Chapter 206 A Perfect Match
Upon hearing his words, Ashley felt a bit embarrassed. "I'll go change."
Damian asked, "Why do you feel guilty?"
Ashley replied, "It's not guilt. I just don't want you to misunderstand."
Damian shrugged, "If you have nothing to hide, why change?"
Ashley realized he had a point. Changing would look suspicious. "Is the doctor here?"
Damian checked her appearance and called the doctor in. It was the same female doctor from before.
The doctor smiled warmly at Ashley, glancing between her and Damian. "Where would you like the examination?"
Ashley chose the bedroom.
The exam was quick. Despite Ashley's complaints, the doctor noted the injury had healed but prescribed some ointments.
Ashley asked the doctor to apply the ointments.
After the doctor left, Ashley held her waist and walked to the living room. "Mr. Hearst, thanks for the clothes and for calling the doctor. It's late, I should go."
Damian, smoking on the sofa, said, "Ashley, Does your family have a tradition of repaying kindness with resentment? Why the sudden change in attitude?"
The interruption made Ashley, who was already on edge, forget the initial topic. When he brought it up, memories of pain and stimulation flashed in her mind.
Since he insisted, refusing seemed pointless. She closed her eyes.
With her back to Damian, Ashley slowly unbuttoned her shirt. "I understand."
Damian couldn't see her actions but sensed her resolve.
He whispered, "Do me a favor, and we're even. I'll help you with Fred."
Ashley turned to him. "Alright!"
As long as it didn't involve sleeping with him, she was fine.
He continued, "Help me get rid of Trinity."
Ashley clarified, "You mean cut ties with her?"
Damian replied, "Is that not allowed?"
Ashley agreed, "Sure."
Damian flicked his cigarette ash. "Anthony values her, so we can't upset him. His health isn't great."
She understood that elderly people inevitably have various ailments, no matter how well they are maintained. Ashley nodded. "I'll find a way."
Damian took another puff. "Aren't you curious why I want to get rid of her?"
Ashley said frankly, "You married Trinity for Emperial Avenue Group's resources. Now that the Dreamvale project is underway, pulling out would be a huge loss for them. If they don't pull out, they'll have to increase their sunk costs, making it even harder to move forward. You've achieved your goal, so Trinity is no longer useful."
Damian exhaled smoke, his gaze lingering on her lips. He wanted to send the smoke into her lungs, fiercely.
He questioned casually, "Have you noticed we're quite a match?"
Ashley choked, "Mr. Hearst, what's your standard for a match?"
Damian glared. "You."
Ashley laughed, "Mr. Hearst, let's stick to business. No need for sweet talk."
Damian coughed. "Are you just going to let your cousin get away with it?"
She had backed down about her uncle out of guilt, but after tonight, she had no reason to be lenient anymore. Ashley replied firmly, "No way."
Paula cowered in the corner, covered in blood. The hotel's tiles seemed stained with blood, with every crevice oozing blood.
The image of the man convulsing and wailing replayed in her mind, his terrified eyes haunting her.
She speculated, 'Was he dead? Would he come back as a vengeful ghost?'
Paula pressed against the wall, curling up and hugging her knees. The screams in her ears felt like they were about to make her head explode.
She murmured, "Don't come near me! Don't come near me!"
Paula waved her hands frantically, tears and cold sweat streaming down her face. Her soaked clothes clung to her, the heavy smell of blood both cold and terrifying.
The extreme fear lasted for hours. Paula wiped her face, clearing her vision, and shakily found her phone. Seeing the blood on her fingers, she flung the phone away.
Paula shouted, "Ah!"
Realizing she had thrown the phone, not the man's hand, she crawled over, picked it up, and finally dialed a number.
"Paula? Why aren't you asleep yet?" Adam asked in confusion.
Hearing her brother's voice, Paula broke down. "Adam, I hired someone to teach Ashley a lesson, but she found out. She won't let me go. The man who saved her seems powerful. Will he come after me? And those two men might not be dead. They saw my face. Adam, I'm so scared."
Adam, exhausted from dealing with restaurant troubles in Eurostan, listened to his sister's fragmented account, his face darkening.
Adam questioned, "Did you hire someone to teach Ashley a lesson?"
Paula, not daring to tell the whole truth, explained evasively, "She caused Dad to go to jail, and our family ended up like this because of her! We used to live so well, and now we have nothing. I was just angry and wanted to give her a little punishment."
Adam, though aware of his sister's willfulness, didn't think she had the guts to do anything extreme to Ashley. He comforted her, "Since she wasn't hurt and was rescued safely, she has no reason to come after you. Besides, Dad's imprisonment was partly her doing, so she owes us."
Hearing her brother's explanation, Paula calmed down. She told herself, 'Yes, Ashley owed us; she had no right to come after me.'
Paula asked again, "Really?"
Adam knew Ashley's character well. She was kind-hearted. If she hadn't been deceived, she would never have turned against her family.
Adam comforted her, "You grew up with Ashley. Don't you know her personality? She's stubborn but soft-hearted. If you apologize, she won't blame you."
Paula nodded repeatedly.
Ashley was a softie. When they were kids, if she liked something of Ashley's, she could always get it by saying something nice.
With this reassurance, Paula finally felt at ease.
But Paula didn't expect to be woken up by a knock on the door the next morning.
And when she opened the door, there stood Ashley.
"Ashley." Despite Adam's comforting words last night, seeing Ashley standing there with a friendly but threatening smile, Paula was still terrified.
Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
