My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin-Chapter 20: Are you sure she’s still there?

"What are these, Auntie?" Ashley plopped down on the floor, her back resting against the biggest box she had pushed inside. "It’s so heavy."

Liza smiled as she opened one of the boxes, picking something from inside to show the young lady. "There are different seeds and some sample soils I got from the grocery."

Ashley opened and closed her mouth, almost feeling like karma had struck so quickly. She had been teasing the members of Dominion the whole day, and now her kindness had backfired on her.

She didn’t dwell on it, though.

Ashley studied Liza’s side profile as the woman checked the contents of the box full of seeds.

"Auntie, you really like plants, huh?" she hummed, earning a smile and a brief glance from Liza.

"This country is known for the plants and flowers we grow," Liza remarked in a knowing tone. "We love them so much that we have different festivals for them. There are even competitions about them. For those who love gardening, this country is our heaven."

Of course, Ashley knew that.

She had heard about it in her previous life. It was why she dug up that ruined garden in the mansion and brought it here.

One of the important things that Lucian didn’t know about the person he was meeting was that the man had retired during his peak because he married his first love.

And his wife was a botanist — the best one at that.

From what Ashley heard in her previous life, that man was difficult to deal with. He wasn’t the same person they expected and had already left that chaotic life behind him. That was why Lucian stayed longer in the country; only later did he figure out what could make this person agree to his proposal.

The soil in Dominion’s garden.

It was not just any kind of soil, but a rare one.

But by then, it was already too late.

The other party had already fallen into a trap, and Dominion was ambushed on their way back.

The next thing everyone knew, a few members of Dominion didn’t make it, and Lucian returned home injured. Soon after, the news spread that Dominion had attacked that man, angering several powerful figures who considered him their sworn brother. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Ashley?"

Ashley snapped out of her thoughts and looked up. "Ah. Did I zone out a bit?"

"Haha. Was it that heavy to make you zone out?" Liza chuckled. "Do you want anything else? Have you had dinner? Let me make it up to you."

"Yes, Auntie, I ate," Ashley huffed faintly as she pushed herself up. "Do you need help?"

"I’m alright. Why not finish your tea, hmm?"

"Okay..." Ashley casually walked back to the table and chugged the now-warm tea. She then turned to the window, thinking.

From what I know, the wife runs a few businesses, and one of them is a flower shop in this area. And the man Lucian wants to meet is actually working there, she thought. The problem is, I don’t even know which shop it is. There are a lot of flower shops in the entire country, especially in this town Gustav mentioned in my previous life.

Ashley puffed her cheeks and cupped one side of her face.

I should’ve figured out more in my previous life, but I guess it doesn’t matter. That’s why I brought a lot of soil.

Since she only knew the general details about the ambush from whispers in the past, Ashley planned to pack the soil into small samples and spend the entire day tomorrow distributing them. If this soil was that important, she would surely be able to get this person’s attention.

"Right." Ashley perked up and turned to Liza, who was arranging her groceries of seeds and soil samples. "Auntie, I actually came here with my husband because of our garden."

Liza slowly looked up. "Your garden?" she asked. "Are you planning to find someone who could supply you with gardening materials or design it?"

Ashley smacked her lips. "I actually ruined it."

"Oh."

"It’s a precious garden, but I ended up ruining it because I didn’t know better," she mumbled. "I want to fix it. Are there any shops here that you recommend?"

Liza hummed faintly as she walked to the table and sat down across from the young lady. Then her lips stretched into a wide smile.

"How about you visit my shop tomorrow?"

"You also have a flower shop, Auntie?" Ashley said in awe. "Wow, I met a rich lady."

Liza chuckled and waved her hand. "I can help you with your garden. I would’ve recommended others since I don’t usually take clients for their gardens, but I also don’t want to owe someone."

"I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night," Liza added playfully, repeating Ashley’s excuse from earlier. "I’ll introduce you to my husband too. He isn’t here right now because he has some things to handle, but he always accompanies me at our flower shop."

"Auntie, you’re amazing," Ashley blurted out, making Liza laugh heartily. "Then I’ll take you up on your offer! I’ll bring you a gift!"

"A gift?" Liza tilted her head slightly. "Oh dear, you don’t have to."

Ashley shook her head with a smile. "It’s not a big one, but I’m sure you’ll like it."

If Liza loved gardening, Ashley was certain she would love her gift. Ashley had only helped Liza out of instinct, but somehow she stayed longer as she enjoyed the woman’s company.

Clearly, there was an age difference, but the two women clicked.

Perhaps it was because Ashley hadn’t spoken to anyone outside Dominion for a long time that she didn’t notice how much time had passed.

*****

Later that evening...

As soon as Lucian arrived at the small hotel, he headed for the lift.

"Gustav, how is she?" he asked while waiting for the lift to come down. Even the elevator seemed old, taking forever to arrive.

Gustav, standing beside him, reported, "They’re on the fifth floor. They said she helped a lady earlier and has been there since."

Lucian checked his wristwatch, his brows slowly knitting together.

"Are you sure she’s still there?"

Hearing that, Gustav furrowed his brows and frowned deeply. He quickly pulled out his phone and stepped away.

"Check if she’s still there."

As soon as the line connected, the lift doors opened.

Gustav panicked upon seeing the dark expression on Lucian’s face as the man stepped into the lift.

"Now."

At the same time, the men on the fifth floor, who were waiting for Ashley to leave the unit, furrowed their brows. Gustav didn’t say much, but the few words were enough.

"Now that you mention it... isn’t it weird she suddenly helped someone, and she’s been there for three hours now?"

They looked at each other in panic, realizing Ashley might have escaped again.

Without wasting another second, they rushed toward the unit Ashley had entered but never left.

Their hearts pounded in their chests. Because if she had escaped... they were dead.