Chapter 490: I think Marshal stole Tommy’s daughter
Knock. Knock.
Lucian knocked on the bathroom door, hearing the shower running on the other side.
"It’s me," he said. "I’m coming in."
As he entered, his eyes landed on the silhouette behind the fogged glass surrounding the shower area.
"Baby, as much as I would love to, I’m really tired," Ashley called from behind it, assuming Lucian wanted some intimate time with her. "But I promise we’ll have an entire rolling-under-the-sheets day after this."
As she spoke, she couldn’t help but glance down at her body.
Large bruises covered her hip and shoulder from the blows she had taken on her way to Baldy. They didn’t hurt—or perhaps her body had simply forgotten how pain was supposed to feel.
How she wished her heart could do the same.
Ashley didn’t dwell on it, knowing Lucian was right outside. If he noticed her silhouette inspecting her body for too long, he might come over and check. She already knew how Lucian felt about these things, even though getting injured during an operation as large as this one had been unavoidable.
Meanwhile, Lucian leaned against the long bathroom sink.
"Ashley," he called.
She hummed in response.
Lucian stared at her silhouette. "I’m about to hand you a grenade."
Ashley furrowed her brows. "Literally?"
"It’s up to you whether you throw it away before it explodes or hold on to it and hope it isn’t live," he continued, watching her reach for the faucet.
Ashley turned off the shower before reaching one arm through the small gap in the sliding door to grab a bathrobe.
She wasn’t finished showering, but she felt as though she needed to see his face.
Whatever this was, it sounded important.
Once she stepped out, wrapped in the robe with her hair still damp, she found him leaning against the sink.
"Lucian, what is this about?"
"Do you remember the night I went to speak with Mr. Tommy?" he asked. "The night he seemed particularly upset?"
Ashley nodded. "Yeah. You were bothered by something, so you left."
"That night, he told me a story," Lucian began. "Or rather, he told me about his long history with Marshal Di Carpio."
Her lips pressed into a thin line as she stared at him.
"Lucian, I already know about that." She walked closer and stopped between his legs after he spread them to make room for her.
Ashley wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I know Marshal did what he did because they used to be rivals. At the height of Uncle Tommy’s power, he killed the man Marshal considered a father. So, Marshal..." Her voice trailed off.
"In return, that fucking bastard killed Uncle Tommy’s child." She released a sharp breath. "Even after that, Marshal still conspired with Memphis to take him down. Uncle Tommy was already retired, but Marshal just couldn’t let it go."
"That’s why I’m going to show him what happens when someone else refuses to let go," she added, her voice growing lighter as a smile appeared on her face.
Their previous conversation had already weighed heavily on Ashley, but the shower had helped clear her mind.
This mission could be called redemption, revenge, or anything else. It didn’t matter. She had already made her decision and acted on it. There was no point dwelling on the things she had spent her entire life drowning in.
"I know their history," she repeated quietly. "That’s what started all of this in the first place."
If Tommy hadn’t been shot, Ashley would’ve probably returned to her office and focused on both her own responsibilities and the affairs of the Black Dragon Corporation. She would’ve kept smiling and doing all sorts of things, completely ignoring the memories buried deep inside her.
But Tommy had been hurt, and Ashley had discovered the long history between him and Marshal.
It was the final straw.
"But you don’t know why Mr. Tommy didn’t kill Marshal when he had the chance." Lucian held her gaze, resting his hands on her hips. "Ashley, what I’m about to tell you is complicated. Stop me now if you don’t want to hear it."
The lines on her face deepened as she held his grim gaze.
Lucian wasn’t the type to tell her something if he believed it would only hurt her. That was why he hadn’t told her about Marshal and Tommy himself.
She wasn’t angry about it. That was simply who Lucian was.
It was a little annoying, but she understood her husband just as much as he understood her. However, now that he had mentioned the reason Tommy hadn’t killed Marshal, it made her wonder.
Ashley hadn’t questioned it before. She hadn’t had enough time to process everything as deeply as she should have.
"Mr. Tommy had enough power and resources to kill Marshal Di Carpio, even after his retirement," Lucian stressed. "In fact, he tracked Marshal down and held him at gunpoint. But do you know why he didn’t pull the trigger?"
Ashley bit her lower lip, confusion clear in her eyes.
"I can handle grenades," she finally answered. "I’ll throw this one away before it can hurt me."
Her resolve hardened. "Tell me. Why didn’t he do it?"
Lucian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he studied the determination in her eyes.
He had already given her enough clues to understand where this was going. Even so, he knew the truth would catch her off guard.
"You were there," he finally said.
"Huh?" Ashley tilted her head. "What does that mean?"
"The night Mr. Tommy caught Marshal, Marshal’s mistress and her child were with him," Lucian clarified. "You were that child."
Ashley’s arms slowly loosened around his neck.
"For a man who had just lost his own daughter, Mr. Tommy couldn’t bring himself to kill someone else’s father in front of her."
Tommy might not have admitted it, but Lucian knew that had probably been a moment of clarity for him.
As a man deeply involved in the underground world and all kinds of crime and violence, Tommy was no saint. He had hurt people. He had taken lives.
Perhaps he had looked at that child and seen the consequences of all the sins he had committed.
So, he had lowered his gun.
After that, Tommy retired to protect his wife.
It was the only path left for him.
"At first, I thought Marshal simply got lucky that night." Lucian lowered his head until his gaze was level with hers. "But the more I thought about it, the more unsettled I became."
He paused. "Was it really luck? They had been at each other’s throats for years. Surely, they knew each other better than either of them would ever admit."
If Marshal had deliberately brought the child with him that night, then he had gambled his life on Tommy’s grief and mercy.
Ashley took a step back, but Lucian caught her hand before she could pull away completely.
"That isn’t the grenade," he told her.
Her eyes remained fixed on his.
"The grenade is..." Lucian paused, his breath catching in his throat. "I don’t think Marshal killed Mr. Tommy’s daughter."
The silence that followed pressed against the entire bathroom.
Lucian had wanted to wait until he saw the test results. He had wanted certainty before planting this possibility in Ashley’s heart.
But either way, he would eventually have to tell her.
"I think Marshal stole Tommy’s daughter," he said slowly.
His grip on her hand tightened. "And raised her as his own."