Chapter 248 Business Dinner
Ashley knew she couldn't keep this from Fred and wasn't about to start lying. "To be real, Damian found me."
Fred's voice got all serious. "Did Damian threaten you? Is he blackmailing you into something?"
Ashley thought, 'Everyone thinks Damian's a bully. His rep is really that bad.' She said, "Nah, we got a deal. It's a win-win for me."
Fred wanted to dig deeper, but Ashley switched gears. "Oh, by the way, Uncle Fred, Paula's in Silvervale City. I need her help with something, so she can't come to Eirondia to see you right now."
Fred was cautious. "Paula isn't causing you any trouble, is she? She's impulsive and doesn't know when to shut up."
Uncle Fred's take on his daughter was spot on.
Ashley replied, "Nope, Paula's cool. After all that's happened, she's gotta have grown up a bit, right?"
They chatted a bit more, making sure their stories lined up for the people in Sylvania.
After hanging up, Ashley went back to her documents.
Then her phone rang. It was Hendrix.
"Ashley!" His voice was so loud it nearly blew out her eardrums. "Mr. Long, I'm right here in the office. No need to shout. Save your voice and the phone bill."
Hendrix's voice was like a raging bull. "Get over here!"
Ashley frowned at her phone. Why was he so pissed? Nothing special was happening today.
A moment later, she was standing in front of Hendrix's desk. He glared at her. "You've got some nerve, huh? Taking on Alexander?"
She was digging into Alexander to clear her name. Hendrix shouldn't know about this. Why was he asking?
Ashley played dumb. "Alexander?"
Hendrix slammed a USB drive on the desk. "Don't play dumb with me. Didn't you make these?"
Ashley instinctively thought it had to be sex videos of Alexander and Amy. It wasn't hard to guess who was behind it.
So, Damian had handed the dirty work of dealing with Alexander to Hendrix?
"Where'd this come from?"
Hendrix's eyes drilled into her. "You really don't know?"
Ashley said, "I only know part of it. The guy behind it is Alexander. The dead person was his lover's good friend. He wants to kill me for revenge. I haven't had time to dig deeper."
Hendrix looked troubled and sneered, "You've got some skills, huh? Digging up Alexander's dirt."
Ashley replied, "I'm flattered, Mr. Long."
Hendrix said, "I'll have someone handle the rest. Stay out of it. You can't wrap this up."
Ashley asked, "What's the plan? If we don't take down Alexander in one go, it'll be a pain later. He'll keep coming after us."
Hendrix smiled. "There are plenty of ways. You don't need to know them all."
If she knew too much, it would mess up Hendrix's image.
Leaving the office, Ashley's mind was racing.
Damian wanted to deal with Alexander but didn't want to get his hands dirty, leaving the dirty work to Hendrix. Sneaky move.
But that's just his style. He wouldn't lower himself to deal with someone like Alexander.
Still, Ashley called to say thanks.
The phone rang for less than three seconds before Damian's voice came through. "Hello?"
His voice was clear and sounded like he was in a good mood.
Ashley asked, "Mr. Hearst, did you have someone send the USB drive to Hendrix?"
There was a pause, some murmuring, and then a door closing. "He likes to show off. I gave him a chance."
Ashley said seriously, "Thanks, Mr. Hearst."
Damian frowned. He'd heard her thank him a million times and still didn't like it. "If Hendrix helps you with this, will you thank him, too?"
"Of course, I will. But he's my boss. Protecting my rep is like protecting the whole firm. He should do it."
With that, she made it seem like she and Hendrix were a community with a shared future.
Damian sneered, "Boss? Maybe one day I'll be your boss, too."
"My uncle got out of jail, and I heard from him that someone changed his prison cell. He wasn't mistreated. Thanks for everything, Mr. Hearst."
Damian snorted, "Don't overthink it. I don't have time to deal with a 'thief' who stole my money."
Ashley's thanks didn't ease the tension between them. "What are your plans for Nathan, Mr. Hearst?"
Fred was out of jail; Alexander would be in trouble, and next was Damian's turn.
Damian said, "There's a business banquet at the top floor of the Sunset Haven Hotel tomorrow night. Victor will represent the company, and Nathan will be there, too."
Ashley raised an eyebrow. The Sunset Haven Hotel by the river offered a great view of Silvervale City's nightscape. If she didn't have a task, she'd love to take a stroll. "You want me to go?"
Damian retorted, "What else?"
Ashley thought, 'Alright then.'
"And then?"
Damian said, "See which KM Group shareholders he's in contact with. Victor has been secretly building his power and recruiting people over the years."
Ashley wondered, 'That's it? It looks pretty simple, but there should be a lot of hard parts as well.'
Her identity would likely be exposed to many, and malicious comments about her father would probably resurface.
Ashley was lost in thought and bumped into someone's chest.
Looking up, she saw Harold. "Mr. Brin, getting coffee?"
Harold's face darkened. "Why are you just standing there? You're in the way."
Ashley smiled and offered to help. "I'll make it for you, Mr. Brin. Just wait a moment."
Harold was fuming and followed her. Seeing no one around, he whispered, "Did Damian contact you?"
Ashley ground the coffee beans, added water, and turned on the coffee maker. "What's up?"
"Nothing."
Ashley smiled. "Feeling guilty?"
Harold had reflected all night and, after calming down, realized his recklessness might have caused trouble for Ashley. He felt guilty but didn't want her to know. "Why would I feel guilty? Helping my friend, why should I feel guilty?"
"Yes, Mr. Brin, you're my good friend," Ashley sniffed. "But next time you see him, just avoid him. No need to look for trouble, right?"
Harold shuddered as he recalled Damian's frosty demeanor. "Did you walk away with nothing after the divorce?"
"Yes."
Harold patted her shoulder. "It's okay. Next time you get married, I'll give you a big gift!"
Ashley smiled. "Or you could marry me. Didn't your parents like me?"
Harold thought, 'Can we not bring that up?'
Harold knocked her on the head. "Still joking? Get back to work."
Harold sighed and really didn't know how to explain this to his parents now.
