Chapter 110 Free for You

He paused, unsure how Damian hesitated, grappling with the words to define her role.

After a moment's thought, Damian said, moment of contemplation, he settled on, "Miss Astor."

Was that really It was a response, but was it truly an answer?

The supervisor didn't prypress further, smiling warmly.his smile warm and welcoming. "Miss Astor, it's a pleasure."

Anyone in close proximity to the CEO had to be someone of importance.

was undoubtedly a person of significance.Ashley nodded.responded with a nod. "Hello,. I hopetrust it's okayacceptable that I letallowed the workers take a few minutes to rest?"

Quick to reassure her, the a brief respite?"The supervisor said,was quick to assuage her concerns. "Oh, no problemnot at all, no problem. With thisnot at all. Given the sweltering heat, they deservethey've earned a break."

The workers didn't know , unfamiliar with Damian and felt an oppressive change, sensed a palpable shift in the air when he arrivedatmosphere upon his arrival. He quieted down, his posture rigid and sat up straight.

formal. Even in silence, just standing there, Damian had the his mere presence that could make others go silent in awe.

commanded a hush of reverence.A worker spoke upfound his voice, "We'll get back toresume work."

They left quietlyretreated, their departure hasty and quicklysilent, as if delayinglingering would put them incourt danger.

Ashley, losingher interest, screwed waning, secured the cap back ononto her partially-finishedhalf-empty water bottle and gave, forcing a forced chuckle. "Well, that's some 'Emperor's Room' authority for you!"

Damian's face turned stern, a stormy tide swirling inexpression hardened, his dark eyes. swirling with an undercurrent of stormy intensity. "Impressive community leader vibe there."

The supervisor, having missedoblivious to their exchange, said with a beaming smile.beamed at Ashley. "Miss Astor, you seem to really hit it offhave a knack for connecting with the workers; you. You've brought a spark of joy to our dullmonotonous construction site lifeexistence. You are like a breath of warm airbreeze for us!"
Ashley had never truly graspedWitnessing the struggles of blue-collar workers on construction sites until she witnessed it firsthand. had given Ashley a new perspective. The reality of their living and working and living conditions was harsher andfar more basicstark and rudimentary than anythingany television had ever portrayed—everything portrayal. The world was grittier without the glossveneer of camera filters.

"It's tough making"Life is a livingstruggle for everyone. These folkspeople are the breadwinners of their families. If possible, please treatshow them with extra kindness."

Saying this,," she anticipatedsaid, bracing herself for Damian's critique—how he would scold, expecting him to chastise her for her naive and oversimplified views.

But she was eagerdetermined to do somethingmake a difference for these workers.

The foreman glanced at Damian's neutralimpassive expression and chuckled. "Of course, we provide heat allowances in the summer, no outdoor work during peak sun, and the wages KM Road pays are among the highest in the industry. Our workers are seasoned veterans who have been with us throughout the year-round."

Someone murmured with a ."A murmur of wry laugh.laughter echoed from someone. "In this business, when are you not worrying about the crew? Can't even sleep soundly, afraid to miss an emergency call."

The foreman shot him a warning lookglance, and the man clammed up.

fell silent.They leftdeparted the construction site and headed, making their way back downtown.

The ride was silent, deathlysteeped in silence, a silence so.

Ashley felt she needed to break profound it was almost tangible.Feeling the need to shatter the ice. "Running, Ashley ventured, "Managing so many concurrent projects concurrently at KM Road must be a lot to handle.overwhelming. Are you also having trouble sleeping?"

losing sleep?"She hadn't broachedtouched on the subjecttopic of his medication, but after today, she suspected work stresses were to blame.

his work-related stress was the culprit. If a project manager was too anxious to sleep, what about the man atsteering the helm?

ship? Damian's responsibilities were far greater than anyonedwarfed everyone else's.

"It's not that bad."

His terse response was cold.

," he responded tersely.She was usedhad grown accustomed to his frosty demeanor by now. "You could try breathing exercises, tweakingadjusting your diet, or maybeperhaps even yoga and meditation. They can helpaid with sleep."

When hisHis phone rang, heinterrupted their conversation with its insistent ring. He answered with a curt "Okay," "Sure," and "Mm-hm"," before he hung up ending the call within a minute.

"You talkspeak as if you're a sleep therapy expert," he saidremarked dryly.

Sometimes, Ashleyit wasn't annoyed by hisDamian's words that irked Ashley, but by his tone—thatthe ability to sound irritable no matterregardless of what he said,. "After Astor Group went undercollapsed, my parents suffered from insomnia for a long time. I've tried many solutions. You could say I've become an accidental expert through experience."

He paused for a momentbriefly. "And?"

"My dad's sleeping much better now.father's sleep has improved significantly. At least he can fall asleep."

now." Ashley avoided talking aboutsteered clear of discussing her mother; mentioning the mere mention of her mother's illness was too painful.

"Okay," Damian said.

responded. With that, he closed his eyes to rest, and no further conversation ensued.

---

---After successfully dropping Damian off at the Henry Lee, Ashley received a call from the hospital. "Miss Astor, your test results from the hospital are ready. You can pick them up at any time."

for collection at your earliest convenience."She had requested a rush onexpedited processing the tests theprevious day before to getreceive the results within 24 hours.
Amelia said she didn't want to investigate and didn't care about the had expressed disinterest in investigating and was indifferent to the outcome, but Ashley just couldn't let go ofswallow that bitter pill.

Even if Amelia was readywilling to bitehold her tongue, Ashley was resolute in her pursuit of the truth. She was determined to investigate and uncover who was responsibleunmask the culprit!

