Chapter 9 The Client and The Contractor
Ashley sauntered away, bag in hand, "If that's how it is, please feel free to go, Damian. You don't care for me; I'll keep my distance."
Damian's face was impassive, “Ashley, you've really picked up a few tricks.”
His tone dripped with sarcasm, and Ashley returned it with a cool smile, “Really? You've toned down quite a bit, Damian. Given your usual style, Mason's brother-in-law would have lost more than a finger.”
Her smile was chilled, without a flicker in her eyes, just a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth, revealing pearly whites with a perfect curve.
Objectively speaking, Ashley was beautiful indeed, her skin luminous, every visible inch glowed with a pale light, trailing down her neck in a tantalizing path of fair, blushing flesh.
Damian might not have caressed her skin many times, but he still remembered her fair complexion.
Unfortunately, this woman possessed some of the most impolite manners imaginable! Clasping his fist tightly beneath his cuff, a shadow of fury crept over Damian’s face. "Feel sorry for him?"
Ashley wasn't a virtuous, saintly person. It was only fair to get what you deserved for your transgressions. She was a lawyer, thus she thought the law should be the source of punishment. Whether it was out of pride or just to terrify her, Damian's intervening to exact revenge on her behalf had insured the bad man got his comeuppance, but it also added another dubious episode to his record.
Whatever, Damian had more problems than he could care.
"He nearly burned me alive; I haven’t reached that level of saintliness," she retorted.
A cold huff escaped Damian's nostrils. "Saintliness?"
If Ashley was a saint, then Damian would eat his hat.
Unclear about Damian's late-night loitering, and bothered by the aching in her lower abdomen, Ashley was curt. "Damian, you're a busy man, I won’t keep you. You should get more sleep at your age. It's good for your health."
She was shooing him away again.
This was the second time she’d tried to send him off.
Acting faster than thought, Damian grabbed her delicate arm. "Implying me old?"
Her arm hurt, she tried to shake free, to no avail. "Maybe I’m talking about myself?"
Damian's impassive gaze swept across her face. "Not young, that's for sure."
Fire shot up to her temples as she faced him with a faint, polite smile, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Since you find me so disagreeable, let's minimize our contact. For any legal matters, have Spencer discuss them with me. The last thing I want is to ruin your day, and I certainly can't be burdened with that guilt."
Damian's gaze turned icy, as if dipped in glacial water. "Is this how you repay me?"
Repay him?
It wasn't like she asked for all the trouble he stirred up with Mason.
Thinking better of it, she decided not to argue. "Thank you," she said simply.
"How exactly will you thank me?" Damian pressed.
His question caught Ashley off guard. After a moment, she said, "By fighting your lawsuit to the best of my ability."
Damian snorted. "Am I lacking in legal fees, or did I take advantage of you somehow?"
The contract was clear. As his attorney, she was set to receive a fee well above average. Money was motivation, enough for her to do her job well.
Alright then.
Knowing Damian, all this chatter hinted at something big up his sleeve. She got straight to the point. "Out with it, what do you want me to do? Anything except involving me in your family drama."
The Hearst family had caused her endless grief and injustice. If she had her way, Ashley would avoid every single one of them for the rest of her life!
"Ashley, still unclear about who holds the power here? It's me who's in control. Do you think you're in a position to negotiate terms with me? Tomorrow morning, 10 AM sharp, Leo Thompson. Be late by a minute, and you're $10,000 short."
Ashley had never realized how fussy Damian could be. Sure, his character had its flaws, but when it came to spending money, he was always incredibly generous. Now, he was nickel-and-diming her over every ten grand. What's gotten into him?
"Nice move holding a grudge under the guise of business. I'm seeing you in a whole new light, Damian."
Damian released her delicate arm, which looked as though it could break with just a twist. "We are all the time in the world, Ashley."
---
Leo Thompson was a familiar place to Ashley; she had visited a few times after her marriage to Damian to see his grandfather.
The patriarch, with three sons and two daughters, didn't bother with any of them. He lived alone in a sprawling estate nestled between the mountains and the river, lavish, imposing, an amazing site.
Stepping out of the car, Ashley, in her high heels, made her way toward the house, navigating around the long, shaded boulevard. Strolling along, she stopped abruptly, drawn to a swing set by the roadside.
"Darling, push me on the swing, let me soar for a bit."
Back then, a youthful Ashley sat on the swing, gazing up at Damian who stood with his hands in his pockets, feigning ignorance of her.
"How old are you again?"
With a pout, Ashley begged, "Just a little push? Dad used to play with me when I was young, play with me today?"
Damian, stone-faced, replied, "If you want to play, then go find your dad."
Ashley was about to put on an act of charm when Anthony Hearst approached. "Is it that you have nothing else to do than to spend all day entertaining her?"
The patriarch's penetrating gaze was like a hailstorm, cold and intense.
Ashley hopped off the swing and meekly sidled up to Damian, whispering, "Mr. Hearst."
Anthony Hearst frowned deeply, clearly displeased with her. "Come with me."
Tightly clenching her hands, Ashley followed Damian closely, but before they reached the entrance of the mansion, the patriarch questioned, "What are you doing?"
With just one question, Ashley stood frozen in embarrassment, helplessly looking to Damian.
Damian stepped up onto the verandah, looking down at his wife whose cheeks were burning with shame. "Go on, play to your heart's content."
With that, he turned and strode away.
Ashley couldn't stop crying, and she didn't even care if the maids noticed. Her face was wet from the tears she couldn't stop.
Now, she chuckled to herself in silence.
They say young love is blindly foolish, a notion that makes her wish she could go back six years and tell her past self the following story. How did she ever let herself get so wrapped up in Damian, with his cold, emotionless face? What was it about him that worth her undying devotion?
---
“Miss Astor?”
A servant recognized Ashley from afar and greeted her.
Ashley put on a relaxed, casual smile. “Joyce, it’s been a while.”
The woman, Joyce, in her fifties, served as Anthony Hearst’s servant. She managed his daily needs carefully. Time had etched its marks on her face; she wasn’t particularly stunning, but her gentle demeanor was her true charm.
To Ashley, she was the only one in the Thompson household who always greeted her with a warm smile.
Joyce glanced around before stepping closer. “How have you been these past years? You've lost so much weight, why is that?”
Ashley's divorce from Damian wasn't public knowledge; the servants stumbled upon it months later, overhearing bits and pieces of conversations. Rumors of her leaving the marriage without a penny and tarnished reputation reached them in whispers.
Others speculated in hushed tones. Infidelity was the story they placed on Ashley, an attempt by the Astor family to drag down the Hearsts due to bankruptcy; or to pay them for the disagreement Ashley's brother had with Damian. In short, Ashley was considered the cause of all trouble.
But Joyce didn't buy into that. The Ashley she knew was kind-hearted and sweet, a truly good girl.
Ashley offered a smile, “I’ve been dieting lately. Is the change that noticeable?”
Joyce replied in earnest, “You’re already too slim. Isn’t it better to be a bit fuller?”
Ashley dodged the concern, and Joyce lowered her voice, “Today’s not the best day. Mr. Hearst is in a terrible mood. He’s been on a rampage since last night, dressing down everyone. Haven't you noticed how eerily quiet the grounds are?”
In her mind, Ashley thought, that’s probably why Damian sent asked her over.
