Free Web NovelChapter 297: You mean, who?
Ashley smiled as she glanced at the duo in the front passenger row. Behind the wheel was Tank, with Red seated in the front passenger seat. Gin and the rest were in a different car so they wouldn’t suffocate her.
Just what the proper madam of Dominion deserved.
Seeing them today surprised her. She hadn’t expected these guys to decide at all. She had already assumed they would choose to return to Dominion. After all, she would’ve understood that.
Ashley might’ve grown fond of them one way or another, but she never allowed herself to become attached to them more than she should. The reason for that was simple: deep down, she knew that at the end of the day, they would not be the people who would choose to fight with her or for her. freewёbnoνel.com
When a crisis arose, such as this one, they were not the people she could lean on. She wouldn’t be disappointed if she never gave herself a reason to believe they would side with her. That was why she never bothered trying to win them over—or anyone else in Dominion—except Lucian and Primo.
But that didn’t mean seeing them today and hearing everything they said didn’t move her.
Rather, I’m relieved. Perhaps I did regret not trying to win them over a little, she whispered inwardly.
"Khan was supposed to pick me up," she said, breaking the silence inside the car. "Where did he go?"
Red, seated in the front passenger seat, looked back at her. "We told him we’d pick you up."
"Ah..." She nodded and didn’t ask further.
Khan was definitely honest with her, and she could tell he had been expecting these guys to come back to their senses.
Still, that wasn’t what truly tugged at her curiosity.
Ashley darted her eyes between the driver’s seat and the front passenger seat. Her lips parted, then closed again. She drew a deep breath and turned toward the window, trying to stop herself from prying.
But before she could stop herself, she blurted it out.
"What made you guys change your minds?" she asked, biting her tongue in realization. To hide her genuine curiosity, she kept her focus on the window.
Tank blinked, keeping his attention on the road. Meanwhile, Red tilted his head and glanced over his seat.
"You mean, who?"
"Huh?" Deep lines formed on her forehead as she snapped her focus ahead. "What does that mean?"
Red merely shrugged, keeping his gaze forward. "You should ask her. That annoying secretary wannabe."
It took Ashley a second to realize who he was referring to.
"Yep," he added before she could speak. "That woman. Domination."
*****
[Hours ago...]
Betty furrowed her brows as she pressed her phone to her ear. "What did you say?"
"I’m saying, what’s going to happen to us now, Betty?" Castor asked, worry clear in his voice. "Everyone’s been anxious ever since they heard about the master’s condition. I hope not, but if he ends up dying, what’s going to happen to the plantation?"
This entire plantation was located in the heart of Dominion’s main residence.
Although Ashley was trying to acquire land outside Dominion’s ownership—just as she was setting up an office beyond Dominion’s territory—that plan was still in progress. Transitioning wouldn’t be easy, especially not this abruptly.
As for Betty, she held her breath as she tightened her grip on the phone. She knew Lucian’s condition was serious, but deep in her heart, she hoped it wasn’t that serious. Ashley never said it directly, but Nolan and Betty already understood.
Yet somehow, Castor had already heard about it.
"Castor, how did you know about this?" she asked, her heart thudding.
Castor sighed. "Everyone in the main HQ knows."
"Everyone?"
"Mhm." Castor let out another heavy sigh. "That’s why I’m concerned. Everyone’s worried, especially those in the plantation. They’re afraid they’ll have to move back to Dominion again, or that all our hard work will go down the drain."
Betty stayed silent for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. Then she nodded.
"Castor, even if the master isn’t in the best condition right now, what you’re hearing is too exaggerated." Her voice grew firmer. "The Black Dragon is the Black Dragon. Falling once or twice isn’t enough to bring him down. Rather, he would fall ten times and come back eleven times stronger."
These were the same words Ashley once said to Primo, and now Betty repeated them to Castor.
Not because she had nothing else to say, but because she believed in Ashley’s words and spirit.
"Let everyone know that everything is going to be fine. Our operations will continue as usual. The shipments still need to be completed as scheduled, and you’ll continue attending the upcoming trades as the madam’s representative," she continued without missing a beat. "Castor, the madam is going to be busy dealing with Dominion’s matters, so let’s not add to that burden."
She forced a smile. "Those are the things she has to worry about. As for the business, that’s our responsibility. Let’s be the least of her concerns right now."
A moment of silence fell over the line before a defeated chuckle echoed from the other end.
"You’re right, Betty," Castor said with a shake of his head. "The Dominion stuff isn’t our problem, but hers. I’ll keep in touch and send you the reports. There are a few she still needs to read and sign, though."
Betty nodded. "Thank you, Castor."
"No, thank you, Betty," Castor replied.
With that, Betty ended the call. The moment she did, another sharp breath escaped her lips.
"Everyone in the main residence already knows about the master?" She murmured to herself.
Ashley never told them, but Betty knew information like this wouldn’t leak from the Black Dragon’s inner circle so easily. Ashley might share things with her casually, but Betty had already learned that Ashley wasn’t someone who ran her mouth carelessly. The information Ashley shared with others was always information she had already prepared to be leaked if necessary.
Before she could think further, Betty sprang from her seat and hurriedly left her house. She rushed out so quickly that she didn’t even realize she had put on mismatched slippers, heading straight toward Nolan’s place.
Once she reached Nolan’s house, she knocked hurriedly on the door.
"Nolan!" she called, knocking louder. "Nolan, are you inside? It’s me, Betty!"
After nearly a minute of knocking, she finally heard Nolan’s faint voice from inside. A moment later, the door opened.
"Betty?" Nolan held the door, his brows furrowed. "Betty, are you okay?"
Betty parted her lips, but before she could speak, movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning her head, her gaze landed on the house across from Ashley’s, where Red and Vodka were casually smoking on the front lawn.
"Huh?" she blurted out. "Why are those two here? Aren’t they supposed to be with the madam?"
Nolan blinked before glancing toward the duo. "I have no idea, but the madam has been with the other recruits today."
Hearing that, Betty frowned deeply. Setting aside the reason she had rushed to Nolan’s house in the first place, she stomped toward Red’s house instead.
