Chapter 184 Cherishing The Beautiful Scene
The disdain in his tone was thick, but she couldn't hear it, of course.
Damian's actions towards her made it easy to misunderstand and jump to conclusions.
Ashley was a bit confused, unable to discern what this man really meant to her.
The atmosphere was tense at the moment after that sarcastic remark laced with gunpowder, followed by a long, oppressive silence that no one wanted to break.
Clutching the blanket tightly, Ashley wanted to sneer, to punch herself, but in the end, reason overcame emotion, and she spoke first, "Thank you for offering a helping hand to an injured person. Whether it's medical expenses or other costs, I will repay you. However, for the task of applying ointment, it's better not to trouble Mr. Hearst personally. I'm afraid of dirtying your hands."
Enduring the piercing pain of a strained ligament, Ashley struggled to sit up.
Physical pain was bearable, but emotional pain was not, so she chose the former.
Damian's face had sunk to the depths, about to unleash a storm in the next moment.
"Ashley…" He simply stated, with his voice was low, each word deliberate, the air thickening with his tone as if he wanted to tear those three words apart, "Don't pretend to be so high and mighty with me."
Ashley couldn't get up. Instead, she was in pain, breaking out in a cold sweat, lowering her head to hide the pale face and the fiery anger in her eyes.
She angrily retorted, "In your eyes, everything I do is wrong, isn't it? I got injured, and the location was too awkward, so I didn't want my ex-husband to apply the medicine. There's nothing wrong with that."
She tried two solutions, both denied by Damian, making it sound like he was particularly eager to see her strip.
The more he behaved like this, the more ashamed Ashley felt.
What does Damian think she is? A sex toy?
The blanket had been pulled back, revealing her delicate clothes and feminine figure, and Damian regretted it at that moment.
He heavily set down the ointment and left in a hurry.
Without looking, one could tell that his dark figure was brewing a storm in the room.
Exhausted, Ashley gritted her teeth and tried again.
She had to leave this place.
Just as she was about to raise her head, Ashley was in so much pain that she almost collapsed, tears welling up, a physiological urge to cry.
"Madam, let me help you apply the medicine. Where is the injury?" Hearing the gentle words of the hotel attendant, Ashley paused. Then she replied, "On my buttocks."
So, he had called for room service?
After applying the ointment, Ashley obediently lay down, waiting for the medication to take effect.
Twenty minutes passed, and Damian was still nowhere to be seen in the room.
Could he have booked another room to avoid suspicion?
That would be fine, too, to avoid unnecessary interactions under the same roof, preventing awkwardness and arguments.
However, an hour later, Ashley's thoughts changed. She needed to use the bathroom.
The ointment was taking too long to work, the pain not subsiding but intensifying, causing Ashley to break out in a sweat, unable to even get out of bed, let alone walk to the bathroom.
After searching and not finding her phone, she remembered her bag was still on the sofa in the living room.
She couldn't possibly call room service to assist her in getting to the bathroom, could she?
After hesitating, Ashley called out, "Mr. Hearst?"
No response.
Had he really booked another room?
If she crawled to the bathroom, no one would see her. Then it wouldn’t be embarrassing.
Deciding, Ashley prepared to lower herself off the bed, leaning against the wall to walk slowly.
Hearing the sound of something heavy falling inside, Damian set down his laptop, strode in, and saw Ashley curled up on the carpet like a cocoon.
Damian leaned against his forehead in frustration. He questioned her, "Ashley, what are you up to again? You not only have a lot of inner struggles but also plenty of external ones as well. I’ve called a servant for you to apply the ointment. What else do you want?"
Upon hearing Damian's voice, Ashley stiffened, her back straightening, and she remained motionless for several seconds.
After he finished speaking without using foul language but still cutting to the core, Ashley's fingers were about to pierce the soft, plush carpet.
She begrudgingly said, "I called for you, and you didn't respond, so I thought you weren't here, and I wanted to get down by myself."
Damian slid his long fingers back and forth, rubbing on his forehead. He helplessly inquired, "What are you up to this time?"
Upon hearing her own voice in her head, Ashley said, "To use the bathroom."
Damian sighed helplessly, bent down to lift her from the floor, and with a light tug, the soft mound of her chest gathered against his chest.
