Chapter 84 Don't Flatter Yourself, The Experience Is Just Mediocre
The valley, long untouched, was unexpectedly breached, devoid of any premonition. As she plunged into the abyss, her senses recoiled against the sudden onslaught, overwhelmed, invaded, and ruthlessly excavated. Ashley tried to voice her protest, but no sound escaped her lips. Sweat beaded on her forehead, her petite face turned ashen, and her nostrils flared in response to the sharp pain she could barely withstand. Her fingers clung to the man, trembling and slick with perspiration. What ensued was a mechanical procedure, a punishment in its own right. She oscillated between waves of pain, deaf to her own breath, conscious only of the relentless, furious pounding. From the first light of dawn to the brilliant brightness of the day, she was spent, aimlessly adrift like a piece of flotsam, her limbs too feeble to find any buoyant support. Damp sweat clung to her hair, and around her eyes, it was hard to distinguish tears from perspiration. Her throat was raw from screaming, and eventually, she succumbed to a dry cough. Feeble and breathless, she smirked spitefully. "Damian, is that the extent of your prowess?" Damian regarded the woman, nearly shattered by his hands, and retorted in a harsh, derisive tone, "Not enough?" Ashley attempted to lift her head, intending to deride him with contempt, but his next advance engulfed her once more. As she slipped into unconsciousness, she faintly heard Damian murmur, "Ungrateful." When she regained consciousness, the sun was setting. She lay there, her back almost adhered to the mattress, haphazardly covered with a thin blanket. Her eyes struggled to open, and it took a while to focus. Recalling the day's events, she couldn't muster the energy to sit up. She managed to crawl to the edge of the bed and leaned against the headboard for a few minutes, then grabbed a water bottle from the nightstand and gulped down several mouthfuls. Finally, her parched throat found some relief. The bedroom was thick with the scent of hormones, each breath a reminder of the day's occurrences. Ashley slowly pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, feeling an overwhelming void within. Could she consider what happened as being forced by Damian? Legally speaking, without consent, an ex-husband's sexual actions towards an ex-wife could be deemed unlawful. She could sue Damian! Leaving her torn clothes unworn, she wrapped herself in a bedsheet and headed to the bathroom. She needed evidence, enough to obliterate Damian's reputation. "Wakey-wakey?" His voice jolted Ashley from her reverie. Damian emerged fresh from a shower and changed into clean clothes, showing no signs of the previous day's fray. In contrast, Ashley felt drained, like a withered creature. "Prepare for a lawsuit, Damian!" she gritted her teeth. "Aren't you hungry?" Damian's nonchalance made him seem like any other carefree boyfriend. Incensed, Ashley snapped, "How can you even speak to me, Damian? You..." Words failed her as she choked on her revulsion. "If you're hungry, come eat," Damian suggested. Ashley wanted to stamp her feet in frustration but could barely lift her legs. "Just wait for the courtroom!" Slam! The door shut violently with her rage. Starved from not eating all day and physically overwrought, Ashley felt faint under the shower, her body and thoughts both spinning. She scrubbed herself desperately, trying to erase his touch. Yet now, her face, shoulders, collarbones, chest, even her calves. Each bruised patch she saw was a testament to his hate. After a draining twenty minutes, Ashley emerged with a sullen expression. She was donning a loose-knit sweater and pants, her wet hair dripping and looking worn and haggard, yet her eyes blazed with fire. Damian sat in the living room midway through a virtual meeting. At the sight of Ashley, he wrapped up with a few brief sentences in English and snapped his laptop shut. "Not bad endurance, lasting till now." Through gritted teeth, Ashley ordered, "Get out." Unfazed, Damian strode into the dining room, presenting the steaming food. "Time to eat." Ashley clenched her fists, enunciating each word, "Go away!" As he sampled the meal, Damian retorted coolly, "After sharing a bed, why waste the experience by not joining me?" Staring at the ceiling, she wished she had a knife. She'd plunge without hesitation. Step by thundering step, she declared, "I know the power that backs you, and suing might not bring you down, but I believe in justice. It won't be delayed. Just wait; we're far from done!" Her furious words seemed toothless to Damian. "The KM Road case is yours." Ashley scoffed. "A measly case to buy me off, to bury your actions?" Calmly, Damian probed. "What more do you want?" That question stumped Ashley. If she made demands, she'd tacitly agree to a payoff, absolving Damian. The two voices inside her clashed, turning her thoughts into a tangled mess. Damian set the soup in front of her and neatly placed the spoon beside the bowl. "Wasn't this what you called me about last night? You wanted the KM Road case. I'm giving it to you. Aren't you satisfied?" Yeah, that's what she had wanted. But she hadn't anticipated Damian tormenting her for nearly an entire day, back and forth, over and over again. "Are you even human?" Damian raised an eyebrow. "Impressed by my stamina?" Ugh! Ashley gripped her knife, wishing she could gouge out his smug eyes. "Sure, only a beast would have that." Lowering his gaze to the woman across the table, Damian said, "Rather than complain about what's happened, consider what you can gain from it—whether it's a lesson or a direct benefit. Losing your cool with anger will only result in missing out on more." He picked up some food, tasted it, and was quite pleased with his cooking skills. "Take today, for example. If you concede a little after the fact, say some kind words to me. Perhaps my soft heart might assist you. All you want is to secure Astor Group's standing and help your parents return stateside, right? That's not hard for me." Ashley fought back tears of humiliation. "I give in, and you'd help me? Damian, you cloak your animalistic behavior with noble words, using them as an excuse. You never intended to help Astor Group, so why toy with me?" "Not necessarily," Damian replied. Ashley turned her head away, a single tear escaping. "Oh, 'not necessarily,' huh? Life and death, all under your powerful grip, totally at the mercy of your moods." "Well, if you know it depends on my moods, don't provoke me," said Damian. She was about to snap her knife, unable to taste anything on her plate. "I won't take the case. Sure, Damian, you're not bad-looking. I thought I was getting some free labor. The experience wasn't great. I won't be coming to you next time." Damian's face slowly turned pale. "Say that again?" Ashley chewed and swallowed a mouthful of food. "Aren’t you a bit too full of yourself, Damian? My personal experience was quite mediocre. It was a tedious affair with nothing noteworthy besides its unnecessary length." As Damian's anger turned to laughter, he taunted, "Not satisfied? It sounded like you were having the time of your life."
