Chapter 126: Chapter 126: Feigned Compliance
Ashley Shaw was about to scream when she heard the other person speak in a pleading tone, "Don’t be afraid, Miss Shaw, don’t be afraid, I just want to chat with you for a moment, just please do me this favor."
Ashley Shaw stared at the other person tightly gripping her hand, knowing she couldn’t break free, so she pretended to be calm and nodded.
"Alright, I’ll talk with you, but first let go of my hand."
Damon Crawford was about to release her but suddenly shook his head, "No, I can’t let you go, if I do, you’ll run away. Just give me two minutes of your time, consider it a favor. Okay?"
Damon Crawford’s expression was earnest, and Ashley Shaw was calculating in her mind that the esports hotel must have a lot of foot traffic and someone would soon pass by.
Moreover, there was no one at the front desk earlier, but now it’s daytime, so even if the receptionist is away, they would return quickly.
As long as someone appears, she has a chance to escape.
So she nodded and said, "Fine, speak, I’m listening."
"Miss Shaw, I really have something to ask for your help with today. What happened last time with Maeve, that was my fault, but I truly thought you were willing at first."
Ashley Shaw suppressed her disgust and nodded.
"I know. Maeve and I already have conflicts, she deceived you, and she deceived me too, we’re both victims."
Hearing her say this, Damon Crawford’s expression looked much better, yet he still didn’t release her hand.
"This time, I need you to help me explain to my wife. You just need to say it was all a misunderstanding, that Maeve set me up, and you only took Maeve’s money to deliberately sabotage my relationship with my wife. Then when Maeve got caught, you sensed something wrong and changed your statement to say that we kidnapped you and pretended to be the victim."
Damon Crawford seemed visibly afraid of his wife.
Ashley Shaw frowned slightly.
"If I say that, won’t your wife beat me to death? After all, according to your version, I almost made you a kidnapper and a rapist."
"No, she won’t, I’ll speak well of you, saying that you’re young and just got confused. She has a cousin about your age and she cares for her cousin, so she’ll have a soft spot for you too. I promise you, as long as you go along with what I say, I ensure your safety."
Ashley Shaw looked at Damon Crawford’s injuries and asked, "You can’t even ensure your own safety, yet you claim you can ensure mine? If I’m not mistaken, those injuries on you were caused by your wife, right?"
Damon Crawford quickly shook his head after hearing this.
"No, some of it was caused by your friend last time, you saw it at the time..."
"Those are all old injuries, you clearly have many new wounds on you."
"That’s why I said part of it, the other new injuries were caused by me accidentally falling down the stairs two days ago. I truly love my wife and don’t want a divorce, so I’m asking for your help this once. After it’s over, I won’t treat you unfairly, whether you want money or something else, I can give it to you!"
Inside, Ashley Shaw let out a cold laugh.
Seeing the injuries on Damon Crawford, she knew his wife was a force to be reckoned with.
If she could be so harsh on her own husband, what about her?
If she really went along with Damon Crawford’s plan, whether his wife would spare her life is uncertain.
By then, even if Damon Crawford had money to give her, she might not live to spend it!
Still, she couldn’t show those thoughts on her face.
Damon Crawford was an unpredictable factor; she needed to keep him stable.
"Alright then!" Ashley Shaw nodded, intentionally saying, "But after it’s done, you have to give me a million."
Damon Crawford readily agreed.
"Okay! A million it is!"
His quick agreement made Ashley Shaw even more uneasy.
His wife must be extremely difficult to deal with.
But as fate would have it, Damon Crawford opened his mouth and said, "She should be here in about ten minutes, do you want to wait for her at the door or inside the room?"
"To-today?"
"Of course today, the sooner this is resolved, the better."
His wife, that tigress, gets angrier the more she thinks about things, and last time she just beat him up badly, who knows if in a couple of days she might be so mad that she might actually kill him?
He couldn’t wait a day.
Ashley Shaw forced a smile.
"How about tomorrow? Or after I finish this delivery, I’ll come back. You know, I’m a delivery person, and if the order is late, my boss will yell at me."
"No!" Damon Crawford stared at her, saying, "Yes, you’re a delivery person, but that friend of yours is no pushover. If you turn around and tattle to him, I might end up dead at his hands!"
"My friend went abroad."
"Regardless of whether he’s abroad, you need to wait until my wife arrives."
"But the remaining orders will be late..."
"After it’s done, I’ll give you a million, you won’t need to deliver food anymore. You can fire your boss. Or are you just trying to fool me, waiting for me to let go and then run?"
As Damon Crawford spoke, he reached into his pocket with his other hand.
Ashley Shaw keenly noticed it seemed to be a retractable knife in his pocket.
She quickly shook her head, "I’m not thinking of running, just chatting, why would I run? I’m still waiting to earn that million from you."
"Then come in with me now!"
"Let’s just wait at the door."
Damon Crawford squinted at her, let out a cold laugh, and said, "You’re hoping the receptionist will come back? Rest assured, she won’t. I gave her a thousand bucks; she won’t show up for an hour. Plus, I booked this entire hotel today, there won’t be other guests. There’s no difference waiting at the door or inside; it’s just us two here."
Ashley Shaw’s heart sank halfway down.
But she still calmly said, "Since it’s the same inside and outside, let’s just wait at the door then!"
Damon Crawford was silent for two seconds, about to speak when footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Ashley Shaw quickly looked over, her anticipation dimming as she saw who it was.
It was a middle-aged woman with two tall bodyguards following behind her.
No doubt, it was Damon Crawford’s wife.
She arrived so quickly!
"Listen up, do exactly as I say, or the knife in my pocket might just find its mark!" Damon Crawford whispered in a voice only she could hear.
Ashley Shaw’s expression froze as she nodded slightly.
Within two seconds, the woman and her bodyguards were already in front of them.
The woman, with her heavily made-up eyes, scrutinized her as if trying to see through her entirely.
Ashley Shaw met her gaze and greeted, "Hello."
The woman didn’t respond, her gaze falling on Damon Crawford.
"You said you wanted to explain this by bringing your little harlot to me?"