"Isn't that Ashley Astor, Damian Hearst’s ex-wife?"
"She had humbly begged Damian Hearst to marry her, but after divorce, she and her family fled the country in embarrassment.
"Her father embezzled a lot of money from Damian, and also borrowed several billion dollars in the name of Damian."
"I heard from Mia that Ashley left with nothing but the clothes on her back. Even the fancy dresses and jewelry that the Hearst family bought for her were taken back. It just shows how much they despised her."
Ashley held a cup of coffee by the window of a downtown café. The sun’s rays stung her eyes.
Six years ago, she was the star of a high-society wedding that was the talk of the town, envied and adored by many. But the marriage that started with such fanfare only lasted three years. During that time, she put up with the scorn of the Hearst family and Damian's emotional abuse. The Astor Group heiress, once a figure of glamour and wealth, ended up living like a domestic worker in her own home.
Three years ago, on a rainy night, she woke up confused in the bed of a man she didn't know. The next day, she received divorce papers from Damian. Within a week, her law license was revoked, her father's company got entangled in a fraud scandal...
Investors, frenzied like madmen, came after them. Her mother suffered a heart attack, and although she survived, she was left with severe depression.
With no other options, her family chose to leave the country. In an unfamiliar land, her father rolled up his sleeves to work as a car wash attendant, her well-educated brother and sister-in-law were repeatedly laid off and eventually resorted to working as servers in a fast-food restaurant.
While taking care of her mother who suffered from mental illness, she pursued a degree and worked towards getting her law license again. On many a sleepless night, she contemplated giving in to the weariness; the thought of ending it all from a rooftop whispered in her mind, a dark testament to the burdens of her existence.
Finally, two months ago, Ashley received her license and managed to return to her home country.
She had thought three years would have been enough to get over the past miseries, but those who had witnessed her marriage to Damian still made jokes about her behind her back.
She wanted to turn around and argue, but as the saying goes, "Out of sight, out of mind." Why should she waste her breath?
After three years, the indentation of the ring on her finger had long faded, but the humiliation Damian caused her had not lessened in the least.
Ashley exhaled slowly. The downfall of the Astor family started because of her. If she had never fallen for Damian, none of this would've happened.
The abrupt ringtone of Ashley's cell phone snapped her out of her reverie. "Harold?"
"Ashley! Where are you? A big client's coming to the law firm!"
One of the founders of Sky Balance Law Firm, Harold Brin, who was her friend and schoolmate during her doctoral days, trembled with excitement on the other end of the line.
She gathered herself, "I'm just at the café downstairs."
"Hurry and get up here! The client is waiting. Look sharp!"
Their law firm in Rochester wasn't well-known; they mostly handled lengthy, complicated civil suits that didn't pay much.
She was skeptical about Harold's "big client."
"I really doubt that, Harold," Ashley replied.
Harold chuckled, "Hey, you might regret saying that once you meet the client."
After quickly freshening up her makeup, Ashley returned to the 23rd floor where their firm was located.
The man sat with his back to her, his figure outlined by the tailor-made craftsmanship of his black suit, exuding a distinguished and unapproachable air. Just from his back alone, one could gauge his extraordinary status.
She approached, "Hello, I'm Ashley."
The man slowly rose, his right hand emerging from his pocket to adjust his tie with a languid fix, "I've heard much about you, Ashley."
That deep, cool voice struck like thunder, and instantly, Ashley's face went pale. Her hand, heavy as if it weighed a thousand pounds, hung awkwardly between them, uncertain whether to withdraw or remain.
The man before her, admired by many, was none other than him!
Damian Hearst, CEO of KM International.
Her ex-husband. The man who repeatedly cast her into the abyss, watched indifferently as she was ridiculed, willingly tarnished her reputation, and stripped her of everything she had.
She slept with a cold-blooded viper for three years, hurting her at her weakest moments. Ashley had given up her dignity because she loved him so much, and he had asked her with disdain, "Ashley, how could you be so pathetic?"
For over a thousand days, she couldn't even bring herself to hate him, not even when hunger pangs kept her awake at night. It took her a long while to realize that some people's hearts are like ice, incapable of warmth, eternally cold.
