My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin-Chapter 16: Lucky Cat

The first flaw in the meeting Lucian had arranged around this time was leaving half of his best men behind to look after Ashley. It was foolish even back then, but she knew he was aware he needed more capable men to stop her from escaping.

His second miscalculation was thinking he was invincible.

From what I remember, the ambush isn’t just from one group, she told herself, deep in thought. It’s actually three groups shaking hands for the sole purpose of taking down the don of Dominion.

Ashley blinked as she turned to Lucian, who was seated right next to her in the private plane.

Lastly, his third miscalculation was that the person he was about to meet had different interests than they expected.

She had heard all of that in her previous life, because when Lucian came home, he had to recuperate from his injuries. Those who had been with him couldn’t help but talk about it, blaming themselves for what had happened to Lucian and for the comrades who didn’t make it back home.

I don’t like any of them, she thought. But at the same time, the people Lucian lost... were the most loyal ones.

They sacrificed their lives for him, and she had already understood that the moment she married into Dominion, her life depended on him.

Ashley still wanted to leave Dominion. She still wanted to live a life away from this environment. But she also understood that it was a far-stretched dream for now.

Her priority wasn’t leaving anymore.

It was making sure this man stayed alive.

If Lucian stayed alive, she would live longer as well.

Lucian’s brows twitched slightly as he slid his gaze to the side where she was staring at him. When their eyes finally met, he tilted his head a little.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, putting down the report he had been reading. "It’s your last chance to confess why you were so keen on tagging along."

She smiled and leaned toward him.

"I just thought we hadn’t gone on a trip together," she said. "We didn’t even have our honeymoon. I’m a little excited."

"Hmm." He let out a short hum that sounded like a faint scoff, though he kept his gaze on her. "Sleep. We have five hours before landing."

"Don’t wanna," she replied quickly before snatching the report he had been reading. "What’s this?"

Those in the same cabin as them had their breaths hitch. That report was important!

But unlike them, who were barely holding themselves back from interfering, Lucian simply let her skim through it.

"There is other, more important information you can sell," he advised calmly. "That one isn’t worth anything."

"Oh," she replied absentmindedly, flipping the page just to skim through it.

The report was mainly about the person Lucian was about to meet.

This man was a former member of an underground organization who had later made his business legal. He used to be extremely powerful, but while at the peak of his influence, he suddenly retired and chose to live a quiet life.

Even so, he still had connections in both the underground and the upper echelon — even among influential politicians.

Oh, right.

Ashley nodded to herself.

Lucian had been trying to make Dominion’s businesses legal. Although he had already established several legitimate operations, there were still problems.

Some people associated with Dominion’s enemies kept interfering with his expansion into both legal and illegal dealings.

And the person he was meeting knew someone who could fix that problem. That was why Lucian was studying the man beforehand, hoping to make the meeting smoother.

The thing was... there was nothing in the report that explained what could make this person agree to help him.

But that wasn’t surprising. Even Dominion’s intelligence network had limits, especially when the target was someone this private and well-connected.

Ashley flashed him a bright smile as she returned the report.

"I don’t understand it!" she declared cheerfully. "But I know my presence alone is a good enough lucky charm! Right? Right?!"

The veins on those sharing the cabin quietly bulged as they clenched their teeth in annoyance.

Lucky charm?

She was more like a curse.

The very source of misfortune!

Since she came to Dominion, nothing good had happened for them. It had been one problem after another.

How dare she call herself a lucky charm?

Lucian, on the other hand, remained silent, his eyes fixed on her. He didn’t even laugh when she raised her arm and waved it back and forth like a lucky cat.

At this point, even he didn’t know what to think about her actions.

First, she had been acting strange, then crazy, then gloomy. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Now excited.

He had thought that after a few days, she would reveal her intentions. He had already prepared himself for it.

But this was stretching far longer than he expected.

Quietly, he raised a hand and twirled a strand of her hair around his finger, playing with it absentmindedly. Then he lifted his gaze and met her eyes again.

Did you really change?

That was the question he wanted to ask.

If not... then lie to me forever. Keep lying like this.

Unbothered by his touch — something he would never have done before, since she used to run away the moment she saw him from a distance — Ashley cupped her cheeks.

Her bright smile still dominated her face until her eyes squinted.

"Lu, congrats~!" she hummed happily, making his brows rise. "I want to be the first person to congratulate you on this success."

"Too early," he replied shortly.

But she shook her head. "Nope, I’m sure of it. Do you know why?"

Those who shouldn’t have been listening — but couldn’t help it — raised their brows. In their minds, they already believed this deal would succeed. This was their boss, after all.

But what they heard next made them wish they had worn earplugs like Gustav.

"Because I’m with you," she giggled. "I’m your lucky cat today—"

"Don’t purr," he interrupted before she could imitate the sound.

She gasped dramatically. "How did you know?"

"..." He let out a shallow breath — more like a short laugh — before sinking back into his seat. "Take a rest."

Then he returned to reading the report while she was shoved gently back into her seat to sleep.

Ashley thought about it for a moment before shrugging. She pulled up a blanket and settled comfortably, not worrying about a thing.

No matter what, this deal would go through because... she would make sure of it.