Chapter 137 I Saw You, Don't Hide
Damian and Hendrix glared at each other, seemingly on the verge of a fight. Ashley interrupted, "You two should bandage each other up. You're good at brawling so that you can handle the aftermath."
Hendrix shouted, "Impossible!"
Damian said, "No way."
At least they agreed on one thing.
Ashley said, "Fine, if you both refuse, then deal with it yourselves. I'm leaving." Ashley didn't want to be involved with either of them anymore.
Hendrix held her wrist, his face swollen, and said, "You're not really leaving, are you?"
Ashley gazed at his hand, compelling him to release his grip. "I've been explicit. I won't show gratitude regardless of your actions. You may view me as cold-hearted or unkind. While this gesture might move other girls to tears, I'm not emotionally receptive at the moment."
To me, your actions are just boring.
Ashley didn't say the last sentence, but they were smart enough to understand.
Reluctantly, Hendrix let go, forced a smile, and touched his wound. "Don't go yet. We need to talk."
Damian's disdainful gaze was like a powerful spotlight.
Ashley felt a twinge of pity. If they didn't treat their wounds in time, they might get infected. With the weather getting warmer, bacteria would breed quickly. It would be a pity if they were left with scars on their faces.
Ashley said, "Is now a good time to talk? We can discuss it in the office another day."
After speaking, Ashley didn't listen to any more persuasions and left.
Her high heels clicked rapidly, and she disappeared around the corner.
Ashley called Hayden, "I'll give you a location. Bring the first aid kit. Damian's injured."
Hayden's voice was frantic, "Is it serious? How did he get hurt? Did he run into the enemy?"
Anyone who dared to hurt Damian was asking for trouble. Hayden even imagined a few suspicious individuals.
Ashley replied, "It's just a street fight. They all have external injuries, not too serious. The face is injured, so we need to be careful."
Hayden said, "His face? That's the only good thing about him."
After hanging up, Ashley sent a message to Lynn.
Ashley: [Hendrix is injured. Come over.]
Lynn's reply came quickly: [What happened? Is he okay?]
Ashley: [Not life-threatening, nothing major. But if you come, it might increase his favorability towards you.]
Lynn: [Thank you, Ashley. I'll come right away!]
Ashley made sure they were taken care of while she took the back roads to catch a cab.
Damian's traffic accident case would be in court tomorrow, and she had to testify. She hoped the case will be resolved in one day and not delayed to a retrial.
After freshening up, Ashley lay in bed, her mind filled with thoughts, unable to sleep.
Ashley thought, 'How should I get along with Hendrix in the future? And how should I get along with Damian? Was what he said and did today intentionally provoking Hendrix, or did he have another motive?'
Ashley shook her head, not allowing herself to think further or have any other thoughts.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, her phone, charging on the side, rang.
Feeling unsettled, Ashley, in a foul mood, glanced at the name on the screen and couldn't suppress her irritation. Ashley asked, "What's wrong with you again?"
Damian didn't used to be like this. He rarely called her in the past few years.
Hayden asked, "Ashley, are you feeling down?"
It was Hayden on the other end of the line.
Ashley felt a bit embarrassed and adjusted her tone, "It's late. Is there something you need?"
Hayden whispered, "It's not a big deal. I just wanted to let you know that I've bandaged Damian's wound. I did it cleanly, and it won't leave a scar. His face will still be that handsome face once the wound heals."
Ashley furrowed her brows. Ashley thought, 'Does Hayden call using Damian's phone just to say that?'
Ashley said, "That's good."
Hayden stuttered, his voice lowered as if he were avoiding someone, and said, "When I went, I saw Hendrix. What happened? Did they get into a fight?"
Ashley tried to change the subject, "Aren't you with Damian? Just ask him directly."
Hayden said, "If he's willing to say, I wouldn't need to ask you. Let me boldly guess, if I guess right, you say yes. Did Hendrix offend you?"
Ashley, feeling a headache, disturbed in the middle of the night and bombarded with gossip, "No."
Hayden said, "Well, now I understand."
Ashley didn't want to know what he understood, "Is there anything else?"
Hayden said, "No, Ashley. Damian is the same. He doesn't need to deal with Hendrix himself. You don't know, his hand injury hasn't fully healed, and now, with a new injury, his whole hand looks appalling. If he hadn't been so angry, he wouldn't be in this state. Ashley, go to sleep; I'll go check on him again. I hope he won't get tetanus; the temperature is quite high today."
After hanging up the phone, Ashley's drowsiness was only half-chased away, and she tossed and turned even more.
Ashley thought, 'Is Damian's hand really that serious?'
On the other side, Hayden tossed Damian's phone over, "Is this the result of your verification?"
Ashley's tone indicates that she doesn't have a high opinion of Damian.
It's a good thing he made the call, or else there would be a 99% chance of an argument.
Damian looked at the thick bandages on his hand, suspecting that Hayden was deliberately causing trouble. Damian asked, "Was it necessary to wrap so many layers for a minor injury?"
Hayden replied, "More or less."
Hayden, with a gossipy look on his face, leaned in, "So, does that mean you're sure you've fallen in love with Ashley? Or fallen in love again?"
Damian gave him a look to figure out for himself, not directly answering.
Rubbing his chin, Hayden, with an air of mystery, speculated, "It's been years since I've seen you get into a fight; even if the other person is your archenemy, Hendrix, it's not worth getting personally involved, lowering your value. So there's only one conclusion: he is your rival in love. Most of the time, we don't know what we want until someone comes to steal it away."
Damian frowned and said, "Is that all?"
Hayden was excited to spread the news but afraid that revealing too much would spoil the fun. He decided to hold back and let Christian squirm a bit more, "However, as your friend, I still have to remind you that with Ashley, love alone might not be enough. The conflicts between you two can be described as irreconcilable."
Damian ran his long fingers through his hair, pressing down hard, and said, "I will handle it."
Hayden asked, "And her? What's her attitude towards you? Mutual affection, or are you the only one passionate?"
Damian remained silent.
Hayden slapped his thigh, "No way? Karma. Who made you so heartless in the past?"
Damian shouted, "Get lost!"
The next day, Ashley packed up and headed out to work.
As she descended the stairs, she spotted a familiar car.
The neighborhood she rented in was only mid to high-end, rarely seeing luxurious vehicles.
The ostentatious Aston Martin in front of her was clearly out of place with the overall style.
Ashley's intuition told her there was someone familiar inside, so she turned to walk around.
The horn blared, and the driver's side window rolled down, revealing a head, "You've seen me, so where are you trying to hide?"
