Chapter 542: The First Warning

"Motherfucker."

Ashley breathed out the curse as she went through the folder Raka had handed her.

According to him, the envelope had appeared on his doorstep a month ago. That was around the time Raka came home and Marshal fell.

Around the same time Dominion’s men should’ve been guarding Raka.

"We checked the security footage outside Raka’s unit, and it looks like the person who left the envelope took advantage of the shift change," Red explained from the front passenger seat. "He disguised himself as part of a maintenance crew."

He looked back at her.

"And this person entered another unit on the same floor. That’s how he managed to slip through during that brief opening between shifts."

"Send someone to check the unit," Ashley ordered, glancing toward the front of the car. "No. Send Tank. Make sure he gets access to that place."

"Already did." Red nodded. "He should be reaching out soon."

Ashley exhaled deeply and leaned back in her seat.

Red’s eyes fell on the folder in her hand. "What’s that, by the way?"

Ashley gazed down at the information that had been sitting inside Raka’s home for an entire month.

"Police records."

Her answer made both Khan, who was behind the wheel, and Red furrow their brows.

"My police records from when I was arrested years ago," she clarified, her gaze settling on her own mugshot.

During her last mission for the Di Carpio family, Ashley had been arrested along with several other men. Marshal hadn’t helped her or pulled any strings to get her out.

If anything, he had simply left her there.

Ironically, that was how Ashley gained her first taste of freedom.

It lasted almost a year before Scott appeared in front of her again.

Then, she was thrown into a marriage with Lucian.

The only reason Ashley had been released back then was because the police had nothing substantial to hold her on. She had claimed she was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.

She had also been wearing a disguise when her mugshot was taken.

But that hardly mattered anymore.

Anyone who had seen her real face could recognize the similarities. Not to mention, government agencies had access to advanced technology. Even with the disguise, facial recognition could potentially match the woman in the photograph to her.

"But didn’t you say you erased your data?" Khan asked, looking at her through the rearview mirror.

"No." Red shook his head. "I remember the Master pulling strings to erase those records too."

Ashley rocked her head from side to side.

"Lucian did, but government databases always keep copies. I had to erase those myself."

"Then how did something like this end up on Raka’s doorstep?" Red wondered.

A second later, his brows furrowed even deeper.

"Hang on."

Ashley looked at him.

"Why do things keep appearing at that guy’s place?"

This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

Ashley slowly straightened. "Now that you mention it..."

Her eyes narrowed.

Even back then, Lucian’s scans had mysteriously appeared on Raka’s doorstep. Because of those scans, Raka had been able to intervene in time and save Lucian’s life.

If they hadn’t appeared when they did, Lucian might have been long gone by now.

Ashley had wondered about it at the time.

She had found it strange.

But with everything that happened afterward, the mystery had been pushed to the back of her mind.

After all, whoever had done it had essentially saved Lucian’s life.

It hadn’t felt like a threat.

But now...

This.

"Why does information keep appearing on Raka’s doorstep?" she murmured, more to herself than to the two men. "It’s not like it would be difficult to send this directly to me or Lucian."

Was it because Raka was connected to them while remaining outside Dominion’s affairs?

But why him?

There were countless ways someone could send information to Ashley or Lucian without exposing themselves.

"I’ll look deeper into Raka," Red said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "There might be something in his past we missed. Something that explains why whoever this is keeps using him."

Ashley merely rocked her head, considering it.

Then Khan spoke.

"But why would someone leave your police records on his doorstep?" His eyes remained on the road. "Actually, I’d be more concerned about the records themselves."

Ashley looked toward him.

Khan’s expression hardened.

"If someone still has copies of records you deliberately erased, and someone like Raka got his hands on them without even trying..." He paused. "I’d be wondering who else has their hands on that information."

Red froze.

He stared at Khan’s side profile before slowly turning toward Ashley.

"What if that’s the point?" he blurted out.

Ashley narrowed her eyes.

"It just hit me." Red turned farther in his seat. "The first time an envelope appeared on Raka’s doorstep, it contained the Master’s scans. Those scans saved his life."

He glanced at the folder in Ashley’s hands.

"And now this."

It might be foolish to assume whoever was sending these things was an ally. But so far, none of the information had harmed them.

If anything, it had helped them.

Ashley’s jaw tightened as she stared down at her old mugshot.

A record that shouldn’t exist anymore.

Yet someone had found it.

And instead of exposing her, they had quietly placed it somewhere they knew it would eventually reach her.

"If Red’s right..." Khan trailed off, his grip tightening around the steering wheel. "Boss, I don’t think we have much time."

Ashley said nothing.

Because she had reached the same conclusion.

This could be a warning.

Someone was telling them that Ashley’s past had resurfaced.

And if those records were already in someone else’s hands, their enemy could already be making their move.

Perhaps they intended to start by cutting Ashley off from Dominion.

Ashley was one of Lucian’s greatest strengths.

But she was also his greatest weakness.

She might not be the weakest link in Dominion, but if their enemy could force her attention elsewhere—force her to protect herself, Primo, or even the people connected to her—it would inevitably weaken their forces.

"I’ll think about this," she said.

But her mind was already moving so fast that even she could barely keep up with her own thoughts.

The rest of the ride passed in silence.

Even when Khan eventually pulled over in front of the building, none of them spoke.

Red jumped out of the front passenger seat and opened the door for her. He gave her a small nod.

Ashley nodded back before stepping out of the car.

But the second her foot touched the pavement, a voice came from the side.

"Ashley."

Red’s shoulders stiffened. His hand immediately shot toward the gun at his side.

He only stopped when Ashley raised a hand.

Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the person standing near the entrance.

"June," she whispered, her brows knitting together. "What the hell are you doing here?"