Chapter 502 Is this their child?
The trial ended, and Ashley headed straight to the restaurant.
Holding a large bouquet of flowers, she walked into the private room and immediately saw her parents, her brother and sister-in-law, five-year-old Natalia Astor, and little Happy in her mother's arms.
There was a cake on the shelf in the private room, and the whole family was in high spirits.
"Auntie!!"
Natalia saw Ashley, climbed down from the chair, and hugged her waist, looking up sweetly, "You're finally here, I missed you so much!"
Ashley affectionately rubbed Natalia's pigtails, "I missed you too, Natalia. You look even prettier."
Natalia tugged at her clothes with her little hands and softly pleaded, "Auntie, can you talk to Daddy and Mommy and let me stay at Grandpa and Grandma's house? I don't want to stay at the nursing home."
As she spoke, her little mouth drooped, looking pitiful.
Ashley quickly looked at Dorian and Blair.
Blair and Dorian exchanged a glance, their eyes instantly reddening. Dorian held Blair's hand and comforted, "How about we bring Natalia back?"
Blair's face lit up but quickly dimmed again, "What if those people kidnap Natalia again to threaten us?"
The last kidnapping still haunted her.
"We don't have any money; those people should know that. I don't think they will kidnap her again."
Todd said, "In my opinion, it's better to bring Natalia back. Always hiding is not a solution."
Dorian nodded, "I'll handle the paperwork, but..."
But Natalia's illness requires her to go to the hospital three times a week for check-ups, so bringing her back wouldn't be much more convenient.
Considering it was Todd's birthday, they didn't dwell on pessimistic topics.
Halfway through the meal, Natalia said she wanted to go to the bathroom. Ashley, sitting by the door, took her hand and went outside.
Natalia loved spending time with Ashley, and she especially liked her. After using the bathroom, she happily shared interesting stories, making Ashley smile along.
Suddenly, Ashley stopped in her tracks!
She felt as if struck by lightning, an indescribable sense of desolation and emptiness surged in her heart, just like the deep autumn in Evercrest City.
By the floor-to-ceiling window, Damian sat there in a sharp suit, elegantly holding a water glass, about to drink. When he saw her, the glass paused mid-air, and then he put it down.
Opposite him sat the elegantly dressed, long-haired Jessica.
It had been two or three years, and Damian was still dating this beautiful doctor, seemingly heading towards marriage.
In the large Chinese restaurant, the air suddenly felt half-drained, the remaining bit insufficient for breathing, clogging the trachea.
Instinctively, Ashley tightened her grip on Natalia's hand.
Natalia winced in pain, "Auntie."
Ashley snapped back to reality and released her grip. "Natalia, you go back first."
Obediently, Natalia walked back to the private room.
Jessica noticed the change in Damian's expression, turned around, and froze. "Ms. Astor?"
She had some urgent business in Evercrest City yesterday and called Damian, who was typically indifferent and showed no excitement about her arrival.
Perhaps his rejection partly stemmed from Ashley being here.
What had happened between them? Why did Damian always react so heavily whenever Ashley was mentioned?
Ashley nodded, "Hello, Jessica."
Deliberately pausing, she addressed Damian, "Hello, Mr. Hearst."
Her distant and cold attitude made it seem like they were not familiar at all.
Damian's Adam's apple bobbed harshly, his entire back stiffening, "How have you been lately?"
The four words seemed plain but hid too many unspoken emotions. The deep sea's undercurrents always appeared calm, but it was the silent power at the bottom that caused the massive surges.
Ashley showed little emotion, "Pretty good."
Jessica smiled and asked, "That little girl just now looks a lot like you, very pretty and cute."
Damian's eyes widened slightly, something others might not notice, but he clearly felt his heart pounding several times!
Looks a lot like Ashley?
Appearing four or five years old, could she be their child?
Amelia had said Ashley was pregnant back then, and the child was born safely?
Damian blurted out, "Is that child your daughter?"
Is she our daughter?
Is she?
His gaze was direct, penetrating, trying to extract the answer from Ashley's eyes.
He couldn't hide the waves in his heart, his emotions spilling out through his eyes, unrestrained.
Ashley's fingers trembled.
She didn't dare to look at Damian's intimidating gaze, too much like a hungry beast ready to devour a lamb.
Terrifying to the point of suffocation.
Ashley didn't want him to succeed, deliberately saying, "Does she really look that much like me? Jessica, where do you think we look alike?"
Ashley and Dorian looked quite similar, and Natalia resembled Dorian more. This wasn't the first time someone asked if she was Natalia's mother.
Jessica was overjoyed, feeling like she had found a treasure. If Ashley had a daughter, wouldn't that mean she had no chance with Damian?
"I didn't get a good look just now, but the overall aura is very similar, clearly a family. And you both have big round eyes, double eyelids, and similar noses and mouths. Is she really your daughter? When did you get married?"
Ashley had always been single in the country; could her husband be in Sylvania?
So, she and Damian were just business partners?
Jessica couldn't help but smile, feeling sweeter than honey.
Damian's hand on his leg clenched into a fist because he shared Jessica's view!
He had been too focused on staring at her, but now that he thought about it, that child was practically a miniature Ashley, with a small face and big eyes. The most telling sign was the unique family aura they shared, clearly indicating blood relation!
Ashley mysteriously smiled, "Jessica, you have sharp eyes, noticing such details. Enjoy your meal; I'm going inside."
"Ashley!" Damian, no longer caring about his image or volume, suddenly shouted her name.
Ashley smiled lightly, "Mr. Hearst, everyone is watching you, please be mindful."
Just not answering, driving you crazy!
Ashley could easily guess what Damian misunderstood. Amelia had said she deliberately didn't tell him about the child's existence but didn't mention the miscarriage.
He must be feeling terrible, mistaking Natalia for his child, right?
Feel terrible then!
Your biological son is inside, and you can't even get a glimpse.
Turning, Ashley walked away briskly.
After several steps, she realized something was off.
With Damian's jerk personality, shouldn't he be chasing after her for answers? Why wasn't he reacting?
Didn't want his future wife to get jealous?
Makes sense, buying condoms, taking them abroad, pampering her so much, how could he bear to let her feel wronged?
Shaking off the displeasure, Ashley closed the door and continued enjoying dinner with her family.
If she had been slightly more distracted, she would have noticed that Damian wasn't sitting on a chair but a wheelchair.
Meanwhile.
Damian's face was covered in a thick layer of frost, bringing the deep winter into the well-heated restaurant.
Jessica was extremely anxious. "Mr. Hearst, are you okay?"
Damian frowned and coldly said, "I have something to do, take your time eating."
With that, he called Thomas over.
"Mr. Hearst..."
Damian raised his hand to stop him from speaking, "Let's go."
Thomas glanced at Jessica's face, then at the surrounding atmosphere, feeling tense, as if attending a funeral instead of a meal.
Jessica quickly stood up, "Let me help?"
Damian said, "Thomas?"
Thomas hurriedly moved behind him, "Yes, Mr. Hearst."
He pulled out the foldable handles of the wheelchair and pushed Damian out of the restaurant.
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