"So? What’s your answer? Are you joining Dominion? Or rather — specifically — the Madam’s unit?"

Another wave of silence washed over the ward as all eyes landed on Ashley. Even Khan, who had barely survived death, could only stare at her in pure silence.

Khan pressed a button, automatically inclining his bed. But before he could say anything, Nelek spoke first.

"What’s in it for us?"

He knew how stupid that sounded, but they had to try — even if it made them look like idiots. A pathetic attempt to hold onto some semblance of control.

And as pathetic as it was, Ashley’s laugh only confirmed it.

"Pfft —!" It wasn’t a real laugh. It was the condescending kind, the sort that stung more than an insult. "Goodness!"

She clapped, looking at them with open amusement. "People at your level should know better lines than that! Come on! You’re better than this!"

Nelek’s face twisted. Warriyo held his breath and looked away, suppressing his displeasure. Rus clicked his tongue, staring at her as she laughed.

Rus, among all of them, already knew how unhinged this woman was. He had seen it firsthand. His friends, however, had just seen a short preview.

Khan, on the other hand, simply studied her. He didn’t question Nelek’s attempt to reclaim control, even though they were all well aware it wasn’t happening.

"Why?" came his hoarse, weak voice. "Why... are you giving us this chance?"

"Hmm?" Ashley blinked, turning her attention to Khan. Then she smiled, and this time, it genuinely reached her eyes. "Because you guys are amazing."

Their brows rose.

"You abducted the Madam in a place crawling with Dominion," she said. "Sure, it was stupid because Dominion will always take me back no matter what. But stupid worked. And I like that." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

She nodded, winking at them. "That’s bold, too. And you bought me my favorite instant noodles. You could say that won me over."

All of them: "..."

Seriously?

"So — even though what you did could never be repented for enough times to avoid an execution under Dominion’s code — I acknowledge talent. I acknowledge potential assets." She wiggled her brows. "Hence, you’re still alive."

"I want you to join Dominion." Ashley’s smile stretched. "Specifically — the Madam’s unit."

Deep lines appeared on their faces as they looked at one another, then settled their eyes on Khan.

They already knew there were only two options, with nothing in between. Agree and join her, or refuse and die. This woman had already shown what she was capable of on her own. She could kill all of them right here, right now.

It was simply a matter of how much they valued their lives.

That was all it came down to.

Khan nodded; he had already figured as much. Even so, he wouldn’t agree so easily without getting at least a few answers from her first.

"If we join you..." He exhaled heavily, drawing looks from the others.

They had already told him that whatever he decided, they would follow. Even if Khan refused and they ended up dead, so be it.

"...what do you expect from us?"

"Unconditional loyalty," she answered without a single beat of hesitation. "Live and die for me. That is what I want."

Nelek let out a dry laugh. Khan’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t find it laughable at all. He held her gaze steadily, undistracted by the bubbly smile on her face.

What he focused on was her eyes and the sincerity in them. There was no desperation there. Studying her, he knew with certainty that she meant every word.

She would take them in, and she meant that in every sense of the phrase. But just as clearly, he could see that she would not hesitate to order their deaths the moment they refused.

"You see... I don’t want people to follow me out of fear," she said, making Rus scrunch up his nose.

I already fear you! was what Rus wanted to shout, but he bit his tongue.

"But in this instance, I can’t help it." She shrugged. "I told my husband that if I couldn’t bring you to heel, I would have to kill you. But it would be a shame to waste potential. It’s rare for a small group like yours to take on Dominion so boldly. That alone tells me everything I need to know."

Slowly, Ashley rose to her feet and walked straight to Khan’s bed. She stopped beside it, resting one hand on the raised side railing, and leaned down.

"Join hands with me and support me," she said. "And I promise you, I will not be like the person who sent you on this suicide mission."

The smile faded from her face. "Your lives will be just as valuable as mine. That is what it means to be one of my people."

"So?" She raised her hand, holding it open before him. "Will you pledge your loyalty to me? Or would you rather waste your lives and give that man — the one who almost got you all killed — the satisfaction of watching you die?"

Nelek, Warriyo, and Rus lowered their heads. They had already agreed to follow Khan’s lead no matter what. But hearing her put it that way, fury lit up in their eyes at the thought of the man who had pushed them into this suicide mission.

Would they really die and give him that satisfaction?

"Over... our dead bodies," Khan whispered, and took her hand.

The moment he did, the other three looked up, eyes fixed on their joined hands.

Ashley smirked. "Good."

"Thank you... for sparing us," Khan breathed out. His complexion was still pale, but the fire in his eyes — the determination — was unmistakable. "...Boss."

*****

[Black Dragon Corporation]

Silvestre smirked as he stood before Lucian, one hand in his pocket, the other resting on the table between them.

"So, do we have a deal?" he asked.

Lucian only glanced at the offered hand. He didn’t take it. He lifted his eyes and met the man’s cool gaze.

"Well," Silvestre cleared his throat and withdrew his hand. "We’ll be in touch. After all, the enemy of our enemy is our temporary ally."

With that, he glanced at Gustav and Lukas, snickered, and turned on his heel. Each stride was as composed as when he had walked in.

But just as Silvestre reached the door, he paused and looked back.

"By the way — I’m not entirely sure, but I think I have an idea who was behind the abduction," he said, and laughed, making Gustav and Lukas frown.

"There’s only one person who could pull this off," Silvestre’s smirk widened, eyes fixed on Lucian. "It’s... Lucian... De... Luca."

Then he laughed again and resumed walking, waving a hand over his shoulder without looking back.

"That little —" Lukas clicked his tongue, dismissing it as more of Silvestre’s nonsense.

Gustav frowned deeply as well. But while the two of them glared at Silvestre’s retreating figure, Lucian’s reaction was something else entirely.

His eyes widened, fixed on Silvestre’s back. The color nearly drained from his face as his hand slowly curled into a fist.

For a moment, his mind went completely blank until one single thought cut through.

What... does he know?