Chapter 431 He needs to see Ashley, right now.
The phone went unanswered, and the pleasant ringtone in her cell phone did nothing to lift Ashley's spirits.
She thought she must be crazy.
Damian ignored her, didn't want anything to do with her, and yet she took the initiative to contact him.
What was this?
Pathetic.
After driving a few miles from the club, she dropped Hannah off by the roadside, watched her get into a taxi, and then sat in the driver's seat, staring at the brightly lit night scene, calling Damian.
She admitted she was being stubborn, but she wanted an explanation.
Why?
Why disappeared without a trace after spending a night together?
Rationally, she understood that this outcome was reasonable, but emotionally, she couldn't get over it.
As the ringtone continued with no answer, Ashley's boiling blood gradually cooled.
He really was ignoring her, just like back then, cold and resolute, as if they were enemies.
Ashley tiredly rubbed her temples. These past few days, she had been tirelessly investigating the culprit behind everything, uncovering one truth after another, personally buying medicine on the black market, walking on the edge of danger. Even on those dark nights when she looked up at the sky, thinking about the uncertain future, she hadn't felt this exhausted.
The pleasant ringtone in her phone, however, pounded cruelly on her heart.
Just as she decided to give up and stop being foolish, the call was answered.
Ashley felt a bit nervous, "Damian..."
"Ashley, it's me. Mr. Hearst is too drunk to answer the phone."
It wasn't Damian's deep voice on the other end, but Theo's uniquely gentle tone.
Comparatively, Theo was naturally much gentler than Damian, and his voice was particularly kind, but it did nothing to soothe Ashley.
Ashley was driving back, soon arriving near the club. She didn't turn off the engine but looked at the lights in the private room through the window. "Where are you guys drinking?"
Theo said, "We only have a few places where we drink, don't we?"
He didn't answer directly, yet it seemed like he did, ambiguous and very clever, leaving Ashley with no reason to continue asking.
Ashley said, "Then drink less. I remember you have a bad stomach and don't usually drink much."
"You're the only one who remembers these details. When they get excited, they don't care about their stomachs—by the way, why are you calling him so late? I can pass on a message for you."
"It's nothing, just a small work issue. I'll have the law firm coordinate with their legal team. Are you guys going to keep drinking?"
Theo sighed, "Once these guys get going, no one can stop them. Looks like we'll be drinking for a while."
"I see. Eat something to line your stomach, don't drink on an empty stomach. If you feel unwell, get some stomach medicine, and have the maid make some saltwater before bed, or you'll have a headache in the morning."
Theo vaguely felt that Ashley's words were more meant for Damian.
"Why aren't you asleep yet? Are you outside?"
There was the sound of a car running in the background, faint but enough for him to discern.
Ashley held the steering wheel with one hand, looking at the lights above her, "Yeah, I had something to do, but I'll be home soon."
"Drive safely."
"OK, bye."
Ashley didn't believe a word of the excuse that he was too drunk to answer the phone.
Who was Damian? Even if you drugged him, he could maintain his composure with sheer willpower and issue crucial executive orders.
Even if he was drunk, at least he could still talk, right? Was he so drunk he couldn't even speak?
Ashley sat in the car seat, lost in thought.
Not long after, she suddenly saw two equally tall figures walking out of the glass doors.
The man in the lead had a cigarette between his fingers, his short hair revealing deep eyes as the wind blew, his straight nose under tightly closed thin lips, and his dark suit accentuating his tall, slender figure, each step taken under the moonlight.
It was Damian.
He walked with a composed pace, his expression noble, showing no signs of drunkenness.
And beside him, there was only Theo.
Since when did Theo start lying too?
Or were they all just covering for each other, deceiving together, united against outsiders?
Ashley realized how foolish she was to think Theo was an exception, the only one among them she could trust.
She slammed on the gas pedal, the car shooting into the night, not even glancing at the rearview mirror.
Enough, she shouldn't have called and humiliated herself!
Meanwhile.
Theo said, "You won't even take her call. What are you thinking?"
Damian took a drag of his cigarette, the faint red glow flaring up fiercely, then dying out like a firefly expending all its life in the grass, unable to rise again. "You've been in love too, don't you understand?"
Theo wanted to make a joke but couldn't even muster a bitter smile due to the heavy memories in his mind. "Are you afraid you'll lose control if you hear her voice?"
"Until Selene wakes up, I need to stay calm."
Theo looked at the sky. The best thing about summer was the high air transparency, making the stars exceptionally bright. "What if Selene never wakes up? Will you just ignore her?"
"One month." He gave himself a one-month deadline.
Theo patted his shoulder, "Think it through and make a decision quickly. Don't hurt two women. Whether it's Selene or Ashley, they're both good women."
Damian mocked himself, "Are you scolding me?"
"Considering your current behavior, a scolding is mild. In the past, I would have hit you."
Damian raised his eyes to look at him, "When we got divorced, you wanted to do that?"
Theo took out his car keys and walked towards his car, "If I had been in the country then, I probably would have."
But he had been in Arcturus at that time, and by the time he returned, Ashley had disappeared, and the whole matter was settled.
Damian threw the cigarette butt into the trash can and patted Theo's shoulder, "I won't let her down, nor will I hurt her."
"You already are."
Damian got into his car, left hand on the steering wheel, right hand resting casually, driving slowly, the lights along the way retreating at a steady pace.
He recalled Theo's words, his face suddenly tensing, then he accelerated sharply!
He had to see Ashley, right now.
Ashley drove aimlessly, her mind like a scrambled dictionary, with all the letters and words crashing around, making her irritable.
Her phone rang, and she took a breath, answering, "Mr. Ross?"
"I heard about your situation. Do you have time to meet?"
Ashley laughed, "Bad news travels fast, doesn't it?"
"Are you outside? Let's pick a place. I'll come to you."
Ashley saw a bar by the roadside and didn't hesitate, "Buy me a drink. At this hour, nothing else is appropriate."
Sean saw the address and laughed, "What a coincidence. Get out of the car; I'm nearby."
What?
That was too much of a coincidence.
Ashley grabbed her bag and got out of the car. In less than two minutes, she saw Sean, impeccably dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase.
She raised her arm and waved, "No way, Mr. Ross, working this late?"
Sean's gentle smile came against the light, the soft shadows painting his features like a picture, "Occupational hazard, just finished discussing a case with a client."
Ashley took a deep breath, her shoulders slightly sinking, releasing the frustration in her chest, "Don't torture me. I'm an unemployed person without a license."
Sean was a bit surprised when he heard the news, but more than that, he felt heartache. However, given his position and relationship with Ashley, it wasn't appropriate to ask her the reason directly. Having her license revoked was not a glorious thing.
Seeing her forced smile, his heart ached even more, "Let's not talk about unhappy things today. Come on, I'll buy you a drink!"
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