Chapter 499 Key Figures Identified
The sky began to drizzle, the temperature dropped suddenly, and the air carried the chill of winter.
Autumn in Evercrest City was famously short, but winter was particularly long and cold. If you were not careful, you would fall into the winter trap.
Ashley held an umbrella, walking along the sidewalk for five or six minutes. Her hands were so cold they were about to lose feeling. She tightened her collar and walked towards the office building as quickly as possible.
She wore high heels and, like everyone else on the street, hurried along with no extra expression on her face.
Not far from her, in a black car, someone was quietly smoking.
His gaze was like a hidden reef in the sea, deep and profound with every blink.
"Mr. Hearst, it's Mrs. Hearst!"
Seeing Ashley again, Thomas's reaction was obviously much more excited than Damian's, at least on the surface. If he had a suitable reason to go over and greet her, he would have already pushed open the car door and rushed out.
They had specifically come to the road Ashley had to take to work and finally saw this scene.
Damian, from a not-too-far distance, could clearly see Ashley's appearance and even hear the sound of her high heels. His gaze traveled from head to toe, finally stopping at her slightly reddened hands.
Ashley was very afraid of the cold. When they used to walk together in winter, Ashley always stayed very close and constantly hinted at him, asking if she could put her hands in his coat pockets.
Damian finished a cigarette and rolled down the car window. "No one is following her. It seems that person doesn't plan to take action immediately."
Thomas didn't dare to relax his vigilance. "Mr. Hearst, should we send someone to protect Mrs. Hearst in secret? We don't want another incident like Ms. Peterson's."
Damian said, "No need for now. Leaving someone behind might alert the other party."
Thomas nodded repeatedly. "That's true. The other party doesn't know we've noticed, so it's safer."
Who knew if the hidden killer would go to extremes?
Damian's distant gaze was fixed on Ashley. Suddenly, his pupils contracted.
A man suddenly walked up to Ashley, took the umbrella from her hand, and held it over both of their heads. Ashley freed her hands, rubbed them vigorously to warm them, then smiled and put them in her pockets, walking shoulder to shoulder with the man towards the building entrance.
The distance was a bit far, but Damian still recognized Sean at a glance.
Sean's broad back and upright figure, Ashley's slender waist and flowing long hair, looked particularly harmonious.
Thomas also saw the man, gripping the steering wheel in shock. "Mr. Hearst, Mr. Ross's flight didn't leave a few days ago."
Since Sean helped Ashley come to Sylvania, they had often been alone together over the past two years. Just a little check on his entry and exit records would show that he was practically having a long-distance relationship with Ashley.
Seeing their intimate scene with his own eyes, Damian felt as if he were being burned by a raging fire, with a scorching pain.
"Mr. Hearst, the rain is getting heavier. Should we go back to the hotel?"
Thomas started the car, ready to leave the heartbreaking place.
Damian said calmly, "No need to avoid her on purpose. I came here to ensure her safety."
The calmer Damian appeared, the more uncomfortable Thomas felt. Didn't he know how much Damian cared for Ashley? Giving Sean the opportunity to take advantage, the one who felt the most pain and regret was definitely Damian.
Is there really no future for Damian and Ashley?
"Mr. Hearst, maybe it's not what it looks like. Sean is a lawyer, after all. They might be talking about work."
He didn't even believe his own words, so how could he convince Damian?
Damian said, "Do you know how I used to remind Ashley? I told her that Sean's family wouldn't accept her, and her presence would only become a burden and a threat to the Ross family."
Thomas was stunned.
Damian had even said such insidious words to cut off Ashley from other men?
Actually, with a little effort, if you really love someone, who would care about these things?
At worst, they could have a low-key secret marriage, use connections to clean up the past, and if that didn't work, start over with a new identity. There are always ways if you want to do it.
"Did Mrs. Hearst believe it?"
"She probably did."
But now, she might have figured it out, knowing that it wasn't a dead end.
Or maybe, Sean finally started taking action and found out about that layer.
Thomas was extremely unwilling, "Mr. Hearst, you dealt with Hannibal Lecter. Isn't that giving Sean an advantage?"
"Those things don't matter. I want to do what little I can for her. Keep your mouth shut and don't tell her."
Thomas was speechless. If it weren't embarrassing for a man to cry, he would really want to cry. After Damian woke up, his health was very poor. For several months, he relied on medication to maintain his life. Even during such difficult times, he still sent people to investigate the bankruptcy mystery of the Astor Group.
They finally traced it back to Hannibal, uncovering a series of behind-the-scenes culprits.
Although Hannibal wasn't the final link, clearing him out was equivalent to giving the Astor Group a chance to start over officially.
They only needed to do a little more, and the Astor Group could be exonerated.
But at such a critical moment, Damian suddenly called a halt.
Are they really just supporting characters?
No, he couldn't guarantee that he could keep his mouth shut.
Meanwhile.
Ashley finished her meeting and walked into the coffee shop downstairs.
Sean was quietly sitting in a corner, with coffee and documents on the table.
Seeing Ashley come in, he looked up. "What would you like to drink?"
"A latte."
Sean ordered coffee for her and closed the documents. "There's something I want to talk to you about seriously."
Ashley joked with a smile, "Please don't confess to me, or I won't be friends with you anymore."
Sean's serious face showed a trace of helplessness, and he smiled. "I'm not that masochistic about reopening old wounds. It's like this, I commissioned someone to investigate the Astor Group's past records."
Ashley was stunned for two or three seconds before coming to her senses. "Are you crazy? You'll leave a lot of traces. If someone uses it against you, even your father might not be able to help!"
Sean said seriously, "There won't be any traces. My grandfather has a subordinate who was recently promoted and happens to be in charge of this area. I used work as an excuse to have him pull out some files. He won't say anything."
Ashley shook her head. "You're taking too much of a risk, Sean. Anyone who touches the Astor Group's troubles is unlucky. I asked Damian to investigate it back then, and he said it involved..."
Sean continued the conversation she didn't finish, "It involved some high-ranking people, but after my investigation, I found that person was cleared out for special reasons."
Ashley was shocked. "Who?"
"It's Hannibal."
Ashley sank into her chair. Wasn't this a face often seen in the news?
"This kind of thing is an internal scandal, so the news won't report it widely. You won't see related news abroad. I can responsibly tell you that what your father and brother were worried about won't happen. There are only a few steps left, and I want to help you finish them. Then, your father can return home smoothly, and everything will go back to the way it was."
"Are you saying the Astor Group is innocent? They were forced?"
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