When was Ashley’s first mission? Her first real experience when faced with danger? The first time she watched someone die right before her eyes? And the first time she thought she was going to die?

Ashley might not remember all of it, and she might have buried those memories just to forget.

But what she could clearly remember was this: if she didn’t pull herself out of a situation, no one else would. That she — her entire existence — would simply be reduced to a number; a casualty, deemed a part of a failed mission, just like everyone else.

No matter how much she bled, how badly she was hurt, or how successful her mission was... all she would get was a dismissive nod from her father.

So, even knowing she had asked her abductors to hand a tracker over to Dominion, old habits die hard.

Eventually, she even forgot about the tracker entirely, too caught up in the situation unfolding around her. In her mind, she knew she had to do what she had to do — and that she was the only one who could save herself.

No one else would come for her.

And if she wanted to survive, she had to keep moving. And perhaps pray she had enough luck to get herself home, or at least to a clinic.

Those were the thoughts running through her head as she sank deeper into the ocean.

Why had she not believed that Dominion would actually come? That Lucian himself would put himself at risk for her? How could she have forgotten all the questions she had asked herself about his motives and intentions — about why this man kept showing up, even when she cursed him, hated him, and pushed him away?

How could she have never once considered that Lucian was not Marshal?

How could she have failed to see, even by now, that when it comes to her, Lucian acts before he thinks? That he breaks his own rules for her?

And above all, how could she not have drilled it into her own mind that she was now a part of Dominion? Not the Di Carpios?

That in this place, Lucian had handed her a position of importance equal to his own — not used her as a tool, the way she had been used her entire life?

The position he had given her was not as empty as others had claimed, nor as empty as she herself had believed.

And with what had happened, he made sure everyone understood that this title was not empty at all. Not just to every person who had looked down on her, but to Ashley herself.

Surely, when life decides to teach someone a lesson, the tuition for that one class is never cheap.

*****

A faint grunt escaped Ashley as a dull ache spread across her back. Slowly, she opened her eyes, aware that her body was positioned uncomfortably. It took her a moment to realize it was because of her injury.

Her eyes fluttered open, her vision still blurry. She made out the light in the room and an unfamiliar high ceiling. She blinked until things gradually came into focus.

As her vision cleared, the voices in the room did too.

"We’ve apprehended the leader of the Knights’ Gang — found him already trying to flee. He’s being interrogated now."

"As for the gang’s members, they all say the same thing: they were just following orders from their boss."

"The captain of the abduction unit is still unconscious, but the other members are also being interrogated. According to them, it was a mission they openly opposed when their founder proposed they take this job one last time."

"The person Red dragged back with us is keeping his mouth shut. He’s already been beaten, but he won’t say a word."

Ashley furrowed her brows and looked down, taking in the scene below.

Several people were seated around a set of couches, with Lucian in the armchair. He had already changed into his usual formal suit, his hair neatly brushed, his face composed. It was almost as though he hadn’t just walked out of a deadly battlefield.

He sat there, sipping tea, listening to the reports.

Around him were Gustav, Lukas, and Gin, all three men seated with grim expressions.

Ashley’s gaze drifted to Lukas, who had no business being here. She had met him only once in this lifetime — when they were helping Lucian scout an area for Dominion to settle in temporarily.

"This wouldn’t have happened if Dominion hadn’t moved..." Lukas trailed off when Lucian shot him a sharp glance. He cleared his throat and lowered his head. "Apologies."

"Keep your opinions to yourself," Gustav cut in before Lucian could. "This is not the time to be pointing fingers. Focus on what’s in front of us."

Lukas clicked his tongue and shot Gustav a glare. He had already heard about Gustav’s little outing — how he had humiliated Nikki by transferring her position in the company to a nameless employee.

Hence, the revival of the tension between them.

Gin, for his part, only glanced between the two. He kept himself out of it; by hierarchy, both Gustav and Lukas outranked him. The only reason he was in the room at all was that he had facilitated the rescue mission.

"In other words, we still have no leads on who’s behind this?" Lucian said calmly, ignoring the growing friction between the other two as he took another sip of his tea.

His dark eyes, however, remained sharp.

"About that —" Gin cleared his throat. "The man who assisted the Madam — Rus — said he believed there were three people leading the operation."

Everyone turned to him, brows drawn together.

Gin continued. "One of them is the man Red dragged back for questioning. According to Rus, when he saw the Madam fall, he also noticed someone the Madam called Carrotman on the ship’s mast attempting to escape. We can’t confirm whether he succeeded, but if I had to estimate, he slipped out before we burned the ship."

"As for the third..." he added, "Rus said he never saw him at all." He was simply laying out everything Rus had shared — the man had been cooperative and given them all he could.

"My assumption is that this third person had already fled once he realized Dominion was closing in," Gin concluded. "We’re still looking into it..."

His voice trailed off as something caught his eye at the edge of his vision. When he turned, his eyes went wide, and he sucked in a breath.

"Madam!" He nearly startled himself with his own reaction.

Every head in the room turned toward the bed, and Lucian set down his teacup immediately.

"We’ll continue this later," he said, already moving.

He was at her bedside in moments, studying her complexion. Some color had returned to her face. He rested his hands on the edge of the mattress and looked at her without a word.

Ashley looked back at him, and a faint smile crossed her lips.

"Don’t try to talk yet," he said, only for her to shake her head.

She opened her mouth, but her throat was dry, and her voice came out barely a whisper. Lucian leaned down while the others in the room quietly rose to leave. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Before anyone reached the door, she gathered herself and spoke clearly enough for them all to hear.

"Phone," she said, making Lucian lift his head, and the others pause with furrowed brows. "Where’s... my phone?"