Chapter 271 Crossing the Line
"It's not worth it for me, so Mr. Hearst, could you chill a bit? Nah, forget it. Just stay put. I'll go find him," Ashley said.
"Find him?" Damian asked.
"What are you thinking? You think I'd go to his room? Am I nuts?" Ashley shot back.
She really wanted to say, "One of you is already driving me crazy. I'd be out of my mind to add another headache."
Damian snorted, "I think you really want to go."
"You..." Ashley pouted but decided it wasn't worth arguing with a self-centered jerk.
Ashley tossed the stuff in her hands onto the sofa. She took a deep breath, scooted to the door, and cracked it open, just enough to keep Hendrix from seeing inside.
Damian watched her leave, feeling a surge of smoldering anger.
Ashley opened the door a bit and turned her body, "What do you want?"
Hendrix looked at her sneaky posture and teased, "What's up? Got some secrets in there?"
Ashley stepped out mostly, closing the door behind her, "It's privacy."
Hendrix held a printed document, a legal paper from the law firm. "Lynn gave this to Harold, and Harold passed it to me."
It was business, but why was it passed to him?
Ashley opened the first page and asked, "Lynn and I are partners. Why didn't she tell me?"
Hendrix clearly didn't want to talk about Lynn, "Who knows."
Of course, he wouldn't tell Ashley that to get this document, he had to nag Harold for over ten minutes to hand it over. Otherwise, what reason would he have to see Ashley? How else could he check if she and Damian were together?
Ashley paused to look at him, then continued reading the document. It detailed how Lynn had caught Robert getting cozy with some unknown woman in a car, took some photos, and wanted Hendrix to dig into Robert's finances.
"They're quite intimate in the photo, but there's no kissing or anything, not enough to prove cheating for sure," Ashley said.
Hendrix said, "The evidence is weak, but she's desperate to win the case."
"Everyone wants a quick fix, but the problem is..." Ashley suddenly asked, "Haven't you already dealt with Alexander? Alexander and Robert have done a lot of shady stuff together, and Alexander must know Robert's secrets. Also, I've seen them at the Clearwater Bay Club."
"What do you mean?" Hendrix asked.
"Don't ask so many questions. The point is I have evidence of Robert's cheating. If we can get Alexander to testify, Robert will lose everything," Ashley said.
Hendrix laughed, "Exactly, and the cops will seize all his assets. His not-yet-divorced wife will share the debt, and you won't get a dime in legal fees."
Ashley said, "Debts unknown to the wife don't need to be paid. Actually..." She thought for a moment, "Divorce isn't the only issue. His wife has problems, too, and I want to bring Robert to justice."
When she saw Robert at the Clearwater Bay Club, she felt his money was shady. After watching Hendrix force Alexander to apologize, she was even more certain that every dirty dollar had Robert's fingerprints on it.
These people all deserved to go to jail.
Hendrix seemed to get it, "First the divorce case, then a separate lawsuit. These two things don't click. Also, even if you want to sue, you need to submit the evidence to the cops and let them handle it with the District Attorney."
Hendrix understood her intentions and shared her thoughts, making her feel a sense of connection, "On behalf of the cops and the citizens, thank you."
Seeing her smile, Hendrix felt like his heart was warmed by a ray of sunshine, "So, uh..."
The door behind Ashley suddenly swung open, and a figure in a white bathrobe stepped out. A cold voice with a unique texture sounded, "Are you done talking?"
Ashley was stunned.
Hendrix's eyes widened in shock and anger, "Damian, what the hell are you doing in Ashley's room?!"
Damian, still in his bathrobe, looked relaxed and lazy as if he were just chilling in his own bedroom, "Shower, napping, can't you tell?"
"Fuck! You beast!" Hendrix threw a punch at his face, but Damian blocked it with one hand, "I suggest you go back to your room and stop being an eyesore here."
Ashley, her insides churning with despair, stopped the two from fighting. "This isn't my room. I was just delivering clothes to Mr. Hearst. I'm outta here."
With that, she fled the burning battlefield.
Hendrix shouted after her. "What floor are you on?"
She ignored him.
Pressing the elevator button, Ashley cursed inside, "Is Damian crazy? Does he think I'm not embarrassed enough?"
Even if he had gone out of his mind, he should at least know how to respect others.
In Damian's dictionary, respect never existed. He was a self-centered tyrant.
Running downstairs in a huff, Ashley felt frustrated. She had just stormed out, without her phone, wallet, or even a tissue in her workout clothes pocket.
Damian had embarrassed her, and she didn't want to go back and face him. She found a spot to sit at a corner Starbucks, and started daydreaming.
The only thing in her hands was the document Hendrix gave her, at least something to keep her company.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard a commotion. "That guy is so handsome! Look, look, a hottie! So tall, so cool, so charismatic. I really want to meet him."
A shadow fell over her, and Ashley looked up in surprise. Against the light, she saw two long legs in black dress pants, then a belt buckle, a white shirt tucked in, and the well-fitted clothes outlining the man's figure.
Damian pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down, "Are you afraid to go back or just don't want to?"
Running away from problems, she needed a fix.
Ashley kept a straight face. "What are you doing here?"
Damian handed her a phone with a purple soft case. "The phone kept ringing. It was annoying."
Ashley unlocked it, seeing missed calls and messages from Amelia and Hannah, and the work group chat buzzing with Hendrix's strange instructions. In short, it was as lively as a festival.
Ashley huffed, "Why did you deliberately make Hendrix misunderstand? Do you think my reputation isn't bad enough?"
Damian retorted, "Do you care about his opinion?"
"Don't change the topic," Ashley snapped.
Damian didn't want to explain his mindset. He just couldn't control his temper at the thought of Ashley being alone with Hendrix, even if it meant acting impulsively, "Sven changed plans at the last minute, inviting us to dinner on the yacht tonight. Freya should be there too."
Ashley didn't want to discuss work while still upset, so she said formally, "Mr. Hearst, since you said I'm your secretary, don't do anything strange to avoid misunderstandings! Whether it's with Hendrix or Sven, please don't cross the line."
Seeing she was still angry, Damian wisely nodded in agreement, "Now, will you go back up?"
Ashley deliberately closed the printed paper forcefully, "Book another room."
Damian replied matter-of-factly, "We're staying on the boat tonight. Are you sure you want to book an empty room? Do you have money to burn?"
