Chapter 109 Pouting
Ashley almost laughedwas on the brink of laughter, but composed herselfshe managed to keep her composure. "I'm broke; I have to be frugal."
She was telling the truth, albeit a bitpenniless; frugality is a necessity," she stated. Her words were truthful, if slightly exaggerated.
"Making 'broke' sound so eloquent, are you almost maketrying to justify it seem justified?"
?" Damian had never tried questioned, his gaze fixated on the cold rice ball from the convenience store . He had never tried such food, eyeing the cold rice ball hesitantly, before, and he was hesitant, caught between the decision to eat or not to eat.
.With a break in the narrative, Ashley couldn't help but tease him as she saw Damian furrow hisobserved Damian's furrowed brow over such a triviality.trivial matter. "Discounted items are usually close to expiration—youyou'd better eat quickly, or it might taste even worse if you wait."
Damian's expression turned even sourer. "Onsoured further. "Are you doing this on purpose? Trying to make a fool out of me?"
Ashley focusedkept her focus on drivingthe road, reaching into the bag with her right hand to pull outretrieve a yogurt. "This one's fresh. I already took care of the one close to expiration. Plus, yogurt's fine cold here; take it."
Damian examined the light blue bottle in her hand. "Is it sweet?"
he asked.Ashley saidresponded with a straight face, "Want me to taste it for you? Can'tI can't really tell what it's like through the bottle."
As expected, Damian took the bottle with a dark expression, twisted off the cap, and took a sip. The flavor wasn't as bad as he'd imagined; it was actually a little sweet. "If I get a stomachache after this yogurt and these cold rice balls, you're on the hook."
Ashley rolled her eyes, her mood sinking to frustration. "We're eating the same stuff, and I'm fine. It's not like I'm a preschooler prone to tummy troubles. Come on, it's probably just your weak constitution."
What she really wanted to say was—drama queen!
Such high-maintenance problems rich people have.
Damian glanced sideways at her. "Can't handle a little criticism? With your love for nitpicking, you could start a factory and make a fortune selling needles."
After saying that, he scrunched his brows and deliberately took a big bite of the rice ball. Not only was it cold, but the taste was mediocre at best, bordering on unpalatable. How could she even eat this?
"Is this how you make do with lunch?"
he asked.Ashley couldn't help but delight in the tortured look on his face as he ate. "What, office drones getting picky now? Having food at all is not too shabby. See my car over there? It's hungrier than me."
Damian caught sight of the nearly empty fuel gauge and looked back at Ashley with a raised eyebrow. "So?"
Ashley sighed mournfully, patting the steering wheel. "Son, you gotta learn to fend for yourself. Momma can barely afford to keep you anymore."
Damian just stared blankly.
Just to be safe, Ashley swung by the nearest gas station and filled up the tank. When paying, she told the attendant, "Charge it to my boss."
Damian gave her a measured look but eventually pulled out his phone and scanned to pay.
It was only a little over fifty bucks to fill up the tank, but Ashley felt a thrill as if she'd just pulled off a multimillion-dollar heist. With a light and elevated spirit, Ashley took to the road again.
Damian, sensing her glee, said sarcastically, "Very impressive."
"Damian, try plucking a feather from a miser's back."
," she retorted.He mused over that and then, glancing at Ashley's profile, suggested pointedly, "Indeed."
If Ashley had been slower on the uptake, she mightn't have been so angry. But she was quick-witted, and her thoughts immediately flew to her maxed-out credit cards and shopping accounts, causing her fingers to tighten around the steering wheel as her hackles rose.
Without a word, she floored the accelerator.
Whoosh—
The car rocketed forward like an arrow.
Damian lurched from the sudden movement, then clutched the armrest tightly. "Aren't you afraid of wrecking the company car? Can you afford the damages?"
Ashley focused intensely on driving far too fast to attend to his concerns and pressed her lips together. Her jawline was set in determination, and the delicate veins on her fair neck stood out. "Mind your own business!"
Though she spoke in anger, her nervous focus on safe driving made her voice sound almost playful.
Damian's thin lips curled slightly. Shortly after, seeing the need to switch lanes, he advised, "Get ready to merge to the left."
Ashley clenched her jaw. "Zip it."
Damian," she retorted.Damian shot back, "You think flunking the written DMV test isn't enough? Fine, go ahead and rush back to the start."
Regardless of her frustration, Ashley slowed down, flicked on the blinker, and changed lanes.
