Chapter 413: Why Didn’t You Kill Her?
Chapter 413: Why Didn’t You Kill Her?
"And God help whoever did this, because if I find them first... I’m sending another demon to hell."
A long, cold silence settled over Ashley and Lucian.
He held her sharp gaze, knowing this wasn’t something she would ever let go.
Deep down, Lucian had expected her not to care about anything else—that she would only focus on staying by Liza’s side.
But now, he realized he had been subconsciously thinking of Ashley as she was with him, not as the woman she had been before they met.
Now, he realized why Tommy was treating Lucian like a child, and why he acted like the only adult.
It was strange to come to such a realization at a time like this.
Lucian gave a slight nod, keeping his eyes on her.
"They will pay," he muttered, his voice low. "We’ll make sure of that."
Ashley bit the inside of her lip and returned a faint nod before finally looking away. Her gaze drifted to the altar as she swallowed the tension in her throat.
Her chest still felt tight, but her mind was clearer now.
Clearer than it had ever been.
Now she understood why she had come here in the first place.
It wasn’t to pray for Tommy’s survival. Nor was it to ask the heavens to punish her instead.
She had come to apologize for what she would do if Tommy died because of this.
Ashley let out a slow breath and lowered her head.
"What do we know?" she asked quietly.
"Not much," Lucian answered without hesitation, reminding himself that no matter how much he adored and pampered his wife, Ashley would always be the Madam of Dominion—as long as he remained its don.
And when necessary, he had to set aside his personal feelings.
So Lucian told her everything.
He explained how the first attack and the second appeared to have been carried out by two different groups, and how the first attack had likely disrupted the second group’s original plan. As a result, they believed the bombing had been nothing more than a contingency.
"Most importantly, it seems I wasn’t the intended target," Lucian said with a grim expression. "Based on Lucas’s investigation, the bullet was meant for Sir Tommy. He just happened to move, and the shot briefly lined up with my back instead."
The more Ashley listened, the darker her expression became.
"I’m still waiting for more information from Gustav," he continued, casting her a sidelong glance. "We should hear from them soon. I’m certain they’ve already figured out where the shot came from."
Right now, their priority was the second group.
However, they couldn’t ignore the fact that Carrotman and the other man who had escaped that night were still out there. Dominion’s investigation into Ashley’s abduction had never stopped. Those two had simply hidden themselves so well that even the combined efforts of Dominion and White Serpent had yet to produce any meaningful results.
"So someone specifically wants Uncle Tommy dead..." Ashley murmured, her eyes lowered as the gears in her mind began turning.
She inhaled deeply, her brows knitting together.
"Does he have a current enemy? Someone whose grudge against him is so deep that the moment they heard he’d left his territory, they seized the opportunity to attack?"
The instant those words left her mouth, Lucian’s thoughts came to a halt.
He studied her profile, his lips pressed into a thin line.
He already had one person in mind.
It was only a suspicion, but Lucian had always trusted his instincts. Especially in situations like this, in the world they lived in. People like them eventually learned to listen to their gut the same way wild animals did.
Just as Lucian opened his mouth to voice a possibility that Ashley wouldn’t want to hear, Gustav entered the chapel.
Ashley and Lucian both looked toward the entrance.
Gustav approached quietly before stopping beside their pew.
"Master." His expression was grim.
"Did you find anything?" Lucian asked without wasting time.
Ashley straightened slightly, waiting expectantly.
"Lucas appears to have found the correct location, but they’re still surveying the area," Gustav reported. "However, that’s not why I’m here."
Ashley and Lucian exchanged confused looks.
Somewhere in the back of their minds, they already knew this wasn’t going to be good news.
They had already endured enough for one night.
One more problem, and they might actually snap.
Gustav let out a quiet sigh, looking as though he wasn’t even sure this was worth reporting. Still, given everything that had happened, he couldn’t ignore it.
"After the guests were sent home, there was an accident," he said. "One of the cars crashed into another. No one died, but the passengers were injured."
Lucian frowned.
For a brief moment, he wondered why Gustav had bothered reporting something like this. Then he remembered they were Ashley’s guests. Ignoring the incident would reflect poorly on her.
"Who was involved?" Ashley asked.
Compared to Tommy or the attack on her, it wasn’t nearly as urgent.
But it still wasn’t something she could ignore.
Many of those people had attended to celebrate an important milestone in her life. Some were also potential business partners and future investors.
The last thing Ashley wanted was to burn bridges or create unnecessary problems for her company.
They already had enough problems as it was.
Gustav sighed. "It’s Isabella Di Carpio... and her date."
The moment those words left his mouth, Ashley and Lucian both deadpanned.
Ashley leaned back, turned toward the altar once more, clasped her hands together, and closed her eyes.
"Papa God," she said, "why didn’t You kill her?
"Do You hate me that much that You had to take away the one thing I could’ve smiled about tonight?
"If You’re going to punish me, punish the bad people too! Why are You only taking the good ones?
"Do You miss Your good soldiers so much that You want them back already?"
Lucian: "..."
Gustav: "..."
After a long moment, Lucian slowly looked up at Gustav with unmistakable disappointment in his eyes.
Gustav cleared his throat and lowered his head.
"My apologies," he said. "For a moment, I seem to have forgotten that neither of you would care."
"If they’re alive, there’s no need to update us," Lucian replied flatly. "Still, send someone to find out what happened. If the accident is somehow connected to what happened to us, we’ll need to know. Are they staying here as well?"
"Yes."
"Then, make sure we do our part."
"Yes, sir."
With that, Gustav excused himself and quietly left the chapel.
As he disappeared, Lucian turned back to Ashley, who was clearly in the middle of a one-sided argument with the highest power.
But as he watched her, his brows slowly furrowed.
Ashley had been attacked.
Tommy had been attacked.
Considering these two, perhaps this wasn’t a coincidence either.
Lucian’s expression darkened.
Marshal would not hurt that daughter of his, especially if she’s with a grandchild of a future leader of their country. Does that mean Marshal isn’t behind this after all?