Chapter 526
Damien didn’t take the design sketch Shermaine held out right away.
‘Why is Mrs. York only making a dress for Jasmine? And what is her reason for throwing this party?’ Several questions popped into Damien’s head all at once.
Shermaine, acting like she didn’t notice his confused look, asked, “What’s up? Got something to ask me?”
Damien did want to ask. But he pushed that puzzle aside, held back, and took the sketch. “No, Mrs. York.”
Shermaine said softly, “All right then.”
She thought, ‘It’s fine that he didn’t ask. Once the party starts, that’s when things get lively.’ She was looking forward to seeing how Damien would react then.
Damien turned and left.
The truth was, Shermaine wasn’t sure of his reaction. Damien kept his thoughts well hidden, and that probably had a lot to do with his background and past. She knew she wasn’t good at showing her feelings either, but Damien seemed even more unaware and reserved than her.
Shermaine thought back to when Joshua had tried to win her over. Even though she’d been new to love, she’d known what it meant to feel her heart race and to like someone.
But Damien didn’t seem to care much about Jasmine. At least, Shermaine couldn’t see that he did.
Jasmine might be timid, but from the way she’d complained now and then, she’d definitely tried to flirt with Damien.
But every time, the result was the same. He’d just brushed her off.
Shermaine felt a little sorry for Jasmine.
Then she thought of Roy. He’d fallen for Molly the first time he saw her. Shermaine wondered if he’d managed to get her to go out with him yet.
Molly had gone to see Roy during her visit to Wallington. If Roy had tried hard enough, he should have won her over by now. After all, he was affectionate and clingy.
With the party, Shermaine would sort things out for Jasmine first. Then she could go home, feeling at ease.
If Damien really had no feelings for Jasmine, Shermaine would pick a good man for her, someone who’d keep her company.
Jasmine was fast asleep. She hadn’t slept well for days. This injury, in a way, was a blessing in disguise.
Jasmine slept until the next afternoon. She woke up because she was starving. When she tried to get up, she found her hands, feet, and neck all hurt. She could barely move.
She thought, ‘Does being dumped bring bad luck along with it? Dammit.’
She was both thirsty and hungry.
She called, “Anyone here?”
Right away, a female nurse, Claire Dunce, came in from outside. “Ms. Farrington, you’re awake.”
Jasmine nodded. “I’m thirsty. Can you get me a glass of water?”
“Sure, just a minute,” Claire said.
This was Jasmine’s room, and there was no water in it, so Claire went out to the living room to get some.
Jasmine waited and waited, and finally heard footsteps.
She glanced over, and when she saw Damien was the one holding the glass, her face changed. She was so startled that she choked on her saliva.
Damien saw she was choking hard. He put down the glass, helped her sit up from lying down, and grabbed a pillow from the side to prop up her back…
Jasmine’s cheeks went red from coughing. The coughing made her neck ache, and when she finally stopped, she gave him a sour look. “What are you doing here?”
Damien didn’t answer. He just held the glass to her lips. “Drink.”
The cool edge of the glass touched her mouth.
Jasmine pulled a face. “I don’t want you to feed me. Go get that nurse back.”
Damien could feel her pulling away.
He frowned, turned to stare at her, and a heavy feeling filled the air.
He seemed angry. That made his gloomy vibe even stronger.
Damien held onto the glass, keeping his temper in check, and said in a low voice, “Drink.”
Teary-eyed, Jasmine shot back, “Why are you snapping? I said I don’t want you to feed me. Quit hanging around. Just looking at you bugs me.”
Her neck was hurt, but her hands still worked. She pulled them out from under the covers. Maybe because she’d slept for so long, her hands felt numb, but she tried hard to push the glass away.
But as soon as she pushed it, the glass cracked. Water spilled all over her, soaking her pajamas.
Jasmine looked up at Damien. His face, already cold, now looked really scary.
‘Is he angry?’ she wondered.