With this thought, Ashley drove, consumed by her thoughts, navigated her way to the hospital.

Several A multitude of scenarios played out in her mind, buteach one more troubling than the firstlast. The prime suspect that came to mindin her mental lineup was Christian. If he was behind thisindeed the perpetrator, she was readyprepared to go to the mattresses withwage war against him, regardless ofno matter the cost!

In life, there are things.Life often presented circumstances beyond ourone's control, but not all insults areevery affront was to be borne silently.

endured in silence.The doctor, with an air of clinical detachment, delivered the test results:. "We didn't find any found no trace of another person'sforeign fluids or rubber residue. In other wordssimpler terms, your friend is safe."

Ashley's joy was palpable;Joy surged through Ashley, her heart echoed thunderouslypounding like a drum in her chest. "Thank you!"

she exclaimed. It was only atin that moment that she realized that the most beautiful phrase in the world must be 'a false alarm.'

Stepping out ofUpon exiting the doctor's office, Ashley immediately called dialed Amelia's number. However, her call went unanswered, presumably because Amelia, but she was probably busy and didn't answer.

Not wanting was preoccupied. Unwilling to wait to call againfor a callback, Ashley sentopted to send her a text message.

instead.Once her excitement wanedthe initial wave of relief subsided, Ashley ponderedfound herself grappling with a new mystery. If nothing untoward had happenedoccurred, why was the hotel room in such a state of disarray? The scene seemed deliberately setstaged to suggest otherwise.

She suspectedcouldn't shake off the suspicion that it was intentionala calculated act of foul play.

No, she had to investigate further!

Arriving inresolved, she had to delve deeper into this mystery.As she entered the clinic lobby, Ashley sawspotted a group of doctors in white coats coming , led by the boisterous Hayden, striding down the corridor, led by Hayden, who was quite loud.. "A leg fracture, arterial bleeding, and a history of heart disease – what have you written here?kind of nonsense is this? Did you eat the heart disease? Take itGo back and redocorrect it!"

It was the first time Ashley had witnessed Hayden reprimanding someone quite fierce.

Feeling cheerful, Ashley's voice lifted, tinged with a smilebarked at an. "Dr. King."

Upon hearing his name, Hayden turned around and, seeing Ashley, his face lit up with a smile, a stark contrast to his stern demeanor with the intern doctor. "Why didn't you let me know you were coming to the hospital?"

. It was the first time Ashley had seen Hayden in such a stern demeanor.Feeling buoyant, Ashley called out to him, her voice laced with a hint of amusement. "Dr. King."walkedAt the sound of his name, Hayden spun around and his stern expression melted into a warm smile upon seeing Ashley. "Why didn't you inform me that you were coming to the hospital?" he asked.Ashley sauntered over, adjusting her bag strap with relaxed grace.an air of casual elegance. "Just taking care of some businesspersonal matters, not here for an appointmenta medical visit. I knew you were busy. Iswamped with work and didn't want to bother you."

intrude."The other doctors greeted her with smiles, unsure of how to address her, substituting with facial expressions instead.

greeted her with polite smiles, their faces a mask of curiosity and intrigue.A female doctor whispered to her colleague, "Our Doctor from surgery saidsurgeon mentioned that Dr. King has a crush on one of thetaken a fancy to a female patients,patient who is incrediblyremarkably beautiful and has a greatan impressive figure. I thought she was exaggerating, but she's actuallytruly stunning!"

A male doctor addedchimed in, "When did Dr. King get a girlfriend? How about introducing her to us?"

Hayden grinned, showing his gums,. "Cut it out.Hayden, grinning from ear to ear, interjected, "Enough with the teasing. You'll scare her off."

away."His vagueambiguous response only fueled more suggestiveserved to fuel their speculation.

Ashley decided not to fuss over his antics; she wasChoosing to ignore their banter, Ashley, in high spirits today. "Got, offered, "Have some time? Let me buytreat you to a coffee."
Hayden chuckled., "If you're the one asking, I'll definitely make time!"

With time running outof the essence, Ashley quickly grabbedpurchased two cups of coffee from the hospital's convenience store. "I hope this is okayacceptable. I didn't want to wander offventure too far and keep you from your work."

Hayden took a sip with relishsavored his coffee as if savoring the finest ambrosia.it were a divine nectar. "It's not about what you getthe coffee, but who's givingoffering it. Coming from Ashley, it tastes amazing!"

Ashley didn't buydismissed his flattery forwith a secondknowing smile. "Busy all day? Doctors like you are always on call. It must be exhausting."

Hayden nodded, his chucklelaughter tinged with a hint of fatigueweariness. "If only all patients were as understanding as Ashley, our lives would be so much easier!"

Ignoring his nonsenseflippant compliments, Ashley continuedpressed on, "You work so hard. I bet the pressure's The pressure must be immense. How's your sleep? Do you ever have troublestruggle with insomnia?"

"Insomnia? Not a chanceHardly. After a surgery, I'm dog-tired.so exhausted I could pass outsleep anywhere."

Well, she mused, asking him probably would yield little usefulAshley pondered his response, realizing that his experience might not provide the insight.

As she sought.Just as Ashley was readyabout to dropchange the subject, Hayden added, "Though, I've seen some colleagues with weaker nerves struggle with sleeplessness. Poor souls,It's a pitiful sight, they're dead tired and still wide awake."

Curiousyet unable to sleep."Intrigued, Ashley inquiredasked, "So, how do they dealcope with it?"