My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin-Chapter 38: Eating Melons

Aside from Ashley, everyone was reluctantly going along with things. Well, Nolan was willing to help, but mostly because of Primo.

Meanwhile, as everything was being set up through everyone’s collective effort, Ashley slumped off to the side and watched it all unfold. She narrowed her eyes as she observed them working, taking a short break after having helped earlier.

"Hmm..." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, eyeing everyone discreetly. "I don’t see her here."

Ashley puckered her lips as she thought of one person—one helper in this mansion she could consider her ally.

Betty.

In my previous life, Betty was actually a very nice person, she thought. It’s just that I’m the one who wasn’t nice, because I apparently took the villain role for no reason.

It was true that everyone in this mansion saw Ashley as nothing more than a nuisance—a wild animal that kept biting anyone who came close. And no one respected her.

In other words, her title as Lucian’s wife and the matriarch of Dominion was nothing but empty. She didn’t hold a grudge over that, because she never made an effort to change it. Besides, her grudge was reserved for certain people—the Di Carpios were one of them.

And soon, one of the Di Carpios would be here.

Ashley’s expression darkened as she thought about what had happened in her previous life around this time. Back then, Lucian would be recuperating. And while he did, Ashley’s foolishness would take over and create another problem. But that wasn’t entirely on her.

"Madam?"

Ashley’s thoughts halted at Nolan’s voice. She perked up, refocusing her attention on him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Ah." She cleared her throat, shifting her gaze to Primo. The little boy’s cheeks were flushed from the heat, some strands of his hair damp with sweat—but his color was better than when he had been locked inside the mansion, studying.

She smiled and reached out, pinching his cheek. "You’re so cute," she said in passing, making Primo’s cheeks grow even hotter before she turned to Nolan.

"Nolan, it’s almost time for lunch," she said. "Why don’t you tell everyone to take a break first, hmm?"

Nolan smiled. "Yes, Madam."

"Also—"

"Yes, Madam?"

"..." Ashley closed her mouth and smiled. "Nothing. That’s all. I mean, thank you for the help. I’ll look after Primo while we wait for lunch."

Primo instinctively turned his head toward her, while Nolan furrowed his brows.

"Madam, lunch is almost ready in the dining room. The master will be there soon," Nolan said, knowing Lucian would join his family for lunch.

"Oh." Ashley blinked. "Then tell him to join us."

"Excuse me?"

Her smile stretched wider. "Just tell him we’re having a picnic, okay?"

Nolan couldn’t help but raise his brows at both Ashley and Primo, who had been under the sun since morning. They were sweaty, and there was soil on their clothes.

"Al... right," Nolan cleared his throat as his voice faltered slightly. "I’ll let the master know."

Hearing that, her mood lifted again as she turned to Primo.

"Primo, do you know what a picnic is?" she asked, only to see the little boy looking back at her. "A picnic is like an outing..."

As she went on to explain something so obvious, Nolan and Primo simply stared at her blankly.

Nolan: I’m sure the young master knows what a picnic is.

Primo: I don’t want to eat near the soil.

But in the end, Ashley still got what she wanted—like she always did. It was almost as if everyone was moving according to her every whim, and no one could control that anymore.

*

*

*

"How can I eat like this?" Red wondered aloud, trying to chew the meat he was eating while looking at the "family of three" dining under a tree that had yet to be planted. "That tree won’t fall, will it?"

"If it does, we’ll have three casualties," his colleague remarked. "I feel like I’m going to get indigestion just watching this."

"What in the world is Nolan doing?" another one grumbled, eating while sweating profusely in the heat. "How could he agree to a picnic under that unstable tree? She could’ve just had one on her own."

No one would care if that tree fell while she was under it. But with Primo and Lucian? No one could enjoy their lunch—not when that tree could fall at any moment and hurt both the boss and the young master.

Unbothered by the seething audience, Ashley happily ate her melons, while Primo and Lucian quietly ate their lunch and even offered some of their portions to her—as if she were some sort of goddess.

*****

The usually quiet Dominion was busier than usual that day, with all the work happening in the garden. Ashley and Primo stayed nearby, helping where they could, while the rest handled the heavy labor according to the plan Ashley got from Liza.

Inside the mansion’s dirty kitchen, the servants who hadn’t been assigned to the garden couldn’t help but glance outside every now and then.

"Goodness, look at her," one maid snickered. "She asked the master to uproot the garden without even knowing the plants there were rare—and that the previous madam took care of them."

"And now she wants to plant those trees? Haha! I don’t know if I should find this funny or aggravating."

"Duh? Of course, it’s just another one of her nonsense," another rolled her eyes. "What’s frustrating is that the master tolerates her. Now even the young master seems to tolerate her too."

"I don’t think that’s the case..."

The maids stopped talking when another voice spoke up. Their eyes quickly landed on Betty, a young maid who had only been here for a year. Their expressions twisted in dismay.

Betty pursed her lips into a thin line. "I’m just saying..."

"Betty, no one wants to hear what you have to say," one of the maids sneered, arms crossed. "Goodness, look at you. Do you really think that if you suck up to her, you’ll end up in a better position?"

Another laughed. "Gosh, this is the problem with young people nowadays. Betty, don’t forget—you’re in Dominion. Since you work here, you’re part of it. Whether it’s sympathy, empathy, or just stupidity, you’d better learn when to keep your mouth shut."

Betty lowered her head as the other maids focused on her.

"Sorry," was all she said, only to hear them scoff.

"Tsk." One of them clicked her tongue. "If I were you, I’d just do my job and keep quiet. If you really think that woman will stay here forever, you’re wrong. Everyone only tolerates her because of the master."

"Once he’s had enough of her, she’s gone," another scoffed. "So you’d better think things through. Once Miss Nicki comes back, everything will change for sure."

After venting — and using Betty as their verbal punching bag — the maids left to continue gossiping, leaving all the work behind for Betty to finish on her own.

"..." Betty let out a deep exhale. "That’s not... what I meant, but whatever."

She shook her head, looking around the dirty kitchen before lightly slapping her mouth. "Why did I even speak my mind?"

Now she had more work, just because she disagreed with them.