Chapter 475 Free Climbing
Cheryl grabbed Ashley's hand, "Ms. Astor, come on, let's go to the flower garden. They say it has rare plants from all over the world, with over a hundred types of roses and countless varieties of orchids."
Memories that had surfaced were interrupted, and Ashley, lacking enthusiasm, said, "I'm a bit carsick. I'll check into the hotel first and go later when it cools down. You go ahead and catch up with them."
Unable to persuade her, Cheryl gave up, "Alright then, but make sure you join the first activity. We'll be waiting for you!"
"Okay."
Ashley, familiar with the process, walked into the hotel, gave her name, received her room key, and took the elevator upstairs.
The top two floors of the hotel were executive suites and presidential suites, reserved only for the Hearst family and their VIP guests. They had to stay in the regular rooms below.
However, the amenities were no different from those of a five-star hotel.
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Ashley smiled bitterly, "I never thought I'd come back this way."
The first time she came to Nine Creeks Garden was for a private party hosted by the Hearst family. She had just married Damian, and Christian, Hayden, and Theo were also invited, all close friends of the Hearst family.
The atmosphere was great at first, with mutual congratulations and guests enjoying themselves.
Although Damian was cold to her, he maintained appearances in front of others, allowing her to stay by his side, though they didn't interact at all.
She carefully held her wine glass, speaking every word with extra caution, afraid of embarrassing the Hearst family.
Later, Christian suggested, "Let's not just drink, let's do something fun."
Hayden, always restless, asked cheerfully, "Like what?"
"You and Theo work with your hands, so let's skip rock climbing. How about we take a hot air balloon ride?"
Faye, hearing about the hot air balloon, ran over with her dress lifted, "Yes, I want to join too!"
Ashley bit her lip and quietly moved closer to Damian, hoping to ride with him.
Fortunately, things went her way. They launched three hot air balloons, with Hayden and Theo in one, and Faye in Christian's.
Hayden protested, "Faye, what do you mean by this? Do you think I can't protect you?"
Faye replied seriously, "You and Theo work with your hands. You need to treat patients, and he needs to play the piano. I can't risk you two saving me."
Christian smiled wryly, "Alright, I'm a rough man. Just tell me what you need from me."
The crowd burst into laughter.
As the hot air balloon ascended, Ashley sat carefully beside Damian, looking down at Nine Creeks Garden and genuinely admiring, "This estate is so beautiful. It's even bigger than I imagined. I never knew the Hearst family had a private garden. It's stunning."
Damian's face remained cold, showing no emotion, his voice hard, "Didn't know before? Didn't Ms. Astor thoroughly investigate the Hearst family's assets before marrying me?"
Ashley became flustered, desperately explaining, "No, I didn't. You know I don't care about those things. I just wanted to be with you. I love you."
Damian sneered, "Of course, so you can rightfully enjoy everything the Hearst family has. But let me warn you, Ashley, none of this has anything to do with you. Just give up."
Tears welled up in Ashley's eyes, feeling wronged and wanting to cry, "I never wanted anything from the Hearst family. On the contrary, I'll do my best to help you."
"I don't need it."
Suddenly, the hot air balloon jolted!
The shaking in the high altitude was terrifying. Ashley, panicked, grabbed Damian's hand, her face pale, "What's happening? The balloon seems to be tilting."
Damian looked at her hand with disgust and shook it off.
No words were needed; it was enough to break her heart a thousand times.
"Help!"
Later, she didn't know what happened. The hot air balloon rapidly descended, completely out of control. Ashley was so scared she lost her senses.
Instinctively, she clung tightly to her only support—Damian.
The hot air balloon eventually crashed into the swimming pool due to a malfunction.
Fortunately, they weren't killed.
But the Hearst family and the guests were all frightened and rushed over.
Especially Nicol, who almost couldn't stand when she saw her son's condition, "What happened? Ashley, what did you do again? Why is it that every time Damian is with you, something bad happens? Are you trying to kill him?"
In front of so many people, Nicol placed all the blame on her.
Ashley, still gasping for air after falling into the water, was at a loss for words and couldn't think of how to explain.
