My Second Marriage with the Mafia Kingpin novel Chapter 362

Chapter 362: Gut Feeling

"The project aims to create a new shopping center—"

Gustav stared at Ashley, who was seated at the end of the oval conference table.

It was already her third meeting of the day after spending the entire morning reviewing documents.

He stood quietly at the side, half listening to the presentation and half lost in thought.

It would be a lie to say she doesn’t surprise me.

When Ashley first arrived to run the company, Gustav hadn’t expected much. In fact, he had fully prepared himself to spoon-feed her everything.

At best, he thought she would simply occupy Lucian’s office so it wouldn’t look empty. Or that she would end up screwing some things up. Hence, he was secretly checking the ones she finished.

Who would’ve thought she would do the job far better than expected?

In the middle of his thoughts, Ashley suddenly raised a hand. The presenter immediately stopped.

Ashley rested both hands on the armrests and rose from her seat.

"Revise everything," she said.

The room fell silent, and confused eyes fixed on her. They haven’t even gone through half of the presentation, and so far, everything has been running smoothly until now.

"From the first slide to the last," she stressed. "Revise everything. You have another month to check everything, including site visits of this area."

The presenter froze. "But, Madam, we haven’t even finished—"

"You have one final chance to present this project to me." Her gaze swept across the entire team. "Otherwise, the project will be scrapped, and the team assigned to it will be disbanded."

She nodded. "One month."

With that, Ashley turned and walked out.

The conference room remained frozen.

Gustav glanced around. Everyone looked equally stunned and confused. Not surprising since even Gustav thought there was nothing wrong with the presentation. Yet, Ashley was asking them to revise everything in one month.

"I wonder why," he muttered under his breath as he glanced at the presentation. "It feels like the master."

Lucian often shut down presentations within minutes. Sometimes for serious reasons. Sometimes for reasons so petty they left people speechless.

He once rejected an entire proposal because the slides spent more effort looking beautiful than explaining what actually mattered. And then, another one because he disliked the font used.

Shaking his head, Gustav followed Ashley.

As they walked down the hallway, he quickened his pace. Before he could speak, Ashley raised a finger.

"Shh," she hushed. "Save it for a second."

So Gustav remained quiet until they entered Lucian’s office. The moment the door closed behind them, he spoke.

"I’m sorry about Lukas’s output."

Ashley didn’t respond. She simply stood where she was and looked around the office.

"I should’ve been firmer with him," Gustav continued. "Starting today, I’ll straighten him out. I won’t allow him back into the office until he’s recovered."

Still no response.

"Once everything settles down, I’ll make sure he faces appropriate consequences and penalties—"

"Gustav."

Ashley cut him off. She had already moved toward one of the bookshelves.

"Has Lucian ever ordered you to re-screen company employees?"

Gustav blinked. "Yes."

Still watching her move around the room, he nodded. "Before anything else, he always screens the people working closest to him."

Ashley pulled out a book and checked behind it. "And what were the results?"

"I found nothing suspicious." Gustav crossed his arms. "Everyone in this department undergoes extensive background checks, interviews, and reviews. We also investigate potential connections to our enemies."

He paused. "On top of that, we secretly conduct annual screenings."

Ashley moved to another shelf.

"Just as a precaution," Gustav continued. "Most employees aren’t aware of Dominion’s existence. And we don’t forget the possibility that any of them could be bribed despite the high paycheck and bonuses."

Since when did I start understanding that look?

"Am I losing my mind?" she murmured.

She ran her tongue along the inside of her cheek. "Am I becoming paranoid?"

Gustav cleared his throat. "Madam?"

She looked up.

"Everything alright?"

He already understood what she had been searching for.

A bug.

A listening device.

And frankly, he didn’t think it was an unreasonable concern. If Ashley suspected something, it was his responsibility to verify it. After all, Lucian’s office contained some of the most sensitive conversations in the entire building.

"Why do you think there’s a bug in the office?" he asked carefully. Then he quickly added, "Don’t misunderstand. If you suspect it, it’s my job to make sure this room is secure."

Lucian conducted similar inspections regularly. Not personally, but he frequently ordered Gustav to clear the office before important meetings.

Still, Ashley remained silent. Her eyes narrowed.

There was a suspicion she had been carrying since yesterday.

A suspicion she didn’t want to focus on yet.

But she hadn’t forgotten it either.

Then what made her suddenly act on it?

Her expression darkened.

"That project," she whispered. Her eyes sharpened. "Why is a project that shouldn’t be presented until next year sitting in front of me today?"

She huffed and turned to him again. "Do a secret investigation on everyone in the CEO’s department. See if there’s any suspicious activity."

Because deep down, her gut was telling her... someone was messing with her.