Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Though beaten and verbally assaulted, Aubrey said nothing. She simply called the police.

Once the police arrived, Skylar slipped away in the commotion.

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The woman who had assaulted her was taken to the police station. Aubrey, escorted by the officers, underwent a medical examination. After receiving the report, she then proceeded to the station herself.

The report detailed soft tissue damage to her face, confirming her eardrum and hearing were normal, though she was experiencing symptoms of

tinnitus.

At the police station, Aubrey learned the woman who’d assaulted her was Damon’s fiancée, Veronica Pierce, a twenty–eight–year–old executive from a New Haven City company. Veronica had believed Skylar’s malicious gossip and acted on it.

The officers had been trying to mediate, hoping Aubrey wouldn’t press charges.

Naturally, Aubrey didn’t have the energy for a lawsuit right now, nor did she want the hassle of pressing charges. She cut straight to it: “Two hundred thousand dollars.”

The officers couldn’t help but exchange amused glances.

Hearing this, Veronica Pierce slammed her hand on the table, her tone as imperious as she likely wielded in her corporate office. “You dare to make such an outrageous demand right here, in front of the police? Who do you think you are? I wouldn’t even give you ten thousand dollars!”

The officer tried to reason with her. “Ms. Hayes, based on your injury report and medical expenses, your demand for two hundred thousand dollars lacks sufficient evidence. Even if you take this to court, you won’t get that much. I’ve seen countless cases like this; at most, you’d be looking at ten or twenty thousand.”

Aubrey’s composure didn’t waver. “Twenty thousand for medical and nursing fees, eighty thousand for emotional distress, and one hundred thousand for lost wages,” she listed calmly. “I think that’s perfectly reasonable.”

Veronica gave a cold laugh. She sat with her arms crossed, her gaze full of disdain as she stared at Aubrey. Her tone, when she finally spoke, was dripping with sarcasm. “Eighty thousand dollars for emotional distress? What kind of emotional distress costs that much? And lost wages? Do you even have a job? What work could you possibly have missed?”

Aubrey remained perfectly calm, each word carefully chosen. “In a hospital hallway, teeming with doctors, nurses, patients, and their families, you slapped me in plain sight and accused me of seducing your fiancé. You utterly destroyed my reputation, causing severe damage to my mental health. Eighty thousand dollars for emotional distress? I’ve already asked for a pittance.”

“As for the one hundred thousand dollars for lost wages–which I’m also calling caregiver fees–it’s because my mom is still in the ICU and will likely be here for three months of treatment. Because of your slander and assault, I’m now a social pariah at the hospital. I’m afraid of the gossip and the

pointing fingers, too humiliated to go care for my mom myself. So, naturally, you’ll be footing the bill for her caregiver.”

The police officer listened in silence.

Veronica’s face darkened with fury. She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut, words caught in her throat.

Aubrey’s eyes were icy, a sharp, faint smile curving her lips–a stark contrast to her usually gentle and serene demeanor. “If my emotional distress prevents me from going to the hospital to care for my mom, and she dies because of my neglect, or if I’m not there to sign off on a crucial surgery, then you’ll be indirectly responsible for her death. And trust me, you’ll pay a lot more then.”

The officer hadn’t anticipated such a shrewd angle for compensation, but Aubrey’s every word resonated with undeniable truth. He flipped back to her file, his gaze sharp and scrutinizing.

A new realization dawned on the officer as he noted Aubrey’s background. His face solemn, he turned to Veronica. “Miss Pierce, since Aubrey is asking for two hundred thousand dollars, if you want to resolve this, you should pay. If you’re unwilling, I strongly advise you to get legal counsel.”

He paused, then added, his voice low with emphasis, “And make sure it’s a really good one.”

Veronica stared at the Aubrey across from her, a woman so starkly different from the one she thought she knew, and hesitated. Then, pulling out her phone, she announced, “I’m making a call.”

She rose and walked to a corner, her voice dropping to a low whisper. “Dad, I’m in a bit of a situation. Someone’s trying to shake me down. Can you send someone down to the station to make this go away?”

Veronica returned to her seat, settling across the long table from Aubrey, a smug, almost haughty smile playing on her lips. “One slap, and you think you’re getting two hundred thousand? Dream on.”

< Chapter 61

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Aubrey said nothing more. With the police mediation at a stalemate, the officers excused themselves to attend to other calls.

Then, a long, tense wait began.

Half an hour later.

The door to the mediation room swung open.

Veronica shot to her feet, her face tight with a mix of apprehension, shock, and nerves. “You… what are you doing here?”

Aubrey looked up at a clearly rattled Veronica. Then, following Veronica’s frantic gaze, she turned to the open door behind them.

Damon’s eyes landed immediately on Aubrey’s back the moment he stepped inside.

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The second she turned, their gazes slammed into each other, an unexpected collision that silenced the world around them, leaving only a profound, complicated stare.

Aubrey’s breath hitched, her heart taking a direct hit. She ripped her gaze away, turning back to slump against the chair, her hands on her thighs. trembling unbidden as her fingers slowly, painfully, tightened around the fabric of her skirt.

Just then, the police officer stepped back into the room.

“Hello,” Damon said. “I’m Veronica Pierce’s fiancé. What happened?”

