My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin novel Chapter 529

Chapter 529: Let’s Be Bad People Until Then

"Are you sure you’re okay?"

Lucian glanced back, catching Ashley as she stepped out of the small farmhouse bungalow built for her whenever she visited. It was her first time staying there, but Castor and everyone on the farm had taken care of the place since it was built.

Ashley joined Lucian and sat beside him on the steps. "Primo is sleeping with them—with mom and dad."

"I’m fine," he said, looking ahead.

Nothing but fields stretched before them, with lights strategically placed across the property so they weren’t surrounded by complete darkness.

"My husband fainted while resting under a tree," she pointed out, studying Lucian’s side profile. "How are you fine?"

Lucian let out a deep breath. "Sorry about that."

"You should stop that." She smacked her lips, leaning forward slightly with her arms tucked between her thighs and torso. "Why are you apologizing for fainting?"

"For worrying you," he corrected.

Ashley looked at him with a smile. "Lucian, I’ll always worry about you, just like you’ll always worry about me. I think... that’s just our marriage. And I don’t mind worrying about my husband."

Lucian glanced at her once more and chuckled.

Since Marshal’s death, Ashley had felt like a different person. She was calmer. Her aura still carried that dangerous edge, but there was something different about her now. It was as though she had finally broken through a bottleneck and grown into herself completely.

"So?" She bumped her shoulder against his. "What’s bothering you now?"

Lucian didn’t answer immediately.

He stared ahead, not because he was thinking about his answer, but because he didn’t know how to begin. When he realized there was no right way to say it, he turned his head and looked at her squarely.

"I’m sorry," he said again, watching her frown slightly. "Your father and I talked weeks ago, and he asked me one question: Is Dominion still worth it?"

Her lips parted.

It was the first time she had heard about this conversation.

"Since then, I’ve been thinking about it. I even considered stepping down. Turning my back on Dominion and all of this, then disappearing with you and Primo." A wry smile tugged at his lips as he looked away. "Starting over. Just the three of us."

He paused.

"Thinking about it feels like a dream," he continued. "Initially, I believed I was dying, so I was rushing the full legalization of Dominion. That’s why, in such a short time, more than half of Dominion was turned into legitimate businesses and organizations."

"But now that I’m no longer dying, now that I’m more capable..." He drew a breath. "I wanted to protect you and Primo. Take you away from this kind of life—from the violence. I wanted to get rid of this constant fear that one day, someone might come for me and take everything away from me."

His voice grew quieter. "But today, I realized... I can’t do that."

Lucian’s jaw tightened as he lowered his gaze.

"Dominion might no longer be worth everything I’ve sacrificed for it, but Dominion still shields me. I’ve stepped on too many toes. The moment I step down, it’ll only invite more trouble—not just for me, but for my family. For you. For Primo. Especially for your parents."

Lucian exhaled deeply.

"Sir Tom is capable, but I can’t burden him or drag him back into the underworld."

Tom would probably help him. His back channels alone could keep them safe.

But for how long?

"That’s why I’m apologizing to you," Lucian added under his breath. "I can’t let go of Dominion yet. And I can’t give you a peaceful life just yet."

Silence fell between them.

Lucian kept his eyes on the ground.

He had no idea how Ashley would react. He wasn’t expecting her to get angry, but perhaps she would be disappointed. After all, he was disappointed in himself.

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