Chapter 90 It's My Money, Why Should You Care?
<Chapter>Chapter 90 It's My Money, Why Should You Care? </Chapter>
A familiar edge of danger began to creep into the room, causing Ashley's pulse to quicken. "I need to use the bathroom," she announced.Damian's grip on her shoulder tightened, his smile subtle yet unnerving. "I can't tell if it's urgent or if you're just longing for something else," he said.Desperate for an escape route from the escalating tension, Ashley found herself reluctantly on the defensive. "I've sat through enough health classes to know anatomy. Those two things aren't connected," she retorted.At her response, Damian looked down and chuckled, a sound that sent chills down Ashley's spine. "I really need to go. Can you let go?" she pleaded.Feeling a twinge of compassion, Damian released his hold. Seizing the opportunity, Ashley bolted back to the safety of the bedroom. This time, she vowed, she would not open the door again.Silence descended upon the room, hours passing without a single sound. Then, at three in the morning, Ashley awoke drenched in sweat from a horrific nightmare. She had dreamt of her divorce day, clutching the settlement papers as she was kicked down the stairs of KM Road Tower.Her recent interactions with Damian had been too frequent, and her nightmares had intensified. Without daring to turn on the light, she listened intently for a few minutes—it seemed like she was alone in the house.Cracking open the door, she found the living room pitch-black. The blackout curtains had blocked any shred of light, plunging the house into darkness. Relieved, she concluded that Damian hadn't reached the level of a paranoid creep.However, by the next morning, Ashley's optimism had faded. Damian, now clad in a crisp set of white casual clothes, stood tall in the foyer. He looked at the disheveled Ashley and said, "You've got ten minutes to tidy up. We're heading to a home goods store."Ashley, still in her pajamas, toothbrush in one hand and toothpaste in the other, protested, "How can you do this?! Barging in and out, you don't even consider yourself a stranger, let alone respect someone's privacy."His house or not, he had no right to just barge in! Damian replied coolly, "Instead of losing your temper, better hurry up and get ready. I'm only giving you ten minutes. No matter what, you're leaving the house."Ashley was about to retort when Damian added, "You'd better play it smart and not haggle with me. It won't get better—it'll only get worse."Frustrated, Ashley squeezed her toothpaste tube so hard that a big glob oozed out. She vented her anger on it, slamming it to the floor and stomping on it. A splat of green, minty paste smeared across the floor.Damian raised an eyebrow. "Is this for my benefit?"Ashley's patience had worn thin. She kicked over a chair, and the sound of solid wood crashing onto the marble floor echoed throughout the room. "Yes! It's for you to watch. Just watch how I wreck this place."Despite her rebellion, Damian still managed to drag her out the door. As furious as she was, Ashley still considered the critical question, ‘Who's paying for the shopping today?’If they went to a luxury store and Damian picked out some antique shelf, all her earnings from the lawsuit would drain away, leaving her with nothing. This deal, she was not taking it.Damian glanced at her sideways. Ashley got the message loud and clear—it was her again. "I'll pay, but I choose the place, and you must not complain, or else you'll foot the bill, and you won't hear another word from me," she asserted.Damian, seated in the passenger seat, was looking at documents on his phone and didn't seem to care one way or the other. "Whatever you want."Yeah, right. Whatever you want? You'd think he was about to hand her a black card to swipe at will. What a man!Half an hour later, Ashley drove to the biggest IKEA in Rochester City. Upon seeing the blue IKEA sign, Damian had to admit he felt slighted. He had expected Ashley to at least choose a place like Red Star or something more upscale. Yet, here she was, waltzing into this budget mega store.Ashley stepped out of the car and rolled up her sweater sleeves, her delicate face all smiles, pure and sweet. "Damian, welcome," she said.Damian glanced down at her gracefully pale face, clean and bright without a single blemish or pimple. Had she really found time for a touch of makeup in just ten minutes?"You think the furniture here matches my house?" he asked.Ashley couldn't afford the expensive stuff, but IKEA was the king of value for money. With the right hunting, one could snag sophisticated yet inexpensive gems. "Sometimes it's not about the price, you know? Furniture is all about comfort and overall vibe. I'll make sure everything meshes well without devaluing your place," she assured him.Damian was skeptical of her pitch. Comfort, he believed, needed to be grounded in quality – whether the design was professional, the materials top-notch, or whether they had passed rigorous scientific tests.Fine, he thought, let's consider this a casual stroll through IKEA.
