My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin

"Are you sure you’re okay?"

Lucian glanced back, catching Ashley as she stepped out of the small farmhouse bungalow built for her whenever she visited. It was her first time staying there, but Castor and everyone on the farm had taken care of the place since it was built.

Ashley joined Lucian and sat beside him on the steps. "Primo is sleeping with them—with mom and dad."

"I’m fine," he said, looking ahead.

Nothing but fields stretched before them, with lights strategically placed across the property so they weren’t surrounded by complete darkness.

"My husband fainted while resting under a tree," she pointed out, studying Lucian’s side profile. "How are you fine?"

Lucian let out a deep breath. "Sorry about that."

"You should stop that." She smacked her lips, leaning forward slightly with her arms tucked between her thighs and torso. "Why are you apologizing for fainting?"

"For worrying you," he corrected.

Ashley looked at him with a smile. "Lucian, I’ll always worry about you, just like you’ll always worry about me. I think... that’s just our marriage. And I don’t mind worrying about my husband."

Lucian glanced at her once more and chuckled.

Since Marshal’s death, Ashley had felt like a different person. She was calmer. Her aura still carried that dangerous edge, but there was something different about her now. It was as though she had finally broken through a bottleneck and grown into herself completely.

"So?" She bumped her shoulder against his. "What’s bothering you now?"

Lucian didn’t answer immediately.

He stared ahead, not because he was thinking about his answer, but because he didn’t know how to begin. When he realized there was no right way to say it, he turned his head and looked at her squarely.

"I’m sorry," he said again, watching her frown slightly. "Your father and I talked weeks ago, and he asked me one question: Is Dominion still worth it?"

Her lips parted.

It was the first time she had heard about this conversation.

"Since then, I’ve been thinking about it. I even considered stepping down. Turning my back on Dominion and all of this, then disappearing with you and Primo." A wry smile tugged at his lips as he looked away. "Starting over. Just the three of us."

He paused.

"Thinking about it feels like a dream," he continued. "Initially, I believed I was dying, so I was rushing the full legalization of Dominion. That’s why, in such a short time, more than half of Dominion was turned into legitimate businesses and organizations."

"But now that I’m no longer dying, now that I’m more capable..." He drew a breath. "I wanted to protect you and Primo. Take you away from this kind of life—from the violence. I wanted to get rid of this constant fear that one day, someone might come for me and take everything away from me."

His voice grew quieter. "But today, I realized... I can’t do that."

Lucian’s jaw tightened as he lowered his gaze.

"Dominion might no longer be worth everything I’ve sacrificed for it, but Dominion still shields me. I’ve stepped on too many toes. The moment I step down, it’ll only invite more trouble—not just for me, but for my family. For you. For Primo. Especially for your parents."

Lucian exhaled deeply.

"Sir Tom is capable, but I can’t burden him or drag him back into the underworld."

Tom would probably help him. His back channels alone could keep them safe.

But for how long?

"That’s why I’m apologizing to you," Lucian added under his breath. "I can’t let go of Dominion yet. And I can’t give you a peaceful life just yet."

Silence fell between them.

Lucian kept his eyes on the ground.

He had no idea how Ashley would react. He wasn’t expecting her to get angry, but perhaps she would be disappointed. After all, he was disappointed in himself.

So he expected Ashley to feel at least a little of the same.

A second later, her emotionless voice rang out beside him.

"Lucian."

Lucian swallowed hard and forced himself to face her.

He hadn’t even fully turned when her hands suddenly cupped his face. She pressed his cheeks between her palms until his lips puckered slightly.

With a completely deadpan expression, she asked, "Who said I want peace and not blood?"

His brows furrowed.

"Lucian, I’m not done with my mission yet," she said. "Marshal was only the beginning. He was just the man at the top of my list. Isabella is still alive, and heaven knows what kind of trouble that woman is scheming. Not to mention, Memphis pissed the hell out of me. That man’s gotta go. Also, that Carrotman bothers me."

"If I’m going to turn over a new leaf, they can’t be breathing the same air as me," she added matter-of-factly. "After all, those people will never be satisfied until one of us is dead."

She paused. "And that would be them."

Ashley smacked her lips before finally releasing his cheeks and reaching for his hands instead. She shifted until she was facing him properly, then squeezed his hands.

"Lucian, didn’t I tell you I’d protect this family even if I had to go to hell for it?" She smiled. "Looking back, I already know hell is where I’m going. With everything I’ve done in my life, it would take an entire lifetime to redeem myself."

She squeezed his hands again.

"And the same goes for you."

If this story were told from their enemies’ perspective, both of them would be villains.

Ashley would never romanticize her actions by claiming she had simply been forced into them. Yes, she had done many things to survive, but that didn’t erase the grave sins she had committed along the way.

The same went for Lucian.

To reach the top, Lucian had done more than his fair share of morally questionable things.

"We’re not good people, Lucian." She leaned closer, her smile softening. "We’ll probably burn in hell once all of this is over. So, while we’re still alive, all we can do is try to make this life worth living."

Ashley straightened as a light chuckle escaped her.

"Let’s be bad people until then."

Lucian’s brows rose, his eyes widening slightly.

A moment later, a defeated chuckle escaped him, and the tension finally left his shoulders.

"What was I thinking?" He laughed, running a hand through his hair. When he turned to her again, he smiled. "For a moment, I forgot I married Super B."

Ashley’s smile immediately stiffened.

She suddenly remembered that everyone on the farm had apparently decided to give her two different names.

The children called her Super B.

The adults called her Madam B.

"Holy shi—"

"Thank you," Lucian cut her off, tugging on her hand to keep her attention on him. "For putting me back on the right track whenever I feel lost."

She grinned.

"For better or for worse." She winked before moving closer and resting her head on his shoulder. "Love you, Luci."

Lucian smiled affectionately and rested his head against hers.

"My love for you... is more."

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