Chapter 299: They Hate The Idea
"Don’t get emotional and take this personally. In a situation like this, we can’t just throw away years of hard work for someone who gave her own security an empty house. It’s just not worth it."
Rum tilted his head. "Besides, what exactly did she ever do for us?"
"We did everything our roles required," Vodka chimed in. "But all we got was an empty house—not even a thank you."
Betty scoffed, running her tongue along the inside of her cheek.
"Not even a thank you?" she repeated, turning back to them. "When I was cleaning the halls of the west wing of the mansion, washing mountains of dishes that kept me awake until midnight, or doing more chores than one person could ever handle... did any of you ever thank me?"
"Huh?" The guys frowned.
"When I had to sacrifice my sleep just to make sure everyone in Dominion had clean towels to use, properly washed plates to eat from, and neat sheets for your bedding, did any of you ever thank me for it?"
Vodka frowned deeply. "Why would we thank you for doing your job?"
"Then why are you expecting her to thank you for doing your job?" she clapped back, silencing them at once. "Your very role is to make sure she’s safe. That’s the exact reason you gave every time you shut her down or disrespected her before she even did anything. As long as she was safe, then you did your job."
"Didn’t you?" she asked, her voice rising slightly.
"Don’t forget how she was back then—"
Betty scoffed. "Don’t you dare give me the excuse that she wronged Dominion many times in the past. No matter what you tell yourselves, you can’t change the fact that Dominion wronged her first. Before you guys even met her, you had already decided she was someone you would never accept as the Madam of Dominion—someone you would never respect."
"Even animals know how to respect their own kind, but you guys... no, all of Dominion, couldn’t even respect someone for simply being human," she added, shaking her head. "Funny enough, I only learned this from her not long ago, but respect is not earned."
She paused, staring each of them in the eye. "Disrespect is earned. Respect should be the default. So tell me, aside from being forced to marry into Dominion, what exactly did she do at the beginning to deserve your disrespect?"
Silence fell between Betty and the men while Nolan remained standing outside the gate. He glanced at the five men, finally grasping the situation he hadn’t fully thought about that morning. But after hearing this exchange, he finally understood why Ashley had chosen to stay with the four recruits instead of these men.
"If you think giving her a shoulder to cry on once is enough to erase the months of disrespect she endured before she retaliated... and if you think risking your lives to rescue her once is something she should endlessly thank you for, then... shame on you," Betty hissed. "The Black Dragon himself didn’t even know how to apologize or express gratitude until recently."
"Why is it acceptable for him, but his wife has to meet every requirement imaginable just to be treated with basic decency? Why is it acceptable for you to risk your lives for Dominion, but not for someone who’s the mother of the young master?"
Betty laughed bitterly. "I thought I was already pathetic because this was the only thing I could do, but you guys... you guys are the worst of the worst."
"No wonder she could never completely trust you," she muttered under her breath. "Because you never completely trusted her either. I hope you all sleep well at night, because if the master wakes up and finds out about this, I’ll beg him—even if it kills me—that you guys should never be allowed near the Madam again."
Having said her piece, Betty let out one final sharp scoff and turned around. The moment she did, she caught Nolan staring at her.
She pressed her lips into a thin line and walked past him toward his house.
As for Nolan, he watched Betty pass before shifting his gaze to the five men.
"If something happens to the Madam, I’ll beg alongside her," he said coldly, in the coldest voice they had ever heard from him. "Even if it kills me."
With that, Nolan turned and followed Betty back into his house.
Meanwhile, the men remained frozen in place, watching the two disappear inside Nolan’s home. None of them spoke for a long moment until Gin’s quiet voice broke the silence.
"Red, did you really have to provoke her like that?"
Red didn’t answer. He kept staring at the door Nolan and Betty had disappeared behind. The longer he stayed silent, the more the others looked at him.
"That damn secretary sure knows how to run her mouth," he clicked his tongue. "Did she think this was easy for us?"
It wasn’t as though they didn’t understand everything Betty had said. If anything, they had been trying to avoid thinking about it too deeply.
But... Red couldn’t afford to make a rash decision.
He glanced at the four of them and muttered, "Fuck."
Yet all he got in return was chuckles, as though they already understood what he hadn’t said aloud.
"Is she worth the gamble?" Rum wondered aloud as he crossed his arms, staring at the house across from them. "The Madam is nice when she wants to be. Maybe she’ll be even nicer if we butter her up a little more."
"The Madam’s faction is still wide open, isn’t it?" Vodka asked, looking at Gin, who was more knowledgeable about these things. "Do I still have a chance to become the Madam’s right hand?"
"Wow! You’re ambitious!" Rum glared at him. "If there’s gonna be a right and left hand of the Madam, those spots should belong to Gin and me. I mean, Red too... if he were still alive, that is."
"I’m afraid both hands might not be available." Suddenly, the ever-quiet Tank spoke.
The moment they heard his rare voice, all of them turned toward him.
Tank blinked almost innocently. "Khan is already running to claim one of them. If this keeps up and he continues serving her directly, he’ll secure one side for himself."
"Fuck!" Rum cursed, jumping in place before sprinting inside. "Why the hell am I waiting for you guys to decide!? Screw this crew!"
"Has he been waiting for us to decide?" Gin wondered aloud. "Because I was waiting too."
Tank glanced at the rest. "We all were... until Domination came here. Otherwise, we would’ve waited on each other forever."
"Fuck!" Vodka cursed as he also dashed inside. "I’m never being considerate again!"
Gin clicked his tongue. "Shit," he muttered before running after them.
Red remained rooted in place, staring at the open front door in disbelief. "If all of you were just waiting, then why the fuck didn’t any of you say something?! Hey, get back here!"
As Red cursed and stormed inside after them, Tank merely shook his head.
No one on their crew wanted to drag the others down by making the decision first. This was a high-risk choice, after all. And the current Madam of Dominion’s faction was still practically nonexistent.
If Lucian died, none of the five were certain they could survive a war against the Dominion’s higher ranks as Ashley’s men.
Tank quietly pulled out his phone and typed a message before sending it immediately.
[To Khan:
They hate the idea of you becoming one of her hands. Thanks for holding out. Where can we find her?]