They arrived at the construction site on the outskirts amid a haze of dust and the glow of dawn.
Here was the development zone, isolated with nearly no amenities, an endless barren sprawl next to a sign with the future city plan. Upon completion, KM Road would control half the assets in the entire tech incubator.
"Capitalists," Ashley muttered under her breath, "Capitalists."
her tone laced with a hint of disdain.Ahead of her, Damian strode ahead,confidently towards the bustling building site brimming, the air around him thick with billowing dust clouds.
Following of dust.Trailing behind him, Ashley grumbled, couldn't help but voice her concerns. "Aren't you worried about the resentment from the workers, strutting in like that?"
Dressed she grumbled, her eyes fixed on his retreating back.Clad in a sleek matte black suit and glossy shoes now gatheringspeckled with dust, hisDamian's presence on the chaotic gravel path felt likewas jarringly out of place. It was as if he was part of a performance art piece, totally out of place ata stark contrast against the backdrop of the construction site.
Today'sThe inspection that day could have been more impromptu, with no prior notice given to the engineering department and no other preparations made. Yet, Damian's steady pace betrayed no hesitation. "A soldier who doesn't aim to be a general isn't good. I'm setting an example for them—to strive for greatness."
Yeah, right.
," he declared, his voice steady and confident.Yeah, right, Ashley thought to herself, rolling her eyes.Under the scorching sun, Ashley shielded her eyes and looked up. Workers were dangling perilously as they affixed tiles to an exterior wall, their ropes swinging and challenging one's heartbeat.
EvenShe couldn't help but wonder, even if they dedicated their entire lives to labor on the site without respite, could they ever catch up to the taillights of Damian's car?
Yet, there was some truth in Damian's words carried some truth. If those people shattered the mold of conventional thinking and excelled in their fields, they could indeed turn their lives around.
"CEO? You... What brings you here?"
The head of the engineering department turned pale with surprise upon seeing Damian. He hurried over and gestured to Spencer for a hard hat.
Damian donned the helmet, looking around. "Hold off on the tiling until later. Have the workers come down for now."
," he instructed.The manager, submissive and smirking awkwardly, agreed, "Indeed... indeed, it's searing hot today. I'm also worried about heatstroke. I'll have them work inside for now."
With her helmet on, Ashley followed inside, "Didn't know you cared about the workers."
," she commented, her tone laced with a hint of sarcasm.Damian inspected the site as he spoke: "Worker safety is tied directly to project progress. It is better to play it safe than rush and risk. It isn't about caring; it's common sense."
Ashley, garnering various inquisitive glances, was relieved that her path would no longer cross with the workers. "You could have phrased that with a bit more empathy. It helps foster relations with the workforce and ensures their dedication."
," she retorted.Damian turned and saw a petite face framed by a yellow hard hat amidst the light and dust—a face sweaty and flushed, with long lashes like a spring's canopy.
Pausing, he commented, "Pay them well, and they'll work hard for you."
Ashley smirked, knowing it was pointless trying to reason with a cold-hearted capitalist in using her free time.
The construction worker Damian returned, wiping the sweat off his brow with a grimy towel from his arm, while others commented, "Boy, it's a scorcher today! How can it be so hot in May?"
Ashley, holding a few bottles of water, offered them to the crew. "You guys are working hard. Have some water, take a little break!"
she suggested, her voice warm and friendly.The middle-aged man in the lead paused as he was wiping off, caught off guard.
Ashley chuckled at his astonished look. "Hey, big guy, are you not thirsty? Drink some water and cool off. It's just too darn hot today."
," she encouraged.He hesitantly reached out, then paused, noticing the stark contrast between his grimy hand and her pale, delicate one. Then he gave an embarrassed, goofy smile. "Well, I mean..."
Ashley thrust the bottle into his hands without ceremony. "No need to be so formal, ha!"
Someone led by example she laughed.Her actions seemed to break the ice, and the atmosphere loosened up; the workers jovially grabbed water and started chatting with Ashley.
After discussing matters with a few supervisors, Damian came out to find Ashley sitting on a slab of stone, deeply engaged in conversation with the workers.
The supervisor, puzzled and unable to contain his curiosity, tentatively asked with a smile, "CEO, who is...?"
Bringing The sight of a beautiful woman toat the construction site without an introduction had left them quite confused.
Damian observed Ashley's casual manner, drinking water and chatting, and wondered how he'd never noticed her down-to-earth side before. "She is..." he began, his voice trailing off as he watched her.
