Chapter 286: Primo Will Not Be Able To Tell

"Will staying beside him magically cure him?"

For a moment, everyone fell silent, their eyes widening in disbelief. Even Red and Khan’s team looked stunned, as though they couldn’t believe Ashley had just said something so heartless.

No, staying beside Lucian would not cure him.

But anyone would say they would stay. Anyone in her position should show something more than what she is showing now. She didn’t need to break down sobbing, but acting as though she didn’t care looked just as terrible.

Ashley drew a slow breath and nodded faintly.

"I thought so."

After saying that, she glanced toward Khan. "Let’s go."

Then she resumed walking.

"What a bitch," Lukas hissed through gritted teeth, his vision almost turning red with rage.

He couldn’t believe how ungrateful she was. Even if she truly wanted to leave Dominion, she could at least pretend to care.

But no.

She didn’t even have enough remorse to pretend this devastated her as much as it devastated them.

If anything, it only proved that she had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to reveal her true colors.

"You ungrateful bitch—"

But the moment Lukas reached out to stop her, a hand suddenly grabbed his arm.

His breath caught as his eyes widened.

For a second, Lukas froze at the sheer strength behind the grip. Slowly, he lifted his gaze and met a pair of eyes he had previously only seen from the sidelines.

Khan.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Lukas hissed. "How dare you stand in my way?"

Khan remained unmoved before finally releasing his arm.

"No one," he answered coldly. "But the path you’re taking is the same path we were hired to protect. My apologies."

Lukas clenched his hand into a tight fist before catching Ashley glance back briefly and continuing walking away.

"You are going to regret—"

"Lukas." This time, Gustav stepped in and placed a firm hand on Lukas’ shoulder. "That’s enough for now."

Khan glanced at Gustav and gave a respectful nod before casting a look toward his team.

Nelek, Warriyo, and Rus furrowed their brows but immediately understood the silent message Khan gave them.

Then Khan briefly looked toward Red before turning away completely.

Before leaving, however, they couldn’t help glancing at Red and the others, who remained frozen in place.

One would wonder whether they were more shocked by Ashley’s words... or by the fact that Khan had been the one to step in and stop the situation from escalating.

"We’ll drive her home," Nelek whispered as he followed behind Ashley and Khan.

Warriyo and Rus nodded silently before quietly leaving as well.

Meanwhile, Red, Rum, Gin, Tank, and Vodka remained rooted to the spot, staring toward Lukas with conflicted expressions.

Ashley’s words alone had already caught them off guard. None of them expected her to remain that calm, and for a moment, it even made them question her relationship with Lucian.

But that wasn’t what truly froze them in place.

It was the look Khan gave them earlier.

Or rather... the fact that Ashley had called for Khan instead of Red, like she usually did.

And what had just happened answered everything.

When Lukas reached for her, none of them moved.

They wanted to step in. But Dominion’s hierarchy stopped them from interfering.

So they did nothing.

Only after Khan looked at them did they realize why Ashley called for him instead of them.

It was as though she already knew the five bodyguards assigned to protect her would not truly protect her in moments like this.

As though she already understood deep down that they had never been hers to begin with.

And that realization rooted them to the same spot.

Were they... really not working for her?

Were all their actions until now simply part of the job?

Did Ashley already know that when the worst-case scenario arrived—like this one—they would never choose her side?

"Hah!" Lukas scoffed while glaring at Gustav, shrugging off the latter’s hand. "That woman. If something happens to the master, I’m going to kill her."

Gustav sighed heavily but said nothing.

He knew Lukas was overwhelmed by emotion and likely didn’t truly mean it. Even if he did, Gustav would never allow it to happen.

As they continued talking, Red slowly lifted his gaze toward Lukas and Gustav.

The others did the same, all sharing one silent question:

If the time came to choose sides... whose side would they stand on?

*****

On the way home, Ashley told Khan she only needed one person to drive her back. So the others took a separate vehicle and escorted them from behind.

Khan sat behind the wheel, unable to stop himself from glancing at her through the rearview mirror.

Ashley sat quietly by the backseat window, staring outside.

There was no visible emotion on her face or in her eyes. If anything, she looked like someone merely returning home after an exhausting day.

No one would ever suspect her husband was dying.

And because of that, Khan understood why Lukas had been so furious hearing her say such cold things.

Silence filled the car as Khan stopped himself from speaking.

He had no intention of lecturing her. He wasn’t emotionally attached enough to Dominion yet to involve himself deeply in their personal matters.

Right now, his priority was simple: Get her home safely.

But amid the silence, Ashley’s quiet voice suddenly echoed inside the vehicle.

"Khan."

He didn’t respond verbally, but his eyes flicked toward the rearview mirror once more.

Ashley still stared outside the window in the same unmoving position.

"I don’t look that sad, do I?"

Khan’s brows furrowed slightly. He slowed the car a little just to look at her reflection more carefully.

"No," he answered honestly.

"Good."

Ashley nodded faintly before raising both index fingers to the corners of her lips and forcing them upward into a smile.

Then she turned toward him.

"Do I look like I’m smiling?"

For a second, Khan was rendered speechless. He stared at her through the rearview mirror, wondering if she was genuinely serious.

"You’re... holding your lips up," he answered awkwardly.

So Ashley lowered her hands while keeping the smile on her face.

"Now?"

Khan swallowed hard before nodding.

"Yes."

"I see." Ashley leaned back into her seat again, still forcing the smile to remain on her trembling lips. Even her cheeks quivered slightly.

"Primo won’t be able to tell, right?"

And at that moment, Khan finally understood the reason behind her strange questions.

A faint sense of shame crept into him for judging her earlier. Everyone else had only been thinking about Lucian.

But Ashley...

Ashley had to think about Lucian and Primo.

Khan exhaled quietly and kept his eyes on the road.

"Yes, ma’am," he answered softly. "The young master won’t notice... if you keep smiling like that."

For a brief moment, Khan glanced at her through the mirror again.

And this time, he finally saw it.

The deep, indescribable sadness that was hidden in Ashley’s eyes as she forced herself to maintain the smile she would need to wear once she got home.

Khan refocused on the road, giving her the silence and privacy she needed. Because now he understood it was not indifference. Rather, the woman with him right now was just someone... who was trying to keep everything together.