Chapter 107 Be My Driver
Clueless netizens spewed their extreme commentsThe online, world was in uproar, a cacophony of voices spewing vitriol and dissecting the leaked photos with excessivea scrutiny. By the time Ashley checked the online messages, she was shocked to see hateful phrases like that bordered on obsession. Ashley, upon reading the comments, was taken aback by the harshness of the words being thrown around. Phrases such as "moral crusaders" and "wish you dead" being thrown around.
seemed to be the order of the day.It was no wondersurprise that Damian was livid; anyone would have flipped. The anger he felt was palpable, the kind that would make even the most composed person flip a table in anger.
rage.Yet, Damian was known for his composurecool demeanor, at least in the public eye. So even as flames of rage burnedDespite the fury burning within him, his face betrayed no clear sign of wrath.remained impassive, a mask of calm that belied the storm within. It was this calm yet commanding presence that loweredseemed to lower the temperature around him.
in the room.Ashley exchangedshared a knowing glancelook with Thomas and then spoke up,before addressing the issue at hand. "The quality of online commenters varies widely. ," she began, "It's not worth getting upset over their words. Once the truth is out, thatit will slaphit them in the face harder than anything else. Aren't the PR and legal teams already working on it? With KM Road's resources, burying this news should be a breeze, right?"
Thomas exhaled quietly, relieved bylet out a quiet sigh of relief, grateful for Ashley's comforting words that seemed to soothe the CEOCEO's temper. He had saidtried to say the same thing himself and nearly got dissected by the CEO'searlier, only to be met with a piercing stare.
that felt like a dissection.Damian's gaze turned frostyicy as he looked at Ashley, who hadn't gone home all night and was still worein yesterday's slightly wrinkled clothes. Her, her hair was unkempt, giving her the appearance of . She looked like someone who had partied all night. and hadn't gone home. "Ashley seems to switch between fun and work quite naturally. ," he remarked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "I hate to disrupt your rest by calling you in so early."
Was he being toxic?
She'd Ashley felt a sting at his words. She had dragged herself out of bed early for his sake and, even had her car towed, and this sarcasm was her thanks?
With others in the office, Ashley quickly steered the conversation back to business, fearing Damian's penchant for shocking statements, quickly steered the conversation to business. "I can draft an explanation of the incident and post it online. With Mr. Hearst's dashcam footage, we can silence the idle gossip."
Thomas sensed, sensing the tension in the air and nonverballyroom, signaled the legal and PR heads, who to quietly slippedslip out of the office.
The CEO had Damian seemed to have it out for Ashley, criticizing her personal life without a preamble at their meeting.
Ashley wasn't even an internal staff member at KM Road; why did the CEO care about her recreational activities?
Although they wereDespite being accustomed to the CEO's imperious antics, they couldn't help but feel for Ashley, who publicly skewered them.
was now on the receiving end of his criticism.Damian's scowl deepened, his expression akin to a storm cloud hanging over his head, ready to unleash a stormtempest. "At Ashley's age, she's long past kindergarten. Why, then, does she have the naiveté of a five or six-year-old? Do you think a simple written statement will clear things up? If it were that easy, wouldn't the legal profession be obsolete?"
Ashley was crestfallenfelt a pang of disappointment, her well-intentioned professional advice dismissed, then and repaid with an unexpected twist. Thankfully,With the office wasnow devoid of eavesdroppers, so she dropped her formal façade. "So you question my expertise, Damian, which means you must have a better plan. Let's hear it then. What's your move?"
Thomas stood rigidly by the door, fearing collateral damagethe fallout if things escalated. A stray bullet, metaphorically speaking, could mean big trouble for him.
Damian pulled out a document and slapped it onto the corner of the desk. "This is a lawsuit drafted by the legal department."
They had it ready to go?
Her role today was merely that of a witness.
It was fitting since she couldn't very well be both the defense attorney and a witness.
After perusing the document, Ashley's first reaction was admiration; the work of a seasoned expert from KM Road was clear—point of entry, wording, demands—all laid out impeccably.
If KM Road's lawyers were this good, why had the Manchester case been circling back to her?
Pushing aside distracting thoughts, Ashley nodded. "Impressive, it covers all the bases. Let's proceed with the lawsuit. I'll make sure to be present when needed in court."
Damian leaned over the desk, fingers intertwined, thumbs slowly rubbing together. "Now, Ashley, it's time to settle personal scores."
