Silence fell over the room as all eyes settled on Ashley.

Ashley stared at Carmella, studying the woman from head to toe.

"I wonder how you manage to stay so glamorous," she mused. "Being the wife of a Don is exhausting."

"You—"

"Enough!"

Marshal shot Carmella a warning look.

Miffed, Carmella swallowed her displeasure and sat back down.

"Well, as long as you still remember, that’s good." She forced a smile and glanced at Isabella. "Dear, sit down."

Isabella clicked her tongue but obeyed.

Once everyone was seated, their attention shifted to Marshal.

Ashley, meanwhile, kept her gaze fixed on the man she hadn’t seen in a long time.

He’s gotten a little bigger, she thought. And older than I remembered.

"You’re late," Marshal pointed out after a moment. "So you understand why they’re frustrated."

"That’s why I apologized," Ashley replied instantly. "Was that not enough?"

Carmella and Isabella hissed through their teeth and glared at her. Marshal merely studied the troublesome daughter seated across from him.

Nothing about Ashley seemed particularly different.

She had always been like this. Which was exactly why she was always getting beaten.

Over the years, however, Marshal had developed an unusually high tolerance for her attitude.

Ashley had always talked back.

If not for how useful she was, he would’ve gotten rid of her long ago.

"I expect this won’t happen again," he said sternly. "You made us wait for over an hour. Even if you’re Dominion’s Madam now, don’t forget where you came from."

Ashley said nothing. She simply stared at him.

For some reason, sitting across from Marshal, breathing the same air, and sharing the same space with him felt like a hand squeezing her heart. It was suffocating.

Yet at the same time, the numbness she felt toward this family had become even stronger.

"Anyway." Marshal reached toward the service button. "We’ll talk after the food arrives."

A few minutes later, servers entered and placed dish after dish on the table.

Ashley merely glanced at the food before watching the staff quietly leave.

"Go ahead and eat," Marshal urged as Carmella immediately began serving him.

"I’m full, thank you." Ashley smiled. The smile didn’t reach her eyes.

She pointed toward one of the dishes. "This one is particularly good," she paused. "I just had it."

For the past hour, while they had been waiting for her, Ashley had been enjoying dinner in the very same restaurant.

"What are you talking about?" Isabella scoffed, completely missing the point.

Ashley ignored her. Her gaze never left Marshal.

"I’m a married woman now, sir." She folded her arms. "I assume you’re aware of what happened to Dominion recently."

Marshal remained silent.

"Things are still unstable, and I’ve been working like a dog." She leaned forward slightly. "So let’s skip the formalities."

"What do you need?" Her tone sharpened. "What exactly do you want to talk about?"

Marshal clicked his tongue.

"If you’ve already eaten, then at least let everyone else eat after making them wait." Carmella glared at her. "Is a little decency really that difficult for you?"

"Ashley," Isabella chimed in, forcing a gentle tone. "I know you’re tired—and it shows—but surely this can wait until after dinner."

Ashley slowly ran her tongue along the inside of her cheek.

Her gaze drifted toward the two women.

There was a time when she envied them. The Madam and the heiress of the Di Carpios. Both had all the time in the world while she worked herself to exhaustion.

Back then, she thought it was because Marshal loved them.

Now she knew better.

It had never been love.

It was control.

Marshal kept all the power for himself. Which meant the moment he fell, the bubble protecting Carmella and Isabella would burst.

And both of them would drown.

Without another word, Ashley placed both hands on the table and rose to her feet.

"Enjoy your meal." She turned toward the door.

"Wait!" Isabella jumped up. "Where are you going?"

Her eyes widened. "You can’t just leave! This is the first family dinner we’ve had in forever!"

Ashley looked back over her shoulder. "I’m going home." Then, added after a step, "To sleep."

When she reached the door, Marshal spoke again.

"I won’t stop you since you seem exhausted." His knife sliced cleanly through a piece of meat. "But the next time I call, don’t make me wait."

Ashley paused.

Marshal lifted his eyes toward her.

"Remember this." His voice lowered. "At the end of the day, if something happens to Lucian, you’ll come crawling back to this family for protection."

Ashley didn’t move.

"Don’t forget that." Marshal lowered his gaze to his plate. "Lucian may not be dead yet."

The room grew quiet.

"But the attempts on his life won’t stop as long as he’s breathing. If a hundred attempts fail, then a thousand more will follow."

Ashley suddenly snickered. Slowly, she turned around.

"I wonder how many it would take for you."

The question made Carmella slam both hands onto the table.

Ashley ignored her. "Do you know where I was before I came here?"

Marshal narrowed his eyes.

"I was in the kitchen." She shrugged. "Just checking whether they’re following proper sanitation procedures."

Marshal, who had been about to eat the piece of meat he’d cut, slowly lowered his fork.

"Enjoy your meal." Ashley nodded politely.

Then she turned back toward the door.

"That—that bitch!" Carmella nearly jumped out of her chair, but Ashley slammed the door behind her.

BANG!

"Has she gone insane?" Carmella screeched. "Did she poison the food?! That psycho has completely lost her mind!"

Isabella instinctively clutched her stomach and stared at the dishes. Then she noticed Marshal’s expression darkening.

"That bitch," he hissed.

Slowly, he set down his utensils.

His eyes settled on the knife in his hand. The silver blade had begun turning black.

Seeing it, both women gasped.

Carmella rushed to his side.

"Hah!" she pointed furiously at the door. "She’s truly lost her mind!"

Her face twisted with rage. "How dare she try to poison her own father? That cursed child!"

*****

Carmella’s voice echoed through the hallway outside the private dining room.

Ashley heard every word, but she wasn’t the only one.

A few steps away, leaning casually against the wall, stood Lucian.

He stared at his wife.

Then he pushed himself off the wall and held out both hands toward her.

Ashley looked at him quietly.

The heaviness in her chest slowly eased. The invisible hand squeezing her heart loosened. The suffocating pressure around her neck disappeared.

She stepped forward and took his hand.

And in that moment, Ashley smiled subtly, but genuinely.

"I’m glad we had dinner before this."