Chapter 431: Ten
"We’re going to war."
Everyone’s eyes stayed glued to Ashley for several seconds before Rum suddenly shot to his feet.
"We’re fighting?" he asked, his eyes lighting up. "Like, real fight?! Fist fight? Gun fight? Something like that?"
Ashley let out a quiet breath and glanced at him.
"Throw a grenade in it, Rum."
She jerked her chin toward the files.
"Read those while I make coffee."
After saying that, she turned toward the door. Just before leaving, she paused and looked back.
"Be quick," she said. "We don’t have all night."
With that, she stepped out to take care of a few remaining matters. She couldn’t simply abandon everything else just to deal with Marshal. That man already ruined her and her life; she would not let him ruin anything for her, even if it was just a mere schedule.
Meanwhile, the moment the door clicked shut, silence filled the room.
A second later, Rum clapped his hands.
"Yes!" he cheered. "We’re finally doing something!"
Excited, he turned to everyone else.
His grin quickly faded. "What?"
Judging by the looks Warriyo, Nelek, and Rus gave him, Rum truly was a menace.
Who got excited about going to war?
Not that they were reluctant, but this wasn’t exactly a festival they were heading to.
"Marshal Di Carpio?" Gin muttered as he picked up the top folder. "We’re going to war with her father?"
"Father?" Vodka repeated as he casually grabbed another file. "More like the second-largest mafia family on the continent."
He leaned back, raising a brow. "And it’s just us?"
Tank silently picked up another folder and began reading.
"Why would she fight her own father?" Red wondered aloud as he took two folders, tossing one to Khan.
As he flipped it open, he added,
"I don’t know how true the rumors about Madam’s past with the Di Carpios are... but if she hated Marshal that much, she should’ve killed him already."
He shrugged. "It was always going to end this way."
"Have you ever killed a family member?" Khan asked as he opened his own folder. "No matter how much they deserved it?"
Red arched a brow before rolling his eyes.
"Alright, genius. I get the point," he replied sarcastically. "Wait. Have you?"
"No," Khan shook his head. "I never had a reason to. I don’t have one."
Then again, that wasn’t the point.
One by one, everyone grabbed a folder and quietly read through its contents.
As they did, brows lifted, frowns deepened, and eyes narrowed.
Even though they belonged to Dominion, none of them possessed information this comprehensive.
Not every piece of intelligence within Dominion was accessible, and the same went for information about rival organizations.
Yet the files laid everything bare.
The Di Carpio portfolio.
Their businesses.
Their allies.
Their investments.
Their legitimate fronts.
Their military strength.
Marshal hadn’t become the head of the second-largest mafia family through luck.
He had earned it.
Their businesses were enormous.
Their alliances extended far beyond the underground.
Their soldiers had become stronger through joint training with allied organizations.
He even maintained connections within the military and had former personnel working under him for generous pay.
Reading everything made one thing obvious.
There was a reason even the High Chamber hadn’t objected to Lucian marrying Ashley.
"How the hell are we supposed to go to war with someone like this?" Gin muttered under his breath.
"If we had half of Dominion behind us, maybe."
After all, Dominion was still larger.
They had more manpower.
More resources.
More connections.
But just them?
Gin looked around the room, counting everyone in his head.
Nine.
He already knew there were only nine members in Madam’s faction.
Still, he counted again.
Who knew?
Maybe someone had magically appeared and turned them into fifty.
"Interesting," Red hummed as he leaned back after finishing his file. "But how exactly are we supposed to bring down an empire with only nine people?"
"Ten," Khan corrected. "Don’t forget the Madam."
Red scrunched his nose. "She should stay behind. Otherwise, she’ll just hold us back."
"Hold... who back?" Nelek blurted, earning a strange look from Red.
Red frowned after noticing the confused expressions on Khan’s men.
He clicked his tongue.
"All I’m saying is she’s the Madam," he stressed. "If we’re doing this, my first priority is making sure she’s safe. That’s what I meant."
"I think that’s the least of our problems," Vodka interrupted, tapping the folder on the table. "This... is the problem."
"Whatever Marshal Di Carpio did to piss her off..." Rum slowly nodded.
"She really snapped. We can deal with the smaller names. But these big shots?" He flipped through the thick stack. "I think they’ll be a problem."
One after another, everyone voiced their thoughts.
They all had a rough idea of what Ashley intended to do. Even so, it sounded far easier said than done.
"So..." Rus finally spoke. "Are we just going to... assassinate everyone on this list?"
Everyone slowly turned toward him.
In their minds, the answer was the same.
It certainly sounded that way.
But none of them said it aloud.
By now, they had learned not to assume anything when it came to Ashley.
Whenever they expected her to take the straightforward route, she did the exact opposite.
Before the silence could linger any longer, the door opened.
Ashley walked back in, a keycard dangling from one finger.
"That was fast," she remarked, noticing them gathered around the table. "I guess you’ve already memorized the portfolio?"
Red and Khan slowly stood.
"This is dangerous," Red said immediately. "There are only nine of us."
"Ten," Khan corrected once again, earning another glare.
Without looking away from Ashley, he continued,
"Madam, I suggest requesting reinforcements from the Black Dragon." He gestured toward the files. "Even if we succeed, dealing with everyone on this list could take months. Not to mention the planning."
Ashley smiled.
"I figured you’d say that. But don’t worry about the planning." She jingled the keycard. "If you’re done... follow me."
Everyone frowned.
"Where are you taking us now?" Red asked.
"To my office." She wiggled her brows. "We’ll discuss everything there."
Then her smile widened.
"If anyone doesn’t want to meet the people on that list... don’t follow me. I won’t get angry."
With that, she turned on her heel and walked out.
The others exchanged glances.
"She didn’t have to filter us out like that," Rum grumbled as he hurried after her. "Madam! I want to meet those people! I think we’ll get along!"
Gin blinked before shrugging.
He followed after Tank and Vodka.
Rus, Nelek, and Warriyo quickly fell in behind them.
Red and Khan clicked their tongues as they watched everyone leave.
"I guess there’s no stopping this," Khan muttered.
Red sighed. "And why am I not surprised?"
In the end, they all followed Ashley into the elevator.
She tapped a keycard against a hidden scanner.
A moment later, the elevator stopped at a floor that wasn’t even listed on the panel.
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