Chapter 116 Morning Bouquet of Roses
"You want to use resources from me to get revenge in business, even to recover the Astor Group, accepting what I give you yet at the same time you’re unwilling to let go of your pitiful pride. You resist on one hand and accept on the other. Even when I toss scraps to a dog, at least I see it wag its tail in gratitude. What about you? Have I given you less? What have you given back to me?
"When ambition outstrips ability, you need to learn patience. Ashley, this is the path you must walk. Life isn't just what you wish for; nobody is going to be kind to you without reason,” he chided.
Ashley's face was suddenly covered in embarrassment! She felt the mortification as if she were being seen through an X-ray.
Damian tugged at the corner of his mouth and continued, "If you didn't want to rely on me to make it, why be constrained by me? You have other options, but deep down, you want to depend on me."
Ashley had a thousand retorts and curses she wanted to throw back at him.
She had returned to stand on her own two feet, never planning to rely on him from the start. It was he who personally selected her for the KM Road project, his clever design that trapped Harold into signing a breach of contract worth twenty million!
What followed seemed like a butterfly effect, soaring beyond her expectations and veering off the course she had anticipated.
Several times she wanted to cut ties entirely, but every time she turned to leave, he would throw out a lifeline, offering terms she couldn't refuse.
She admitted that in the face of immense benefits, she couldn't resist the temptation. She wanted to succeed so badly.
But Heaven knows how much she didn't want to be manipulated by him.
The car incident was an accident, for which she had undeniable responsibility. The Lunaria project offered a prize too tempting to turn down.
Damian was like an angler skilled in human nature... not just that but also in understanding her mindset. He always knew the perfect bait to lure her, stringing her along. Every step she took, he would pull the line; every time she tried to escape, he'd place more enticing bait.
He said he received no gratitude, but what about her? Treated like a pawn in his game, with no way out and no clear path forward.
She was also stubborn, aggrieved, angry, and frustrated.
She pondered whether to use Damian like Amelia suggested, and play along with his feelings without getting involved, but her heart couldn’t do it. It couldn't draw a clear line as definitive as the Mason-Dixon.
This was the man she had once loved deeply. The emotions she felt for him always seemed to have a withdrawal effect. She thought she had put it all behind her, but in certain moments, her heart would race with fanciful thoughts.
She was afraid of getting burned instead of playing with fire.
She was just an ordinary person and not a vengeful goddess from a blockbuster Hollywood movie. Her heart wasn't strong enough for such roles.
The thoughts swirled endlessly in her head, too many to express, and in the end, her face fell as she looked at him. "Damian, do you know what I hate the most? I hate that even until now, I can't bring myself to completely hate you," she stated with a tinge of ache in her tone.
That night, the world gained two more insomniacs.
Damian lay awake until sunrise, watching as morning light tore through the night sky, scattering golden rays across the city.
"I hate that even until now, I can't bring myself to completely hate you." The pain on her face when she said those words was etched deeply into his heart.
Did she truly wish for a clean break with him Or she just hated that she couldn't do it?
Confused, Damian lit the last cigarette in the pack and called Hayden.
Rubbing his eyes from being roused from a deep sleep, Hayden grumbled, "Can't you be a night owl and a decent human being at the same time?"
"How can you tell if someone truly loves you? Or if they still love you?" Damian asked.
Hayden paused, scratching his head, "Are you talking about Ashley?"
Damian didn't deny it. "Is there a way?" he added.
Hayden, still sleepy, tried to organize his thoughts. "To love someone, first of all, is to care for them, to mind their feelings, their life. You'd send warm greetings for no reason. Of course, that's the most basic form of love. The other kind is deliberately keeping your distance, not wanting to disturb them, just watching from afar, man, that's the toughest."
Damian compared this to Ashley, but it didn't seem to fit. "That's it?" he questioned.
"Give me a second to think, man. My mind's a mess. Also…" Hayden turned over in bed, "Ashley... I think it's smarter for her not to love you. What's so good about loving you? You don't love her back, your parents don't care for her, and your grandpa's setting you up on dates, hoping you'll remarry in a flash.
"And let's not forget, her family's troubles have your fingerprints all over them. All in all, life's precious, keep away from Damian. If it were me, even with a tiny bit of love left, I’d steer clear... Hey, are you still there? Dang, he hung up so fast!" Hayden remarked.
Damian changed his clothes and went downstairs to Building Eight.
This time he didn’t knock or call ahead, he simply punched in the code.
The living room looked just as it had the day before, the residue of the hot pot dinner had been cleaned, and the foul odors were gone.
Had she come back last night to tidy up or had she gotten up early?
"Ashley?" Damian made a beeline for the bedroom, pushing open the door only to be greeted by silence.
There was no one in bed. Ashley wasn't home. It was only seven o'clock. Where could she have gone?
Ashley was the first to arrive at the law firm, digging out the files for the Lunaria case and hunching over her desk at work.
Damian's piercing words the previous night did her a favor, at least now she wouldn't have to exhaust herself in negotiations.
She would tackle the case at hand with all her might, and after winning, she would part ways with Damian.
Even if Damian offered her a fortune next time, she swore she wouldn't nod in agreement. She pledged to herself that she would manage!
Lavinia had a court case that day and had also arrived early. Upon entering, she saw Ashley with a cup of coffee. "Ashley, you're up early. Don't tell me you took the day off and are now pulling an all-nighter?"
Ashley, not in the best of spirits, wasn't in the mood for banter. "Work brings joy, Lavinia. You hang in there too." With that, she spun around and headed for her office.
Lavinia's comments were tinged with sarcasm. "Oh, Ashley, rising to prominence on KM Road, you've become so assertive. I heard that the Lunaria international case is your private project. Congrats!"
What Lavinia referred to as a private project had already become tainted gossip within the law firm. Rumors of romantic affairs, climbing the ladder through underhanded means, favoritism within the firm.
The strength of the jealousy could be measured by the ugliness of the rumors spread.
Ashley hadn't been at the firm yesterday since Hannah was out working on her graduation thesis, so Ashley was a bit behind on the latest news.
"Lavinia, do you want to take on an international case? Do you have the experience? Have you studied international law? Are you familiar with the legal system in the UK? You need skill to take on private projects," Ashely rebutted.
Lavinia scoffed. "Sure, professional knowledge is one thing, but compared to your looks and figure, not to mention your technique in dealing with men, you've got the edge, right?"
The others watched the verbal sparring match and did nothing to intervene. After all, witnessing a showdown between two formidable women was quite the spectacle to start the working day.
Had it not been for Damian's words the night before, Ashley might have argued with Lavinia, but at that moment her heart was remarkably calm. "Lavinia, you've had an aversion to me for a while now. Since that's the case, why don't you show some real skill in competition?"
"You think I'm afraid of you?" Lavinia spat.
Ashley let out a contemptuous chuckle and walked away, returning to her seat.
Soon after, there was a knock at her office door. "Ashley?"
She looked up. It was the receptionist. "Yes? What is it?"
The receptionist came forward with a large bouquet of pink roses. "Ashley, someone sent you flowers~"
