"Primo, you cute little thing! Why are you late? I was getting worried."

Primo stood there quietly, letting Ashley squish her cheeks against his. How could he explain that he had stayed behind in the classroom because his group was assigned to help clean it, not when she was already rubbing her cheeks all over him?

As Ashley showered him with affection, Primo lifted his gaze in one direction.

There, he saw Lucian’s car approaching slowly. Primo stared at it, about to tell her that Lucian had actually come, but before he could get her attention, he noticed the look on Lucian’s face through the windshield.

Primo’s brows furrowed as he studied the dangerous expression dominating Lucian’s face.

It made the boy wonder what had happened to put that look on his face.

Soon, the car pulled up in front of the gates where the two of them stood.

"Hmm?" Ashley paused, turning toward the familiar car. When she did, all she saw was Lucian already stepping out of the driver’s seat.

The second he stood behind the door, the dark shadow looming over his face vanished — quickly replaced by a subtle smile.

"Oh, he came!" she said with a light giggle, turning to Primo. "Primo, let’s just ride with him, okay?"

Primo glanced at her and nodded. She took his hand, and they approached Lucian, who had already opened the door for them like a chauffeur. Ashley shot him a sidelong glance, smiling, and Lucian smiled back.

With that, the family of three didn’t linger as Lucian got back behind the wheel.

As for Ashley’s bike, the trio watching from across the street stared at the abandoned bicycle on the pavement.

"Poor bike," Rum muttered, shaking his head. "Forgotten just like that."

Even so, as the family drove off in Lucian’s car, Vodka jogged across the street to collect the bike and bring it home.

*****

"Wow, wow, wow!" Ashley’s lively voice rang out as she looked back at Primo.

On her lap sat Primo’s empty snack box and lunch box. Her lips stretched from ear to ear.

"Primo, do you really eat your snacks?" she asked playfully. "Or are you throwing them in the bin?"

Primo shook his head vigorously. Then he signed,

[I don’t throw food. That’s bad.]

"Right?" She grinned. "You’re eating everything?"

He nodded. [And I share them with classmates] — reluctantly.

"Really?" she said. "Do they want something specific? Wait a second."

Ashley adjusted in her seat and turned to face the back. "Primo, you’re not being forced to give your food away, are you?"

Yes, he was.

But if she meant forced as in bullied, then no. Primo shook his head.

[They like the way my food is arranged, and they share their snacks with me.]

Even though, deep in his heart, the trade was never worth it. His classmates’ snacks and lunches were just as nutritious, made with fresh ingredients. But compared to Primo’s snacks — personally prepared by Ashley — no amount of nutritional value could compete.

[They’re nice kids, though.]

He smiled at her with a small nod, as if to reassure her.

[Just sometimes too childish.]

Ashley laughed and reached out to ruffle his hair. "Of course they’re childish — they’re kids," she said. "Being childish at that age is healthy, I think. So you can be childish too, okay, Primo?"

He nodded, even though he had no intention of acting like a child.

Lucian smiled faintly as he listened to Ashley’s voice and the quiet exchange filling the car. But just as his smile began to grow, it faded — as though something in his head had reached in and disturbed the peace he’d been drawing from this small, simple moment.

"By the way, Boo," Ashley turned to him, catching his usual unreadable expression. "How was your trip to the company?"

Lucian didn’t answer immediately, casting her a sidelong glance before checking on Primo through the rearview mirror.

When he spoke, it was just one word. "Strange."

"How is it strange?" she asked, only to pause as she glanced back at Primo. Ashley bit her lip, then smiled at him. "Primo, what do you want for dinner? Nolan has the day off, so I’ll be the one cooking tonight."

Primo thought it over before signing his preferred dish.

"Sure," she nodded. "We’ll have that tonight then."

Ashley didn’t press Lucian further, knowing this was a conversation for when Primo wasn’t around. Even though part of her wanted to include him in everything, she also wanted the boy to focus on his studies, not on the things that belonged to the adult world.

With that, the family headed home and fell into their usual routine. Once inside, Primo went to change and do his homework. Ashley and Lucian drifted into the kitchen, where she began preparing the ingredients for dinner.

Ashley glanced at the stairs, then turned to Lucian, who was helping her wash the vegetables.

"Lucian, is everything okay?" she asked, studying him from the side, curiosity clear in her eyes. "Did something happen?"

Lucian raised his brows and looked back at her. "Nothing bad happened."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm."

"Then why are you so quiet?" she asked, only to catch herself, realizing he was always quiet.

"What about you?" he asked. "How did your visit go?"

At that, the corners of her lips stretched wide, her eyes crinkling. Even before she answered, Lucian already had his answer.

"I told Red and the others to show them around once they’re discharged," she murmured with a light chuckle.

Lucian watched her reaction as she worked beside him, rinsing vegetables. His lips parted, then closed again.

He lowered his gaze to the ingredients in his hands. Then, out of nowhere, he said,

"The White Serpent claimed innocence."

"Huh?" Ashley paused and turned her head toward him. "What did you say?"

Lucian straightened, drawing a slow breath, and met her eyes steadily. "They said that before any of this happened, problems had already surfaced within one of the White Serpent’s other divisions. All evidence pointed to Dominion. So they infiltrated our territory to confirm whether Dominion had truly lost its mind."

The lines on her face deepened as she pieced it together before he even finished.

"In other words, they’re claiming some outside force is orchestrating all of this — so that the White Serpent and Dominion tear each other apart?" she clarified.

He nodded.

"Do you believe that?"

He didn’t answer right away. But when he did, his tone was certain. "Some of it. I do believe the White Serpent wouldn’t be this reckless, not when their internal conflict hasn’t been resolved yet."

"Then what does the White Serpent want?"

"A temporary alliance," he said. "Apparently, Martin — the leader of the group from the cargo — is a member of the White Serpent’s First Division. A loyalist of the previous Don."

He paused. "They want us to share intel if we find him. And they’ll do the same."

Like a race.

Ashley fell quiet, staring at the running water over the vegetables in the sink. She rested her hand on the edge of the counter, turning it over in her head.

"If I were Martin, I would’ve gone into hiding the moment I knew both Dominion and the White Serpent were after me," she murmured, eyes narrowed.

As she thought it through, Lucian studied her side profile, then broke his silence.

"You," he called quietly, pulling her out of her thoughts. He waited for her to look at him. "What would you do about someone who seems to know too much?"

She blinked. "Is that a question?" she hummed. When he said nothing but held her gaze, she answered plainly, "Dead men tell no tales."

"Right." He nodded, turning back to the sink. "Dead men tell no tales."