If Ashley was being honest, she had stopped relying on the events of her previous life after the ambush.

The moment she prevented it from happening, she knew things would change.

That ambush had claimed lives. Stopping it could have greatly affected Lucian and Dominion.

And it did.

Several events shifted because of her interference. Without waiting for another major incident, she relocated their base to a neighborhood that offered them a strategic advantage.

But those changes came with risks.

There would always be things she couldn’t predict, no matter how prepared she was.

One of them was Lucian’s illness.

Ashley was grateful they had caught it in time and received help. She was grateful Lucian had been saved and was no longer dying.

That outcome was far better than in her previous life.

At the same time, however, her anxiety had begun to rise as she noticed more and more oddities.

Aside from someone smearing Ghost’s name—a matter Red was investigating under Lucian’s orders—major problems involving the Black Dragon Corporation were appearing in the CEO’s pipeline far earlier than they should have.

Even without memories of her first life, Ashley would’ve noticed the nonsense reaching the office.

But because she remembered the first timeline, she knew something was wrong.

That suspicion was confirmed the moment she sat in that meeting room and listened to the presentation for the company’s supposedly major project.

She might not have paid much attention to Dominion or the corporation in the past, but events of this scale still reached her ears.

And this one?

No matter how promising the deal looked, no matter how profitable the project seemed, it was doomed from the very beginning.

It was the project that finally put Black Dragon Corporation on the authorities’ radar.

A project that nearly destroyed Dominion’s plans for full legalization.

And now it’s happening while I’m sitting in that office.

Ashley narrowed her eyes.

In her previous life, the only reason the project had been approved was that Lucian had barely been in his right mind. The medications, treatments, and constant deterioration had left him unable to oversee everything properly.

In the end, Lukas had taken the fall... for someone else’s mistake.

Her expression darkened as worry flickered across her face.

Ashley was so deep in thought that she flinched when she felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked down.

Primo was sitting beside her.

[Mama, are you okay?]

Ashley blinked several times. Only then did she realize everyone at the table was staring at her.

Lucian, Liza, and Tommy all wore concerned expressions.

Right.

She was having dinner with her family and the lovely couple.

Tommy had only arrived in the country earlier that day.

"Dear, is everything alright?" Liza asked gently. "You’ve been zoning out since the food was served."

Ashley laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry. I was just thinking about work." She lowered her head slightly. "I’m sorry."

Lucian quietly watched her before looking away.

Tommy noticed immediately.

The moment he saw Lucian’s expression, his face almost twitched. The man looked as though he was somehow blaming himself... and sulking.

"Haha!" Tommy shook his head. "It happens."

Liza glanced at her husband.

Although she wanted to corner Ashley later and ask what was really bothering her, she simply smiled.

This was dinner, and she knew Ashley would come to her if she truly needed someone to talk to.

"It does happen," Liza agreed. "Especially when work starts piling up."

Then she looked at Lucian from the corner of her eye.

"Lucian, don’t blame yourself."

"Your auntie is right!" Tommy chimed in. "It’s not your fault you’re unwell. If you really want to help your wife, then recover quickly so she can focus on her own work."

"I’ll do my best," Lucian nodded.

Ashley sighed softly and squeezed his hand.

"It’s not like that," she said gently. "Don’t blame yourself. I’m okay."

Lucian glanced at her and pressed his thumb against the back of her hand.

He didn’t say anything else.

[Mama, if you need help, I can.]

Primo held up his board.

Liza and Tommy instantly chuckled.

"Such a good kid," Liza cooed, her eyes softening. "Primo, why don’t you sit over here with us?"

Primo looked at the couple before nodding. He carried his plate over and settled between them.

The moment he did, Liza and Tommy lit up.

The sudden burst of affection almost made Primo flinch.

Their attention shifted entirely to him. They asked about his hobbies, his favorite foods, and what desserts he liked.

At one point, they nearly spoon-fed him.

Ashley smiled as she watched the scene unfold. Then she leaned toward Lucian and bumped her shoulder against his.

"I think they should stay longer," she whispered. "Free babysitters."

Lucian glanced at the couple.

If someone didn’t know better, they would’ve assumed Liza and Tommy were Primo’s biological grandparents.

The boy was smiling like an ordinary child. Not someone who had once threatened his father while the latter was hovering near death.

"Mhm," Lucian hummed, smiling faintly.

Dinner continued far longer than originally planned. Not because Liza and Tommy insisted. The family of three simply enjoyed their company.

Besides, Primo seemed to like them far more than anyone had expected.

*****

Meanwhile, Lukas groaned as he sat on the edge of his bed, massaging his throbbing head.

After Ashley left him at the cafe, he hadn’t gone home.

Instead, he headed to a bar where he was a regular.

The place wasn’t open yet, but because he knew the owner, they let him in for a drink anyway. It was the only reason he managed to sleep once he finally got home.

Otherwise, he doubted he would’ve been able to.

Now he was paying the price.

His head pounded. His entire body felt sluggish and sick.

"Damn it," he muttered as he dragged himself out of bed and toward the kitchen.

He had barely crossed the living room when the doorbell rang.

Lukas stopped.

Almost every light in the house was off. Only the soft daylight filtering through the open curtains illuminated the room.

He turned toward the front door.

There was only one person who would visit him at this hour.

"The hell does Gustav want now?" he grumbled.

Dragging his feet toward the wall monitor, he switched it on and immediately spoke.

"Gustav, whatever you came here for—"

The words died in his throat.

The person outside wasn’t Gustav.

It was someone he never expected.

"Nikki?"