Upon crossing the threshold, the entrance was a hive of activity, brimming with food stalls and snack counters. Patrons were seen enjoying simple meals, their eyes glued to their mobile screens as they perused their virtual shopping carts. Disposable food containers lay strewn across the tables, a testament to the bustling trade.The atmosphere was vibrant and boisterous, the quintessential scene of a weekend sale at the megastore.Damian's brow furrowed once more as he turned his gaze towards Ashley. "This doesn't devalue the place, you say?"Ashley, her stomach rumbling from having skipped breakfast, rubbed her belly. "Food is a necessity, isn't it? A shopping center that caters to the culinary needs of its customers is more considerate. The stir-fry here isn't half bad. I'm going to get myself a plate."Upon hearing this, Damian's expression turned even more somber.A long day of browsing lay ahead of them. Unfazed by Damian's evident displeasure, Ashley, not wanting to exhaust herself, headed towards the queue.A young girl nearby nudged her friend, her eyes wide with excitement. "Look! Isn't that a celebrity over there?"Her companion gasped in awe. "He's so handsome! His attire and shoes scream luxury, and that's a genuine watch. Why would someone so affluent be at IKEA?"An older woman nearby smirked at their naivety. "All style and no substance. These days, too many people go bankrupt but continue to put on a show – just like young girls like you."After a while, Ashley returned with a plate of stir-fry and found an empty seat. "Care for some?"Damian was tempted to see if her head was filled with cotton. "No, thank you."Ashley began eating with her disposable knife. Despite her lack of concern for maintaining a celebrity facade, she ate with an elegance and quietness that starkly contrasted with the girls at the next table who were noisily enjoying their meal."It's quite good. Sometimes, the most authentic flavors are found in small alley eateries and street vendors. You're just too hesitant to try."She remembered a time when she had taken him to a night market for grilled skewers. He had promptly ordered her out of the car, leaving her to watch as he drove away.Reflecting on it now, he was simply intolerable.Damian stood at a distance, his eyes fixated on his phone, seemingly detached from the bustling surroundings.The girl sitting next to Ashley rolled her eyes and said mockingly, "Seriously, disgusted by your girlfriend wanting to eat fried noodles? Then take her to a Michelin-star restaurant, why don't you? Pretending to be rich when you're broke.""The lesson here is to choose your boyfriend wisely," the older woman advised solemnly. "Don't be fooled by appearances. What's the point if they're just for show?"Hearing the gossip directed at them, Ashley deliberately raised her voice. "I don't have that kind of money. Maybe we should forget about buying anything, huh?"Damian looked up and asked, "What are you up to now?"Her behavior was becoming increasingly erratic for no apparent reason.Ashley grimaced. "Fine, let's buy it. I'll have to put in some overtime next month and earn a bit more. Life goes on, after all."Damian could only respond with a silent "..."The two girls' eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.He's just a pretty face, they thought.Finally, after Ashley had finished her meal, they walked shoulder to shoulder into the store. Since it was a weekday, the majority of the shoppers were older people, wheeling their carts filled with discounted items and calling out to each other loudly.Pushing a cart, Ashley asked Damian, "It's pretty big inside, right?"The hallmark of a warehouse-style shopping experience is its sheer size; getting lost inside is par for the course. Of course, you can expect little in terms of elegance and sophistication.Damian, walking through the crudely decorated shopping area, never looked impressed. "If there's nothing else to praise, at least its size is commendable."Ashley stopped in the kitchenware section, fiddling with a sleek white blender priced at $299.Damian reached over her head to put the item back. "We're not buying it."Ashley grabbed the blender again and placed it in the cart. "We are buying it! It's great for making soy milk in the morning and for juicing fruits and veggies."Eight functions, great value for money.Damian commented, "It's $299. How good do you expect it to be? You don't want to end up chewing on whole soybeans in your drink, do you?"She was determined to spar with him. "It's my money. Why should you care?"Damian, with a stern face, replied, "Suit yourself."Ashley picked a few more kitchen gadgets that were simple and perfect for the culinary-challenged, then proceeded to the living room and home office sections to carefully choose the essentials.Small items went into the cart, and for the larger ones, she filled out the forms for home delivery logistics.Finally, it was time to look at bedding.
