Chapter 515 Personally Speaking About the Misunderstanding of the Past
Damian didn't respond to Ashley immediately but looked at her deeply. His eyes were already profound, and when he looked at someone so seriously, they became even more unfathomable, with a hint of warmth hidden within.
Ashley wasn't used to being looked at like that by him, so she shifted her gaze to Natalia's face, smoothing a bit of messy hair on her forehead. Perhaps she had played too wildly before bed, sweated, and her hair stuck to her forehead. "I know about Hannibal's matter. He used our family's lives as leverage to force Dorian to use all kinds of connections to attack KM. But Mr. Hearst, to take so much money at once, without thorough preparation and without the involvement of KM's top management, could it be done?"
After a pause, Ashley calmly said, "You must have suspected that I secretly got Anthony's seal and stamped those documents to make them effective. I can only say, Mr. Hearst, you really think highly of me. With my abilities, I couldn't even get into the chairman's study, let alone get his seal. I'm not a famous thief or a spy. I knew nothing about the whole thing from beginning to end. My family didn't dare to say anything to avoid angering those people."
"They considered contacting you secretly to see if you could come up with a solution. But at that time, given your attitude towards me, you might not have helped. You would have just turned around and accused the Astor Group of conspiring with outsiders to take advantage of you. In fact, that's exactly what you thought. You always believed that I married you to provide a platform for the Astor Group to prosper."
"If Hannibal hadn't died, Dorian wouldn't have dared to speak out about the past, and I wouldn't have known that in Mr. Hearst's mind, I was the mastermind behind everything. Dorian didn't want to tell the truth before, and I felt very guilty and blamed myself. Although I didn't participate in that matter, I couldn't escape the responsibility because of my father's actions. But now, I don't feel guilty at all. We were victims too."
Damian's throat hurt, and his heart hurt even more.
He stared at Ashley without blinking. The light wasn't very bright, and her shadow was cast on the wall, looking so fragile that it seemed it would shatter with a touch.
She was right. In his heart, there was a narrow, dark dungeon where he had imprisoned Ashley for many years.
And he had been wrong for many years.
At this point, Ashley turned back to look at Damian's face, which showed no joy or sorrow. "My dad and brother thought carefully, but they couldn't figure out who the Astor Group had offended so badly that they would use such immense power against us. To put it bluntly, the Astor Group is just an ordinary group. So, Mr. Hearst, I have reason to suspect that it was the Hearst family's enemies who, in order to retaliate against you, used the Astor Group as a scapegoat, dragging us into this mess. I feel like we were implicated by the Hearst family."
The storm in Damian's heart never ceased.
Because what Ashley said was exactly the truth he was desperately investigating.
The events of the past, the current situation, and the details he noticed during his last conversation with Dorian.
Connecting all the clues, it wasn't hard to deduce the hidden truth.
The Astor Group never actively harmed KM from the beginning. They were secretly coerced and had to take self-protective actions.
He had forcefully placed all the blame on the Astor family, believing they were the culprits.
He needed an outlet for his anger and had pushed all his rage onto the Astor family.
"I will thoroughly investigate the truth of the past, find the culprit, and give the Astor Group the truth. What I owe the Astor Group, I will compensate. What I owe you, I will also compensate."
Ashley moved her lips coldly, not even giving him a cold smile. "Not all losses can be compensated with money. If you can't compensate, don't make promises lightly. That will only increase the number of times Mr. Hearst breaks his word. You already have no credibility with me, so don't waste it further."
Ashley wanted to say that perhaps Faye's death was also related to those people, but without any evidence, she didn't dare to speak recklessly. If she angered Damian, how could she get Natalia treated?
Damian's eyes were filled with intense pain. His ability to control his emotions was always weak when it came to Ashley. If he could stand up, he would have wanted to walk over and hold her tightly, even if she hit him, cried, or cursed. He would have accepted it all, letting her vent properly.
He hoped Ashley would lose her temper, shout, and curse, but she didn't. She was so calm, so gentle, that it made his heart ache even more!
Between them, there was no longer the warmth of love, only matter-of-fact communication, without a trace of tender words. Even so, Damian wanted to say a few more words to her. "All of this points directly to the Volcano Group. I talked to their CEO. They have intentions against KM, but we haven't found out who the CEO is. At this time, anyone from Volcano should be on guard. For safety reasons, I hope you keep your distance from Chad. He is not a good person."
Damian wasn't being forcefully threatening or deliberately difficult. He just wanted her to be safe.
But he also knew deep down that when he heard the report from his subordinates about Ashley having dinner with Chad, shopping, and riding the Ferris wheel, he was very uncomfortable.
At that moment, he wanted to order Chad's legs to be broken.
Ashley nodded. She believed Damian's words were true. "Chad initially asked me to represent Volcano in their lawsuit against KM, but I refused. That's all."
Damian couldn't help but ask, "You don't want to stand against KM?"
He hoped so, deceiving himself into thinking that maybe Ashley still cared about their relationship. Even if she didn't love him anymore, she didn't want to hurt him.
Ashley, however, sneered, "You're overthinking it. I just don't want to have any contact with KM or anyone associated with you."
Damian felt as if he had been slapped in the face. He replied self-deprecatingly, "I understand."
He didn't get angry, didn't mock, didn't ridicule. He answered so gentlemanly that Ashley felt uncomfortable.
"It's too late. I'll take Natalia back to rest."
"Okay." Damian nodded.
Ashley carefully picked up Natalia, holding her in her arms.
Although Natalia had shrunk, she was still five years old, and her weight was there. It was a bit strenuous for a woman to carry her.
Ashley didn't expect Damian to help her, but Damian didn't even offer a polite word.
Where was his demeanor? His manners?
Right, even if he had them, he wouldn't give them to her.
She held the child tightly, and after a few steps, her arms began to ache. As she walked out of the villa's gate, Ashley foolishly looked back, but there was no sign of Damian.
The break was clean.
Well, that's good. It only strengthened her resolve.
In the study.
Damian clenched his fists in frustration, placing his hands on his legs and punching hard.
No feeling, still no feeling.
He thought he had adapted to this fact, accepted the punishment of losing his legs.
But seeing Ashley struggling to carry Natalia, he suddenly felt a deep resentment, a resentment he had never felt before.
Picking up his phone, Damian dialed, "Mr. Moretti."
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