered his head and turned to carry out the order. But as he left, his eyes glinted sharply.

Meanwhile, Lucian stared at Gustav’s retreating figure before looking out the window again. There, he saw Ashley resting her fists on her hips as she stared at the garden.

"What are you up to now, wife?" A glint flickered in his eyes.

He didn’t feel good about this at all. Because in the six months they had been together, Ashley had made it very clear that the only thing she wanted was to leave his side—even if that meant killing him herself.

*

*

*

While Lucian was wracking his brain over Ashley’s next move, Ashley herself stared at the empty garden.

"When I came here, this garden was this place’s pride because of how beautiful it was," she scoffed. "And I just ruined it."

Ashley ruffled her hair irritably, the reality of it sinking deep into her heart. This garden, after all, had been the last straw for everyone, and her reputation had hit rock bottom because of it. More than that, the garden had belonged to the previous matriarch.

"Well, there’s no need to dwell on it," she huffed, nodding to herself. "The damage is done, so I might as well move forward. They can’t do anything to me since Lucian has my back."

She crossed her arms, trying not to dwell on her sullied reputation in Dominion. However, she was also aware that her relationship with Lucian was so strained that things wouldn’t be easy.

"He didn’t say it, but whenever I escape, Lucian always stays home. That’s another reason everyone hated me—because he cancels everything," she told herself. "And not just that, but I’m also under house arrest."

That had been the cycle of her life.

She escaped, got caught, Lucian stayed around, and she wouldn’t be able to take a single step outside this place. But if something important came up and Lucian needed to leave, he would take her with him just to show her how violent he could be. His actions only made her more repulsed because they reminded her of Marshal.

In the past, she had seen it as Lucian’s way of taming her. And because of a few people, she had been made to believe that all the people he taught a lesson to were innocent. It took her years to discover that Lucian’s actions were merely retaliation—but by then, their relationship had already been beyond repair.

So it didn’t matter anymore.

"He will stay here," she told herself, turning around to look at the window where Lucian’s office was. "Might as well use that time to at least make an effort to repair our relationship before it’s too late."

There, she saw him standing by the window, looking straight in her direction with his ever-cold expression.

Ashley smiled brightly and waved. Then she made a heart shape with her hands, the tips resting on top of her head.

As for Lucian, he furrowed his brows as he looked at his lively wife.

Whatever this new strategy was, it seemed she had finally found a way to strike a blow that would hurt.