Chapter 190 Reason Surrender to Emotions
Three hours ago in Dreamvale.
After Trinity woke up, Damian confirmed that she was at least not in danger, then left the hospital and returned to the hotel.
Curtis, tasked with resolving the disturbance, called Damian midway to report his progress. His tone hinted at seeking praise, almost asking directly, "Aren't I impressive? Don't you want to commend me?"
Damian rubbed his temples, suspecting Curtis was either pampered from a young age and inexperienced in practical matters, mentally immature, or pretending in front of him. Regardless of the reason, Damian found it distasteful.
"Don't get too smug. They won't stop here. If a similar situation happens again, you know the consequences."
Curtis on the other end wiped away his smile, no longer daring to be clever. "You're right. Although they failed to cause trouble today, they will surely come up with more cunning ways to make things difficult for us tomorrow. I'll increase workforce and maintain vigilance day and night!"
Damian didn't care how he did it. He just wanted results.
Standing by the window, Damian gazed at the gray night sky of Dreamvale, sensing another downpour brewing.
He lit a cigarette and gazed absently at the dark sky.
But in his mind, it wasn't about how to deal with the Bezos family the next day or how to stabilize the project; it was about the slender figure fixed on his retina.
As he finished the cigarette, Damian realized he had been reminiscing about her the whole time.
The damn sense of losing control infuriated him.
The phone rang, and Damian glanced at it. Why was Mr. Moretti calling so late?
"Mr. Hearst, I hope I'm not disturbing your rest." Mr. Moretti spoke cautiously, afraid that a loud voice would displease the big boss.
"Speak," Damian replied with a simple word, indicating that his mood wasn't good enough for small talk.
Having followed the leaders of the Hearst family for many years, Mr. Moretti understood the temperaments of the rulers of the Hearst family. Due to his ability to observe and his certain strength, he had reached his current position at KM Road. Just by Mr. Hearst's tone, he knew it was best to be straightforward. "Here's the thing, Mr. Hearst. Ashley left the hotel last night and hasn't returned until today. I asked her indirectly, but her explanation was very perfunctory. Given the critical stage of evidence collection, I suspect she might be in contact with the opposition to help them evade conviction."
Damian naturally knew what Ashley was up to, but Mr. Moretti's speculation wasn't surprising. He was cautious and observant, showing enough loyalty.
Damian responded with a cold laugh. "You are a team. Have you doubted yourselves internally before sorting things out externally?"
Mr. Moretti immediately realized he had spoken out of turn and nodded. "I apologize, Mr. Hearst. I'm not trying to sow discord behind Ashley's back. I'm just worried that she might be influenced by someone."
Damian said, "To trust her is to trust me."
"But..." Mr. Moretti, following the principle of giving frank advice, boldly continued, "When you and Ashley divorced, she left with a bad reputation and a pile of debts. I was the one who drafted the divorce agreement. It's natural for her to hold a grudge. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but the desire for revenge in women shouldn't be underestimated. Her low-profile return and involvement in the KM Road conflict make it hard not to suspect her intentions."
Leaving with a bad reputation and a pile of debts.
The light words lingered on Mr. Moretti's lips, undoubtedly striking a chord in Damian's heart, stirring up a thousand waves.
"Mr. Hearst?"
Damian indifferently said, "Are you afraid of her?"
Mr. Moretti spoke more cautiously, "I'm just a lawyer. The worst that can happen is I lose a case and leave the legal field. My concern is that her real target might be you. If she truly seeks revenge, her aim could be KM Road Group."
Whether Mr. Moretti was exaggerating or being cautious, Damian pondered.
But his intuition told him that Ashley wasn't that kind of person.
Her current restraint shouldn't be about destroying KM Road to avenge her family and the Astor Group. That weak and stubborn woman couldn't possibly have such grand schemes in mind.
Damian shook his head. No, Ashley wouldn't do that.
"Focus on your work. The rest is not your concern."
Mr. Moretti ended the conversation there, not daring to say more. Advising within limits, he knew when to stop to avoid trouble. "Yes, Mr. Hearst. I will cooperate with Ashley to win this lawsuit."
Ending the call, Damian couldn't calm his inner turmoil, repeatedly recalling the words "bad reputation" and "debts."
Initially, he felt relieved to finally get rid of that woman who was full of schemes. But now, remembering her red eyes and disheveled steps as she left the office, many emotions, like dormant winter creatures, awakened in the face of a thunderstorm.
Unable to sit still, Damian grabbed his car keys and strode out of the room.
At this moment, he stood outside the top-floor suite of the M City Holiday Hotel.
Before pressing the doorbell, he smirked self-deprecatingly.
When it came to Ashley, it seemed his reason and restraint were beyond recovery.
Accepting this fate, his self-deprecation turned into a light laugh, his lips curling upward, warming his expression.
In the end, reasons surrendered to emotions, and his long fingers pressed the doorbell.
Ashley thought it was a hotel staff member, so when she opened the door and saw Damian, who was dusty and carried the outdoor chill, her eyes blinked quickly. "Mr. Hearst? Why are you back?"
He had left in such a hurry as if something earth-shattering had happened. Why did he return in just half a day?
Damian walked into the entrance, casually put down the car keys, and as he changed his shoes, he naturally said, "Curtis is tied up with matters in Dreamvale, so someone has to keep an eye on things here."
Ashley nodded, wondering if there was another sudden event. Otherwise, why would Damian, this young master, drive over two hundred kilometers in the middle of the night, even driving himself?
"Why are you in such a hurry? It's almost 1:00a.m. now."
Damian said, "You know it's late? You should be sleeping."
With that reminder, Ashley nodded and went to check her robe, tightening the collar and securing the belt. She felt even more uncomfortable. "I was working on documents and lost track of time."
Damian turned to see the table piled with printed papers and glanced at the printer on the suite's desk. "Have you been working since I left?"
His tone suggested he was checking if she had been slacking.
"More or less. I can't leave the hotel, so what else could I do but work?"
After speaking, Ashley, supporting her waist, walked slowly towards the living room, her back and waist aching. She moved gingerly, like a heavily pregnant woman.
If Ashley was pregnant, then...
Damian halted his wandering thoughts, finished changing his shoes, and walked to the bathroom. As he washed his hands in front of the mirror, he saw the clothes she had worn yesterday, neatly stacked in the laundry basket.
A bra strap peeked out from the clothes and caught his eye.
Damian cleared his throat. "Did someone come by?"
Ashley, lying on the sofa, turned her neck to look at him. "No one came. Why?"
Noticing Ashley's smooth legs under her bathrobe, Damian coughed with his fist against his nose. "Nothing."