In that moment of being lifted, Ashley felt a sharp pain, but it was much better than the pain she felt when she struggled on her own. With a dark expression, she didn't want to express gratitude to him or give him a good face, instead, felt embarrassed and reluctant.
Too many emotions entangled within her, making it impossible to utter a word.
Damian kicked open the bathroom door, looked at the toilet, and hesitated as he asked, "Can you manage the rest on your own?"
Ashley blushed. She hesitantly replied, "Yes, please let me down."
Damian leaned in, let go, helped her stand steady, and clearly saw Ashley's wrinkled face. He asked her with a hint of worry in his tone, "Is it very painful?"
Ashley toughened up, her voice firm. She stubbornly answered, "It's bearable. I can handle it."
Damian smirked, and sarcastically retorted, "If your bones were half as tough as your mouth, you wouldn't have fallen."
The pain of the ligament far exceeded Ashley's imagination. Even the simple act of squatting had drained all her strength and patience. So, after a few minutes, she said to him while he stood outside the door, "I'm done."
Damian's face hardened. He snidely remarked, "When you need me, you just call out conveniently, but harshly reject me with every word when you don't need me. Ashley, you know how to play your part well. Where did you learn such manners?"
Ashley's face lost its luster, admitting, "That wasn't my intention."
She had realized that as long as she worked with Damian, she wouldn't win against him. Even if she started strong and brave, she would ultimately be suppressed without the power to fight back.
When would she be able to change this downward trend and be truly assertive?
Sighing, Damian lifted her again and placed her back on the bed, where she lay down obediently.
Biting her lip, Ashley was angry at herself for being so careless and for being knocked down by such a minor injury, frustrated at her lack of exercise and physical strength.
She was tormented internally, and Damian was also uncomfortable.
After the video conference, he went to the bathroom, where he saw the hairdryer still on the sink, a few strands of long hair on the floor, and a faint imprint where she had fallen.
Annoyed, he averted his gaze, letting the shower calm him.
The cold water drenched his body, soaking his hair and every inch of skin, but it couldn't extinguish the burning fire within.
Closing his eyes, he couldn't help but think of the ample bosom of the woman on the bed, silently exuding a vivid charm. Though the woman had no intention of seducing him, she made his blood surge.
Dressed in a bathrobe, Damian looked towards the bedroom door, then turned back to the living room, pulled out a cigarette, and smoked it on the balcony.
The nicotine rushed to his brain, temporarily releasing his emotions.
Hearing his footsteps entering the room, Ashley was alert. Damian hadn't booked another room so that meant they would be sleeping together tonight.
Learning from the previous lesson, Ashley didn't act coy with him. As he had said, her current appearance was not attractive, and there was no need to delude herself into thinking he would do anything. After a long day, he must be tired. It’s not good to ask him to sleep outside.
She gently said, "I can't move; you sleep on that side. The blanket is big enough; I'll cover just a corner."
To show her sincerity, Ashley symbolically shifted a bit towards the edge.
With a king-size bed, even if she rolled around, there was enough space for Damian.
Damian didn't reply, bypassed the foot of the bed, and lay down on the inner side, gazing at the night outside the French window. The moonlight resembled calm lake waters, casting a cold white glow on the ground, a scene perfect for lovers to indulge in passion.
However, the current relationship between the two needed to be more suitable for that.
Damian took off his bathrobe and lay on his side. As his weight sank into the bed, everything seemed to change.
Some emotions could only be felt when experienced firsthand, like at that moment when Ashley clearly realized that a man and a woman lying together were entirely different from sitting together.
Ashley's throat felt itchy and uncomfortable. She asked, suggestively, "Should we close the curtains?"
She didn't want Damian watching her.
Damian pressed the electric switch, and the heavy blackout curtains closed silently along the track, plunging the room into darkness where one couldn't see their hand in front of their face.
Yet, the ambiguity didn't seem to diminish.
Ashley swallowed nervously, feeling like she should say something but not knowing where to start.
With one hand supporting his head on the pillow, his left leg stretched out, and his right leg bent, Damian's gaze adjusted to the darkness as he stared at the ceiling. He suddenly said, "If you want to say something, just say it straightforwardly; don't beat around the bush."
