Chapter 124 Trapped in the Car
It was as if lightning struck when she heard his words. There was no appropriate word that could describe the shock in Ashley's heart!
In an instant, she forgot all the pain in her body; her pupils fully dilated, she stared at him, and tears were flickering in her eyes. It took a while before she calmed down, asking, "What did you say?"
That question was impulsive, excessive, and thoughtless.
After asking, Damian didn't have the courage to say it again, or rather, he didn't dare to hear the answer.
He tried to quickly figure out Ashley's attitude towards him. Considering the moving away, escaping, and distancing herself; each action was a clear message that she didn't love him. She only said she couldn't completely hate him, but that didn't mean it was love.
Damian hated losing control and the feeling of being uncertain. Damn it, he was experiencing it bit by bit now.
He avoided those overly shocked eyes, and asked, "What is your relationship with Hendrix?"
Ashley's senses hadn't had time to recover from the shock. "Superior and subordinate," she answered with a simple summary; there was no need for further explanation.
"Would a superior and subordinate avoid the crowd and embrace each other? Would a superior be so attentive and caring towards you? Are you two just colleagues? You two are probably just a step away from sleeping together, aren’t you, Ashley?" he accused.
Clenching his teeth, he yelled her full name as if trying to bite off the strokes of her name.
Her emotions returned to normal, and the pain in her wrist ripped at her mind. Ashley moved slightly, gasping in pain. "No matter what I say, you won't believe it. Then what's the point of explaining? What kind of person do think I am?" she retorted.
"You..." Damian Hearst clenched his jaw. If it weren't for his policy against hitting women, her face would probably shatter into pieces.
Ashley admitted that when Damian unprecedentedly asked her whether she loved him, her heart raced, and she was even afraid that she would blurt out "yes." But looking at the argument in front of them, everything seemed ridiculous.
"You should know that I moved out of Henry Lee. Although the furniture belongs to me, you can keep it or throw it away, it's up to you. That cheap stuff doesn't match your status."
Damian sneered, "It was thrown away a long time ago."
Ashley suddenly became speechless. Did it hurt in her heart? Yes, it did.
She also wanted to ask Damian earnestly.
'And what about you, have you ever loved me? Did you genuinely, wholeheartedly love me?'
But even if she knew the answer, what difference would it make?
What difference did her parents' current situation, Astor Group's predicament, and their feud, as vast as the ocean, make compared to the seemingly infinite distance between them?
Ashley turned her head, wiping away her tears with a motion resembling pulling up her collar, and asked, "Why did you come looking for me, tonight? Is it about work arrangements?"
Damian wanted to laugh. Was his contact with Ashley solely because of work?
Despite his anger, he still used the remaining rationality to say, "Hendrix Stone is unruly. Don't mess with him."
Ashley replied, "Until today, I didn't know he was a partner at Sky Balance Law Firm. I haven't seen him since I returned."
Damian scoffed, "Ashley, are you serious? Huh? On our first encounter, he had the audacity to confront me for your sake. Do you really think you're a beauty?"
Ashley opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but couldn't bring herself to say it. "Yes, I am."
Once again, Damian started the car and drove fast like a shooting star, heading straight to Henry Lee.
Ashley despised this place, holding onto the car door and refusing to get out. "Damian Hearst, don't force me."
"Do you want to bleed excessively and die? Let me clean your wounds," Damian insisted.
Ashley declared, "No need, I'm fine. Even if I get out of the car, I won't go up. I'm telling you, Damian, moving out of Henry Lee is to tell you that from now on, we only have a business relationship, and there will be no more personal feelings."
"Don't you dare," he warned.
"If you force me again, I can just go to another country and never come back. You don't allow me to provoke Hendrix. What about you? Are you better than him?" she questioned.
The one I can't afford to provoke the most is you. It's always been you.
Boom!
Damian bent down and got out of the car, then locked the door.
Ashley Astor was taken aback and banged on the car door, "Damian Hearst, what are you doing? Open the door!"
Damian took a few steps, then came back and cracked the car window slightly to let her breathe, but the door remained locked. "You're being stubborn, huh? Fine, then keep being stubborn," he remarked.
Ashley felt a sense of fear, believing that Damian was capable of doing something like locking her in the car overnight for reflection. "Damian Hearst! Come back! It's illegal imprisonment! Damian Hearst!"
He walked briskly until he disappeared at the elevator entrance.
Ashley was furious and felt powerless. Overwhelmed with grievances, she collapsed onto the passenger seat. His method of humiliating people always reached new lows.
The elevator went straight to the top floor. Damian, full of anger, wanted to punch a hole through the elevator wall.
Upon entering, he angrily removed his suit jacket and threw it on the ground. He trampled the silk suit, leaving a shoeprint. Then he splashed cold water on his face repeatedly, his hands propped up on the vanity. In the mirror, his eyes were bloodshot.
If Hayden's method hadn't gone wrong, he was certain that he loved Ashley Astor.
This realization shattered many of his long-held beliefs and shocked him.
Since when? How did he not notice?
Pouring cold water couldn't subside his irritation.
Damian headed upstairs. Everything in his line of sight bothered him. He grabbed the porcelain on the desk and smashed it with a swing of his arm, shattering it to pieces. Even so, it was not enough to calm him down.
Was he in love with Ashley?
He had fallen in love with a woman who had cunningly married him, used him, cheated on him, and seduced other men! Not only was he insane, but his IQ must have dropped below zero.
Ashley couldn't get out of the car, and she had no idea where her phone was in the struggle. Crying would be pointless at the moment, so she forced herself to stay calm, leaning against the passenger seat.
What was Damian trying to confirm by asking that question? Did he want to completely cut ties and marry Trinity Bezos?
Ashley tried to forget about it, she could never understand him.
As she was drifting off to sleep in a daze, the car moved slightly.
Ashley vigilantly opened her eyes and saw Damian returning.
"What are you up to again?" she asked.
Damian walked with a medical kit in his hand and took out disinfectant and cotton swabs. "Come here," he said.
Was he training a dog? Why did he always treat her like this?
Intentionally hiding her hand behind her back, Ashley was pulled closer by Damian.
Gritting her teeth, she questioned, sarcastically, "Have you found your conscience?"
At that moment, Damian only wanted to monopolize her. He was afraid that she would follow Hendrix and slip out of his control. So he exerted force without knowing his strength, and his brow furrowed in regret.
Her fair skin was scraped raw, with blood stains all over. "Does it hurt?" Damian asked.
Ashley Astor felt angry, wronged, and in pain, and replied, "Yes!"
He lowered his head and carefully wiped away the blood stains, his breath drifting over her wound, carrying a faint lingering warmth of a man.
He said, "I'm sorry."
