Chapter 30 Deny Your Feelings?
<Chapter>Chapter 30 Deny Your Feelings? </Chapter>
Damian was taken aback, hearing Ashley curse him using his full name for the first time.
Her face froze in anger, her eyes burning with rage and the veins on her forehead pulsating.
His gaze softly yet deeply swept over her, “What do I want? Anyone who uses me and betrays me will pay a price. The only interesting thing about you is this desperate tenacity.”
Ashley managed a weary, bitter smile, powerless. “I didn’t use you.”
At this point, she couldn't bring herself to say, “I truly loved you; I just never anticipated all that would unfold.” Nor did she had the desire to defend the disintegrating memories of the previous six years.
After a pause, she said, “This final week, once KM’s interests are settled, we’ll go our separate ways. I’ll move out of your place before the week is up. You've lost money; I've lost six years of my youth. There are no winners in this fight. Don’t play the victim; my life hasn’t been all roses either. If you can let me go, then do it. If not... well, there’s nothing left to lose sleep over, so why the fuss?”
Damian’s face darkened, the familiar oppressive aura returning, “Who gave you the guts, huh? Who allowed you to mess with me?”
Ashley bit her lip, striving for composure, but her trembling lips betrayed her.
She couldn't very well say she was too naive and young back then, could she?
That would just be pathetic.
Tilting her head back, she smiled against the warm light of the streetlamp, sparkling light dancing in her eyes, “It's not my fault, you see. Damian, you were too flashy back in the day. If you didn't want to catch women's attention, you should’ve toned it down a bit.”
Their eyes locked intensely and suddenly, sparks flew, as if fireworks had burst from her gaze and landed in his.
Damian unexpectedly lost his cool for a moment, betraying a flicker of panic. He knew Ashley wasn't just acting coy; the faintly pleading lilt at the end of her sentence hit a sensitive nerve.
Like under a spell, he leaned in, his lips grazing the edge of her ear.
Ashley was quick to react, her hand pushing against his chest in an attempt to fend him off, but she was a step too late. The warm, moist sensation at her ear was a telltale sign of his lips at play.
His breath, hot and rhythmical, blew into her ear, his lips tracing a path down to linger at her lobe, the heat and wetness stirring chaos. "You chose your profession well; it suits that mouth of yours, capable of confusing right and wrong, drawing attention, and playing the fool."
A shiver ran through Ashley, her body numb as she swallowed hard. "Don't touch me."
Damian's grip tightened on her upper arm, his other hand trailing down her pale neck. "Others can touch you, but not me? Acting the flirt, Ashley, you think I haven't seen that before?"
He was still harping on that same old issue. Ashley had explained it countless times, but Damian wouldn't listen or believe her; instead, he threw a pile of photos in her face.
She couldn't recall any details, couldn't explain the origin of the pictures, which over time had become an unsolved mystery.
Her ear tingled, her voice softening uncontrollably, "That was the past. I have no feelings for you now."
Damian pulled her hand around his waist, closing the gap between them to nothing. "Deny your feelings?"
Ashley's gaze flitted away, avoiding his, the palpable tension between them throwing her into disarray. "You..."
Just then, a car turned the corner and pulled up in front of Damian.
The driver’s side door opened and out stepped Damian’s driver, Matthew.
Matthew was on his way back from picking up Jessica from the airport according to Damian’s instructions, to bring her directly here.
But he surely didn't expect to stumble upon the former Mrs. Hearst here.
Seeing Damian and Ashley face to face, Matthew hesitated, unsure if he should approach.
Should he contact Thomas first to figure out what exactly had happened?
Hadn't Thomas said he was dining with Mr. Hearst at Cloud View Restaurant? Where was he now?
Ashley hurriedly stepped back, "Someone's looking for you."
Recalling that he had made arrangements for Jessica to be picked up that evening, Damian pointed absentmindedly to the cautious figure opposite him, displaying no remorse for his earlier indiscretion.
Matthew finally gathered the courage to approach and report, nodding politely to Ashley as a greeting at the same time, "Mr. Hearst, Jessica has been picked up and is in the car."
Ashley scoffed.
Trinity had left, and here came Jessica, impressive!
Damian glanced at the black Maybach, "Got it."
Jessica peered through the car window and spotted Damian. Recognizing the woman across from him, she pondered if they were there celebrating their victory in the recent KM case.
Swinging open the passenger door, Jessica stepped out, striding gracefully in her three-inch stilettos. "Damian... I remember this Miss, the legal counsel," she uttered.
Ashley, of course, remembered her as well, from that day in Damian's office, where they were...
"Hello," Ashley offered.
Jessica flashed a smile, "Congratulations on winning your case. Quite the feat."
Her tone was patronizing, like a lady of the house bestowing praise upon a maid.
The arrogant one left; the tender one came; Damian sure had an appetite for variety.
Ashley shifted uncomfortably. "Thank you, just doing my job."
Damian inquired, "What held you up?"
His tone was laced with concern.
A wealthy-clan-merger marriage was all theatrics; it was the chosen love that counted.
"The weather was bad at my departure city. A one-hour delay; hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long?" Jessica said.
"Not at all," Damian replied.
Ashley mused to herself how Damian would never get tired of time dragging. Between the flame of the moment, past loves, and those kept on standby, his life was a constant carnival.
Sensing that Damian didn’t seem eager to leave, Jessica said considerately, "You two catch up, I'll wait in the car."
Damian instructed Matthew, "Let's go."
Jessica nodded and smiled at Ashley before following Damian. She was tall and elegant, yet next to Damian, she looked almost petite.
He even tenderly opened the car door for her, waiting until she was comfortably inside before entering the vehicle himself.
After Damian left, Ashley had to wait quite a while before hailing a cab. She didn't get home until eleven at night, utterly exhausted.
Dropping into the bathtub, all it took was closing her eyes for Damian's assertive presence to flood her mind.
Their interaction was a rude awakening. She used to flatter herself, thinking Damian held some affection for her; that's why he'd come to her place and rescued her.
In reality, Damian was merely the cat to her mouse, a predator who never kills its prey outright. Instead, he plays with it, growing bored before finally devouring it.
Her thoughts were chaotic, and memories shattered like glass inside her heart. Ashley took a deep breath and submerged herself in the water.
The next day, Ashley woke with a stuffy nose and dizziness.
She staggered out of bed with her slippers half-on, only to find her phone bombarded with messages and missed calls.
The law firm's mailbox was flooded with congratulations on her triumphant victory, and Hannah had even texted her a bunch of screenshots from social media.
The defendant had publicly apologized, facing a one-sided torrent of criticism from the public. Even those who previously held a bias against them were proclaiming their support for the capitalists, loudly declaring that justice must be upheld.
Harold had left a few voice messages, followed by a bunch of texts.
[The money from KM hit the company's account. Congrats, Ashley, $100,000 is yours.]
Another message popped up from Amelia.
Amelia: [Landing in Rochester at 7 PM, exhausted. Tell Harold we can catch up tomorrow.]
Then Ashley's phone rang, it was Harold.
With a frown, Ashley answered, "Harold, what's up now?"
