What an irony, Ashley thought.

She thought growing up in a world of violence had desensitized her to death. She had seen countless instances of it her entire life and had even sullied her own hands with the excuse of survival.

It was why death... didn’t scare her at all.

But she was wrong.

Because right now, all she could feel was fear.

The fear of the countless what-ifs. What if Lucian did not get better? What if things didn’t go the way she wanted them to? What if he would never wake up again?

What if... he died?

Those thoughts replayed in her head over and over again, from the beginning until now, while she sat in Primo’s room.

Ashley stared at Primo’s sleeping face, as if borrowing some sort of strength just by looking at him. As if trying to remind herself that, regardless of her own fears, Primo was here. Dominion still existed, and problems were about to rise while her husband was fighting for his life.

Closing her eyes, she drew a deep breath.

When she reopened them, she nodded faintly and brushed Primo’s cheek with the back of her hand. Ashley took another deep breath and exhaled heavily, swallowing hard as she pushed herself to her feet.

She quietly left Primo’s bedroom and headed downstairs.

As she descended the stairs, she heard Nolan and Betty talking.

"It’s not that serious, right?" Betty asked, and Nolan answered, "I hope."

Ashley clutched the railing tightly for a second before releasing it. She took another shallow breath before resuming her steps. As soon as they saw her, Betty and Nolan rose to their feet.

She forced a smile as she stood near the table. "Sorry for taking a little too long."

"Madam, it’s alright," Nolan reassured, and Betty nodded. "We already planned to stay a little longer, anyway."

"Is that so?" Ashley cleared her throat as she motioned for them to sit down before she did the same. "Anyway, I told you to stay because... there were certain things I had to tell both of you."

Ashley adjusted herself in the chair as she watched them sit down.

"In the coming days, there will be a lot of things happening in Dominion," she began almost methodically. "I don’t think it will happen, but just in case, people might try to drag Primo into this whole mess."

She looked at Betty and Nolan. "I don’t plan on dragging my son into this, but just in case, I want both of you to keep an eye on him. Keep him safe."

A moment of silence fell over them as both Nolan and Betty stared at her. Her tone was calm, but the words she was saying... were leading to something that made their hearts race just a little faster.

Nolan knew how Dominion’s power moved, and if she was saying that the people of Dominion — specifically those in the higher ranks — were going to openly involve Primo, it only meant one thing.

Betty might not have been in Dominion for long, but she also understood what Ashley was implying.

"Madam," Nolan breathed out as he leaned closer to the table. "The master... is fine, right?"

Betty bit her tongue, not wanting to ask the same question Ashley had already answered for Primo earlier. But since Nolan had already asked, she quietly prayed in her heart that everything would be alright.

Ashley’s lips parted, her eyes darting between them. Then, she closed them again.

"What I’m saying is, I might not have a lot of time for anything else. So, Betty, can I trust you with all the business operations?" She continued, avoiding their concern.

Betty huffed and nodded. "Yes, Madam. If there’s anything, I will contact your business partners. So don’t think about any of that. Is there anything else I can do?"

"That’s enough for now." Ashley turned her attention. "Nolan."

"Madam, don’t worry about the young master," Nolan reassured immediately, his heart thumping in his chest. "I will make sure he eats on time and stays safe. His school life will not be affected at all."

"Thank you." Ashley nodded, pushing herself to her feet.

She offered them a short smile. "Knowing people will prioritize Primo puts my heart at ease. You should go home and rest. Good night."

Having said that, Ashley nodded at them before turning on her heel to call it a night. But as she took a few steps away, Betty suddenly jumped from her seat.

"Madam," Betty breathed out, staring at Ashley’s back. She clasped her hands together, the unpleasant feeling in her heart solidifying. "Are you... okay? Will you be?"

Everyone asked about Lucian, and even now, Ashley was worried about Primo. However, none of them had asked about her.

Was Ashley okay?

Would she be okay?

Ashley’s smile twitched as she looked over her shoulder. "As long as Primo is, I will be."

Then, she resumed her steps toward the stairs, leaving Betty and Nolan standing in the same spot. Both of them could only stare at Ashley’s figure until she was out of sight.

Earlier, Betty wondered if things were not that serious.

Ashley didn’t say it outright, but both of them knew it was serious. For Ashley to worry about Primo over the things that would only happen if Lucian were gone... it was definitely serious.

"Nolan," Betty turned to Nolan, her lips quivering. "The master... he isn’t dying, is he?"

Nolan almost choked on the words. He turned to her slowly, prepared to deny it. However, deep in his heart, he knew the possibility was high.

"How..." Nolan hung his head low, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. "... is this possible?"

How could this happen out of nowhere?

That question circling in Nolan and Betty’s minds was the same in everyone’s mind.

*****

Meanwhile, standing outside the house, Red, Gin, Rum, Vodka, and Tank stared at it in silence. They had arrived a while ago, but they simply idled outside their house, staring at the home across from theirs.

As they did so, Khan watched them through the second-floor window.

"Say... what’s gonna happen now?" Nelek wondered as he studied Ashley’s original guards. "I’m still shocked those guys didn’t try anything when that man tried to touch her."

Warriyo smacked his lips. "That’s the Black Dragon’s left hand."

"And she’s the Madam of Dominion," Rus blurted out, earning a look from both Nelek and Warriyo. "I’m just shocked he would confront her like that."

"You can’t blame them," Khan finally broke his silence, studying the group of five. "Before they were her guards, they were Dominion. It’s instinct. And I just realized why she was recruiting her own people."

Because deep down, Ashley knew the people around her, placed by Lucian, might or might not protect her if he was not around.

In situations like this, she didn’t need people to think things through first. She needed people who were already on her side from the very beginning.

"To be honest, I didn’t think she would consider these things so soon," he continued, peeling his gaze away from the window to look at his group. "But keep this in mind: things in Dominion will spiral soon."

"The Black Dragon is down," he continued sternly. "And without him, outside forces are one thing. But Dominion itself will definitely tear her apart."

A glint flickered in Khan’s eyes. "Let’s hold out... until those idiots decide where their loyalty lies."