Chapter 418: After Breakfast
Chapter 418: After Breakfast
"...Which family did you just say Ashley belongs to?"
For a moment, Liza forgot how to breathe.
She didn’t know this.
Had she been so busy with her own work that she had never thought to look into Ashley’s background?
Did Tommy know?
No.
Liza rarely involved herself in Tommy’s affairs anymore, but if he had known something this significant, she would’ve noticed.
It would’ve bothered him.
"I’ll send people to retrieve you and the Boss," Julio’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "If Dominion gets in the way, we’ll deal with them. The Boss’s old partners are deeply concerned and are willing to provide anything he needs."
Liza tightened her grip on the phone.
In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to say another word.
She quietly ended the call.
Her eyes fell to the floor as confusion flooded her mind.
"No..." she shook her head. "There’s no way Dominion would — they wouldn’t do that to us."
Her gaze slowly drifted toward Primo, who was still sleeping peacefully.
Leaning against the wall, she let her shoulders sag.
"The Ashley and Lucian I know aren’t people like that," she whispered to herself. "They would never.. There has to be some misunderstanding."
It wasn’t surprising that Liza knew nothing about the alliance between Dominion and the Di Carpios.
Ever since Tommy left the underground, their lives had revolved around legitimate businesses—more specifically, Liza’s company and her research.
That didn’t mean Tommy hid everything from her.
Whenever something truly important happened, he always told her.
"No, Liz..." She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. "Don’t let your thoughts run wild. Julio doesn’t know the whole story.
"I trust Ashley."
"I trust Lucian."
When she opened her eyes again, they landed on Primo. The little boy stirred, stretched lazily, and slowly sat up.
A gentle smile spread across Liza’s face.
"I trust them," she whispered. "They wouldn’t do this to us."
There was no reason for Lucian or Ashley to spend the entire night helping Tommy if they had wanted him dead.
She had been with them the whole time.
If they truly intended to kill him, they wouldn’t have done everything possible to save him.
Liza recalled how Ashley had offered her own blood before she even knew Tommy’s blood type.
The smile on her face slowly faded.
"But..." She tightened her grip on the phone. "...even if there’s an explanation..."
"If it’s true she’s a Di Carpio..."
Liza feared what that truth would mean for Tommy and Ashley.
Deep down, she knew she would still adore Ashley.
But at the end of the day, she was Tommy’s wife. No matter what happened, she would stand beside her husband.
The history between Tommy and the Di Carpios ran too deep. Too much blood had already been spilled.
And just as Liza would choose Tommy... she believed Ashley would choose her father.
No matter how terrible Marshal might be, he was still Ashley’s father. Children instinctively fought for their parents, regardless of who those parents were to everyone else.
If only Liza knew.
Knock. Knock.
Liza’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt at the sound. She turned toward the door just as it slowly opened.
Then, Ashley’s head peeked inside.
She looked around until her eyes landed on Primo, who had just sat up on the bed.
"Primo, where’s—" She stepped inside on tiptoe before finally noticing Liza standing in the corner.
Her face immediately brightened.
"Auntie."
Ashley hurried over, smiling as though she had enjoyed a full night’s sleep, despite them both knowing she should still be resting.
"Good news." Her smile widened. "Uncle Tommy stabilized early this morning. The doctors said they’ll keep monitoring him in the ICU for a little longer before transferring him to a regular room."
She paused, relief filling her eyes.
"But he’s out of critical condition now. They said he should wake up soon."
Liza barely heard the words.
Instead, she found herself watching the genuine relief shining on Ashley’s face.
That...
That wasn’t something anyone could fake.
Her expression softened.
She reached out and gently brushed Ashley’s hair back.
Ashley’s smile faltered ever so slightly.
"Auntie?"
"Ashley." Liza took Ashley’s hand, her gaze never leaving hers. "No matter what happens... Auntie Liza believes in you."
Ashley blinked.
The words felt strangely out of place.
Liza simply smiled without explaining herself.
She glanced at Primo before looking back at Ashley.
"I have to take care of something first. Can you stay with your Uncle Tom for a while?"
"Oh..." Ashley nodded. "Of course."
Just then, Primo raised both hands.
[I can stay with Grandpa too. Can I? I want to talk to him.]
Both women smiled.
"Of course, sweetheart," Liza replied warmly.
Ashley tilted her head.
"Auntie, are you going somewhere? If you need anything, I can—"
"It’s alright." Liza gently shook her head. "It won’t take long."
*****
A few minutes later...
Lucian quietly listened as Gustav and Lukas delivered their report.
He sat on the sofa inside the private room while the two men stood before him.
"Ghost?" Lucian blinked, looking between them.
"Yes," Gustav answered before Lukas stepped forward.
"Sir, we’re not trying to shift the responsibility onto Ghost." Lukas paused. "We’re only saying that if Ghost helps us, our chances of tracking whoever orchestrated last night’s attack increase dramatically."
"He may be able to find them before they erase the rest of their trail."
Lucian slowly nodded.
Truthfully, Ghost hadn’t crossed his mind at all last night.
The only time he’d thought of Ghost was after Ashley dealt with her shooter and later in the chapel.
Even then, it had only been a passing realization.
Knock.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Ashley peeked inside.
Right beneath her, Primo poked his head through the doorway as well.
"We’re going to eat breakfast," Ashley said. "Then we’ll head to Uncle Tom’s room."
She blinked almost innocently. "We left Auntie Liza in the other room. She said she’s just going to wash up before coming here to talk to you."
Lucian nodded.
Meanwhile, Gustav and Lukas silently stared at Ashley.
"...Does she have two personalities?" Lukas muttered under his breath.
Her face looked so much brighter than it had the night before.
It was almost as though the woman who had forced answers from her shooter the night before had never existed.
"Alright," Lucian replied.
Ashley smiled before she and Primo disappeared from the doorway.
Once the door closed, Lucian looked back at Gustav and Lukas.
"I’ll tell Ghost." He paused. "After breakfast."
*****
Meanwhile, Ashley held Primo’s hand as they walked toward the hospital cafeteria.
When they reached the lobby, however, Ashley suddenly stopped.
Primo blinked and looked up at her. Following her gaze, he turned his head.
Marshal and Carmella had just rushed into the hospital.
"Damn..." Ashley muttered under her breath. "I forgot to have Isabella and June transferred to another hospital."