Chapter 283 The Pursuit
Damian was still the same old Damian. Sometimes he'd show a bit of tenderness and patience, but once his bottom line was crossed, his wild side come out in full force.
Honestly, dealing with a half-crippled guy didn't take much effort from him.
Ashley screamed, "Mr. Hearst, no!!"
But her shout didn't stop Damian. He grabbed Hendrix's busted leg by the ankle and twisted it hard.
Hendrix let out a howl that was even more gut-wrenching than Ashley's scream, like a trapped animal in a midnight forest fight. The whole hospital seemed to shake.
The broken bone hadn't even started to heal, the surgery hadn't kicked in, and the anesthesia had worn off. What Damian did caused double the pain: the flesh tearing and the bone shattering, like a raging river breaking free, the force overwhelmed Hendrix.
Ashley's face went completely pale. This scene was more terrifying than last night's tsunami.
The sound got stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
Hendrix's face and body were drenched in cold sweat, soaking his entire face. His brows furrowed, his expression twisted in pain, "Damian! How dare you!"
Damian let go, like he had just snapped a twig, no big deal. "I warned you long ago, don't cross me. Since you can't control your legs, I'll help you."
Hendrix took a few deep breaths to calm down. His broken leg still hung there, but it was numb with pain, completely powerless, like it was detached from his body. "Damian, mark my words; our feud is far from over!"
Blood oozed from the cracked wound, quickly soaking through the bandage and dripping onto the white tiles.
Damian sneered, "Do whatever you want if you want to break another leg and sit in a wheelchair forever."
Ashley's heart felt like it was being stabbed a thousand times. What had she done? Because of her, Hendrix and Damian had completely fallen out. Would Rochester City ever have peaceful days again?
Because of her, Damian was hurting people again!
How many times had this happened?
How many more innocent people would be dragged into this? How much more blood would be shed before he stopped?
"Deputy Director, call the doctor quickly. Your leg just had surgery, and now it needs another one. Don't let there be any lasting effects!" She wasn't a doctor, but the first thought that popped into her mind was amputation.
No! Absolutely not!
She couldn't see another person around her lose the freedom to run. She couldn't watch Hendrix become someone who could only coexist with a crutch for life! "Hendrix! Did you hear me? Doctor! Doctor! Help!"
Ashley's tears flowed uncontrollably. This scene brought back deeply buried memories, the bloody scene crashing into her eyes, filling her entire being.
Years ago, in the dead of night, she had knelt on the ground, calling for help, but there was nothing in the wilderness, only blood flowing continuously.
She watched in horror as her brother crumped up in a pool of blood while she was powerless.
Damian was stunned.
When he saw the hot tears flowing from Ashley's eyes, he was flustered for a moment and immediately filled with rising anger.
Was she crying for Hendrix?
Hendrix was also stunned.
He never expected that seeing his leg hurt by Damian would make Ashley cry, so in Ashley's heart, he wasn't insignificant. Even if it wasn't love, at least she cared about him and felt sorry for him.
For those tears, Hendrix felt it was worth it, even if his leg was crippled.
He swallowed, gritting his teeth through the pain, and asked, almost dumbfounded, "Ashley, are you crying for me?"
Ashley shut her eyes, tears streaming down her face.
She couldn't shake that night from her mind, couldn't forget her brother's initial groans of pain, couldn't forget his words before he passed out, "Ashley, don't cry. I won't die. I still have to protect Ashley. I'm Ashley's big hero."
Ashley couldn't hold back her emotions any longer, not caring about the concussion that shouldn't be agitated.
These days, she tried not to think about home, not to recall the happy moments with her family, and not to think about their hardships abroad. But once triggered, she couldn't control herself.
So, she didn't hear what Hendrix was saying.
Her heart ached, ached so much.
Hendrix smiled, looking up at Damian with satisfaction, "Mr. Hearst, we'll see about that!"
There was no need for Damian to answer; his smug expression said it all.
Hendrix was pushed away by the doctor, still smiling like a fool.
The doctor probably thought he was in so much pain that he'd lost his mind, gone mad.
In the ward, the atmosphere was ice-cold.
Ashley was still crying quietly, while Damian's face was stone-cold.
"Do you care about him that much?" Damian asked.
Ashley didn't answer. She suddenly hated Damian.
In the days spent with Damian, she saw his tenderness, integrity, and kindness, almost forgetting how much pain he had personally caused.
She was so damned! How did she not die at sea?
Even her brother lost a leg, and she had forgotten it!
How could she forget!
After a long time, Ashley slowly stopped crying. She was also afraid that if she cried for too long, she would completely lose it, which would make her family's situation even more difficult. For her family, she had to hold on.
"Mr. Hearst, I want to ask you something," Ashley said.
Damian remained expressionless. Just thinking about Ashley crying for Hendrix made him uncontrollably angry. "What is it?"
Ashley showed a bitter, mocking smile, feeling it was redundant to ask.
Would he admit it? And if he did, what would it change?
Ashley sniffed, trying not to let her sobs block her voice, "Three years ago, did you send people to kill my brother?"
Damian always said her brother secretly transferred KM's money, using his name to embezzle huge funds, so Damian's hadred against her brother must lead to a murder.
She and her brother were chased; her brother fought desperately, got seriously injured, and dragged her into the car. But those people chased them like madmen. Her brother's face was covered in blood, his vision impaired, and at a turn on the mountain road, the car fell into the valley.
Her brother protected her with his body. When the car fell to the ground, he loosened his hug, and she only suffered minor injuries, barely crawling out of the car.
But her brother's leg was pinned under the car, his body soaked in blood.
She tried to dig him out with her bare hands, her nails breaking on the rocks, unable to tell if the sticky mess on her face was blood or tears.
She wailed, she shouted, she used all her strength to drag her brother out, but the car was too heavy. She felt like she was in hell.
Her brother, who had protected, cared for, and loved her since childhood, finally crawled out, saving his life but losing his right leg forever.
Her young, handsome brother, in his prime, used crutches for a long time and later, after saving some money, got a prosthetic leg.
Her big hero became a one-legged cripple.
If those people weren't sent by Damian, who else could it be?
Who else would want her brother dead?
