Ashley woke up with a jolt, as if she had just dreamed of getting married out of the blue. When her eyes took in the ceiling and the unfamiliar room, she realized it wasn't a dream.
What happened was her reality.
And her reality was the nightmare itself.
"Great," she breathed out and dragged herself upright.
She was still in her wedding dress, her light makeup almost gone. Ashley had fallen asleep while lazily sprawled across the bed last night.
"Well, at least… I got enough sleep — a quality one, I suppose," she sighed, scanning the large room.
Stretching her arms and legs, she felt her stomach rumble. Out of habit, she pushed herself off the bed and dragged her feet toward the bathroom Nolan had shown her the night before.
Ashley wasn't thinking about anything in particular when she opened the door.
So when the bathroom came into view — and a man inside tying a towel around his lean waist — it was the last thing she expected.
She blinked… then blinked five more times in quick succession.
The man also froze, his hand gripping the edge of the towel around his waist. His hair was wet, droplets sliding from the tips and tracing along his broad shoulders, muscular chest, and scarred, toned body. His eyes were dark, but with the bags beneath them, they looked even darker.
He studied her just as intently as she studied him.
But when his lips parted, what followed was the loud slam of the door.
"?"
He tilted his head slightly, only to watch the door creak open again.
Ashley had shut it, thinking she must've been hallucinating. Perhaps she was still dreaming, seeing such a handsome specimen with an outrageously attractive body inside the bedroom.
So she opened the door again to check if he'd vanished.
Heck no.
He was still there.
Lucian let out a low, dark chuckle, and her jaw nearly dropped.
How in the world does his chuckle sound that seductive?
"Good morning," he said, striding toward her until he stood right in front of her.
Ashley wasn't tall, but she wasn't short either. She was pretty average. But standing before him, she barely reached his chest even if she stood on tiptoe.
He lowered his head and leaned in, pinching her chin between his fingers. He tilted her face one way, then the other, as if assessing every detail. When he guided her chin back toward him, the corner of his mouth curled upward.
His smirk made the edges of his eyes crease faintly.
"How was your sleep, wife?"
Wife?
Ashley blinked, confusion flashing across her face before shock settled in. She jumped back a step, shaking her head.
"Wife?" Her finger trembled as she pointed at him. "What kind of test is this?"
Lucian straightened, placing his hands on his hips. His chest remained confidently puffed out, and he was practically bare.
"Test?"
"You're not my husband. My husband is—" She paused, rubbing her chin as she tried to conjure the image she had imagined of Lucian.
A wrinkled, balding old man surfaced in her mind. Someone who needed life support wherever he went and was counting down his final days. Her husband's name, after all, had been around even before she was born.
Marshal Di Carpio pimping out his daughter to marry a man older than him? Completely believable.
There was no way he'd send Ashley to a young, handsome man like this. If Lucian were this young and attractive, Marshal would've sent his beloved daughter instead. Or that daughter of his would happily volunteer.
Ashley nodded to herself, only to jolt when she felt a flick against her forehead. Her hand flew up instinctively as she realized Lucian was standing right in front of her.
"Stop thinking," he said coldly. "My gut tells me whatever you're thinking will upset me."
"…"
"Breakfast is almost ready," he continued, walking past her. "Wear something comfortable. Nolan will show you around and introduce you to some people so you can familiarize yourself with the territory and the family."
As he spoke, Ashley found herself staring at his back, which bore even more scars than his front.
Lucian paused mid-step and glanced back at her. His gaze swept from head to toe before locking with her eyes.
"Archive the dress," he said in a tone that sounded very much like a command. "It suits you."
With that, he resumed walking.
As for Ashley, she snorted and shook her head.
She didn't believe a word he said.
"Husband?"
Or rather, did her husband send her a boy toy to play with since he could no longer perform? He had sent a proxy to finalize the rushed wedding, so that wasn't impossible.
Much to Ashley's horror, when she came down for breakfast, the man wasn't lying at all.
Seated at the long table, the horror on her face was evident as she stared at the boy across from her and then at Lucian at the head of the table.
"You're really…"
"Eat," Lucian remarked as he sipped his black coffee while reading the newspaper.
Ashley gulped, her eyes flickering to the boy across from her. He too had short black hair, dark eyes, and a very dim presence about him. The boy ate quietly, his cutlery barely making a sound against the plate.
So this is my life now, huh?
Ashley picked up her cutlery and glanced at the boy across from her, then at Lucian. She pursed her lips and ate quietly.
But in the middle of their meal, Lucian closed the newspaper in his hand and folded it.
"After Nolan shows you around, come to my office," he said coldly. "I'd like to discuss some things with you."
"Why?"
He didn't answer, and she nodded.
So I'm not allowed to ask, huh?
Ashley forced a smile and nodded. "Sure. I'll be there."
With that, Lucian pushed himself up. But before he walked away, he gazed down at the boy, making the latter stiffen slightly.
Huh?
Ashley blinked, studying the strange dynamic between the two. Then she shifted her attention to her retreating husband.
Maybe… he's not as bad, she thought, then her gaze fell on the boy.
Or maybe, he is.
Deep in Ashley's heart, all she wanted was to escape this place the first time Scott told her about the arrangement. But she was in the middle of Dominion, and if she wanted out, she had to play her cards right.
Little did she know that things were just about to spiral out of control, and before she knew it, she was bidding this world farewell.