Chapter 265: Should Mr. Hearst Buy a Mask?
As soon as she started thinking about tomorrow's to-do list, Ashley flopped onto the big bed in her ocean-view room, her brain buzzing like a hive.
Sven Bergstrom's public image was all glitz and glam. They called him a philanthropist and a top-notch entrepreneur from Limehof, with a bunch of fancy titles making him look like a saint.
But Damian painted a different picture—this guy was a total scumbag, with innocent blood on his hands.
When it came to the real deal, she trusted Damian's take way more.
As for what to say and do when they met tomorrow, she'd just have to wing it.
At least Damian hadn't asked for anything crazy tonight, so she could actually get some shut-eye in her suite.
Ashley tossed and turned a bunch before finally crashing.
Next door, Damian was lying there with one arm under his pillow, staring at the ceiling.
When he booked the rooms, it took everything in him to let her have her own space.
With their past in mind, he didn't want to mess things up now and push her away even more.
But it was torture lying there alone, minute after minute.
She was just next door, and with the hotel's layout, their headboards were probably lined up.
In the middle of the night, Damian got up, took a cold shower, and grabbed his phone.
It had been ages since he hit up Jessica late at night, but tonight, he was desperate for some hypnosis; otherwise, he was gonna lose it.
"Mr. Hearst? Can't sleep again?" Jessica's voice was calm, no hint of annoyance at being woken up.
Damian's voice was low, "Hypnotize me."
"Alright, get comfy," Jessica said.
Damian put his phone on speaker, lay flat on the bed, and stretched out.
Jessica got into her groove, her soothing voice guiding the hypnosis.
Damian's breathing slowed and deepened, showing he was drifting off.
Jessica kept up her rhythmic guidance, her handwritten notes under the reading lamp.
After a lot of hesitation, she finally opened the first page.
In neat, girly handwriting, it read: [How to Make Him Fall in Love with You Through Hypnosis].
She'd been working on this for three years but never had the guts to try it.
She was scared Damian would catch on and kick her out for good. Plus, she worried her skills weren't sharp enough, and if she messed up, she'd lose her chance to be around him.
But lately, Damian had been calling her for hypnosis less and less, and she was afraid if she didn't take this shot, she'd become useless.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Jessica switched to a different hypnosis mode.
In his light sleep, Damian didn't notice the change; his ears were filled with the familiar hypnotic voice, like feathers brushing his tired nerves.
"Mr. Hearst?" Ending the hypnosis, Jessica called softly, but there was no answer.
She let out a sigh of relief.
With enough time, she could plant a ton of psychological suggestions in Damian's subconscious, making him fall for her on a conscious level.
Jessica clutched her notebook tightly, her knuckles white.
She whispered, almost to herself, "I'm sorry, Mr. Hearst. I don't want to do this, but I can't help falling for you. I don't know what else to do. Please, don't hate me. I'll love you so, so much. So, so much."
The next morning, Ashley woke up naturally.
Opening her eyes to see the unfamiliar white curtains, she was momentarily confused.
After a few seconds, she realized she was in Limehof.
Actually, it was wild that she had come here with Domian.
Turning on her phone, she saw messages from Harold and Amelia, plus a missed call from Hendrix. No surprise there.
She replied, and finally, there was a voice message from Hendrix. "Why did you take leave? Do you think the law firm is a revolving door? Come and go as you please?"
Ashley scratched her head. Why was this guy always so serious? Ashley: [Deputy Director Long, I need to gather evidence for my case. It's inconvenient to disclose the details. Please understand.]
Hendrix didn't respond further.
After freshening up, Ashley realized another big problem: she didn't have a change of clothes. Even if she could make do with yesterday's outfit, she couldn't meet Sven looking like a mess, right?
Usually, Damian would arrange for someone to send clothes and accessories up, so she figured she could just wait it out, right?
But after waiting for a bit, instead of someone delivering clothes, she got a call from the front desk, "Hello, Miss Astor. Your dry-cleaned clothes are ready. Should we send them up now?"
It turned out to be pretty good, but Ashley felt a faint sense of disappointment. "Yes, please send them up."
The front desk hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Miss Astor, are you checking out today? Do you need room service?"
Checking out?
It seemed she couldn't check out. If she couldn't settle the matter by noon, she might have to stay another night. "Not checking out yet, thank you."
"Alright, Miss Astor. Enjoy your stay," The receptionist said.
A moment later, there were two knocks on the door, and the service person presented her neatly folded clothes.
After changing, using the hotel's skincare products for a quick facial care routine, she walked out of the restaurant with no makeup.
As she stepped out, Damian also came out, and they unexpectedly ran into each other. Ashley put on a calm expression, "Morning, Mr. Hearst."
Damian nodded, his expression indifferent, "Morning."
After picking items from the buffet, Ashley carried her tray to Damian's table, and they sat facing each other. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window was a calm, blue sea, with sunlight shimmering on the water like layers of silver.
A seaside vacation was indeed an excellent choice. The vast ocean could broaden anyone's mind.
With such beautiful scenery as a backdrop, Ashley was in a good mood. "Where are we going next?"
Damian replied, "To buy clothes."
Ashley nodded.
Going to buy clothes in person was fine. After all, Damian's status ensured that he had high-end custom services wherever he went.
But she miscalculated.
Damian drove her to Limehof's shopping center.
Ashley stopped in her tracks, looking puzzled.
"Why are you standing there?" Damian asked.
"To buy clothes here?" Ashley said.
Limehof was a second-tier city, and even the most upscale malls didn't sell the kind of attire Damian usually wore.
"Is that a problem?" Damian asked.
"No problem, Mr. Hearst, please," Ashley said.
They took the elevator directly to the top floor.
In the elevator, two college-aged girls kept making faces, silently urging each other to admire the couple behind them.
Holding it in all the way, the girls couldn't wait to gossip as soon as they exited the elevator. "That guy is so handsome! And that lady is super beautiful! Her figure is amazing, and her skin is so fair it hurts my eyes. God, why do I have to suffer such a huge blow? It's too much."
Ashley ran her fingers over her nose, half-smiling as she teased him, "Mr. Hearst, do you want to buy a mask? I'm afraid a talent scout might chase after you."
Damian, with one hand in his pocket, was at ease as if he were in his living room, "A mask can't hide my charisma."
Ashley was speechless.
