My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin

Chapter 424: The Modus

The child abduction case involving Ghost was something Ashley hadn’t paid much attention to.

Sure, it was concerning, but it wasn’t her priority.

If Ghost’s name were being tarnished, then the authorities would simply be chasing a literal ghost.

Why?

Because Ashley only used that name whenever it was convenient.

To her, Ghost was nothing more than a convenient alias—a name she could use whenever she wanted to accomplish something without taking credit for it.

Besides, that had always been the purpose of creating Ghost in the first place.

It allowed her to move freely.

If every successful mission had been credited to Ashley Di Carpio, there was no way Marshal would have let her go. He already worked her to the bone. She could only imagine what else he would have forced her to do had he known she was capable of even more.

Making Marshal believe many of her accomplishments were possible only because of Ghost’s assistance was far better than letting him realize Ghost and Ashley were one and the same.

What she never expected, however, was for that fabricated persona to earn such a notorious reputation throughout the underground.

Lucian, on the other hand, viewed the situation very differently.

While Ashley had plenty to keep her busy—including her work at Black Dragon Corporation—Lucian had little else to occupy his time. He was still undergoing treatment, leaving him with ample opportunity to investigate the child abduction case.

After all, thanks to Ashley assigning someone to watch over Elliot, Julius’s son narrowly escaped becoming another victim. More importantly, they managed to capture one of the abductors.

When the man finally broke under interrogation, Lucian uncovered a horrifying truth.

The abductor hadn’t been the mastermind.

He was merely someone forced to kidnap children and deliver them to another location. In return, he received money—but more importantly, his family’s safety. As long as he obeyed, they lived.

That was why he kept doing it.

The situation was disturbingly similar to what had happened with the nurse.

"It seems they specifically target people who are easy to coerce," Ashley murmured, crossing her arms. "First the man who almost abducted Eli, and now this nurse."

Lucian gave a slight nod.

"It’s a dangerous operation," he said. "But an effective one."

By forcing ordinary people to do their dirty work, whoever was behind this could distance themselves from the crimes and stay off the authorities’ radar.

But for what purpose?

Ashley and Lucian already understood why Tommy had been targeted.

The case involving Ghost, however... they still had no answer.

Unless...

"Unless they know who’s behind Ghost," Ashley whispered, lifting her eyes to Lucian.

Lucian studied her expression.

"Do you know anyone who knows Ghost’s real identity?"

Ashley remained silent.

There was one person who came to mind.

Scott.

But even that was only a suspicion.

She had never admitted anything to him, nor had they ever discussed Ghost outright. Still, deep down, she had always felt Scott knew.

He simply chose never to say it.

Besides...

What would Scott possibly gain from exposing her?

Ashley’s brows drew together as she remembered what Scott had told her when they crossed paths earlier.

She pulled out her phone and checked her messages.

There were dozens of unread conversations she’d already seen but never replied to.

None of them were from Scott.

"What is it?" Lucian asked.

Ashley shook her head as she checked Scott’s last message once more. There was nothing new.

"Nothing," she said. "Scott mentioned that I never check my messages. He was probably complaining because I never replied to his previous ones."

Lucian raised a brow. "You met him?"

Ashley bit the inside of her cheek before nodding.

"Yeah. I ran into Marshal and Carmella on my way to the cafeteria." She offered a small smile. "Don’t worry. They didn’t see me."

What she didn’t mention was that she’d lingered to watch them afterward for reasons she couldn’t quite explain herself.

Lucian let out a slow breath but chose not to pursue the topic.

Instead, he quietly watched her.

His thoughts drifted to the orders he’d given Gustav.

Ashley still knew nothing about Tommy’s history with Marshal—or the suspicion Lucian was beginning to piece together.

Not until he had proof.

"Anyway," Ashley said, turning her attention back to Tommy, "I think those abduction cases are worth digging into."

She fell silent for a moment before looking back at Lucian.

"I’ll head to work." She turned toward the door. "You’re going to handle things here, right?"

"Where are you going?"

Ashley stopped and glanced over her shoulder.

"To the office. This day isn’t ending without us finding a lead on whoever put that nurse in this situation. I know Gustav and Lukas are already working on it, but another pair of hands can’t hurt."

Lucian silently studied his wife.

"Come back here later," he finally said. "It’ll help."

Ashley pressed her lips together, immediately understanding what he meant.

She gave him a small nod before leaving without another word.

Lucian remained where he was, watching the door close behind her. Only then did he turn back to Tommy.

"You should wake up," he said quietly as a thought crossed his mind. "Otherwise... your wife is going to remarry."

He let out a weary breath. "Don’t die yet."

His gaze lingered on Tommy’s unconscious face.

"Not until we find out whether my suspicion is right..." He paused. "...that your daughter might still be alive."

*****

At the same time, Liza sat inside a coffee shop near the hospital.

Even though she had told Lucian not to assign anyone to follow her, he had done it anyway.

He’d said they wouldn’t bother her and that she wouldn’t even notice them. But she noticed them immediately.

Despite their civilian clothes and convincing act as ordinary customers, she could easily tell they were watching.

"Perhaps..." she muttered to herself, lifting her eyes as someone sat across from her. "It’s because I spent so many years married to Tommy."

A faint smile appeared on her face the moment she recognized the man.

"Julio."

Seated across from her was a middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a heavily built frame. His head was cleanly shaved, exposing several scars that stretched across his scalp. Tattoos covered the visible parts of his body.

The most noticeable injuries, however, were older ones.

His left hand was missing both the pinky and ring fingers. Part of his right ear had also been sliced away.

"Thank you for hearing me out," Liza said sincerely. "And for agreeing to meet me before making your move."

Julio remained silent.

He simply stared at the woman who had become the reason Tommy walked away from the life they once shared.

"He wouldn’t forgive me if I refused to hear you," Julio finally said, his accent thick. "But, Madam... I am not changing my mind."

"I made a promise to the boss — to Tommy. If anything ever happened to him, I would protect you." His eyes hardened.

"I’ve kept that promise all these years. So unless..." His voice dropped. "...you can give me a reason not to keep my word to him..."

Silence settled between them until Liza slowly parted her lips.

"Because Tommy is going to die."