Chapter 546: Slept In Our Imagination

Meanwhile, Ashley leaned back in the chair behind her desk.

If Red and Khan hadn’t dragged her away, she would’ve beaten June to a pulp.

The guy was practically begging to spend a good month in the hospital.

“He really hit a nerve,” she huffed, running her fingers through her hair.

Strangely enough, she wasn’t even that disappointed in June.

Not because she had always suspected him, but because almost everything about her life as a Di Carpio had been full of crap.

Everything she knew, everything she had grown accustomed to—her entire life back then had been built on nonsense.

So why should she be surprised to discover that June was actually a psychopath who treated other people’s misery like some sort of entertainment?

But the second June mentioned Lucian—and even had the audacity to threaten her with him—walking away suddenly didn’t feel so necessary anymore.

“I need to control myself too,” she hummed. “God. He’s so irritating.”

Ashley drew another deep breath and slowly released it.

She closed her eyes and swallowed, forcing herself to replace her anger with things actually worth occupying her mind.

Primo.

Lucian.

Liza and Tommy.

And all the changes in her life that proved just how far she had come. Her life now was far better than the one she had once known.

Ashley’s eyes slowly opened, staring at the ceiling.

“That’s right,” she whispered. “I guess it’s a blessing in disguise that he finally showed his true colors.”

Because if June hadn’t, Ashley would’ve continued believing that somewhere underneath everything, he was still a decent person.

She had stopped thinking of June as a friend a long time ago, but she had never forgotten the times he had tried to help her.

Because of that, a small part of her had always felt indebted to him.

Today, that debt had officially been repaid—with a punch to the gut and a roundhouse kick to the face.

Ashley shook her head, forcing herself to stop thinking about him.

But just as she was about to move on, she paused.

Her brows knitted together.

“Wait a second.” She tilted her head. “Now that I think about it… I completely forgot about June and his family.”

Ashley leaned forward, resting her arms on the desk.

Her expression gradually turned serious.

“June’s family also gained something from Marshal’s downfall,” she murmured. “And before Marshal died, he was pushing Isabella toward June more aggressively than ever.”

At the time, Ashley had assumed it was because June’s grandfather had a strong chance of winning the presidency.

From the outside, people revered his family as dedicated public servants.

Their public image was spotless.

There wasn’t even a hint that June’s grandfather had connections to someone like Marshal.

But now Marshal was dead.

And although Ashley had destroyed his biggest sources of income, there were still businesses and operations he had kept hidden from her—and possibly even from Lucian.

Ashley hadn’t paid much attention to those loose ends.

They weren’t her problem anymore.

“Not my problem, but…” Her fingers tapped slowly against the desk. “…it’s worrying that June knew Isabella wasn’t dead.”

Ashley froze.

“Fuck.” She closed her eyes and winced. “I should’ve asked how he knew she was alive.”

She clicked her tongue at herself but didn’t dwell on the mistake for long.

“Not to mention, he has his grandfather behind him,” she continued. “He had the balls to threaten me with Lucian. That wasn’t just baseless arrogance.”

June was in a position that gave him the confidence to do almost whatever he wanted. His ability to hide his perverse and twisted mentality for years was already concerning enough.

But his family’s power?

That was something else entirely.

And after what Ashley had done to him today, there was no chance June would simply let it go.

Ashley pushed herself away from the desk, her back bouncing lightly against the chair.

“He knows Isabella is alive,” she murmured again. Her eyes narrowed. “And if he knows, that could mean…”

The door to her office suddenly flew open.

Ashley’s head snapped up, catching Gin standing in the doorway.

Her brows rose.

His face was pale. Dark bags hung beneath his eyes, and his chest heaved heavily as though he had just sprinted across the entire building.

“What… is going on?” Ashley asked.

Her heart immediately started pounding, her nervous system already jumping to the worst possible conclusion.

Gin exhaled sharply.

Then, suddenly, the corners of his mouth curled up.

“Madam.” His smile widened. “You’ve got to see this.”

Ashley blinked.

The panic she had initially seen on his face was suddenly replaced by relief.

Without another word, she followed him.

The two headed straight to the secret floor where Warriyo had been working.

Gin and Warriyo had practically lived on this floor ever since Ashley gave them the assignment.

They barely left.

If Betty hadn’t been bringing them food, these two probably would’ve died down there without anyone realizing it.

“Where is it?” Ashley’s voice echoed across the room as she marched toward Warriyo’s station.

Warriyo was seated in a swivel chair.

Hearing her approach, he spun around.

“Boss—”

“Whoa!” Ashley almost jolted backward.

She stared at him in horror.

Warriyo looked horrible.

His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. The bags underneath them were just as dark as Gin’s, and the blanket draped over his head did absolutely nothing to make him look any healthier.

“You guys…” Ashley slowed down, her gaze darting between the two maniacs. “Have you slept?”

“Yes!” Gin answered immediately, marching toward Warriyo.

Warriyo nodded. “We slept in our imagination.”

“…” Ashley opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

She appreciated their dedication.

She really did.

But this wasn’t dedication anymore.

This looked more like addiction.

“Here.” Gin’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Ashley stepped closer.

“So, we also tried that game you told us about,” Gin explained. “War and I actually play it too, and Omen went online today. Since tracking a player’s IP is impossible, we tried sneaking in the game’s data system…”

Ashley’s gaze shifted toward the game displayed across the monitor.

She had told them about it and even allowed them to use her account.

What Ashley hadn’t anticipated was what would happen once these two discovered that she was the person behind the strongest player on the server.

They had completely lost their minds.

They immediately linked their characters to hers and had apparently been abusing every advantage her account could give them ever since.

Not that Ashley minded.

She shook her head and refocused. “Go on.”

“After a few tries…” Gin trailed off.

His finger hovered over the keyboard. Then he hit Enter.

“We found him.”

A map appeared on the monitor.

And somewhere on it, a red dot blinked steadily.

Ashley slowly rocked her head as the corners of her lips curled upward.

They had him.

She turned toward Gin and Warriyo.

For a moment, pride swelled in her chest.

“Good work.”

Ashley placed a hand on Warriyo’s shoulder and gave it a firm pat before returning her attention to the blinking red dot.

“Now get some sleep.” Her eyes narrowed at the screen. “We’ll take it from here.”