Chapter 255 Reporter Caught on Camera
"Who the heck spilled the beans to the gossip rags about some big-shot staying here? The lobby's crawling with paparazzi."
Damian just rolled his eyes. "And why should I care?"
He couldn't give two hoots about the gossip mill. Even if half of Silvervale City's elite got their dirty laundry aired, he wouldn't care. All those trending topics? Just noise to grab eyeballs.
Ashley smirked. "What if that big-shot is you..."
Damian shot her a look, sizing up her perfectly made-up face. "What?"
Ashley took her sweet time, dragging out her words. "What if that big-shot is your buddy?"
Damian's eyes narrowed, still unfazed. Anyone close to him would handle rumors like a pro, and the media wouldn't dare cross the line. "Don't waste my time. I don't care about other people's drama."
Ashley, expecting his cold shoulder, kept her cool. "So, Christian and Trinity were seen in a room together. No deets yet, but Christian's been hitting the booze hard tonight. Might do something dumb. Now, Mr. Hearst, you might not give a damn, but remember when Trinity was supposedly engaged to you? Now she's tangled up with your best friend. Isn't that juicy?"
Damian finally showed a flicker of interest, his icy demeanor thawing a bit. "What a coincidence?"
Ashley shrugged off his suspicious look, playing innocent. "Yeah, quite the coincidence. Lots of folks were drinking tonight, and Trinity and Christian seemed to click. Who knows what'll go down when they're alone?"
Damian didn't bother with more words and dialed Christian.
No answer.
Seeing his frown, Ashley's lips curled into a sly smile.
Her phone buzzed. A message from Paula: [Done as you said. What's next?]
Ashley typed back: [Their PR game is strong. Without confirmation, be tactful and avoid naming names Let the internet go wild. Snap more pics.]
Paula: [Got it].
Unable to reach Christian, Damian told Thomas to check things out.
Seeing his stern face, Ashley poured him a glass of water. "The media's full of crap. Someone will clear things up soon."
Damian twirled the glass, lost in thought. "Don't you hate him? Shouldn't you be happy he's in hot water?"
Ashley replied, "We're still friends, sorta. Even if he's got beef with me, I don't mind. Plus, Trinity was once rumored to be engaged to you. She said it was a mix-up, but the internet didn't buy it, thinking you snubbed her. Now that they're in a scandal, you should be thrilled."
Damian scoffed. "You think I care?"
Ashley smiled silently, thinking, 'You don't care, but I sure do!'
Tonight, she had Paula sneak into the party, not to join in but to swipe Trinity's room key, plant a hidden camera, and keep tabs on Christian and Trinity. She also spiked Christian's drinks to get him wasted faster.
When Christian was plastered, she had a waiter tip off Trinity.
Trinity, now teamed up with Christian, naturally took on the job of helping him crash. Not knowing his room number, she had to drag him to hers.
The spiked drinks kicked in fast. Christian puked everywhere, and Trinity, not wanting to leave him in that mess, had to help him out of his clothes and clean him up.
A woman with limited strength looking after a wasted dude? Yeah, that led to a lot of hugging and other close encounters.
Every moment was caught on camera.
Ashley wasn't about to let the reporters get their hands on these. She knew Christian's vengeful streak and his knack for finding out who was behind things, which could lead back to Paula and herself. So, she'd keep the photos to show John, letting him see the crazy stuff Christian did with Damian's ex-fiancée.
Christian would get a royal chewing out and face John's fury.
Taking him down completely was a long shot, but this was payback for Amelia.
Soon, Damian got a call from Thomas.
"Mr. Hearst, Mr. Young and Miss Trinity are in a room together."
Damian shot a look at Ashley and asked, "What's the deal?"
Thomas filled him in. "No reporters were invited to tonight's party, and no media were allowed to cover it. But someone snuck into the hotel and saw Miss Trinity and Mr. Young go into a room together. After waiting outside for half an hour with no sign of them, they disguised themselves as a waiter and knocked on the door, only to see Mr. Young naked..."
No need to spell it out.
Damian asked, "Still drunk?"
Christian usually played it cool but was always sharp when it mattered. How'd he get so hammered tonight and end up with Trinity?
Thomas hesitated. "Mr. Young isn't answering his phone. I didn't want to bother Miss Trinity, so I don't know what's going on inside."
Damian ordered, "Clean up the mess. Don't let anyone else in."
Thomas added, "Mr. Ulysses Young's assistant is here tonight too. Mr. Ulysses Young probably already knows."
Damian rubbed his temples. If Ulysses was in the loop, there was no stopping it. "Alright, head back. Someone else will handle the rest."
"Yes, Mr. Hearst. Also..." Thomas lowered his voice. "Victor and Jack went to see Sean. Not sure what they talked about."
Damian sneered, his eyes drifting to Ashley. "They're trying to win Sean over. No need to know what they talked about."
The forces behind Sean weren't something Victor could use for free.
It was Victor's wishful thinking.
Thomas asked, "Should we do something?"
Damian waved it off. "No need."
Putting down his phone, Damian asked Ashley, who seemed lost in thought, "Does your leg still hurt?"
Ashley, in a good mood imagining Christian getting chewed out by his dad, barely felt the pain. "Not anymore."
Damian grabbed his stuff from the table. "If it doesn't hurt, let's go."
Ashley had been looking for an excuse to leave. When he offered to see her out, she quickly stood up and declined, "Mr. Hearst, I can leave on my own. No need to see me out."
Damian replied, "Are you overthinking?"
Ashley stayed quiet.
Damian opened the door and stepped out first, then frowned at the slow-moving Ashley. "Waiting for me to carry you? Or waiting for disguised reporters to catch us in the same room and make tomorrow's headlines?"
