Chapter 416 His Dangerous Hand
Ashley sighed in relief, "I mean, if you don't need anything else, I'll head home."
Damian pointed to the clock on the wall, "It's 3 AM. Where are you going? There are clothes here for you. Take a shower and go to sleep."
Ashley had been busy since she arrived and had lost track of time. She looked up and realized how late it was. "Alright, you rest first. I'll go downstairs. Call me if you need anything."
Damian closed his eyes briefly, "Okay."
Standing in the bathroom, Ashley's nerves relaxed, and a wave of exhaustion hit her.
Her drained energy was consuming her, and she felt like she could fall asleep standing up.
Dragging her weary body, she collapsed onto the guest bed and fell into a deep sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, sunlight was pouring in through the window, brightening the earth and sweeping away the rain.
Ashley lifted her arm, the soreness waking her up instantly.
It also reminded her of everything she did for Damian in the middle of the night.
She bit her lower lip and looked at her hand. In the warm sunlight, her palm only showed clear lines, the alcohol washed away by soap, leaving no trace.
Only she knew that some marks weren't left on the surface but etched in memory.
As she got out of bed, Ashley noticed the thin blanket on her. Did she have a blanket when she went to sleep last night?
She had no recollection of it.
Yawning, she walked to the living room and saw a black figure standing at the kitchen door, seemingly displeased by what he saw.
Ashley had a sudden realization, the kitchen!
"Mr. Hearst."
She wanted to stop him, but it was too late.
Damian had already seen the mess she had made.
The sink, the counter, the stove... everywhere was a disaster. Unwashed dishes, a failed attempt at pasta, and a pot of vegetable soup that had fermented overnight, emitting a bad smell.
Ashley felt utterly embarrassed, wishing she could dig a hole and hide. "I didn't have time to clean up last night. I'll tidy up now."
Damian was a patient, and she felt bad asking him to clean.
As for his recovery, Ashley quickly looked him over from head to toe, especially his face. The illness no longer marred his handsome features, and his lips had regained their healthy color. In the morning light, he was bathed in a soft glow.
She had brought Damian back to life.
Ashley couldn't help but think.
Damian's voice was still a bit hoarse, deeper than usual, "No need, someone will clean it."
Ashley asked to confirm, "Are you feeling better? Did you check your temperature?"
"Much better."
Ashley was afraid he would bring up the unfinished business from last night, so she quickly said, "I have to go to work. If you don't need anything, I'll clean up and head to the office."
Damian noticed the tiredness on her face, the dark circles under her eyes particularly noticeable. "Take a day off. Go tomorrow."
Ashley's fingers curled, her expression darkening. So he was still fixated on that. "Consider it a debt. How about the weekend?"
Before she finished speaking, she felt a warmth on her shoulder.
Damian's long fingers touched her shoulder, the warmth spreading across her skin, sending a jolt through her body.
Ashley thought of many intimate moments between men and women, her body trembling, stepping back.
Just when she thought Damian would ask to make love, his hand adjusted her slipping nightgown and let go.
He remained tall and handsome, as always.
All the inappropriate thoughts belonged to her alone.
Ashley swallowed nervously.
"The weekend? What about the weekend?"
Above her, Damian's deep voice shattered her embarrassment and plunged her into new confusion.
Was he unaware, or merely feigning ignorance?
"Didn't you ask me to come at 9 PM last night? What did you want?"
Thinking back to their conversation, his tone had implied something, hadn't it?
Did she misunderstand?
From her accusing eyes, Damian understood. His feverish lips curved into a teasing smile, "Then the weekend, here."
The weekend. The weekend...
Just thinking about his playful smile made Ashley nervous.
There were still four days until the weekend. She hoped something would come up, giving her a legitimate reason to cancel.
"Ashley?"
Hannah waved her hand in front of her.
Ashley snapped back, "What?"
Hannah grinned, "Ashley, why are you blushing?"
Ashley tapped her on the forehead, "It's so hot, of course, I'm blushing!"
Hannah nodded, "But Ashley, the office AC is only set to 80.6°F."
Ashley didn't want to discuss the temperature, so she handed her a file, "Got nothing to do? Analyze these criminal cases."
"No, no! I have plenty to do. I just wanted to ask for some time off!"
"Reason?"
Hannah's eyes sparkled with girlish excitement, "My idol, my crush, Sean, is giving a lecture on criminal law exceptions at Law and Politics University on Friday afternoon. I want to go."
Sean was a top expert in criminal law. Listening to his lecture would be invaluable. Even Ashley was tempted.
She said sternly, "Write a report afterward, at least 2,000 words."
"Got it! Ashley, I love you so much!"
Friday came quickly. After some hesitation, Ashley decided to sneak into the Law and Politics University auditorium to listen.
She was used to learning from the best. Without it, she wouldn't know how to handle many strange cases.
Unexpectedly, as she drove out of the office building, she got a call from Evelina.
"Ashley, are you busy?"
Ashley gripped the steering wheel, eyes on the traffic light, "I'm driving. What's up?"
Did Damian forget to take his book back? Was she calling to borrow it?
Damian, tomorrow was the weekend.
Evelina was excited, "Can you come to our school? Sean is giving a lecture this afternoon, from 2 to 5, a full three hours."
Ashley glanced at the GPS, it was 1:10 PM. "You're telling me now for a 2 PM lecture?"
If she hadn't heard from Hannah, she would have missed it.
Why didn't Sean tell her?
Did he think it wasn't necessary, or were they not that close?
Evelina giggled, "I thought you were so good you didn't need to listen to others. But I haven't seen you in a while, and I wanted to show you around our school!"
Ashley started the car and headed towards Law and Politics University, "I'll see if I have time. I'll call you later."
Before the call ended, Ashley thought she heard Evelina shout, "Damian, look!"
Damian?
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