Chapter 204 Not Thanking Me, But Blaming Me
Still shaken but adjusting to the dark, Ashley looked up and saw Damian's chiseled jawline. Dressed in all black, his pale face stood out in the night.
Her throat was hoarse, and her heartbeat was erratic. She couldn't analyze the situation and just whispered, "They have knives."
Paula was pinned down, a man holding a switchblade ready to stab her. That's why Ashley hesitated.
Damian draped his coat over her and covered her eyes with his hand. "Don't look," he said, his broad chest enveloping her.
Ashley took a deep breath, feeling calmer. Her small hand trembled as she grabbed his. "I'm not afraid. I'll help you."
The man who had crashed into the tree spat and cursed, "Hey! What are you two talking about? Who are you? Mess with my plans, and you won't leave!"
Damian shot him a fierce look, held Ashley tightly and moved her to a safer position, then turned and kicked the man without hesitation.
A dull thud followed by a wail as the man fell. The switchblade in his hand snapped open, aimed at Damian. "Fuck! Kyle, kill him!"
Kyle lunged with the knife, trying to take out the suddenly appearing Damian in one go, but Damian kicked him before he could get close.
Kyle bent over, his stomach caved in. By the time he felt the pain, his body was numb.
Damian wasn't satisfied yet and kicked him in the face again.
Kyle couldn't even groan, his mouth filled with blood and broken teeth. When he finally managed to move his mouth, he spat out not just blood but also several broken teeth.
Paula, seeing this, shivered and hid behind a tree. "Who are you?"
Damian didn't look at her, stepping on the man's stomach and grinding down.
"Ah!"
The man bent over in pain, trying to slash at Damian's leg. But Damian's shoe brushed his wrist, causing intense pain. He dropped the knife and let out an even more miserable scream, accompanied by the sound of his bones cracking.
"Please, we didn't do anything. It's a misunderstanding!" the man pleaded.
Damian, towering and imposing, looked down at him like an inviolable deity. He nodded toward Kyle. "Come here."
Kyle wobbled in pain. "I'm just doing a job for money, she paid me!"
Paula screamed, "Nonsense! Don't listen to him, I'm the victim, I don't know anything!"
Ashley wrapped herself tighter, sadness welling up. She couldn't believe Paula would hire someone to harm her.
Damian frowned. "Want to leave?"
Paula and Kyle spoke in unison, "Yes!"
Damian sneered, "Only one spot."
Paula shouted, "Me!"
Kyle, mouth filled with blood, couldn't speak. His whole body ached, making it impossible to move.
"Why?" Damian's voice was chilling.
Paula's mind went blank, her hands trembling. "What do you want me to do?"
"Take the knife," Damian commanded, like he was pulling puppet strings.
Paula numbly picked up the knife, barely able to hold it. The men around her were either bleeding or groaning in pain. She was stuck in the middle, her legs cramping.
Seeing her struggle, Damian snapped, "Sever his tendons."
The man with the knife to his stomach screamed, "No! Please! I was wrong, I'll give you any amount of money!"
Damian ignored him, grinding his foot into the man's mouth. The noise stopped instantly.
Paula stood there, petrified. "I can't."
Damian sneered, "So you want to die?"
Paula shouted, "No! I can!"
Damian turned to Ashley. "Which hand did he touch you with?"
Ashley looked at the terrified Paula, her kindness fading. If Damian had been a moment later, she would have been the man's plaything, or worse.
"Both hands," she said coldly.
Damian nodded. "Did you hear that?" he asked Paula.
Paula, drenched in cold sweat, her makeup smeared, replied, "Yes."
Damian began counting down. "Ten, nine..."
He only gave Paula ten seconds. If she couldn't do it, her fate would be the same.
Driven by fear and survival instinct, Paula aimed at the man's arm. Not knowing how to sever tendons, she gritted her teeth and stabbed randomly.
The thick smell of blood was overwhelming.
The man couldn't make a sound, only writhing in pain. His feet dug deep into the ground, then stopped moving.
Ashley turned her head away, looking at the starless night sky.
Damian's ruthlessness made her feel satisfying, cathartic, and thrilling.
In the face of evil, mercy only brings more trouble and deeper harm. To eliminate future threats, one must be ruthless and decisive.
Paula, her face covered in blood, had forgotten the fear of the first stab. "Is it enough?"
Damian snapped, "Get lost!"
Paula threw the knife away and stumbled out.
Ashley watched her chaotic steps, swallowing the words she wanted to say.
Paula had been punished. She would settle the rest face-to-face.
With a thud, Paula fell to the ground. She scrambled up and continued running, disappearing into the night.
Just severing tendons would give her nightmares for years.
Ashley walked to Damian's side. "What about them?"
Damian lifted his foot, disgusted, his brow furrowing. "Let them fend for themselves."
He looked at Ashley's pale face. "Can you walk?"
Ashley nodded. "Yes."
Damian put his arm around her shoulder, taking most of her weight. Ashley, deeply resistant and prejudiced against him, didn't dare to hold her, whispering, "Take your time."
Finally leaving the dense forest, Ashley sat in the car, drank some water, and calmed down a bit. "How did you know I was here?"
Damian carefully examined her. Apart from her torn clothes, she had no injuries. If he had seen even a scratch, these jerks would be dead.
He explained, "I contacted Harold. He gave me the address."
Ashley tensed up. "What did you tell him?"
Damian took a tissue, holding her chin with one hand and gently wiping the dirt off her face with the other. Their eyes met, breaths mingling. He smiled bitterly and mocked her. "I saved you, and instead of thanking me, it sounds like you're blaming me?"
