Ashley’s heart thudded as disbelief consud her. But what truly hurt her pride was the fact that Primo beat her using only two of his small fingers.
TWO!
"You—" she turned to him, eyes burning as if she were ready to pick a fight with him.
But as she turned, she caught sight of Lucian and Nolan near the door. Her mouth dropped open, while Primo looked back, flinching upon seeing his father.
"What do you think you’re doing?" Lucian asked as he marched toward them, reaching for Ashley’s arm and forcibly pulling her up.
"Ah—" she winced, looking up at him in confusion.
He looked angry, which reminded her of the first ti she escaped. With how many tis she had tried to escape, Lucian seed to have gotten used to it. So he didn’t look as angry as he had the first ti.
Who would have thought hanging out with Primo would make her see this look on his face again?
"Why are you angry at ?" she asked with a deep frown, then shalessly pointed at the boy. "Scold him this ti. I’m innocent!"
Primo felt his entire body stiffen as he looked at the petty Ashley.
How could she push the bla on him?
The boy gulped as he carefully looked up at his father, barely catching Lucian’s glance in his direction.
"Co with ," Lucian said through clenched teeth, his grip on her shoulder tight. Then he shot Nolan a look. "Stay with him."
Nolan could only lower his head while the boss dragged Ashley away from the room. But when Nolan peeked, all he saw was Ashley raising two of her fingers and pointing them at her eyes before pointing them in Primo’s direction.
Instead of protesting like usual, she even managed to mouth, I’m not done with you yet.
Nolan furrowed his brows, keeping his eyes on Ashley. Then he shifted his gaze to the little master, whose lips were pressed into a tight line.
"Young Master," he called, expecting Primo to throw a tantrum or jump back into his bed.
But instead, Primo puffed his chest and huffed, as if accepting Ashley’s challenge.
*
*
*
"Wait!" Ashley almost whimpered as she felt like her shoulder was about to co off with how hard Lucian pulled her. "You’re hurting —"
Before she could finish, he yanked her forward, spinning her until she faced him. Lucian breathed out heavily, his naturally sharp eyes glinting while she rubbed her shoulder.
"Primo?" he hissed through gritted teeth. "You’re coming after him now?"
"What?"
"I told you." He grabbed her arm again and tugged it, barely restraining himself from completely seeing red. "He’s not your concern."
Ashley frowned, keeping her displeased eyes on him. This was why she said their first marriage was simply toxic. They never tried to understand each other, and Lucian had violent tendencies — especially when it ca to Primo. She couldn’t bla him, though, considering all of her actions so far.
"A— you," he huffed as his grip on her arm loosened. "I don’t care what you do, but Primo—"
The rest of Lucian’s words stopped short in his throat when she suddenly jumped, taking advantage of his loosened hold. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her toes. Fortunately, he was leaning slightly forward, or it would have been impossible.
She grinned. Their faces were only inches apart.
All the anger he felt seed to vanish, replaced with montary shock. When he recovered, he t her eyes.
"What do you think you’re doing?"
"I’m listening," she nodded. "I’m getting scolded, and I’m trying to pay close attention. Very close."
Lucian reached for her hips to push her away, but she quickly tightened her hold.
"Nope." She blinked and then grinned. "You can continue."
He frowned, his expression turning a little more deadpan. Much to his surprise, she spoke again. But the words she said were not what caught him off guard.
It was...
"Lucian."
That na — his na — slipped past her lips, sothing she would never dare say before. For her, even his na was not worthy to be uttered. So hearing it from her, coming out so naturally, genuinely caught him off guard.
Only then did he realize just how close she was.
"I’m not going to hurt Primo," she promised. "I’m not that low."
She nodded, keeping him close to get her point across. "Also, I learned my lesson now. Whether you believe or not, the cold shower I had this morning knocked so sense into . This is Ashley version 2.0. Yesterday’s is not the sa !"
Everything she said was partly true, but she ant it.
"Sorry about what I did before," she humd, thinking she should apologize first so she could complain. "But you dragged way too aggressively. My shoulder almost ca off. Do you think that doesn’t hurt?"
Silence followed her remarks as he stared at her.
A plethora of thoughts ran through his mind, his jaw tightening. He had already figured that Ashley had finally found a tactic that could deliver a devastating blow. This confird it.
Lowering his head a little, he reached for her arms and carefully peeled them from his neck. He stretched his arms out, his hands on her shoulder blades, holding her at arm’s length.
Lucian studied her face. She looked far too innocent at the mont, with her eyes a little round and her brows raised. A helpless breath escaped him as he released her.
"Not Primo," he warned. "I’m telling you. Do whatever you want, but leave him out of this."
She pressed her lips together and held her hands behind her back, rocking herself to and fro. She simply stared at him as if she were waiting for more scolding.
"Go," he breathed out, jerking his chin.
"Okay..." she shrugged and turned her back on him, dragging her feet as she walked away.
anwhile, Lucian shook his head and turned in the opposite direction. But instead of leaving, he rested a hand on his hip while the other held his forehead, his face feeling a little feverish.
Damn it, he thought.
His thoughts halted when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps from behind.
Just as he dropped his hand, Ashley leaned sideways, one hand on his shoulder, standing on her toes as she planted a kiss on his cheek.
He froze, staring at her with wide eyes.
"Hehe. Good night, Lu," she giggled, smiling from ear to ear. "See you tomorrow!"
Like the little thief she was, she jumped back and skipped away, humming as she went, leaving him staring at her retreating figure, stupefied.
Lucian slowly touched his cheek, his brows knitting together. For a mont, he just stood there, the softness of her lips lingering on his cheek.
"Troubleso woman."
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