Chapter 245 Mr. Hearst Is Ashley's ex-husband
Ashley said, "Ruin your reputation? Sure, Trinity. Once your secrets come out, it won't just be you in trouble—it'll drag down the whole Emperial Avenue Group."
Trinity snapped, "So what! If it comes to that, we'll both go down! No matter the cost, I'm taking you with me!"
Ashley just smiled.
In her anger, Trinity fell right into Ashley's trap without even realizing it.
By the time she finished venting, it was too late to regret; she had to push forward.
Ashley stayed calm. She hadn't expected it to be this easy to push Trinity to the edge. Trinity, a spoiled young lady, was much like Ashley once was. Ashley's stubbornness had caused her many setbacks at work.
People grow stronger through struggles and hardships.
Ashley said, "Trinity, if you want me dead, it's easy. There are plenty of knives in the kitchen. Just grab one, aim for my heart, and stab. Why complicate things?"
Trinity trembled with rage. "Ashley, you bitch!"
She was so furious that she could only curse instinctively.
Ashley remained calm. "You're putting on this show in front of Damian just to embarrass me, but you forget we've been divorced for three years. Tarnishing my reputation won't affect him at all. Instead of dragging me down, why not calm down and think about how to fix this? Anthony seems to like you. If I were you, I'd focus on gaining his trust and winning Damian back. What you're doing now is just burning all your bridges."
Christian's mouth almost twisted in disbelief, but he actually thought Ashley made some sense.
Trinity, in her anger, had ruined everything. Damian's reaction was as cold as an Arctic blast, turning the restaurant into an iceberg.
Ashley weighed the pros and cons with the detachment of an outsider.
It was as if he didn't exist.
Trinity was furious. She raised her hand and yelled, "Shut up!"
A slap full of anger and force landed on a face.
But it wasn't Ashley's face that hurt.
Seeing the slap coming, Ashley bent down, and the slap landed on Christian's face, who was a head taller than her. Christian was stunned.
Trinity was equally shocked. Her hand, numb from the impact, hung in the air. "I didn't mean to hit you," she stammered.
Christian knew that, but he was embarrassed and could only shout, "Are you all crazy?"
After shouting, he rubbed his stinging face and glared at Ashley. "Ashley, can you honestly say you have no feelings for Mr. Hearst? Can you deny that you returned to Rochester City to use him to climb up?"
The question hung in the air, freezing time.
Amelia pressed her lips together, fearing even the slightest sound might shatter the tension.
Damian's eyes, cold and unyielding like hidden reefs, were fixed on Ashley.
Christian pressed on, grabbing Ashley's wrist. "What's the matter, cat got your tongue? You've been divorced for years, yet you still keep showing up in his life. Every case you have was handed to you by him. And as for how you got them, I'll keep that to myself out of respect for Mr. Hearst, not to spare your so-called dignity."
Every word cut deep, peeling away layers of Ashley's heart. The silent corridor felt like her grave.
She quietly raised her head, looking at Damian, who seemed worlds away despite being just a few feet away. "Mr. Young, do you want an answer or a result?"
Christian, seeing victory in sight, smiled. "Is there a difference?"
He aimed to utterly destroy Ashley, leaving her with no shred of dignity. She shouldn't be alive!
Ashley sighed lightly and patted Christian's shoulder. "Go back and talk to your friend. Life offers countless options; there's no need to be so obsessed."
Christian grabbed her wrist. "What do you mean?"
Ashley glanced at his hand. "Mr. Young, whatever happens between Mr. Hearst and me is none of your business. You always meddle like a fool."
Christian didn't care how harsh Ashley's words were and continued, "Cut the crap. What do you feel for Mr. Hearst?"
Amelia couldn't stand it anymore and pulled Christian back. "What are you doing? Let go!"
Christian shoved Amelia aside forcefully. "Get out of here! This has nothing to do with you! Who do you think you are?"
Amelia was shoved so hard that she slammed into the wall.
Ashley shook him off and raised her hand, delivering a slap.
She sneered, "That's my answer."
She then supported the staggering Amelia.
Christian, having been slapped twice, was utterly humiliated and, in his rage, raised his hand to teach Ashley a lesson.
"Stop!"
A stern shout came from a private room down the corridor.
Christian had thought it was Damian, but when he turned, he saw Harold's flushed face.
He thought, 'Who is he?'
Damian was about to grab Christian's wrist and pull him away, but Harold was faster.
Harold had heard most of their conversation.
At first, he thought the drama had nothing to do with him, so he stayed inside, eating and watching. But when he heard "ex-wife," his fork clattered into the soup.
The splashing broth burned his hand, but he felt no pain.
Damian was Ashley's ex-husband??
Ashley had been married?
Her ex-husband was Damian?
They were a divorced couple?
This bombshell almost blew Harold's mind.
He downed several shots of whiskey, but he couldn't calm down.
As the situation escalated, he felt compelled to intervene.
When Christian was about to hit someone, he couldn't stand by any longer.
Now, facing Damian, he suddenly understood many things.
Why did Damian specifically request Ashley to handle cases? Why did he provide her a place at Imperial Residence? Why did international cases conveniently land in her lap? And why was he so arrogant at the dinner table? All the clues finally came together, revealing the truth.
Was he too stupid, or were they too good at hiding?
Harold, disregarding everything, swung his fist at Damian's face.
Caught off guard, Damian staggered back, his mouth filling with the taste of blood. He straightened up.
"Scumbag!" Harold gritted his teeth and swung again.
This time, Damian caught his fist. "Looking for a fight?"
