Chapter 327: As Long As He Was Alive...
"I choose the Madam of Dominion."
As soon as those words echoed through the room, everyone turned toward the source.
All eyes went wide. Breaths caught in throats. For a moment, every mind went blank.
The man leaning against the doorframe was the last person any of them expected to see — today, or ever again.
Lucian.
He leaned against the frame with his usual ease, complexion pale but his suit worn as dashingly as ever. His hair was less composed than normal, dark tips falling across his brow. His eyes were fixed in one direction.
Ashley.
She stood in his usual spot, dressed in full tactical gear, hair pulled back in a neat ponytail as though she hadn’t wanted it in the way. In this room, surrounded by people who couldn’t wait to tear her apart, she stood without flinching.
But even if that was impressive, Lucian couldn’t hide the flicker of guilt in his eyes. He usually stood in that spot, and he knew what it felt like to be there. He hadn’t wished for her to be there — but she hadn’t had a choice.
"I..." His voice was coarse but steady. "...choose the Madam."
Ashley turned.
The darkness clouding her eyes slowly cleared as they widened. Her brows rose, and her pressed lips parted.
Lu... cian?
She blinked once, twice — but he stayed where he was.
How... why... what...
Incomplete questions flooded her mind as she stared at him, disbelief warring with something she didn’t dare name. It was clearly Lucian, and yet some part of her couldn’t accept it.
Was he actually there?
Or was she losing her mind in the middle of all this?
She wanted to run to him — to touch him and know he was real. But her feet wouldn’t move, as though cemented to the floor.
The room remained silent, everyone grappling with the same question. Those on her side studied him carefully; he looked slightly different from usual, but there was no mistaking who he was. Those opposed to him wore matching expressions of confusion.
But beneath their different reactions lay one shared, unspoken thought.
How was Lucian here? He was supposed to be in the hospital, dying.
Everyone knew he was end-stage. Even if he’d woken, he shouldn’t have been able to sit up, let alone come all the way here. And yet, here he stood. A few people rubbed their eyes just to be sure — ridiculous as it was, some half-wondered if they were looking at a ghost.
Lucian exhaled slowly and pushed off from the doorframe. He crossed the room with measured steps, unhurried but certain, and stopped just beside Ashley. His gaze had never left her.
A small smile touched his lips. His eyes softened with something quiet: longing and gratitude.
"Sorry," he murmured, slightly breathless.
He raised a hand, steadying the faint tremor in it, and brushed his knuckles gently against her cheek.
"And thank you."
Ashley, who had told herself to shut her emotions off, bit her trembling lip. Her throat tightened. She held her breath and let him touch her.
He’s real.
Her eyes burned, thin tears threatening to form.
She had been praying the entire way here — that he would be alright, that something could still be done. She had been prepared to push for surgery if it meant buying him even a little more time.
But seeing him standing before her now, everything she had suppressed since his collapse came rushing back at once, pressing hard against her chest.
"Master," Lukas called, staring wide-eyed.
Lucian glanced at him, then at Gustav, who wore the same stunned expression. He gave them both a single nod, then turned back to Ashley before facing the room.
"You haven’t made your decisions yet," he said. His tone was cold and distant — nothing like the voice he’d just used with his wife.
His gaze sharpened on Frank. "Franklin." He let his eyes sweep the room. "Do you know what’s been happening outside while you’ve all been in here?"
"Her men have already taken control of the major points of this territory," he continued. "While you were in here arguing and lecturing my wife, she had already secured deals with our key allies."
He tilted his head toward the tactical unit she’d brought in. "Did you think these were the only people she had?"
"What are you talking about?" someone blurted, eyes darting to Ashley.
Gustav and Lukas exchanged a glance and looked at her too. Though unlike the others, they took in the quiet, unguarded way she was watching Lucian.
"I’ve kept her out of this side of the business for a reason," Lucian said, raising his chin. His pale complexion faded to irrelevance against his presence — domineering, commanding, unmovable as ever. "Not to protect her."
He paused.
"The opposite."
"The moment you voted against her would have been the end of this council. So I’m asking it to reconsider." His voice remained quiet, unhurried. "I vote for Ashley De Luca to lead Dominion while I recover from my... fever."
His brows lifted as his gaze settled on Franklin. "All in favor?"
Silence answered him.
"I appreciate that this council respects me," Lucian said, breaking the silence before it could stretch. "But don’t fall apart over a fever."
Everyone in the room knew he was lying through his teeth — he always did, with that same straight face. But they also knew that with Lucian standing before them, the purpose of this meeting had already collapsed.
As long as he was alive...
Gazes shifted to Ashley, and the thought continued, unspoken.
And as long as she was.
Frank drew a slow breath and offered a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
"Of course, Master." He nodded. "With you present, this meeting is void." He rose and bowed. "Welcome back." When he straightened, his eyes moved to Ashley. "My vote goes to her."
One by one, the others stood — some through gritted teeth, others with visible relief — and the words moved around the table like a current.
"My vote goes to the Madam."
