Chapter 186 A Red Rose
What's up?
Who dares to upset this unhappy person who can't turn over the other side?
However, Ashley couldn't hear more of the conversation. Damian noticed the sound from the bathroom and hung up the phone.
He asked her, "Are you strong enough, now?"
See, sometimes you can say something nice, so why does he only pick the most hurtful things to say?
Can't he just ask, 'Why didn't you call me'?
Isn't that the normal reaction a man should have?
Thinking of this, Ashley felt even more ridiculous telling Amelia that Damian liked her and was pursuing her. It was a big joke and a solid slap in the face.
"I can't bother you every time. I want to try it myself. It doesn't seem as painful as yesterday. I can bear it a little longer," she said she could bear it, but when the pain came, her face quickly turned pale, cold sweat dripped from her nose, and she subconsciously bit her lip tightly.
Perhaps being too well protected by her parents and older brother since childhood, she hadn't suffered much hardship, so she was more sensitive to pain.
What others could endure with a little effort, for her the pain was magnified several times.
Ashley gritted her teeth, insisting not to show her weakness, and supported herself on the bed. She slowly sat down, turned her back to Damian, and gritted her teeth again, almost screaming.
Damian watched her as she pretended to be strong throughout the process, but he didn't expose her, calmly saying, "Someone will deliver food later. Do you want to change the dressing now or after eating?"
Before Ashley could answer, the phone rang.
Apologizing to Damian, she took out her phone from her pocket.
Cheryl called on WhatsApp voice, anxiously asking, "Ashley, are you still not back?"
Ashley lay on the bed, feeling like her bones were falling apart. Her arms ached when she propped them up, and her chest ached when she didn't. She asked Cheryl, "What's up? Tell me."
Cheryl awkwardly explained, "It's not something particularly urgent, but as the backbone, you're not here, and there are some situations we can't handle, especially Mr. King. You know, Mr. King has a lot of opinions, making sarcastic remarks all morning, complaining after the meeting."
Ashley calmly said, "I called Mr. Moretti. In case of emergency, even if I'm not here, as long as the overall direction and strategy are good. We're all experienced lawyers, not three-year-old children. If they still need someone to hold their hand to sit in their current positions, I think they should seek other opportunities elsewhere."
Cheryl responded, then laughed, "Ashley, you're amazing! But I dare not say it in those exact words. I'll convey it more tactfully. Ashley, you're busy. Let me know when you're back."
After hearing her vent, Damian lightly smiled. He simply remarked, "You can hardly take care of yourself in daily life, but you have a good handle on work."
During the last meeting, her words left Mr. Moretti and others speechless, stabilizing the situation, which exceeded Damian's expectations. He had thought that if Ashley couldn't handle Mr. Moretti, perhaps someone else would eventually take over the case.
Listening to her delegate work to her subordinates again today, Damian realized that Ashley was quite capable at work.
How did he never notice before that, besides sticking close to him and showing concern, Ashley also had such skills?
Ashley leaned against the sofa, using the embroidered cushion to support her, the needlework on the cushion pricking her skin. She turned around and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Hearst. Whether you sincerely praise me or mock me, at least it sounds comforting."
Damian smirked. He kindly offered, "Do you need to change the dressing?"
Ashley instructed, "Wait for the waiter to bring the meal and help me change it."
Damian's fingers tensed for a moment without saying a word.
Breakfast arrived, served by a male waiter.
Ashley, feeling frustrated, buried her face in the cushion, trying to move a bit, "Um..."
The term "make do" popped into her mind for the second time.
Perhaps Damian's proactive help with the plaster wasn't ill-intentioned but a kind gesture in certain situations. Maybe she overreacted.
So, instead of asking for a female waiter, she changed her wording to, "Could you help me?"
She knew where to apply the plaster, so it wasn't too awkward. By taking a step back, she was giving each other a way out.
Damian's smirk deepened, all his disdain evident dissipated in the slight upturn of his tone.
She politely informed him, "The ointment is on the bedside table in the bedroom. Please, Mr. Hearst."
Damian didn't make things difficult for her. He brought the items over and bent down to look at her twisted figure, the word "alluring" flashing through his mind.
Was she doing it on purpose? Just a casual pose, yet so alluring?
Damian silently took a breath, thinking it might be better to call the waitress in.
He casually said, "Endure a bit. Let me remove yesterday's first."
"Okay." She was gentle, soft-spoken.
A tingling sensation hit Damian's heart as he reached out, his finger touching the edge of her pants, recoiling as if shocked, then decisively pulling them down, revealing her gem-like silky white skin, a large expanse entering his eyes.
She was already fair-skinned, but this area was even paler, with a hint of cold white light.
The dark brown ointment seemed out of place and unnecessary.
Rather than the plaster, he wanted to tear off the obstructive clothing.
After changing the dressing, Damian pulled her clothes back up, his face unchanged. He sarcastically reassured her, "I won't do anything to you. It's not worth the effort."
As the back of her shirt fell back, leaving behind the warmth from his touch, he hadn't done anything, but a storm surged in her heart, each second unusually agonizing.
Was it because she hadn't been touched by a man in so long that she was easily stirred?
Ashley swallowed, pretending to be calm. She casually replied, "Thank you, Mr. Hearst... Also, I should be fine this afternoon. I'll only bother you for a day. I'll go back to the hotel tonight."
Damian sat down to have breakfast, looked at her, and furrowed his brows. He asked with concern, "Can you eat?"
Ashley propped herself up with one hand, holding a spoon in the other, indeed feeling a bit awkward. "Move the mushroom soup a bit closer to me," she said.
She bent over to drink the soup, took a few sips, and then switched to a fork for the vegetables and a knife for the bread.
Her stubbornness, which refused to yield, even made Damian chuckle, teasing, "Ashley, you're not entirely without merit. At least you have some backbone."
Backbone? In his eyes, could she actually be considered to have a backbone?
Ashley swallowed the bread, hiding her self-deprecation, and raised her head seriously. She sternly stated, "My strengths are not limited to that. It's just that you didn't notice before."
He snidely retorted, "Before? You didn't have any strengths before."
Ashley was speechless.
Damian ate slowly, quietly, with refined movements. Ashley, despite her slightly awkward posture, was also quite elegant.
In the quiet living room, the occasional crisp sound of tableware touching was the only noise.
Outside the window, the sun rose higher while the central air purification system operated quietly. The fresh flowers delivered by the hotel in the morning exuded a fragrance, and the meticulously cooked meal spread a pleasant aroma.
This moment of tranquility felt like stolen time.
Ashley pursed her lips. She gently said, testing the waters, "It seems like you don't dislike me that much, do you?"
Damian's movements paused for a moment, his gaze shifting over her eyes. He coyly remarked, "Aren't you confident? What do you think?"
Let her figure it out herself.
Ashley mentally reviewed the days she had interacted with Damian. He had said harsh words and given her a hard time, but overall, he had supported her, both in work and personal matters.
So, he probably didn't dislike her, right?
"I think, at least during the handling of this case, we can get along well. Mr. Hearst, you're leaving for home soon, and we won't have many days that overlap," Ashley remarked as she stretched out her arm, picked a red rose from the vase, and handed it over, smiling. "A small gift, please bear with me, Mr. Hearst. I'll try not to cause you trouble."
