My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin

Chapter 426: Pack Your Things

"Tommy is dead."

Marshal burst into laughter the moment he heard the words over the phone.

Without saying anything, he ended the call. A satisfied smirk spread across his face as his eyes gleamed with delight.

"Haha... hahaha!" His laughter echoed through the hallway as he made his way back to Isabella’s ward. "Ah... what a wonderful day!"

Several feet behind him, Scott silently watched his boss.

Marshal let out another amused chuckle before resuming his steps, his mood visibly lighter than it had been moments ago.

Scott noticed, but he said nothing.

When they reached Isabella’s ward, Marshal pushed the door open and announced cheerfully,

"Isabella, sweetheart, what else do you want?"

That was the last thing Scott heard before the door closed behind Marshal.

His brows immediately knitted together.

He pulled out his phone and walked away from the ward before dialing one of the men stationed around the hospital.

The call connected.

"What’s happening on Dominion’s side?" Scott asked without preamble.

"Sir, it seems the patient they were guarding has died."

Scott frowned. "What?"

"We’re still confirming the details, but from what we’ve heard, it was cardiac arrest."

Scott froze.

A cold chill crawled down his spine.

Without another word, he ended the call and slowly looked back at Isabella’s ward.

It didn’t take much to put the pieces together.

That phone call... it had been about Tommy.

Scott lowered his head, countless thoughts racing through his mind. Deep down, he knew this hadn’t been a natural cardiac arrest.

Someone had done something to Tommy.

"They’re going to kill him," he whispered, his eyes returning to the closed door. "Julio is going to come after him."

Letting out a deep breath, Scott immediately called the same number again.

"Tighten security around the hospital," he ordered. "Someone may come here to assassinate the boss."

He offered no explanation. He didn’t need to.

The moment Scott gave an order, his men began moving.

He didn’t even bother informing Marshal.

If anything, Marshal would only make the situation worse. After all, Marshal was the only one who failed to understand a simple truth.

Tommy had spared him out of mercy.

Out of pity.

Perhaps more importantly, Tommy had spared him to save himself from becoming someone beyond redemption.

But that didn’t mean Tommy’s people shared the same compassion.

Julio certainly didn’t.

He was one of Tommy’s most trusted men who was still alive.

And unlike Tommy, Julio would never show mercy.

The moment Tommy truly died, nothing would stop Julio from making his move.

Scott glanced at his phone again.

He checked whether Ghost had finally seen the message he’d sent the day before. Even after running into Ashley earlier that morning, she hadn’t seemed to know what he’d sent her.

Just then, his phone rang.

Scott stared at the caller ID for a brief moment.

Miss Ashley.

Ashley rarely called him.

Even when they worked together, she would rather do almost anything than call him unless it was absolutely necessary. Apparently, that habit had carried over to the Ghost persona she had created.

Scott took a slow breath before answering.

Then, the line connected.

He waited, but there was only silence.

He was about to speak when Ashley finally broke it.

"Is Marshal behind the attack?" Her voice was quiet — almost lifeless.

Scott immediately knew she’d seen his message.

He lowered his eyes but remained silent.

"Why?" she asked again.

After another pause, she clarified,

"Why would Marshal do this? Was it because of me? Did he really hate the fact that I’m doing well so much that he had to ruin it?"

Silence lingered between them before Scott finally spoke.

"I can’t tell you anything more," he said. "If you really want to know... you’ll find the answer yourself."

Ashley didn’t respond.

"Miss Ashley," Scott continued after a moment, "I only told you because I wanted you to be careful. That man is up to no good."

The line fell silent once more. Then Ashley asked quietly,

"Scott... why do you stay with him?" She paused. "You do realize you’re the one who made Marshal into what he is today, don’t you?"

Scott bit the inside of his cheek and lowered his head.

"Be careful," was all he said.

"Scott." Her voice stopped him before he could end the call. "I’ll say this for the sake of all the years you looked after me."

There was a brief pause in the line before she continued.

"Pack your things... and leave the Di Carpios."

For some reason, Scott smiled. It was subtle — barely noticeable — but it was one of the rare genuine smiles that ever crossed his face.

"That’s something I’ll worry about."

With that, he ended the call.

Scott slowly lowered the phone, his eyes drifting toward Isabella’s ward once again.

Conflicting emotions flickered across his face.

"Everyone is going to move against him," he muttered. "And once Memphis finds out..."

His eyes darkened. "...he’ll cut him off."

Scott couldn’t allow that to happen.

For the same reason he had endured Marshal’s side for decades.

*****

Meanwhile, inside Ashley’s office building, on the hidden floor, Ashley leaned back in her swivel chair.

Her expression was blank.

One hand dangled over the armrest, her phone resting loosely in her grasp.

"Marshal Di Carpio," she whispered. "You really are one gigantic... son of a bitch."

A cold glint flashed across her eyes as her gaze shifted to the desk before her.

Resting on top of it was another phone.

A spare phone.

The one used exclusively by Ghost.

She had created it to ensure nothing could ever be traced back to Ashley Di Carpio.

Ghost was known as someone who never answered calls.

Ghost was always the one who initiated contact.

There had never been any reason to give that number to Marshal.

Ashley was almost always by his side.

Whenever Marshal wanted Ghost, Ashley would contact him first, creating the illusion that Ghost somehow knew everything before anyone else.

Over time, Marshal came to believe there was no need to contact Ghost directly.

Ghost would always know.

Because of that, there was only one person besides Ashley who knew this number.

Scott.

And today, Scott had sent a message to Ghost’s phone. Probably to protect himself.

The message contained only a single name.

Slowly, Ashley lifted her eyes to the profile displayed across the large monitor.

Memphis.

A member of Dominion’s High Chamber.