My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin

Chapter 367: Pink Ring

[Short Flashback]

"Do you want to come with us?" Young Isabella stood in front of a skinny little girl, smiling sweetly. "Papa promised to rent an entire amusement park for my birthday. Do you want to go?"

Young Ashley pursed her lips.

She didn’t answer immediately, but the longing in her eyes was obvious.

"An amusement park..." she whispered.

"Yes!" Isabella nodded excitedly. "There are so many rides, games, and shows. You can spend the whole day there!"

She continued rambling while twirling one of her pigtails.

Like any child, Ashley listened attentively.

Her eyes sparkled as she imagined what an amusement park would look like.

Magical.

Colorful.

Fun.

But despite wanting it with all her heart, Ashley reluctantly shook her head.

"I can’t..." she whispered. "I have chores."

"Fine!" Isabella huffed, crossing her arms.

Ashley thought that was the end of it.

Disappointing, but familiar.

She had already learned that wanting things too much only made them hurt more.

But, as always, it didn’t end there.

When the day finally came, Ashley was forced to go to the amusement park anyway. Not as family. Not as a guest.

But as part of the maid crew.

While Isabella, Carmella, Marshal, the invited children, and their parents enjoyed having an entire amusement park to themselves, Ashley watched everything from the sidelines.

"Auntie," she asked one of the maids quietly while pointing toward the Ferris wheel, "can I try that later after I finish my work?"

The maid hesitated.

Seeing that, Ashley clasped her hands together.

"Please?"

"Maybe," the maid replied with a conflicted smile. "Maybe after the party. There’ll be another event afterward."

"Yay!"

"What are you two doing over there?!"

The head maid’s voice suddenly echoed from afar.

Both Ashley and the maid hurried over.

Even so, Ashley continued looking forward to it.

Once everyone left, maybe she could ride one or two attractions herself.

Just one.

That would’ve been enough.

Unfortunately, before the second party even ended, Scott arrived to pick her up for another mission.

When Ashley asked for a little more time, he simply dragged her away.

Ever since then, she has never found time for things like that.

That was why, when she imagined her first family outing with Lucian and Primo, the amusement park had been the very first thing on her list.

She missed it as a child.

She didn’t want Primo to miss it too.

Unfortunately, even that day had been cut short because some people simply couldn’t wait to ruin everything.

*****

[Present Time]

"Kyaaaah!"

Ashley’s scream echoed through the air as the roller coaster plunged downward.

She gripped the safety bar tightly and screamed until her voice turned hoarse. She had ridden it before during their family outing, but doing it again still filled her with excitement.

Beside her, Lucian chuckled.

The ride was violent enough to make most people regret their life choices, yet he looked thoroughly pleased.

Then he suddenly faced forward.

"Ahhh!" His shout completely drowned hers out.

Ashley whipped her head toward him, wide-eyed.

All she saw was a smug grin.

Immediately, she grinned back before turning forward and screaming her lungs out alongside him.

The moment the ride ended, neither of them wasted any time.

They had the entire amusement park to themselves. She wanted to test every ride, every booth, every attraction.

Ashley dragged Lucian from one extreme ride to another.

Every few minutes, her screams mixed with the lively music echoing throughout the park.

After exhausting the thrill rides, they wandered through horror attractions, took a boat ride, watched a few short performances, and visited several game booths.

As they headed toward another attraction, Ashley suddenly stopped.

Her attention landed on one of the stalls.

Aside from the rides, every stall had been opened as well. The only thing missing was the staff.

"Just take whatever you want," Lucian remarked.

Ashley turned toward him.

Blinking innocently, she asked, "Did you buy all of this?"

"You could say that."

"Lucian..." she cooed playfully. "Then I’ll get us some snacks."

With that, she skipped toward a nearby stall.

A refrigerator stood beside it, stocked with bottled water and soft drinks. Ashley grabbed two bottles of water before browsing through the snacks.

Meanwhile, Lucian wandered toward a neighboring stall filled with accessories and keychains.

His gaze moved across the display until it landed on a row of cheap children’s jewelry.

He picked up a small pink ring.

The plastic ring was adjustable, its band unfinished so it could fit different finger sizes.

Lucian stared at it quietly. Then his eyes drifted toward Ashley. More specifically, toward her fingers. Only then did he realize something.

They didn’t have wedding rings.

I think she threw hers away a long time ago.

As for him... his fingers were empty for a reason.

Their marriage had begun with greed, desperation, and helplessness.

Things were different now.

Without thinking much about it, Lucian slipped the little pink ring into his pocket.

"Hmm?" Ashley’s voice pulled him back.

She suddenly appeared beside him. "What are these?"

Lowering her head, she examined the keychains.

"Lucian, look! Should we get some for Primo?"

"Mhm."

"Hehe."

Giggling, she began selecting several keychains. As she did, she thought about Primo’s friends as well.

Soon, she had picked enough for all the children. Then she thought about their parents.

"Should I get something for them too?" she wondered aloud while rubbing her chin. "They’ve always been really nice to me."

As she considered it, her gaze drifted toward the jewelry display.

One section was empty.

"Hmm?" She tilted her head. "Why is this spot empty?"

Lucian felt his breath hitch. His eyes widened slightly.

"They probably forgot to restock it." Ashley waved the matter away casually.

Lucian quietly released the breath he had been holding.

She then packed all the keychains she had chosen for Primo, his friends, and their parents.

"Let’s come back for these later," she said as she straightened and faced him. "Ready?"

Her eyes squinted happily.

Clearly, she was already excited about the next attraction.

Lucian smiled. "Mhm."

Taking her hand, he led her toward the Ferris wheel.