Ashley’s finger trembled slightly, feeling some heat on her forehead. It took her a moment to muster the words, "Damian Hearst, it's been... a long time."
Damian's tall frame was unmoved, and his slender fingers captured her delicate ones. His cold demeanor gave no hint of whether he was sneering or looking down on her with contempt. He just let out a sardonic "Hmpf."
His gaze ridiculed her as if she were an insect clawing its way out of a trash can.
He clasped her hand tightly, as if meaning to crush her fingers. A sharp pain shot through her palm, and she moved to retract her hand, "Please take a seat, Mr. Hearst."
But Damian stood firm, his piercing eyes intent on reading every emotion in her gaze.
Harold started speaking, attempting to smooth things over with warmth, "Ha-ha, Damian Hearst, this is the attorney Ashley I mentioned to you. She might be new to the field, but she's exceptionally skilled in patent disputes..."
Damian cut him off mid-sentence, not patient enough for the details, his sharp eyes fixed on Ashley, "I'm well aware of her capabilities."
"New"? It appeared that Ashley had concealed her past.
Unable to bear the pain any longer, Ashley pulled her hand away forcefully, "I can't take your case, Mr. Hearst. As you see, I'm a novice, lacking experience. Harold has a better chance at success."
Was she refusing him? And with such a feeble excuse, no less? The crafty liar from years past, now her skills were regressing?
A small smile tugged at Damien's lips, "Is that so? Even a newbie like Ashley should know what breaching a contract means."
He pulled out a crisp document, its bottom right corner boldly stamped with the law firm's seal and his assertive signature.
Ashley turned woodenly to Harold and asked him word by word, "What's going on?"
Harold said with a reassuring smile, "Ashley, Damian Hearst's case is a sure win. I personally took it for you."
Damian's cool gaze traveled over her features, taking in the unfamiliar yet recognizable woman in front of him. She seemed different; gone was the youthful naivety of the former Mrs. Hearst, replaced by a refined professional dressed in a chic business suit; the embodiment of a modern corporate elite.
The one thing about her that never changed was her stubborn pride and cool indifference.
"The penalty is three million dollars. It's fine if you choose not to accept, but before the end of today..." He glanced at his wristwatch, "the penalty needs to be wired to my company's account, at least by three o'clock."
Three million dollars!
A wave of scornful laughter nearly escaped Ashley as she clenched her fists tightly, replying with a biting, sarcastic chuckle, "Damian Hearst, extortion is a crime, you know. Or do you need a lesson in the law?"
Damian casually flipped open the contract, "It's all there in black and white, a mutual agreement. Ashley, do you really see this as extortion?"
"Miss Astor..." Damian stepped closer to Ashley, his voice in a mockery tone, audible only to her, "I remember your resourcefulness. A few more nights in different men's beds, three million shouldn't be too difficult to come by, right?"
Ashley wanted to slap him right then and there! Thinking about the price she'd paid for a marriage doomed from the start.
Because of him, her father was still bending over to scrub tires in a car wash; because of him, her mother, once the elegant lady, had worn her worry into premature grey, aging before her time; because of him, she had to endure being humiliated while waiting tables...
Gripping her fists tighter, Ashley restrained her heartache and put on a faint smile, " Not quite as capable as Damian Hearst though. With a flick of your wrist, you managed to revoke my law license and ruined my career. When it comes to competence, who can compare to Damian?”
Damian snorted disdainfully, "A lawyer who's nothing but a liar? You think you're fit for the profession?"
"So, you went to all this trouble just to pick a fight and show me your lawsuits? What, still harboring unresolved feelings for me, or abusing your power for personal gain?"
His disdainful gaze swept down her shirt whose top button had become undone, his lips nearly a straight line, "For someone who’s been around the block, I find it sick just by staring at it."
Fury surged within her, nearly provoking vulgar words, but her professional poise and her past experiences with the Hearst family helped her maintain perfect emotional control, "So you're here discussing collaboration with me because you're looking for trouble out of boredom?"
Harold couldn't hear their exchange, but the oppressive atmosphere, especially around Damian, was palpable.
He wanted to say something, anything, to break the tension, but upon weighing his words, he dared not.
Damian pulled his hand back into his pocket, standing tall and looking down from above, his voice rising, "Pleasure doing business with you, Ashley!"