Ashley's frowned. "What do you mean?"
Damian didn't bother to exclude Thomas. "That night, we could have wrapped things up neatly, but you, playing good Samaritan, let a major headache slip away. Now, I'm caught in the crossfire because of your misplaced sanctity. What do you have to say about that?"
Ashley had doubted herself before, perhaps being too idealistic and thinking too highly of others. At the time, she had been genuinely afraid that the lady in question would be devastated by Damian's actions and was now cursing her fatal lack of foresight.
"I apologize. That was my mistake."
"That's your idea of an apology?"
She looked up, staring into his unpredictable eyes. "What do you want, Damian?"
He released his fingers, leaning back in his chair. "From your tone, you'd think I'm exploiting you," he said.
That's exactly what it felt like!
"That's not what I meant."
"You'd better not," Damian said calmly, "Thanks to you, my cars have been outed and can now only collect dust in the garage. Catch my drift?"
He had no cars to drive?
Could Thomas's vague references to a CEO' cleaning house' be about this?
"So what now?"
Ashley quickly assessed her finances. Her credit cards maxed out from furniture shopping for Damian, and hefty funds transferred to offshore accounts—she couldn't afford a car, not even a scooter.
Damian declared,made a resolute declaration. "From todaythis day forward, until this mess is over, you're chaos subsides, you are to be my driver. You'll use your chauffeur. Your car."
will serve as our means of transport."Ashley didn't look atgrace Damian again but with another glance, instead glanced back at , her eyes sought out Thomas, wondering to . She questioned within herself if his the reasonableness of Damian's demand was even reasonable.. Was this somethingthe sort of command a CEO should say?
be issuing?Thomas scratched, scratching his head with an exaggerated grimace. "Well... all, offered an explanation. "All the everyday carsvehicles under the CEO's name are registered to me, and if we're. If we were to getacquire another one aton such short notice... It's easy to buyPurchasing a car is simple, but gettingobtaining the license plates is a hassle. Looks like different story. It appears I'll be taking the subway commuting to the office via subway for a while."
Ashley couldn't help but the foreseeable future."A laugh withof disbelief. escaped Ashley. "Damian has to enter a lottery for a car plate?" she questioned incredulously. Who are youwas he trying to fool?
"Yes, I do," Damian confirmed, "Yes, I do."
Rolling her eyes, unflustered.Ashley turnedrolled her eyes, turning to lookgaze out the window.
Angry, very angry!
Her anger was palpable, simmering just beneath the surface.Thomas triedattempted to smooth things overdefuse the situation. "The CEO said Ashley's in charge of has appointed Ashley to oversee the UK case, so you'll. You'll need to coordinate oftenliaise frequently with the legal team at KM Road. BesidesPlus, you livereside in the same neighborhood as the CEO, so it should be making carpooling a convenient for carpooling."
Grinding heroption."With gritted teeth and forcing a forced smile, Ashley repliedretorted, "Assistant Thomas is really... always so thoughtful... considerate of the boss, huh?"
What was all that talkisn't he?"She pondered the irony of their earlier conversations about becoming friends if, in the end, it's all about dutifully friendship, which now seemed to be nothing more than a facade for serving Damian?
. Men, huh!
Grinning she thought, exasperated.Thomas, grinning from ear to ear, Thomas saidannounced, "CEO, Ashley, I'll go talkdiscuss the details with the legal department."
With that, he made his exit.
departure.Ashley pulled overdragged a chair over and sat down, tossingflinging her handbag behind her. "Damian, why can't we keep work and personal matters separate? DoMust you have to mixintertwine them up like this?"
Damian took a few sips of his coffee to soothe, a soothing balm for his throat. "If I kept work and personal matters separate, would you still have the chanceopportunity to sit here and argue with me? You should be thankfulgrateful. I'm at least giving you a shotchance at redemption. NotCan't you show a shred of gratitude? Be careful, or you'llyour fall will be even hardersteeper next time."
He had hit her where it hurt.
His words struck a nerve.A bitter lump formed in Ashley's throat; it felt like, mirroring the bitterness welling up in her heart had welled up.. "I…"
"In half an hour, there's a partnership meeting at H Building. You'll drive me there."
How could he always live in his world?
She was ," Damian instructed, completely ignoring what others had to say.
disregarding her feelings.Ashley fired back.retorted, "Unfortunately, my car gotwas towed by the traffic copspolice. If you don't mind, I could joinaccompany you on the subway."
