Chapter 268: The Parachuted Rival in Love
"Mr. Bergstrom, sorry for my lateness!" Ashley's attention snapped to the laughter echoing from afar. She'd just been super annoyed by Damian, but now she was hoping he'd swoop in and hide her in his arms.
Damian had mentioned Sven had a meeting, but he totally left out that it was with Hendrix!
If her cover got blown now, how the heck was she gonna explain herself?
Not only would she mess up Damian's plans, but Sven might also turn against her.
Honesty and sincerity were key in any deal. If she couldn't even manage that, why would Sven wanna team up with them?
Her brain was a total mess, thoughts racing like crazy, but Damian behind her seemed chill as ever.
Ashley whispered, "Did you know from the start?"
If he had, he wouldn't have let her play secretary.
Damian replied, "Yeah, I knew."
Ashley was fuming with an urge to smack him with a golf club. "You knew and still put on this act for Sven? Are you nuts?"
Damian smirked, "If we didn't, how would I know that sharp-tongued Ashley could also be so sweet?"
She was just keeping her manners.
"What now? Hendrix will totally blow my cover. What's your plan?" Ashley asked.
Damian stayed calm, "Let's bet and see if he dares."
Ashley saw no way to win this bet. Hendrix would jump at any chance to mess with Damian; no way he'd let this slide.
Sven laughed loudly, "Hendrix, if this were a drinking game, you'd owe three shots!"
Hendrix spotted a familiar face on the golf course, his expression shifting. Damian?
What was he doing here?
That sly old fox Sven had agreed to discuss a deal with him, so why invite a competitor?
Hiding his doubts, Hendrix kept his cool. Dressed in a blue tracksuit, he greeted warmly, "We'll make up for it tonight. If Mr. Bergstrom's happy, three bottles won't be a problem. I'll pour it in my pocket when I stop drinking."
Sven laughed, "Tonight's gonna be wild. Mr. Hearst came all the way from Rochester City."
Mentioned by Sven, Damian responded coolly, "Hendrix, you looked better than last time we met."
Only they and Ashley got the hidden meaning. He was subtly asking if the face he punched still hurt.
Hendrix clenched his jaw but kept a cheerful front, "Isn't Mr. Hearst known for being a recluse? Rumor has it he has social anxiety or just likes to be mysterious."
Ashley, with her back to them, heard Hendrix's sarcasm and felt even more doomed.
Damian slowly adjusted his gloves, savoring the moment, "My secretary loves the mountain and sea views of Limehof, so I brought her for a break."
Secretary?
Hendrix strode over, locking eyes with Ashley as she turned.
In that moment, his eyes glinted with awkwardness, surprise, and resentment as he cursed, "You..."
Ashley pretended not to know him, smiling and holding out her hand, "Hendrix, I've heard so much about you."
Hendrix's mouth twisted in anger. Was she out of her mind, pretending to be Damian's secretary?
Grasping her slender fingers, he didn't let go, "Do you know me?"
Ashley tried to pull her hand back but failed, still smiling, "Hendrix's reputation in the legal circle is legendary. How could I not know?"
Hendrix cursed inwardly. Was Ashley being threatened by Damian again? "Is that so? How should I address this lovely lady?"
Ashley smiled, "Just call me Ash."
Hendrix flashed a roguish grin, "Ash." He leaned in and whispered, "What’s the deal here?"
Ashley shot back, "I'll fill you in later. Just play along."
Hendrix smirked, "And if I don't?"
Ashley glanced at Damian, "Then you'll have to take it up with him."
Hendrix didn't blow their cover, not 'cause he was scared of Damian, but 'cause he figured Ashley might be in some deep trouble. If he messed things up, it’d be a nightmare to fix.
But he wasn’t gonna let it slide easy, "Alright, I'll play, but you owe me a drink tonight."
Ashley gritted her teeth, "Are you blackmailing me?"
"Call it mutual blackmail," Hendrix said with a wink.
Ashley, not wanting to screw things up, sighed, "Fine. Where?"
Hendrix, pleased with himself, grinned, "I'll let you know."
Sven, the host, saw their little exchange and beamed, "Now that everyone's here, how about another round?"
Hendrix grabbed a golf club and casually rested it on his shoulder, "Mr. Hearst, up for a match?"
Damian’s face stayed icy, "Sure."
Ashley took a step back to stay away from their showdown.
With the intense match ahead, only Ashley and Sven were left behind.
Sven pointed to a folding chair, "Ash, take a seat."
Ashley smiled and thanked him, sitting down as instructed. She noticed Sven's coffee cup, "Mr. Bergstrom, you into hand-ground coffee?"
Sven looked a bit surprised, "Oh? You know coffee?"
Not really, but her dad was a coffee nut, so she’d picked up a thing or two.
Ashley said, "Mind if I take a whiff?"
Seeing she seemed to know her stuff, Sven handed it over, "Guess what kind this is."
Ashley held the cup about a finger away from her nose, fanning the aroma with her hand and taking a sniff. "These beans have floral and tea-like notes. Must be high-end stuff from places like Panama or Colombia."
Sven had thought she only knew the basics, but her spot-on guess about the beans' origin surprised him, "How do you know this?"
Ashley didn’t hold back. She figured this morally gray Mr. Bergstrom might come in handy. "My dad’s a coffee fanatic, especially loves cheese coffee beans. I picked up a bit from him. He’s the real expert."
Sven said, "Is that so? Then I must meet your father."
Ashley smiled, "Maybe someday. I’ll definitely introduce you."
With the conversation flowing, Sven clicked his tongue, "Being Damian’s secretary is a waste of your talent!"
Ashley asked, "So, what do you think I should be doing?"
Sven replied, "At least a CEO."
"Actually, I’ve got some entrepreneurial ideas, but I’m strapped for cash and other resources. Mr. Hearst gave me a shot to prove myself," Ashley said.
Sven, curious, asked, "A shot at being a secretary?"
Ashley caught the jest in his tone and smiled, shaking her head, "Three years ago, my family hit a rough patch. My mom developed severe depression and has been getting treatment in Sylvania. My dream is to bring her back to our country, but we don’t have the right facilities and treatment environment here. I heard Mr. Hearst plans to invest in a private sanatorium, so I applied with a personal agenda."
Her transition was smooth, but Sven, with his business mindset, wasn’t easily swayed. He pretended to understand and sighed, "You’re a good daughter."
Ashley said, "While staying with my mom for treatment, I met many patients. Their kids left everything behind to come here, just hoping their parents could spend their later years peacefully. If we had such facilities here, why would they need to travel so far? Plus, old folks long for their roots. Can they truly find peace and a chance to heal when they’re far from home?"
