My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin novel Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Illiterate

Knock. Knock.

Betty perked up from her desk when she heard the sound. Her brows drew together in confusion, unsure who would be knocking on her door.

"It’s not them, is it?"

The thought that the maids had come to harass her again made her heart thud against her chest. Betty gulped nervously as she reached for the knob. Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the door and peeked through the small gap.

"Hey there!"

To her surprise, Ashley stood outside.

Ashley smiled brightly, holding a bottle of wine along with a few snacks she must’ve grabbed from the pantry. Deep lines formed on Betty’s face as she studied that carefree smile.

"Bet, let’s drink!" Ashley beamed. "The weather’s nice tonight, and after all that work, a sip of alcohol is exactly what we need to wash the tiredness away!"

"..."

Betty’s brows slowly lifted in surprise as she stared at her.

And before she even realized it, the two of them were already sitting on the grass in the half-ruined garden with Ashley casually chugging mouthfuls of wine.

"Woo! That hit the spot!" Ashley hissed in satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Betty could only stare at her side profile, lips pressed together as she assessed the madam’s carefree expression.

After a moment, Betty smiled faintly and took a sip. Her cheeks flushed slightly at the taste.

"It’s good, right?" Ashley leaned closer with a grin.

"Ye—yes, madam," Betty nodded meekly. "It... tastes like juice."

"That’s a ten-grand bottle of wine."

Betty nearly spat it out.

"Ten—ten grand?" she gasped, turning to Ashley in horror. "Madam, this is expensive—I don’t think I should be drinking this!"

Heck, the most expensive thing Betty had ever drunk was probably worth a dollar or two. But her panic only made Ashley laugh.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. Your boss is rich," Ashley paused, thinking. "Actually... this one belongs to the big boss."

Her face scrunched briefly before smoothing out again.

"Your boss is rich, and her husband is super rich. If we don’t drink this, Lucian might just smash the bottle when he’s in a bad mood."

Betty opened and closed her mouth, completely at a loss.

I should be used to this by now... right?

After a moment, her shoulders relaxed, and she let out a small chuckle.

Ashley paused when she heard it, then smiled.

"See? You’re pretty when you laugh," she said, catching Betty off guard. "You should smile more. Relax a little. It’s not every day we get to drink something like this."

Betty lowered her head slightly, but the smile on her lips lingered.

"Thank you, Madam."

"Come on, drink," Ashley winked, taking another mouthful while Betty followed with a smaller sip. "This is really good. First time I’ve had something like this—wow, Lucian really is living the life."

"You too, Madam."

"Hmm?"

"I mean... you’re living the life as well," Betty clarified softly.

Ashley stared at her for a moment, then shrugged.

"Am I?" she murmured, tilting her head up to the night sky. Hugging her knees, a faint smile tugged at her lips. "Maybe... I am now."

Thinking about it, she didn’t feel as suffocated as before. Even with everything she still needed to avoid—or ruin—in the future, she wasn’t as scared anymore.

Maybe it was because...

Aside from saving Lucian and Dominion from disaster, she was finally building something of her own. Something she had never even thought of doing in her first life.

And somehow... I never imagined planting things like this could actually make money. It’s... nice. Earning clean money.

While Ashley drifted into her thoughts, Betty quietly watched her.

The peace on Ashley’s face was undeniable.

Don’t tell her. Don’t ruin this moment.

Betty took a deep breath, then chugged another mouthful. And just like that, her resolve snapped into place.

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