Chapter 247 Uncle Fred Is Released from Prison
Ashley pursed her lips, not daring to counter Damian. "Honestly, this all started with your engagement to Trinity. I helped you deal with her, which made her team up with Christian to get back at me, forcing Harold to use violence. Hitting someone is wrong, but don't you share some blame?" she stated calmly.
Damian wiped the blood from his mouth, the red stain on his fingertip stark. "Is this how you ask for forgiveness, Ms. Astor?"
Feeling guilty, Ashley took a step back. "At least I helped you break off the engagement."
Damian laughed. "Fred's still in prison. Do you think you can negotiate with me?"
Ashley was speechless. "Those are two different things."
Damian snorted, "It's not impossible to ask me to let Harold go."
Ashley sensed his next words wouldn't be pleasant. "What do you want?" she asked.
Damian sat down. "Harold's just a small-time lawyer. It wouldn't take much to ruin him. But his parents run a reputable company. His reckless behavior comes from his privileged upbringing. Without his parents as a safety net, would he tone it down?"
Ashley urgently said, "Mr. Hearst, get to the point. What are your terms?"
"Nathan."
Ashley squinted. "Your cousin? Evelina's older brother?"
When she left the Hearst family, Nathan was still in college. She remembered him as a handsome, energetic young man, not someone who'd catch Damian's eye. Could he have become a serious contender for the inheritance in the past three years?
Damian said, "Nathan and Victor teaming up could threaten me. You get what I mean."
A smart person didn't need things spelled out. Ashley nodded. "Alright, I'll cooperate with you."
Damian winced, touching his face. "Ashley, do you have a heart of stone?"
Ashley hesitated. "Um, does it hurt?" she asked as she pointed at Damian's face.
Christian leaned smugly against a pillar, taunting, "Mr. Brin, you might want to start planning your funeral. Pick a nice cemetery, and in your next life, don't cross paths with Mr. Hearst."
Amelia 's retort was swift, disdain dripping from her words. "What's your rush? Are you the new resident worm in Mr. Hearst's gut?"
Christian chuckled, "Just offering a friendly warning. The last person who offended Mr. Hearst is still rotting in prison."
Amelia was terrified. Despite her bravado, she couldn't hide her fear.
Trinity, idly playing with her crystal nails, was pleased to see Ashley and Damian at odds. "You know, when Ashley went through her divorce, she left with practically nothing, tossed out of the Hearst family like a forgotten stray. She never told you that, did she?"
Amelia snorted, "Do you even deserve to mention Ashley's name? Oh, right, you still dream of marrying Damian, don't you? Have you looked in the mirror? With that face that's been through eighteen rounds of plastic surgery, you must be kidding yourself."
Trinity grabbed her hair and yanked hard. "Amelia, do you believe I can ruin you today?"
Amelia's scalp hurt, but she wasn't one to back down. She grabbed Trinity's hair in return. "Bring it on! I'll post everything Ashley has on you online. If I'm going down, I'll take the heiress of the Emperial Avenue Group with me. It's worth it!"
Harold stepped in to break up the fight. "Alright, stop talking."
Christian was thoroughly entertained.
When Ashley came out, the commotion had died down. Christian and Trinity were whispering, while Harold and Amelia anxiously waited.
Harold rushed to Ashley. "Did Damian give you a hard time?"
He noticed Damian following closely behind, and the atmosphere grew tense. It was so quiet they could hear breathing.
Damian's face was unreadable, but his tone was icy. "Harold, I'll remember this. This one's going on the tab, mark my words."
Harold wanted to say, "Do you think I'm afraid of you?" but couldn't get the words out.
What surprised them more was that Damian just left.
Christian was shocked. "What? Mr. Hearst, that's it?"
After all that commotion, just one sentence and it was over?
Trinity also incredulously asked, "Mr. Hearst..."
Damian snapped back, "Aren't you leaving?"
Christian, puzzled, followed him. "Are you okay? You got hit in the face, and you're just taking it?"
Damian said, "I've got plans. Stay out of my business with Ashley, or by tomorrow, you'll find yourself in some remote mountain halfway around the world."
Trinity had no choice but to stomp her foot in frustration and then run to catch up with Christian.
After this round of scheming, Ashley shook her head with a wry smile. "After all, we were once married. He still shows me some mercy."
If it were someone else, how could Harold be unscathed?
Hearing the word "married" again, Harold still felt awkward. He scratched his head. "Amelia, did you know all along?"
Amelia, looking disheveled, nodded. "We didn't know each other back then. And later, I didn't think it was necessary to tell you."
Harold was helpless and poked at their heads gently. "Alright, I never would have dreamed that Ashley and KM Group had such deep ties. But now that I've offended him, with Damian's personality, he definitely won't let it go. My lawyer's license might get revoked any day now, and my parents' company could mysteriously go bankrupt. When that happens, don't forget to buy me a hot dog."
Amelia nervously looked at Ashley.
Ashley said, "He won't trouble you."
Harold couldn't stay calm. "Did he threaten you? Did you agree to some unfair terms? How could he not retaliate against me?"
Ashley rubbed her temples. "No, but we reached an understanding. I'll help him with something, as long as it doesn't go against my principles."
After the unpleasant episode, Ashley thought Damian's anger would delay Fred's release from prison.
Surprisingly, she got a call from Uncle Fred the next day at noon.
"Ashley, I'm out of prison," Fred exclaimed.
Ashley, gripping the phone with trembling hands, asked excitedly, "Are you okay, Uncle Fred? How's your health? Did they give you a hard time in there?"
Fred laughed. "You took care of everything. How could they give me a hard time? I moved into a single room the next day. It felt more like an apartment than anything else, and I had plenty of freedom. The food was nutritious, too."
Ashley was taken aback. She hadn’t arranged anything. Even if she wanted to, there was no way she could have managed the complicated procedures of Eirondia's prison system to get her uncle a different cell.
'Who arranged this? Damian?' Ashley pondered.
She obediently said, "It's good that you didn't suffer. For now, you'll stay in Eirondia. Everything is arranged, and someone will take you there."
Fred asked, "How did such a clear-cut case get overturned? I trust your skills, but even you couldn't have influenced the judicial system with the resources you have. Who did you go to for help? Was it Damian?"
