Chapter 453 "I'm asking you, who is the person you like?"
Selene?
This was a name Ashley had never heard before.
From the servants' occasional remarks, Ashley had already learned most of the information she needed to know.
Damian had a childhood sweetheart he deeply loved, someone the entire Hearst family elders unanimously approved of as a daughter-in-law, someone who was the love of Damian's heart.
What kind of relationship did they have? Growing up together, innocent childhood friends, witnessing each other's growth, sharing every beautiful moment of their youth?
Isn't that what childhood sweethearts are all about?
Ashley gave a bitter smile. No wonder she couldn't get into Damian's heart no matter how hard she tried. His heart had long been occupied by someone else, leaving no space for her.
When he was forced to marry her, he must have been very angry, very frustrated, and perhaps even a bit vengeful?
The person he liked was unattainable, and everyone else was just a compromise. Since that was the case, why not choose someone who could help him in his career?
That was how she ended up being chosen among many candidates.
To this day, she still couldn't forget Damian's cold, icy face on their wedding night.
He looked at her in her wedding dress, without expression, without warmth, without a trace of newlywed joy, "I can marry you, but I can never love you."
At that time, he was probably thinking about Selene, feeling very angry and unfair that the woman he married was not his true love.
Ashley held her head tightly, not letting the past overwhelm her.
She couldn't sit still any longer and quickly walked out of the villa.
After an unknown amount of time, her phone vibrated wildly.
"Hello?"
Damian stood in an empty side hall, the fruit and snacks on the coffee table untouched, as if no one had ever been there. "Where are you?"
Ashley looked up at the sky, trying to control her emotions. "Outside."
Damian frowned and walked out quickly, his steps much faster than usual. Soon, he saw the car parked outside the door, dark and lifeless.
He suddenly felt a bit panicked, worried that when he opened the door, it would still be empty.
"Why did you come out?"
He took some effort to open the car door. Fortunately, in the dim light, he saw Ashley's somewhat tired little face. She was still there, which was the best news.
Ashley put down her phone and said indifferently, "Someone came over, and I was afraid of being discovered, so I sneaked out."
She described herself like a thief.
Damian got in and sat down. "I didn't think it through."
Was he indirectly apologizing?
Ashley didn't take it to heart, started the car, turned around, and drove back. "Why are you so fast?"
Damian said, "Nothing much, just a few words."
Talking about marriage, right?
Did the family arrange another well-matched socialite for you?
Ashley nodded. "Back to Imperial Residence?"
"Let's go eat."
Ashley almost laughed. "Mr. Hearst didn't get enough to eat with his parents?"
Damian coincidentally saw her smile, her eyes sparkling like a lake under the moonlight. He was a bit lost. "The family changed chefs, and the food doesn't suit my taste."
Look at that, this is the real Damian, with pickiness ingrained in his bones.
"Where does Mr. Hearst want to eat?"
"You're asking me?"
Ashley blinked.
Shouldn't she ask him? As his assistant, does she need to learn mind reading?
"You mean I should choose?"
Damian leaned back in his seat, feeling relaxed. "Do you think being an assistant is easy? Choosing a restaurant is part of the job."
Ashley pouted disdainfully. "Fine, you let me choose."
"You didn't eat either, let's eat together."
Talking with his parents, they argued after a few words, differing opinions, different attitudes, each trying to persuade the other. Finally, when they calmed down, they brought up his least favorite topics.
From blind dates to business management, from Trinity's hospitalization to finding a smart and sensible woman, they analyzed Victor and Nathan one by one, repeatedly reminding him to be careful in the group.
No wonder he had no appetite.
Only at this moment, sitting in the car with Ashley, smelling her faint fragrance, watching the streetlights quietly retreat, did he truly feel relaxed.
He was surprised when he started having this thought.
In the past, when he was alone with Ashley, he always felt bored and impatient, wishing she would disappear forever.
People do change.
Hearts change too.
More than half an hour later, the car stopped.
Ashley unbuckled her seatbelt. "Mr. Hearst, please get out."
Damian looked up and saw a restaurant specializing in herring dishes. His face quickly turned from sunny to cloudy. "Ashley Astor, are you kidding me?"
He called her by her full name, clearly very dissatisfied.
But she didn't want to care. She was feeling miserable and just wanted to satisfy her stomach quickly. "I remember Mr. Hearst enjoyed the food in Coastal City last time. This place is even better, and I'm starving. I don't want to change places."
Damian said unhappily, "Weren't there snacks?"
He had instructed the servants to prepare food in advance, afraid she would be hungry, but she hadn't touched any of it.
"I don't dare eat anything from your house, afraid of getting my hands chopped off."
Damian was speechless.
Today, Damian was wearing a handmade suit, custom shoes from Eurostan, looking so refined from head to toe that he could be a model in a high-end store, completely out of place in a simple restaurant.
But Ashley suddenly didn't want to please him anymore. "Mr. Hearst, if you don't want to eat, you don't have to. I'm hungry."
With that, she walked in and shouted, "Sir, one signature herring pasta, extra spicy!"
She found a seat by the door, facing the air conditioner, but it couldn't blow away the heat and frustration in her heart.
Soon, she felt a cool breeze, followed by Damian's dark figure.
Damian sat across from her with a gloomy face. "Don't you know your stomach? Can you eat that much spice?"
Ashley stirred the pasta that had just been served, a layer of red chili on top. "My stomach is fine, and eating chili whitens the skin."
She took a bite, the spicy taste instantly hitting her nose, making her eyes water. Her big eyes were filled with tears, everything in front of her covered in a watery haze.
Great, she could finally cry openly.
Ashley grabbed a tissue and roughly wiped her tears, but the more she wiped, the more tears came. The sadness, grievance, and discomfort, all mixed together, spilling from her eyes, tears falling on her hands. She blew on the hot food, "So spicy, so satisfying!"
Damian frowned deeply and handed her a bottle of water. "Don't force yourself. If you can't eat it, don't."
Ashley didn't drink the water. If she did, how could she cry freely? "You don't understand, spicy is the most satisfying flavor. Sometimes, people need to eat something extremely spicy to expel the toxins from their body."
She took several more bites, her mouth going numb from the spice, her eyes red and swollen.
Damian said helplessly, "I think you're just asking for trouble."
Yes, she was asking for trouble.
She had been asking for trouble for years, and each time was more painful than this.
Ashley slapped the table. "Sir, a cold beer!"
Damian almost dragged her out by the neck. "Drinking too? That's enough."
Ashley smiled and took the opened beer, the cold bottle stinging her hand. She tilted her head back and gulped down several mouthfuls, the cold and spicy flavors clashing in her stomach.
After drinking half the beer, Ashley's eyes were a bit unfocused. She looked at Damian intently. "It's after work hours now. My job is done, so Mr. Hearst, don't worry about me."
Damian's temples throbbed with anger. He grabbed her wrist, not letting her drink more. "You haven't sent your boss home yet, and you're getting drunk? Are you rebelling?"
Did she forget her alcohol tolerance?
Didn't she remember she was a lightweight?
Ashley smacked her lips, half serious, half teasing. "Can I ask you something?"
Damian took a few tissues and wiped her mouth. "Ask when we get back."
Ashley grabbed the table leg, refusing to move like a child. "Answer me and I'll go. Just one question."
Damian was worn out by her. "Go ahead."
Ashley hiccuped, fanning herself with her hand. "When you were young, did you ever like a girl? Like a childhood sweetheart?"
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