"You know... you guys didn’t have to come," Ashley huffed in the arrivals area, glaring at the nine men standing with her. "No one’s going to abduct me — my abductors are already right here!"

She pointed a finger at Khan’s group, nearly making them choke.

Rus quietly mumbled, "Can we move on from that already?"

"Wouldn’t it have been better to just keep them locked up in the neighborhood?" she suggested, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Girl..." Rum opened his mouth, then shut it. "Just stop complaining."

"I’m not complaining." She clicked her tongue at him and turned back to the arrivals area. "She’s just taking a while."

Now that she mentioned it, they had been bickering with her so relentlessly that they had nearly forgotten why they were at the airport in the first place.

"Why are we here again?" Vodka asked, and Gin smacked the bottom of his fist against his palm.

"Ah!" Gin said. "Right. Today’s the day."

"Today’s the day — what?" Rum asked.

Red shook his head, glancing at Rum. "Her assistant is coming."

"Assistant?" Rum’s brows furrowed briefly. He had almost forgotten that Ashley actually ran her own business.

The one she had left behind at the mansion, with Castor looking after it.

"Ah," he nodded, and Vodka did the same.

Meanwhile, the four recruits kept quiet. They stood close enough to hear everything but far enough not to crowd the group.

Before the abduction, they had known these five were always with her wherever she went. And just like the profile they had been given, all five of them looked like... they had no idea where they were.

Their casual outfits gave nothing away.

Not to mention the relentless bickering they kept up with her. At some point, the four couldn’t help but wonder if the bickering existed for its own sake. After all, it wasn’t just Ashley starting it — the guys would say things that naturally set her off too. Getting on each other’s nerves seemed to be simply how they operated.

It still looked very strange to the four of them.

"If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were just siblings," Nelek observed quietly, just loud enough for his group to hear. "I wouldn’t even guess they were part of an organization like Dominion."

The rest nodded.

"I wouldn’t have known she was the Madam of Dominion if not for the photo they sent us," Warriyo whispered.

"How can they all be this relaxed around her?" Rus murmured.

As for Khan, he watched the dynamic between Ashley and the five elite guards. He hadn’t seen their full capabilities, but if they were the Madam’s personal unit, that alone told him everything he needed to know.

And Ashley got along with them just fine. Even if no one watching would ever guess it, given how freely they called out her nonsense.

A small smile turned up on Khan’s face until the arrivals door slid open again and a fresh wave of people walked out. One of them stepped through, looked around, and found them almost immediately.

"Madam!"

Ashley nearly bit her tongue. She turned, and her face slowly lit up, her mouth stretching wide.

"Betty!" She waved and jogged to the railing.

Betty beamed, rushing to meet her halfway. When they reached each other, Betty’s eyes shimmered as she looked Ashley up and down, squeezing her hands.

"Madam, it’s so good to see you again!" Betty said, the corners of her eyes going a little red with emotion.

Ashley just laughed. "Fine, fine — I’ll give you a bonus. Come here." She opened her arms. "I’ll allow it."

Betty laughed, wiping her eyes, and pulled her into a brief hug. Though she was careful not to linger too long. Who knew what the higher-ups (Lucian) would think if they held on a moment longer?

"Anyway, really glad you’re here, Bet," Ashley said as Betty stepped back. "For now, let me show you to your place. We can catch up later."

Betty’s smile stretched wide as she nodded.

*****

Betty’s lodging had already been prepared, even though Ashley had known her secretary would have to stay at the plantation for a while longer. Aside from overseeing the process there alongside Castor, Betty had several seminars to attend — ones Ashley had personally enrolled her in on Lucian’s suggestion.

Back in the neighborhood, Red and his crew arrived to find their jaws going slack. The group of nine stood before the largest home on the street. Even Betty stared at it in quiet shock.

"What the..." Red trailed off, scrunching up his nose as he turned to Ashley with open judgment. He pointed at the house. "Why is her place bigger than ours? And she’s supposed to be living alone?"

It was even bigger than Ashley and Lucian’s home.

But that was because Ashley had wanted a place where she could see her family with just a turn of her head.

A smug look settled on her face, and she gave them exactly two words:

"Betty Domination."

"Madam..." Betty smiled awkwardly, tugging her arm. "I really don’t think I should be staying somewhere this large—"

But before Betty could spiral into her usual worrying, Ashley had already made the call.

"Let’s go inside, Betty! Nolan said he’d be here to welcome us!"

With that, Ashley dragged Betty toward her new home, buzzing with excitement and the knowledge that Betty’s arrival meant a whole portion of her workload was about to be lifted. Starting with finalizing the office building and getting it set up.

As the two of them disappeared inside, the rest stood outside and stared.

"I hate her," Rum announced, and the others shook their heads — Tank included. "Her favoritism is absurd."

The others nodded. Khan’s group did not.

Khan’s group, who had assumed this had nothing to do with them, flinched when all five suddenly turned their heads in their direction.

Khan: "..."

Everyone else: "..."

Rus leaned in slightly. "Is paying for the electricity and an air conditioner really all we need to do for this initiation?"

"No." Rum smiled until his eyes curved into crescents.

Red, Tank, Vodka, and Gin smiled the same way.

Seeing this, Khan, Warriyo, Nelek, and Rus took a collective step back.

Something told them this entire "initiation" was going to drain their savings completely.

So Rus, already resigned to his fate, couldn’t help but ask, "How are you guys broke if you’re the Madam’s guards?"

The five of them laughed.

Then Rum said, "We’re not broke. We’re... in character."