My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin novel Chapter 261

Chapter 261: Our office?

For some reason, Ashley and Primo stayed on the line with Emma like curious kids listening to a teacher. Emma certainly had a way of explaining things that held their attention.

Ever since Emma left the country, she and Ashley had kept in touch — but mostly through short messages, nothing personal. Just updates about Primo and Emma’s questions about his preferences.

This was the first time they had talked at length about something together.

Ashley chuckled at the thought, drying her hair as she walked out of the bedroom. She had already put Primo to bed and finished freshening up.

"She’s not that bad," she mumbled, dragging her feet out while still toweling her hair.

As soon as she stepped out, she found Lucian standing beside the bed, phone in hand.

"Mhm," he hummed to whoever was on the line. "Do it as compensation."

With that, he ended the call and turned to her.

Lucian smiled faintly as he crossed the room toward her. He stopped just in front of her and looked down.

"You’re towel-drying your hair again," he pointed out, only to be met with a mischievous grin.

"At this point, I think I’m doing it on purpose," she winked. "Will you dry my hair again?"

He nodded without resistance. "Get on the bed."

She giggled and skipped toward it while Lucian stepped into the bathroom to retrieve the hair dryer. Honestly, having her hair properly blow-dried was something Ashley had never gotten used to.

Back then, she had always thought that sort of thing was reserved for someone like Isabella.

But even after she started using one herself, she still resisted it.

Why?

Because...

Lucian returned with the hair dryer and settled behind her on the bed. He dried her hair carefully, and compared to the first time, he had gotten noticeably better at it.

"Wow, Lucian," she said, glancing back at him. "Your fingers aren’t getting tangled in my hair anymore. I’m impressed."

A brief, smug smirk crossed his face. He looked genuinely proud of himself.

"By the way, who was that on the phone?" she asked, turning away again. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing major."

"What does that mean?"

"That person from the parent-teacher meeting," he explained, switching off the hair dryer so his voice could carry. He tilted his head as she looked back at him. "I forgot I promised to pay for his repairs."

The moment she heard that, her expression soured. "The van owner?"

"Mhm. He’s a parent of one of Primo’s classmates," he added. "So I needed to make it right."

"Huh," Ashley tilted her head, arms crossed, the gears in her head turning.

Before she could even say anything, he could already tell she was overthinking it.

"It doesn’t anger me," he clarified. "If anything, I find it... amusing."

"What’s so amusing about it?" she asked, but he only gave a mild shrug. "Hah..."

She let it go at that, and Lucian resumed drying her hair. Even so, she couldn’t help but keep turning it over in her mind.

Ashley could let a lot of things slide too — but never out of amusement. It was because she knew what she was capable of, and that if she wanted to live peacefully, she needed to commit fewer crimes.

Was it because no one had ever been so bold with him before? she wondered, turning her head as the sound of the dryer stopped and Lucian unplugged it to put it away.

Compared to all the schemes he constantly had to contend with, this one was almost insultingly straightforward. Annoying, sure. But amusing?

She nodded slowly to herself, watching him disappear into the bathroom.

Days later...

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