The next day...

Lucian was not fully well.

In fact, no one had yet identified what he had. He still needed to undergo all sorts of tests.

In other words, as of now, Ashley was still responsible for Dominion, the company, and everything in between.

"Madam."

Ashley snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Gustav. He stood near the couch in Doctor Wesley’s office, where she was waiting for Lucian to finish his tests.

"Should I cancel the meeting?" he asked.

"Ah," she nodded, smacking her lips. She checked her wristwatch. "Send the reports to me. I’ll look into it later — Lucian’s almost done."

Gustav lowered his head and quietly stepped away to reschedule the meeting she was supposed to attend in Lucian’s stead. As he left, Doctor Wesley let out a sigh.

"Madam," he called, watching her look in his direction. "I —"

"Don’t apologize, Doctor Wesley," Ashley cut him off before he could do so for the umpteenth time. She smiled at him. "Apologize if you misdiagnosed him on purpose."

Doctor Wesley lowered his head. "I would never do that to the Master."

"Then stop apologizing," she said, leaning back in her seat. "According to Mr. Great Expert, anyone would have misdiagnosed him. What he had looked almost identical to your diagnosis."

She paused. "So I wouldn’t say it’s alright, but... it happens."

"Even so, how could I make such a mistake?" Doctor Wesley sighed. "I brought in as many specialists as I could to review the Master’s results, and they all gave me the same answer. Even so, the mistake falls on me."

Ashley rocked her head and picked up the papers she had been reviewing.

"Doctor Wesley," she said, skimming through the documents. "Have you ever bitten your tongue — while eating, or even while speaking?"

"Pardon?"

She turned to him. "Have you?"

"Uh." He furrowed his brows. "Yes. Sometimes."

"Then that’s your answer," she smirked. "I’m just giving you the simplest example — that even with years of experience, you’ll still slip up once in a while."

She paused, turning her head to look at him fully.

"It’s probably different for you since you’re a doctor and the margin for error is narrower. But you are also human. You did everything you could, brought in people you trusted to be better than you, hoping the first diagnosis was wrong." She nodded at him. "And even when he was being stubborn, you put your neck on the line in a desperate attempt to save him."

Ashley gathered her things and rose to her feet, then faced him.

"What I’m saying is — I hope you keep treating your patients with that same passion." She smiled. "That’s the only thing you could do to make up for this mistake. Still, I appreciate your efforts."

Doctor Wesley rose as well, looking at her with a complicated expression. He had been tormenting himself since the night before, when Raka had berated him for the wrong diagnosis and nearly letting the patient die.

Ashley never said it was fine. Not once.

What she said, when stripped down, amounted to this: it would have been an entirely different situation had Doctor Wesley done it on purpose. But it was human error. She understood human error, even if she never outright absolved him of it. That much was understandable, given that not long ago, she had believed she was about to lose her husband.

"Thank you, Madam," he whispered, nodding at her with every word. "For hearing my side first. Thank you."

Ashley nodded and walked out without another word.

Gustav was waiting beside the door. He fell into step behind her.

"I’ll send him back to his country," he said.

"That’s not for you or me to decide, Gustav," she replied evenly. "If Doctor Wesley still wants to work for my family, he’s welcome to."

"But —"

"As Raka Jean said, any doctor would have diagnosed Lucian the same way — even a specialist. It’s why diagnostic specialists like Raka exist. It’s also a field that’s largely overlooked; there are only a few hundred people in that line of work in the entire world." She cut him off without breaking stride. "Besides, our investigation cleared Doctor Wesley. He’s innocent."

She gave Gustav a brief sideways glance.

"Let’s let him be," she said, her tone softening as she caught sight of Lucian being wheeled out by Khan. "My boo~!"

She picked up her pace while Gustav slowed.

He stayed where he was, watching as Ashley practically skipped toward Lucian like a little girl.

"I think... I’m starting to understand her pattern," he muttered, caught somewhere between disbelief and amusement.

He had begun routing only the most important matters to Ashley so as not to burden Lucian while he was still going through tests. But the more he observed her, the more he saw how many different versions of her there were.

He wouldn’t call it a breath of fresh air, but she was certainly nothing like Lucian. Where Lucian was consistent with everyone, Ashley was entirely selective.

Around the High Chamber, she was as delicate as a live grenade — one wrong word, one wrong move, and the pin would be pulled, taking everyone down with her.

With Dominion’s people, she was precise, especially now.

With her bodyguards, she was either petty or spoiling for an argument.

With the softer people around her — Betty, Nolan — she was almost too considerate.

But with Lucian and Primo, Ashley was just... sweet. Like someone who couldn’t harm a soul. Case in point: she was currently babbling in a soft voice at Lucian, cupping his face and kissing his "boo-boo."

Gustav shook his head and made his way toward the couple and Khan.

"Master, how did the tests go?" he asked.

Lucian nodded. "Alright."

"I’ll make sure no one touches the results or tampers with the process before they reach Mister Raka Jean," Gustav said, watching Lucian nod in quiet satisfaction.

"Good work, Gustav."

"Boo, do you want to eat somewhere nice?" Ashley chimed in, taking over the wheelchair from Khan. "I spotted a restaurant on the way here. You fasted before the test, so..."

Her voice trailed off as she and Lucian moved ahead, leaving Gustav and Khan where they stood. Both men watched them go. Gustav broke the silence first.

"So," he turned to Khan. "Are you her right hand or her left?"

Khan blinked, opened his mouth, and closed it again. Gustav chuckled and patted his back.

"There’s a joint exercise coming up," he said, walking away. "She’ll need to decide soon."