My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin novel Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Not Settling For A Consolation Prize

A light moan escaped Ashley as she stretched her arms and legs. Her eyes fluttered open, catching the familiar ceiling she had grown used to.

For some time now, seeing this ceiling the moment she woke up was her sign that she was still alive—back in time to fix what she should have. But before her lips could form a smile, memories of last night came rushing back.

"Right," she muttered as she sat upright. But when her feet moved, she realized the chains were no longer there.

"Huh?" She blinked, confused, before noticing a small figure lying beside her.

Ashley turned her head, catching Primo asleep on the bed. "What is he doing here?" she whispered, reaching out to check his temperature.

She heaved a sigh of relief when she felt it was back to normal. Tilting her head slightly, she checked his complexion and nodded in satisfaction when she confirmed he looked better as well.

"I didn’t want him to hear what happened," she clicked her tongue. "I told Betty to keep him entertained."

She didn’t want Primo involved in the complicated problems of the adults in this place. But it seemed that even after instructing Betty to keep him distracted and shielded from unpleasant matters, it was futile.

"Did they remove my chain because of him?" She frowned slightly, glancing at her freed feet.

Ashley hugged her knees, burying half her face against them. "Did I fail?"

Last night, she had fallen asleep while trying to hold back her tears. Perhaps it was because she had too many things to deal with the day before, plus standing in line for hours had drained her.

So, she didn’t know what happened afterward.

She had no idea if she had been unchained because Primo found out... or if Nolan had managed to clear things up.

"Knowing him..." she trailed off, her eyes lowering.

She pressed her lips into a thin line before resting her head on her knees. "Damn it," she breathed out.

Knowing Lucian, it was possible he had simply shut everyone down. He wasn’t the type to listen, especially when furious. So the possibility that she had been unchained because of Primo was high.

Just as Ashley thought she had lost this once-in-a-lifetime gamble, a knock came at the door. She didn’t bother to look as it slowly opened.

Nolan peeked inside, checking if Ashley and Primo were awake. The moment he saw her curled up beside Primo, hugging her knees, his heart clenched.

The sight reminded him of how she would usually look whenever she failed.

"Madam," he whispered as he stepped inside.

Ashley didn’t move. She didn’t respond.

He stopped a step from the bed, glancing at Primo before looking back at her. He sighed heavily.

"Madam, I—"

"How... angry was he?"

Her question cut him off before he could apologize.

"Huh?" Nolan furrowed his brows as she slowly looked up at him.

The moment their eyes met, Nolan noticed the lingering swelling around her eyelids — clear evidence that she had cried herself to sleep. The sight alone filled him with guilt, but her next words nearly broke him.

"Nolan, was he angry at you too? I’m sorry... and about the game? Did the guy find you?"

He choked. "... yes."

She smiled subtly, glancing at Primo. "That’s good to hear."

"Madam," he said quietly, exhaling before sitting on the bed. He looked her in the eye, attempting a smile, but failing. "The master is not angry with you."

"What?"

Nolan pressed his lips together. "I’m sorry, Madam. I promised you that you wouldn’t get in trouble, but I failed."

I figured, she thought. That jerk wouldn’t even listen to Nolan.

"Had I been fast enough, I could have explained everything before it escalated," Nolan sighed. "But I was a little late."

"Fast enough?" Her brows knitted. "Nolan, what are you talking about?"

Eh?

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