Chapter 348 Making Up for the Anniversary

Ashley finished her shower and only realized when she grabbed her clothes that the shelf held a small-sized women's sauna suit.

The silky material was made of silk, with short sleeves on top and shorts below. The design was conservative, but it still felt a bit odd.

Her sports bra was soaked with sweat and couldn't be worn any longer.

With no other choice, Ashley had to walk out, chest in and stomach tucked.

Damian sat cross-legged in the middle of the large sofa. The scenery behind him looked like a decorative painting in a study, with the entire mountain serving as his backdrop.

Ashley immediately understood Damian's intention. Making her dress like she was going to a sauna meant she couldn't project enough authority, while he maintained his boss-like demeanor, gaining the upper hand before even speaking.

Cunning!

Ashley sat on the edge of the sofa, grabbed a pillow, and hugged it. "You mentioned Dorian on the phone. What's going on with him?"

Damian's casual glance swept over her like a bird flying across the sky, leaving no trace but taking away all the scenery. "Dorian will be in Rochester City tomorrow."

Ashley almost jumped up from her seat. "Tomorrow?"

Mom had said Dorian would be back soon, but not this quickly.

"You didn't know?" Damian thought Ashley had communicated with Dorian. It seemed Dorian was cautious, not revealing anything until he landed safely.

"No, I didn't," Ashley said.

"Given Dorian's current status, returning home is like walking into a trap. The fewer people who know, the better. It's wise to be cautious," Damian said.

Ashley's fingers slightly curled. When it comes to Damian, she couldn't think simply. "You brought him back. Do you have any special plans? Dorian is no longer the CEO of Astor Group. All his resources are scattered after the incident, and his old connections are gone. Mr. Hearst should still remember Steven's lesson. To put it bluntly, Dorian should be useless to you now."

She deliberately belittled Dorian to buy him some breathing room, hoping Damian wouldn't make things difficult for him.

Damian's face darkened at her words. "You think I want to harm him?"

Ashley pressed her lips together. "No."

Her denial lacked conviction. How could she say no?

Damian wasn't angry but leaned forward with a smirk. "If I wanted him to pay, would I go through all the trouble of bringing him back? Wouldn't it be easier to deal with him in Sylvania?"

His smile was so wicked yet annoyingly attractive. Ashley retorted, "Then please, Mr. Hearst, tell me what you plan to do."

"Don't you want to see him?" Damian said.

Ashley wondered if she had misunderstood. Could it be that Damian went through all this just to reunite the siblings? "I do, but only if I can afford the cost. Otherwise, Dorian wouldn't want to see me either."

Damian felt self-mocked. What had he done to make Ashley misunderstand him so deeply? It seemed like whatever he did had to come with a price. He just wanted her to see that Dorian was safe and to show her his influence in this matter.

In the future, he could even completely reverse the decline of Astor Group.

And she couldn't even believe this insignificant beginning.

A price? He hadn't thought of one before, but now he had.

His long fingers slid over his nose. Damian didn't mind her speculation. "That depends on whether you're willing."

Ashley's slender fingers slowly embedded into the sofa, rubbing against the off-white fabric. "I understand."

As expected of the cunning Damian, he never stated his price directly but hinted at it through various means, making the other party guess.

Making her shower, change clothes, and sit opposite him dressed like this—could the hint be any clearer?

For Dorian's safety, Ashley chose to compromise.

The sauna suit was a pullover design. She reached down, grasped the hem of her dress, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes.

The clothes slowly lifted to her navel, and then a cool breeze brushed her lower abdomen, spreading upward, about to reach her chest.

A large hand suddenly pressed down on her arm, and a cold voice floated above her head. "What are you doing?"

Ashley froze for a moment, her undressing motion halting. Her clear eyes reflected half the chandelier's white light and half the shadow on his face. "Isn't this what you meant? It's not the first time. If you want it, I'll give it to you."

Sex, that was all. She let him have his way, but just thinking about Damian's seemingly endless stamina and his roughness during those times made her legs weak, instinctively closing together.

Damian felt like his lungs were about to smoke. He suspected the nicotine from his earlier cigarette had set them on fire. "You... think of me like that?"

Ashley lowered her hand. "What else? Don't you remember your previous demands, Mr. Hearst?"

Who forced her into a sexual relationship?

Who demanded, "Kiss me"?

It was this Damian, who now looked at her with a wronged and hurt expression!

Did she wrong him?

Damian, frustrated, rubbed his forehead. "Come here."

Ashley put down her clothes, tidied up, and moved over to sit with him on the sofa by the window. The view instantly opened up, and in the distance, someone was setting off fireworks. The explosions echoed from the mountains, and bursts of fireworks bloomed on the mountaintop.

Damian handed her a glass of red wine from the coffee table. "What day is it today?"

Today?

"The 24th," Ashley said.

"And?" Damian said.

Was today special? Or had she been too busy to remember some appointment?

Her mind raced, and after a moment, Ashley suddenly remembered. "Today... is the day we registered our marriage?"

Ashley couldn't quite recall the exact date they registered their marriage, mainly because she was the only one there that day. The date was irrelevant.

Their wedding was only a week after the registration, and that day was her true wedding anniversary in her mind.

Did Damian call her here today not just to talk about Dorian but also to celebrate an already meaningless anniversary? Wasn't that absurd?

Damian said, "Regardless, today holds special meaning for both of us."

Ashley's mouth twitched. "Mr. Hearst, we should be celebrating our divorce day. As ex-spouses, there's no need to dwell on the past. We need to start new lives."

Damian replied, "Consider this me making it up to you."

Ashley's clear eyes reflected the red wine's shimmer. "Are you joking?"

Damian said seriously, "We were married for three years, and I never spent any anniversary with you. So I'm making it up to you now. Is that clear enough?"

Ashley's fingers ran through her still-damp hair a few times. "But I don't want it."

They were divorced, and everything had been made clear. Why did this?

Could holidays be made up for? What about all the past neglect and hurt?

Could those be made up for too?

"Mr. Hearst," Ashley put down the wine glass. The rich aroma of the wine was like persistent memories, never-ending. "You don't need to do this. It just makes me feel strange."

"Why? Sean?" Damian said.

"It has nothing to do with him," Ashley said.

Damian looked at her. "If you have feelings for Sean, you can go for it. You were young and naive before, but now you should be more mature. So, Ashley, take a good look this time."
The Ex-Wife's Revenge: Love and Law in the Crossfire
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