Damian pried her hand off and swiftly climbed out of the pool.
Ashley looked at his departing back in disbelief, her mind even more muddled, "Honey."
Nicol coldly reprimanded, "Stop calling him that. Don't you know how embarrassing this is? Get out of the water, your clothes are soaked. What a disgrace."
Her dress was soaked through, revealing the clothes underneath. Surrounded by onlookers, Ashley's face turned crimson with embarrassment.
Seeing her status in the eyes of the Hearst family, the guests secretly laughed.
The Hearst family didn't marry a daughter-in-law; they married a burden.
She couldn't remember how she got out, how she dragged her wet dress to the hotel. The shame, humiliation, and heartbreak were so intense that her memory forcibly erased a small segment.
She could only remember later asking Damian, "Won't you help me at all?"
Damian replied, "Do you not have hands or feet?"
Suddenly, her phone rang, snapping Ashley back to reality. She looked down to find tears had unknowingly streamed down her cheeks, wetting them.
Wiping away the tears, she answered the call.
Cheryl shouted from the other end, "Ms. Astor, we're about to start. We're just waiting for you! Hurry up!"
"Coming, two minutes."
She quickly tidied herself up in front of the mirror and walked briskly to the location Cheryl had sent.
Unexpectedly, the first activity was an intense freehand climbing session. How stressed were these lawyers?
Ashley looked up at the towering rock wall, feeling hesitant. With her physical condition, she'd fall after climbing a third of the way. She'd be better off staying below and clapping.
Daniel, holding a list of participants, marked with numbers and teams, said, "Ms. Astor, you're number five on the blue team. Get ready."
Ashley frowned, "Don't count me in. I'm not good at this."
Daniel, looking troubled, said, "But we have an even number of people. If you don't participate, the blue team will be one person short, and our score will definitely drop. It's okay, just climb as high as you can. Don't push yourself."
Ashley forced a smile, "I'll try my best not to drag everyone down."
Dante, Kevin, and a few other senior leaders, due to their age, weren't participating in this high-risk activity. They sat nearby, drinking tea and chatting.
Dante, holding a teacup, looked at the crowd with a faint smile.
Kevin sneered, "Last time, they made an excuse to give Ashley a job. Now they've brought her directly into the team. I think Emma might be right. Maybe Mr. Hearst wants Ashley to take over the legal department. Mr. Moretti, what's your stance? Are you really going to let her have her way?"
Jerry said, "Kevin, don't be so anxious. Nothing's happened yet, right?"
Dante listened to them and slowly said, "Mr. Hearst's arrangements are beyond our consideration. Don't overthink it. We take the boss's money, so we follow the boss's orders. Besides, so far, Ashley hasn't done anything."
"I'm just afraid that once an order comes down, it'll be too late for us to say anything!" Kevin just couldn't stand Ashley.
Meanwhile.
Ashley put on her gear, gritted her teeth, and grabbed the protruding rock. As long as she wasn't the first to fall, it wouldn't be too embarrassing. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid.
Coincidentally, Emma's position was right next to hers, almost touching, "Ms. Astor, I was impulsive today. I'm sorry. Don't be mad."
Ashley, focused on figuring out how to conquer the rock wall, replied absentmindedly, "It's okay."
"Then, let's cheer each other on. I'm not good at this either."
Ashley's heart was pounding, and she didn't think much, "Alright."
The whistle blew, and the competition began!
Ashley gritted her teeth, using all her strength in her hands and feet to climb up.
Her physical condition wasn't great, but she had a background in dance, so her balance was decent. She managed to stabilize herself and, at least, wasn't the first to fall.
Emma seemed to be very good at climbing, moving quickly and steadily. Before long, she was above Ashley, a full person's height ahead.
Ashley looked up and saw Emma's shoes, with rows of studs on the soles, providing strong grip and anti-slip.
She couldn't help but feel envious; the equipment made a big difference.
Suddenly, Ashley felt a violent spinning sensation, her head and face seemed to be stomped and kicked several times. Her vision went black, and she couldn't see anything.
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