Chapter 211 Not Allowed to Leave
Harold asked confidently, "The roses were from him, right?"
Ashley sighed in relief, realizing he didn't know. "So what?"
Harold, jealous, said, "He's after you, and you're interested?"
Ashley smiled. "Nope."
Harold chuckled. "Damian even called me. I thought it was about a case, but he was just asking for your address. I told him I didn't know, and he threatened me if I wanted to lose my law firm. Pursuing a woman is one thing, but he's way too domineering."
That night, Paula had set her up, and Damian said he got the address from Harold.
So that's how he got it.
Ashley said, "That day was for work. My phone was dead, and he had something urgent."
Harold smiled. "You think I believe that?"
Ashley, unable to argue, said, "Cooking at home is too much trouble. Why not take them to a restaurant? It's convenient."
Harold grinned. "Sure! What do you want to eat?"
The best restaurants in Rochester City were frequented by the elite, making it easy to run into some acquaintances. Ashley mentioned a decent restaurant with great food and excellent service.
Ashley asked, "No time to change clothes, is this okay?"
Harold praised, "Perfect. You look great no matter what!"
Back in her office, Ashley saw the vibrant roses.
Sean was still persistently showing his affection. What should she say?
After going through the files, Ashley messaged Sean Ross: [Mr. Ross, are you busy lately? I just got back to the country.]
Sean replied: [I'm doing well. How about you? How's the case going?]
Ashley stared at the chat box, unsure of a follow-up.
Ashley: [Pretty good.]
Sean: [That's okay. I'm in a meeting. Leave a message if you need anything.]
Ashley didn't reply again.
Around 4 P.M., Ashley got a call from Thomas.
Thankfully, it wasn't Damian, but still someone from KM Group.
Ashley answered, "Spencer, what's up?"
Thomas politely asked, "Ashley, do you have a moment to chat?"
Ashley became alert. Was it about her uncle?
"Yes, go ahead."
Thomas said, "Mr. Hearst sent someone to check Fred's files in City M. There are some things that need to be verified with you."
Ashley straightened up. "No problem, ask away."
Thomas said, "Due to the sensitive nature of the documents, it might be better to discuss them face-to-face. Can you come to KM Group?"
He was so polite, but it was a request she couldn't refuse. "No problem, I'll be there in about half an hour."
"We'll be waiting for you."
The "we" referred to him and Damian.
The location was Mr. Hearst's office.
From the moment Ashley entered KM Tower, she felt countless eyes on her, with whispers and murmurs flooding in.
Fred's scandal and her act of justice seemed to be common knowledge.
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, the stunning view couldn't mask her embarrassment. "Mr. Hearst."
Damian was on the phone, gesturing for her to sit.
The secretary brought coffee and snacks, avoiding eye contact with Ashley.
Last time, when Ashley had delivered documents for her, the secretary got scolded by Damian. Ashley thought she would be fired.
Ashley said, "Thank you."
Nancy pressed her lips and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Ashley smiled. "It's okay, but don't let it happen again."
Nancy gratefully made an OK gesture.
Damian's phone calls kept coming. Ashley drank half a cup of coffee but still didn't see him finish. So, she went to the restroom.
While drying her hands, Ashley ran into Nancy coming out of a stall.
Looking timid, Nancy bowed and apologized again, "Thank you, Ashley."
Ashley said, "No problem."
Nancy looked around to make sure no one was there and leaned in. "Ashley, there are rumors going around the company about you. They say you schemed against your own uncle to get close to Mr. Hearst, and they also say..."
Knowing gossip had likely been distorted, Ashley wasn't angry. "What else do they say?"
Nancy continued, "They say you're Mr. Hearst's mistress, that Mr. Hearst is engaged to Trinity, and keeping you around is just for fun. They also say you're a third-party, and you are a small-time lawyer but trying to compete with the heiress of Emperial Avenue Group for a man..."
Ashley listened with a faint smile, not interrupting or getting angry.
Seeing her calm reaction, Nancy, out of gratitude, continued, "Mr. Moretti and Mr. King also have rumors about you and Mr. Hearst being involved in Eirondia, sneaking into his room at night to seduce him. Ashley, don't be mad, they're just jealous of you!"
Ashley took her hands out of the dryer, her hands soft and warm. "Sounds pretty convincing, I almost believe it."
Someone came in, and Nancy shut her mouth.
Back in the office, Ashley felt a fire burning inside, looking at Damian with more irritation. "Mr. Hearst, finally done?"
Damian said, "The files are on the computer, take a look yourself."
That computer was one Ashley had used before, kept in Damian's office.
Ashley noticed it when she walked in, but no one told her there was something inside.
Ashley glared at him. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Damian shrugged. "Did you ask?"
Ashley quickly reviewed the contents and verified everything. "No problem. My uncle has no prior criminal record. We just need to rationalize the clauses involved in this case."
In just one day, Damian had thoroughly investigated Fred's background, even more thoroughly than she had.
If someone claimed Damian was unaware that Fred was her uncle before, she wouldn't believe it for a moment.
Damian put down the files, left his seat, and walked to the lounge area, sitting elegantly on a single sofa facing the floor-to-ceiling window. Ashley was in the golden section of the office, "What about the task I gave you?"
Ashley closed the laptop, "Give me a week."
Getting Trinity to call off the engagement without provoking Anthony was no easy task.
Damian seemed dissatisfied with the timeline. "Deliberately stalling?"
"Mr. Hearst, if you are not confident, you can wait until I handle it before you step in to save him."
Damian sneered, "Sounds good to me."
Ashley was speechless.
The faint aroma of coffee lingered, the air purifier silently delivering fresh oxygen, sunlight filtering through the greenery. The layout of this office was excellent, but not suitable for long stays.
Fortunately, Ashley's phone rang.
Ashley answered, "Hello."
Damian paused, holding the coffee cup she had drunk from, his arm suspended in mid-air.
Ashley said, "No need to pick me up, I'll drive over. Don't worry, I won't bail on you again."
Harold was worried she'd cancel, confirming again.
After hanging up, she blurted out. "I drank from that coffee cup."
And the spot Damian was drinking from seemed to be where she had touched.
This guy!
Damian said, "Got plans tonight?"
He took another sip, seemingly unable to stop.
Ashley was helpless. "Yes. If Mr. Hearst has no other arrangements, I'll take my leave."
Damian held the cup. "Did I say you could leave?"
