Chapter 405 Doesn't Know How to Buy Gifts for Women
Thomas was puzzled. Ever since Damian returned from Coastal City, he seemed to have picked up a strange hobby—wood carving. He would start a piece and then abandon it halfway. How many had he discarded already?
Was he dissatisfied, or just practicing?
Hearing Damian mention Victor, Thomas almost laughed but held it in. "Mr. Victor Hearst is still around. I happened to run into Jack earlier, and it looked like he got scolded for messing something up."
Damian opened a file, flipped through a couple of pages, and smirked coldly. "Still as hot-tempered as ever."
Victor was a sweet and obedient grandson in front of his grandfather, but in private, he was a completely different person.
People who didn't know him well wouldn't notice this.
"Edward must have taken Mr. Victor Hearst's advice. He's in the process of fully acquiring TechVista. The merger has officially started, and I believe it won't take more than half a month to sign the papers."
What excited Thomas the most was teaming up with Damian to bring down their rivals. This thrilling feeling was like a warrior fighting on the battlefield, something perhaps only men could understand—this ultimate joy.
Damian, a veteran of many battles, no longer shared Thomas's excitement. He simply said, "The progress is too slow. Give him a hand."
Thomas understood immediately. "Yes, I got it."
After reporting his work, Thomas said, "Mr. Hearst, Amelia's agent has already arranged for her to switch companies. It's Ava, which has substantial resources and connections."
Ava Davis, one of the top agents in the entertainment industry, had made several stars famous and even helped some make a perfect comeback after falling from grace. She was a master in the field.
Thomas had specifically looked into it. Amelia was just an unknown actress who hadn't even played a decent role.
Damian had made this arrangement entirely for Ashley's sake.
Otherwise, Amelia might have remained a second-tier actress her whole life.
Damian said, "She knows what to do. You don't need to get involved anymore."
Thomas didn't want to get involved, but it would be a pity if Ashley didn't know what Damian was doing behind her back.
No, he had to think of a way.
"Mr. Hearst, are the snacks you brought back from Limehof still good? Should I throw them away for you?"
When he picked up Damian at the airport, the box of pastries had caught his eye.
He thought Damian might be planning to give them to someone, but seeing the box in the office today made him curious.
Damian said, "Take them to Cloud ManHearston and have them replicate them, especially the matcha flavor."
Thomas's eyes widened, but he held back his curiosity. Since when was Damian interested in pastries? Didn't he hate this kind of stuff?
Oh, right, Ashley!
"Yes, I'll go after work."
The next day was the weekend, and Ashley had set aside a day for shopping.
As soon as she parked her car, she saw a familiar face.
At the same time, Thomas saw Ashley and walked over with a smile. "What a coincidence, you're shopping too?"
Ashley put her car keys in her bag. She had been grateful to Thomas for helping her buy such a good car last time and had been looking for a chance to treat him to a meal. It was a perfect opportunity today. "Yeah, just buying some household items. What about you?"
Thomas walked alongside her. "I'm here to deliver some documents to a client and thought I'd do some shopping too."
Ashley asked, "How about we have a meal together? My treat. What do you like to eat?"
Ashley treating him to a meal? He didn't dare accept that.
Ashley added, "It's not work time now. We're just friends. You said we could be friends before, remember?"
Thomas thought to himself that times had changed. Back then, he was just looking for an excuse. He didn't dare have such presumptuous thoughts now. "I remember, I remember. I'm fine with anything."
"Great!"
There were many restaurants near the mall. Ashley chose the most popular one. The restaurant was packed, but luckily there was a two-person table by the window.
After ordering, while waiting for the food, Thomas suddenly asked, "Did something happen at the hotel when you and Mr. Hearst went to Limehof?"
Ashley wasn't sure what he was referring to, as the hotel had been quite eventful during their short stay. "Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing, really. It's just that Mr. Hearst suddenly called me that day and asked me to arrange for some surveillance footage to be deleted. I didn't see the content, but I thought something big had happened."
Ashley's face flushed. So it was Damian who had the footage deleted?
She had thought she had helped Amelia dodge a bullet, but it turned out Damian was the one who had really helped.
Ashley lowered her eyes. "Really? I don't know anything about that."
Thomas, being smart, didn't press further. "Are you busy later?"
"It's the weekend, so not really."
Thomas hesitated. "Could you help me shop for a gift? It's my sister's birthday the day after tomorrow, and I don't know what to get her. Last year, I just transferred her some money and got scolded for being insincere. I don't dare give her money again this year."
Ashley was also planning to shop, so it wouldn't hurt to have some company. She readily agreed. "Sure, I have some experience in picking gifts for women."
Thomas beamed.
"I remember your sister works at a securities firm."
"Yeah, she's a securities analyst. She stares at the stock market all day and says her eyes are going to go blind. She's so busy she hasn't found a partner yet, which is really worrying."
Seeing Thomas scratch his head, Ashley found him quite endearing, very different from the cold aura he exuded when with Damian. "If your sister doesn't get married, you could go first. Otherwise, your parents will worry."
"Don't mention it. I don't even dare go home."
Ashley could imagine Thomas being nagged by his parents to get married quickly. "Parents are the same everywhere."
"Really? Do your parents nag you too?"
"Of course, they do. Especially since I'm a woman, there's the age crisis and the pressure to have kids. But I'm not afraid of their nagging. Besides, they're far away in Sylvania, so they can't reach me."
After lunch, Ashley and Thomas walked into a high-end shopping mall.
This mall was filled with top international brands.
Ashley helped him pick out a gift. As they were taking the escalator down, they saw a little girl, about five or six years old, crying and calling out, possibly because she couldn't find her family.
"I'll go check it out!"
With that, she quickly ran down the escalator, like a gust of wind.
Thomas was stunned.
Didn't Damian say Ashley lacked physical fitness?
This... wasn't she fast enough?
"Little one, did you lose your parents?"
Ashley bent down, her gentle eyes looking at the little girl, and took out a tissue to gently wipe her tears and snot.
The little girl had great skin, a small face, big eyes, and a tiny nose—very cute.
Her eyes, blurred by tears, sparkled as she looked at Ashley, confused yet delighted. "Mommy?"
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