Chapter 308 Damn Damian
"Surprised?" Damian asked with a smirk.
"Totally! I used to watch you and Hendrix spar and thought it was just basic stuff. But just now, every move he made was straight-up martial arts, and you countered like a pro. You must've trained seriously, right?" Ashley replied, eyes wide.
"I've been picking up a few moves from my bodyguard since I was a kid. No big deal," Damian shrugged.
"Come on, don't play me. You had to have trained properly, right?" Ashley insisted.
Could she really not tell the difference between a bodyguard and a martial arts master? Even if she couldn't pinpoint the techniques, the vibe was unmistakable.
Damian looked into her eager eyes, flicked his clothes, and sat down. "When I was about three or four, my grandpa got me a martial arts master. I trained with him for fifteen years."
Fifteen years of martial arts training?
Ashley was so shocked her jaw dropped, and her eyes sparkled with admiration and respect.
Damian basked in her admiration and said casually, "My status doesn't allow for risks, so besides the usual arts, I had to learn martial arts and self-defense from a young age."
Ashley knew about the usual arts. Kids from noble families started playing piano as soon as they could hold a fork, learned to ride horses as soon as they could run, studied chess as soon as they could do basic math, and practiced painting before they even understood art.
And Damian's childhood must've been packed with even more stuff, probably something different every day.
As for safety, not just Damian, even Ashley and her brother had millions spent on bodyguards every year to prevent kidnapping.
Ashley pulled back her enthusiasm, cleared her throat, and said, "Alright, you lost. Now spill the beans about Mr. Collins!"
The little boy scratched his head, realizing he’d been tricked. "Fine, you got me."
Martin didn’t see patients, so they had to stay in town for the night.
Ashley found the best hotel in town. It used to be an officer's summer residence, and after renovation, it was both fancy and comfy with modern amenities. But the area at the foot of the mountain was generally damp and couldn't compare to a five-star hotel.
Ashley touched the bedding. "Mr. Hearst, we’ll have to make do for one night. We can head back after seeing the doctor tomorrow."
Damian sat on a chair. "Wanna climb the mountain?"
"Yeah, since Mr. Collins has an unfulfilled wish up there, I wanna give it a shot."
Damian sneered. "You heard the story and now you wanna fulfill that old man's wish? Ashley, don't be overly kind."
Ashley opened the window. Outside were mountain shadows and tea gardens, a beautiful and calming view. She ignored Damian's sarcasm. "I'm not that nice. I'm just trying to get on his good side to achieve my goal. If I didn't need something from him, would I climb the mountain?"
She hated climbing mountains. Not just climbing, she didn't like running, swimming, or any exercise.
Damian glanced at her feet. "Can you handle it?"
"Isn't there a cable car?" Ashley asked.
"The cable car isn't at the foot of the mountain. You have to climb at least 1,000 feet," Damian said.
Ashley was stunned.
Well, that was a mistake!
Damian said, "Seems like my illness isn't worth you tiring yourself out."
Ashley was worried. Could she handle a 1,000-foot climb?
"If you keep talking, I really won't go," Ashley said.
Damian's lips curved slightly.
The next morning, Damian heard a knock on the door.
He dragged himself up and opened the door, seeing Ashley in sportswear with a hiking backpack. Her long hair was tied in a high ponytail, revealing a fresh and bright face. "Are you really going?"
Ashley's face flashed with pride. "I got you a set too. Change into it, and we'll go together."
Damian eyed the shopping bag with disdain. The hiking gear from that little shop at the mountain's base wasn't fit to touch his skin. "Handle it yourself."
"Do you want to get treated or not? What if I fall into a valley? I've never climbed such a high mountain," Ashley said, trying to sound confident despite her nerves.
Damian still wasn't convinced. "Not washed?"
"Do you think this is a high-end hotel in Rochester City?" Ashley shot back.
Damian's face darkened. The thought of those cheap fabrics touching him was unbearable. "I'm not wearing it."
Ashley shrugged. "Fine, don't wear it. Just go in your leather shoes and white shirt. I'm sure your fancy shoes can handle a few steps."
The higher the quality of the leather shoes, the less they could withstand rough use. They were meant for walking the red carpet, not for rough activities.
"You want me to climb a mountain with a broken arm, Ashley?" Damian said.
Ashley had considered his inconvenient arm, but Damian was strong. Even without using his hands, he was stronger than her. She really had no confidence in climbing. "You use your feet to climb, not your hands. I asked around. From the foot of the mountain to the cable car, it's all steps, no rock climbing. I'll carry the backpack. I've got water and food. You just need to bring yourself."
Damian's devastatingly handsome face almost did something devastating. "You..."
"The clothes are washed. I had the hotel owner wash and dry them. Don't you wear the same clothes for two days? Do you want to keep wearing dirty clothes or try out some civilian attire? Your call," Ashley said.
Damian opened the paper bag and found not only a sports outfit but also men's boxer briefs.
This was their first time climbing a mountain together, and it was also Damian's first time seeing how poor Ashley's physical fitness was.
Ashley carried a backpack with water and a few supplies. It wasn't large, but on her slender back, it seemed like a heavy burden.
In less than twenty minutes, Ashley was panting and holding her waist. "Let's rest for a bit," she said.
Damian looked down at her flushed face from two steps above. "Do you still want to go up?"
Ashley was so tired that her whole body felt weak. Leaning against the railing, she barely had the strength to twist open a bottle of water. "What's the rush? The cable car is quick."
Seeing her struggling to open the bottle cap, Damian walked down, took it with one hand, and easily twisted it open using his arm. "With you like this, you still want to climb Foggy Mountain? Overestimating yourself."
Ashley took a few sips of water, caught her breath, and said irritably, "Who am I doing this for?"
Damian stood there with clouds and wind in front of him, forests and birds at his feet, and a feeling of excitement coursing through his veins.
He took the backpack and carried it, then held Ashley's hand, using his strength as a guide rope for her.
Her palm warmed up, and the dry warmth of his palm spread to every inch of her skin as if she had bathed in a river named gentleness.
But soon, she regained her clarity. "I can walk by myself!"
Damian interlocked his fingers with hers, his long fingers curling around hers, palm to palm, warmth to warmth. "At your pace, we won't reach the top before dark. Don't be stubborn."
He took big strides, and the steps fell behind them layer by layer, with the scenery at the foot of the mountain gradually fading away.
Ashley gritted her teeth. "Damian, let go of me!"
She couldn't do this. She couldn't help but... Damn Damian.
Damian turned back, his gaze reflecting the faint green of the surrounding scenery. "Ashley, don't be pretentious. I just don't want to send a rescue team to find your body."
Ashley felt aggrieved and angry. She was the one being taken advantage of, so why did he sound so arrogant? "I'll find a stick!"
Walking her up the hill with a ten-foot pole between them? Why bother?
Damian said angrily, "If you want to fall and feed the wolves, just say so."
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