Chapter 260 Too Ashamed to Face Anyone
Hendrix couldn't stand Ashley's fake clueless act and grumbled, "Are you really that dense or just pretending? Flashing around like that, aren't you scared of getting targeted?"
Ashley dropped the dumb act, slipping back into her usual calm and cautious self, her voice dropping, "Mr. Long, haven't you heard that what you fear will come to pass, and when you're not afraid, nothing happens? Do you really think hiding will keep you safe? I doubt it."
She figured with Hendrix's connections and skills, it wouldn't be hard for him to dig up her background. Maybe before, he only knew she was a student at Rochester City University, a PhD studying abroad. But by now, he should know that the bankrupt Astor Group was her dad's company, and she carried the label of a debtor's daughter.
Hendrix did know, but out of respect for her pride, he hadn't brought it up. That was why he couldn't wrap his head around Ashley's flashy behavior last night and was even ticked off about it.
Her whole family was hiding out abroad, and there were tons of debt collectors back home. Any one of them could tear her apart. Instead of laying low, she was making a big scene. Wasn't she just painting a target on her back?
But what she said did make some sense.
If she stayed quiet and had no influence, no one would care, even if she died. Now, many people knew Ashley's identity, making them think twice before acting impulsively.
Plus, her dad's debts had nothing to do with her, and the debt collectors couldn't find her.
Both of them had thought it through. Hendrix tapped the table and said, "No matter what, your life is the most important."
Ashley replied, "I will protect myself."
After a moment of silence, Hendrix asked, "Are you secretly trying to take back the Astor Group?"
Ashley straightforwardly admitted, "Yes."
Hendrix wasn't surprised at all, "It's very difficult."
"I know, which is why I can't be timid," Ashley said.
Hendrix said, "Maybe I can help you."
Ashley replied, "Mr. Long, as my boss, helping me deal with Alexander and clear my name is the biggest help you can provide. As for the rest, you don't need to do much."
Hendrix smirked, his tilted smile somewhat mocking, "Afraid of owing me a favor?"
"To be honest, yes." She was afraid she couldn't repay too many favors.
Hendrix rubbed his brow in frustration, "So, can the person you're dating now help you?"
Ashley almost forgot that, in Hendrix's eyes, she had a boyfriend, "You could say that."
Hendrix felt a sense of powerless frustration. He would rather Ashley's boyfriend be an ordinary person so he could take advantage of the situation.
Ashley took the file folder and smiled, "Mr. Long, do you have anything else? If not, I'll get back to work."
Hendrix waved his hand, feeling irritated, and quickly dismissed her.
As soon as Ashley stepped out, she saw Lynn.
It seemed like Lynn was waiting for her. "Ashley, do you have a moment? I want to discuss the case with you."
"Sure," Ashley said.
Lynn and Ashley significantly disagreed on the approach to the case, and after an hour of arguing, they still hadn't reached a consensus.
Towards the end, Ashley clearly felt that Lynn was targeting her personally, not the case.
"Lynn, if you have any complaints, just say them directly. There's no need to take it out on the work." Ashley said.
Lynn threw down the file in frustration and said coldly, "You've been in contact with Robert privately, haven't you?"
This guess, based on her suspicion, happened to be correct.
Ashley accidentally bumped into Robert, which was a lucky break, but she couldn't spill the beans to Lynn. "Aren't you keeping tabs on him all the time? Don't you know who he's been meeting?"
Lynn snorted, rolling her eyes, "Ashley, is this how you discuss things properly?"
Ashley smirked, "If you want to talk properly, then lay out the facts instead of throwing around wild guesses."
Lynn was stumped by her words and couldn't come back with anything, so she gritted her teeth and said, "Robert's wife thinks he's cheating on her."
"Got any proof?" Ashley asked.
Lynn replied, "Robert's super careful. We haven't nailed down any evidence yet."
Ashley reminded her again, "Robert's a sly fox. He's been fooling his wife for years. How could he mess up now, right when the divorce is on the line?"
Lynn almost blurted out that she had seen Robert that night and nearly caught him.
Ashley's tone suggested she was at a loss about Robert's infidelity, so Lynn upped the stakes. "Ashley, if I get the evidence and we win the case, I want 80% of the fees. Any objections?"
Ashley wanted to call her out for being too greedy, as there was no such precedent, but she kept her cool, "If you can get the evidence and help the client win, taking more is fine. But what if I get it?"
Lynn thought she was close to nailing it, and Ashley hadn't even started. How could she have the evidence? "80% for you."
"Alright, but verbal agreements aren't enough. Let's put it in writing," Ashley said.
Lynn scribbled a quick contract, and they both signed it, agreeing that whoever got the dirt on Robert's infidelity would get the lion's share of the fees.
Lynn strutted back to her desk full of confidence while Ashley looked at the neat handwriting, speechless.
But she didn't have much time to dwell on Lynn's thoughts. She had to head to the hospital to visit Christian, and she wasn't looking forward to it.
The Bezos family.
Trinity saw the rumors in the news and the endless insults on Facebook. She was so mad and upset that she didn't sleep a wink.
Her eyes were swollen like walnuts, and her face was puffy from crying.
She had trashed almost everything in the room that could be smashed.
"Trinity? Can you open the door for me, please?" Pamela said.
Trinity sat on the floor, hugging her knees, "Go away! Leave me alone!"
Pamela was super worried, heartbroken that Trinity was being cyberbullied, and furious at Christian for what he had done. But the urgent task was to calm her down and get her to eat something, or her body would give out.
"Trinity, you're locking yourself in the room, and your dad and I are really worried. Come out, and let's figure out a solution, okay?" Pamela said.
Trinity's voice was hoarse from crying. "What solution could there be? The Hearst family has forced me to call off the engagement, and the media is spreading lies. I just want to hide."
Pamela gently coaxed, "The trending topics have been taken down, and the netizens will soon forget the whole thing. As for Christian, we heard that Ulysses beat him up, and he's in the hospital, so at least it's some kind of payback for you."
Trinity shouted, "Nothing happened between us! Nothing!"
She didn't know how those photos were taken, but they looked like they had really slept together. All her explanations seemed weak, and netizens were convinced she couldn't get Damian and turned to seduce his best friend, writing many jokes to humiliate her.
Trinity had become a laughingstock online.
Edward knocked on the door a few times and said coldly, "I'll go find Christian and get to the bottom of this! If he did anything to wrong you, I'll break his legs!"