But even if he was, this time Jasmine didn’t feel that mix of helplessness and sadness like before.
She thought, ‘He has the nerve to be angry. He broke my glass and got me all wet!’
God knew how embarrassed she was right now. If she could, she’d kick Damien straight out.
‘Stupid man. Coming here again to ruin my mood,’ she thought.
Jasmine’s lips started trembling. She felt more and more wronged, and finally, she couldn’t hold back. She let out a loud wail and burst into tears.
Her tears kept rolling down, and she cried so hard, so miserably.
Her eyes, already red, were now bright red and puffy. Her face was covered in tears, and her clothes were wet. Her neck hurt too much to move. God knew how upset she was.
Damien hadn’t meant to lose control of his strength and crush the glass into two pieces. He certainly hadn’t expected Jasmine to start crying like this.
It was the first time he’d been stuck, not knowing what to do.
Damien lifted his hand to wipe her tears. His rough, warm palm touched her cheek as he said in a low voice, “Don’t cry.”
Jasmine ignored it and just kept crying. She thought, ‘I’ll make him feel bad.’ So her sobs got even louder.
Damien’s palm was all wet with her tears. He picked up a tissue from the bedside and went on wiping her face. After a while, he forced out one word.
“Sorry.”
At that, Jasmine’s eyelashes fluttered. It seemed she hadn’t expected such a cold person to apologize to her. Her crying stopped suddenly, though she still sniffled a little from how hard she’d cried just now.
Jasmine had always been good-looking, with a gentle, soft air. Her smooth blonde hair made her look like a doll.
She’d lived a rough life before, and that had worn down some of her softness. But since she met Shermaine, her life had gotten better and better. Her skin was now soft and smooth, so it was no wonder men often hit on her at the bar.
“What did you say?” Jasmine asked.
“Sorry,” Damien said.
Jasmine blinked her tear-stuck eyelashes. “Say it again?”
“Sorry,” Damien said again.
Jasmine didn’t think twice. “I don’t accept your apology.”
Damien fell silent.
Jasmine snorted. “Not unless you say it 100 times. Then maybe—just maybe—I’ll forgive you.”
Damien’s face went dark.
Claire must have heard the crying and got worried. She came in from outside. When she saw Jasmine all wet, she hurried over. “Ms. Farrington, why are your clothes wet?”
Jasmine complained, “It’s all this stupid man’s fault. He crushed my glass.”
Claire saw the broken glass lying all alone on the table. She wondered, ‘Crushing a glass like that? Seriously, how much strength did that take?’ She said, “I’ll go get you some clean clothes.”
“Hurry up,” Jasmine said.
Her clothes were soaked through, sticking to her body, and it felt absolutely miserable.
Damien didn’t say a word. He turned and walked out.
Jasmine watched him leave without a word. She thought, ‘Good, just go. The sooner he’s gone, the less he’ll get on my nerves.’
But once Damien was gone, her heart felt a little empty, and it bothered her.
Claire quickly fetched clean clothes. Noticing Damien had left, she said, “Ms. Farrington, your neck’s not up to it. Let me help you change.”
Jasmine agreed.
Claire unbuttoned her wet top, picked up a towel, and dabbed the water off her body. “Ms. Farrington, your skin is so smooth.”
The compliment cheered Jasmine up a bit. “It’s natural, but not as soft as Shermaine’s.”
Claire thought, ‘Not as soft as Ms. Hanks’? Wow. Just how amazing must her skin be?’
Heaven knew Claire had been blown away by how silky Jasmine’s skin felt when she touched it. She was totally jealous.
In fact, Damien hadn’t left. He’d just gone out to get a fresh glass of water.
He stood at the door, watching as Claire pulled off Jasmine’s wet top and helped her into the clean one.
A glimpse of Jasmine’s soft skin caught his eye. Her long blonde hair hung down, covering part of her upper body. His breath caught.