Chapter 503 Damian's Fatherly Love
Hotel, top floor.
Damian was more nervous than he had ever been, his hands clasped tightly together, his forehead pressed down, half of his body sunk into the sofa.
He didn't hesitate for a moment; as soon as he left the restaurant, he informed his subordinates to investigate Ashley's family members and carefully check for any mistakes or omissions from back then.
As time ticked by, his pressure increased bit by bit.
If that little girl was indeed his child, then he was truly an unforgivable bastard.
Leaving Ashley and her daughter to suffer so much.
And Ashley, she deserved a good scolding too. Why did she hide it from him? Not even letting him know about their child?!
Thomas carefully handed him a cup of coffee. "Mr. Hearst, don't worry, we should have an answer soon."
Damian hated his initial judgment. When Amelia said that, he should have immediately sent someone to check on the child's existence. He should have investigated earlier.
"That child..." Damian's voice was hoarse, his nervous eyes red, "looks a lot like Ashley."
How much alike? Now, when he closed his eyes, he could vividly picture their faces.
He had never imagined what their child would look like, but seeing her today, suddenly all the vague shadows became concrete.
Thomas said, "But why hasn't Mrs. Hearst mentioned it? Could it be that she's afraid you'll fight for custody?"
Damian nodded gloomily.
This explanation made sense.
The Hearst family didn't accept Ashley, and she was wary of them. Once Anthony and his parents knew about the child's existence, they would spare no effort to take the child back, leaving Ashley with nothing.
Thinking this way, Damian was almost certain that the girl was his daughter.
Then, he awkwardly smiled, "Have you ever taken care of a child? A four or five-year-old girl."
Thomas replied, "Yes, a relative's child. It's quite interesting, especially little girls, they're naturally well-behaved and heartwarming."
Damian unconsciously rubbed his hands. "What do little girls like?"
Thomas said, "Little girls like dolls, pretty clothes, pink things. There are so many things for kids in the mall, it's dazzling. Mrs. Hearst is so beautiful, her child must be especially cute too. Put her in a pretty dress, and she's a little princess."
Daughter, little princess.
He wasn't used to suddenly having a child, but thinking about that soft little life, he felt strange, with a bit of uneasy warmth.
He didn't even notice that the corners of his mouth were slightly lifting.
If he and Ashley had a child, then everything could start anew.
He had to fulfill his responsibilities as a husband and father and take good care of them.
The phone rang, and Thomas answered, "Have you found out?"
Damian reached out, took the phone, and controlled his tone. "How is it?"
"Mr. Hearst, we found out that the Astor family indeed has another child named Natalia, but the documents list her as Dorian's daughter."
"Dorian?" Damian's voice turned colder.
"That's what the documents say. There's something else strange; since Natalia came to Sylvania, she's mostly lived in a sanatorium. She's not in good health, seems to have a congenital blood issue, and needs treatment two or three times a week. The Astor family has spent a lot of time and money on her treatment."
Damian recalled the information he had previously gathered about the Astor family. They regularly sent money to the sanatorium every month. At the time, his subordinates were puzzled why the Astor family, being so financially strained, would still do charity.
It seemed that money was for raising the child.
"Why live in a sanatorium? What happened?"
Even if she were sick, it shouldn't require living in a medical center year-round.
"Natalia was kidnapped when she was young. After that, the Astor family probably feared being discovered and secretly raised her outside, likely worried about another kidnapping."
Damian pinched the bridge of his nose. The Astor Group went bankrupt and hid in Sylvania, probably not having a single peaceful day. Both adults and children suffered, even a few-year-old child had to hide.
"Who were the kidnappers?"
The person on the other end shook their head, "We couldn't find out, but Natalia was later returned safely, and no ransom was demanded."
A kidnapping without a ransom demand didn't seem like the behavior of regular kidnappers.
Damian thought of a possibility, "The kidnappers of Selene and Natalia were probably from Volcano. Analyze both kidnappings together, and find a way to get a blood sample from Natalia."
Thomas bit his lip.
Damian was unwilling to accept that Natalia's father was Dorian.
"Yes, Mr. Hearst."
After hanging up, Damian's frown deepened. He was silent for a few seconds. "Any movements from Volcano?"
Thomas replied, "Our people are watching 24/7, but we haven't seen the CEO. KM's lawsuit is about to go to court, and he probably won't appear."
Damian had anticipated that he wouldn't appear in court and never expected to see him there, but he had a suspicion, always feeling that the person was nearby, and blatantly so.
What identity was he disguised as?
The phone rang again; it was a call from Dante. Damian picked up.
"Mr. Hearst, we had a video conference with Volcano's legal department. Their legal team will be in Rochester City next week."
"Okay."
After briefly discussing specific matters, Damian's thoughts were still occupied by Natalia's small figure.
To be honest, when he heard that Natalia was Dorian's daughter, he felt very disappointed. Just when his heart was filled, it was emptied again.
It turned out that he cared deeply about the child's existence.
Having and then losing was far more painful than never having at all.
He even had an unwilling thought, wanting to fight for another chance, only willing to accept it after personally seeing the paternity test.
Rather than saying he was unwilling to accept the facts, it was more that he didn't want to cut off the possibility of being entangled with Ashley again.
With extremely complex emotions, Damian was anxious.
There was a knock on the door.
Jessica knocked and came in with a bowl of medicine, "Mr. Hearst, the medicine is ready. Do you want to drink it now?"
Thomas, understanding the atmosphere, quickly left, "I'll get busy."
After he left, Jessica placed the medicine on the coffee table and pushed Damian over. "Mr. Collins prepared another week's worth. He wants you to drink it on time. He also said that as long as there are no complications, you won't need to drink the medicine after half a month."
Damian looked at the thick Chinese medicine, "You don't need to make a special trip to deliver a few packs of medicine."
Jessica said considerately, "Mother is worried about you and asked me to come and check on you."
"You don't need to wrong yourself," Damian said.
From the time he was in a coma to when his legs were paralyzed, Jessica had been by his bedside for two years. Bryan and Nicole were satisfied with her gentle and obedient nature. Although Anthony didn't think much of the Baldwin family's status, he appreciated her understanding, and the whole family tacitly accepted Jessica's presence.
They even considered her as a future daughter-in-law.
Jessica smiled, "I'm not wronged at all. You know what I mean. You don't have to like me or accept me as a girlfriend, but please let me continue to be your doctor."
Damian was noncommittal.
After drinking the medicine, Jessica went to take the cup.
Her hand slipped, and the cup fell to the ground, shattering into several pieces.
Jessica hurried to pick it up, and her finger accidentally brushed against a sharp piece of glass, leaving a long cut that immediately oozed blood.
"It hurts!"
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