My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin-Chapter 28: You Are A Natural

Ashley rubbed her hand as Liza kept tapping it whenever she gave the wrong answer. The corners of her eyes grew redder, and she finally sensed Lucian’s presence.

When she looked up at him, she dramatically scoffed like a damsel in distress who needed saving. As for Liza, she glanced at her husband and then furrowed her brows at the other man.

But before Liza could ask anything, Tommy spoke first.

"Honey, what’s going on here?"

"Uncle, Auntie is forcing me to accept money for my gift," Ashley complained about Liza. "I already said I don’t want payment."

Sure, she was tempted, and her eyes were twinkling.

Ashley hadn’t earned a dime since this marriage. Even though Lucian had given her a limitless card to splurge with, it had been a while since she truly earned a cent from her own efforts. However, she didn’t want money from Liza.

Hence, she thought of simply giving Liza the amount of soil she needed. But the problem was that Liza refused to accept that.

"Huh?" Ashley tilted her head slightly, finally noticing something. "Lu, Uncle, why did you come in together?"

Liza’s curiosity also flashed in her eyes. It didn’t look like Lucian and Tommy had just met outside the hotel. Rather, it seemed like they were already familiar with each other.

As for Lucian and Tommy, they looked at each other before instinctively turning their gaze toward their wives.

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Moments later...

Ashley’s jaw dropped.

Not just hers, but the members of Dominion around the buffet also stared at their table, slack-jawed.

"You... you..." she pointed at Liza and then at Tommy in pure shock. "Huh?!"

Meanwhile...

"You’re saying... the man the boss has been trying to meet... the very person why we even flew here... actually owns this hotel?" one of the members breathed out. Shock was an understatement to describe his emotions.

"No, actually, it’s his wife who owns this hotel," another one blurted out. "And somehow, that woman became friends with the hotel owner."

As for Red and the others who had lunch with the couple alongside Ashley, they could only stare blankly at the table. They knew about the person named Tomas, but only now did they discover that the profile from the background check was an entirely different person.

And they had been having lunch with such an important person without even realizing it?!

But above all, those who had been with Lucian at the restaurant were even more speechless. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Compared to the intimidating aura Tommy carried when he met Lucian earlier, he was now... laughing heartily because of Liza’s dilemma with Ashley.

"Hahaha!" Tommy laughed loudly, even after learning that Ashley was Lucian’s wife.

Now he understood more about them.

Why Ashley needed her own security, and why Lucian seemed more interested in delivering his wife’s gift than closing their deal. For a moment, Tommy thought he had misjudged Lucian. But now he realized it had all been a misunderstanding.

"Oh, dear." Liza pinched the bridge of her nose upon hearing that Tommy and Lucian had actually been discussing a deal that fell through. "What a complicated situation."

As for Ashley, with her jaw still slack, she slowly turned to Lucian. Her face moved so close to his side, her eyes wide, that Lucian gulped and pretended not to notice the way she was staring at him like she wanted to interrogate him.

She didn’t say anything, but he could practically hear her asking:

What’s the meaning of this?

"Ashley, don’t blame your husband," Tommy laughed warmly at the young couple. "The business between your husband and me is different. I hope this doesn’t affect my wife’s offer to you."

Hearing this, the members of Dominion perked up slightly.

Tommy might have said that, but that was impossible.

This could be an opportunity. All they needed was for Ashley to realize that.

Much to their dismay, her face immediately soured.

"No way!" Ashley harrumphed, enough to make several people want to wring her neck out of sheer frustration. "Uncle, I want to give Auntie as much soil as she wants for free! Actually, how about we exchange it for the tea she gave me yesterday?"

Her eyes lit up. "My husband liked it when I made him try it yesterday! Let’s trade!"

But her enthusiasm only made Tommy and Liza exchange helpless looks and sigh.

As for Lucian, he remained silent, though his eyes never left her side.

A valuable trade... for some mere tea.

Yet the corners of his mouth slowly lifted, and his gaze softened as he watched her.

Meanwhile, those around them could only bite their tongues to stop themselves from shouting.

How could she trade something like this for tea?!

First the soil, and now tea!

"Dear." Since her firm lectures weren’t working, Liza moved closer and gently held Ashley’s hand. "I’m being serious. I know your gift is one thing, but this soil is very valuable and rare. Do you know the plants that grow in it are worth far more than what I’m paying you?"

From a businesswoman’s standpoint, Liza would never normally say something like this. But Ashley was stubbornly giving away something so valuable for free, so Liza couldn’t help it. Besides, she was certain this wouldn’t backfire. Ashley would simply ask for more later.

"That’s why I’m asking you — not as your auntie, but as someone who runs a business and also has an interest in this soil," Liza added, giving her husband a look.

Tommy nodded. "Your auntie is right, Ashley. Compared to the tea, this soil is a hundred — no, a thousand times more valuable."

"But the tea Auntie gave me last night helped my husband sleep," Ashley muttered. She glanced at Lucian and noticed how much clearer his face looked.

Having been married to him for an entire lifetime, she could easily tell when he hadn’t slept well... and when he finally had.

She huffed and looked back at them.

"I think I understand that this soil is valuable, and I know it is. Just not the extent of it. However, my husband’s well-being matters just as much."

"For others, this might just be soil and tea," she added quietly. "But the soil is something Auntie values, and the tea helped Lu relax a little. So I think this trade is very fair."

She lifted her head. "Isn’t it?"

The entire buffet area fell silent.

For a moment, everyone seemed frozen by her words.

Even Lucian couldn’t hide the brief flash of surprise in his eyes.

Especially the men of Dominion, who knew about Lucian’s severe sleeping problems. They had long grown worried about their leader because nothing seemed to work anymore except hypnosis.

"Am I being shallow?" Ashley asked, turning to Lucian. "Lu, what do you think?"

Lucian didn’t hesitate. "You are a natural."

Ashley beamed.

She turned back to Tommy and Liza proudly, her eyes twinkling as she grinned so widely that all her teeth showed. She didn’t even doubt his compliment and approval, and one could see that very clearly.