“She slapped Ms. Hayes at the hospital,” the officer stated, “and publicly accused her of seducing her fiancé–meaning, you. Ms. Hayes is now demanding $200,000 in compensation, otherwise she won’t settle.”

“I’ll cover it.” Damon walked over and stood beside Veronica, his gaze fixed on Aubrey across from him. His voice was flat, devoid of emotion. “I apologize on her behalf. I’m very sorry. Do you have a payment method?”

Two hundred thousand dollars, and he wouldn’t even hesitate?

Aubrey lowered her gaze, her trembling fingers digging into the fabric of her skirt with enough force to tear it, forcing down the dull ache in her chest. After a moment of hesitation, she felt herself suffocating, and immediately pulled out her phone.

Veronica nervously grabbed Damon’s arm and muttered, displeased, “Mr. Blackwood, don’t pay her. She’s being utterly exorbitant-$200,000 for a single slap. It’s absolutely outrageous.”

Damon looked at Veronica Pierce, asking unflustered, “To minimize the damages, are you going to sue her? Do you want people thinking I’m still tangled up with my ex–girlfriend? Or do you want them to know you’re a jealous woman who lashes out for no reason?”

Veronica was momentarily speechless. “I…”

You were in the wrong first. If you sue her, do you really think you’ll win?”

“But…” Veronica started, a stubborn refusal hardening her features, though she wouldn’t embarrass herself further in front of Damon. She covered his phone with her hand. “I won’t let you pay for it.”

Damon snatched his phone back, sliding it into his pocket. His voice was clipped. “Fine. You pay.”

Aubrey, without looking up, turned up her screen and placed her phone face up on the table.

She hadn’t dared to lift her gaze to Damon again, not once.

Their clipped exchange pierced her, not with sharp pain, but like a thousand tiny splinters embedding themselves in her chest. It was an unbearable ache, a profound unease that left her reeling.

With no other choice, Veronica, seething with reluctance, initiated a bank transfer to Aubrey. After a tense negotiation, the settlement was agreed at thirty thousand dollars, transferred in several batches.

“It’s paid.”

The officer slid the settlement agreement across to Aubrey. “Ms. Hayes, please sign here.”

Aubrey retrieved her phone and picked up the pen, her hand trembling slightly, feeling oddly weak as she signed the agreement.

Damon’s gaze fixed on her trembling hand, his eyes darkening imperceptibly.

Once finished, she practically dropped the pen and quickly tucked her hands back under the table.

The officer picked up the settlement agreement and scanned it. “Alright, this matter is settled. Remember not to resort to violence in the future, and think things through before you act. You’re all free to go.”

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Thank you for your time.” Damon said to the officers, then gently took Veronica’s hand “Let’s go

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Veronica paused, her eyes widening in flatiered surprise as the gazed at his hand. A shy smile played on her lips as she nodded. “Mhm.” Aubrey’s gaze, not lose, landed aquarely on their clasped hands, watching them cling to each other, a picture of perfect unity.

So openly affectionate, they walked out, leaving her behind.

The mediation room felt vset and empty with only her left.

The entire world plunged into a dead silence. She could even hear her own breathing, her heartbeat, Every one of her senses sharpened, becoming painfully acute. Each tiny ache in her body felt like a crushing weight, as if it would tear her apart.

The inescapable pain tormented her relentlessly.

Why does it have to be so hard to just live well?

Outside the police station.

The moment they exited the police station, Damon immediately released Veronica Pierce’s hand and strode towards the car.

Veronica froze, staring at her hand, suddenly free. Her gaze then drifted to Damon’s indifferent back. The smile on her face faltered, then froze. She burried after him and got into the passenger seat.

She buckled her seatbelt, then turned her head to look at Damon.

His handsome face was frigid, his eyes a dark, shadowed void. He hadn’t bothered with his seatbelt, leaning back against the chair. A powerful, chilling aura emanated from him. He was utterly transformed from the gentle, magnanimous man he’d been just moments ago in the mediation room.

There was an unapproachable aloofness.

Damon asked, his voice cold and sharp, “Ms. Pierce, why did you hit her?”

Veronica frowned. “You feel bad for her?”

Damon’s voice dropped, edged with a dangerous intensity as suppressed fury coiled within him. “I asked you why you hit her?”

Veronica let out an exasperated breath, her gaze fixed straight ahead. “I know she was your first love. You two dated for four years, then broke up for five, only to reconcile for six months. And now you’ve been separated for a year and two months. She used her mother’s illness as an excuse to come to New Haven City for treatment, but it’s clearly just a ploy to worm her way back into your life. She deliberately went to your grandfather’s house, pretending it was a casual encounter. She has absolutely no regard for your fiancée. I simply went to the hospital to warn her to stay away from you. We’re getting married soon, after all.”

“Who told you any of this?”

“Skylar.”

“And did Skylar tell you she’s been in love with me since we were kids, and always dreamed of marrying me?”

Veronica was stunned, staring at Damon, her mouth agape.

Damon scoffed coldly. “I’m genuinely curious, how did you ever become a corporate executive? A few words from someone else had you completely spun around, so easily manipulated. Are you brainless?”

Veronica’s face drained of color, pale with humiliation. She clenched her fists, biting her lower lip, then lowered her head, taking a deep, shaky breath. “I just care about you so much.”

Damon let out a cold laugh. “Veronica, this is only our second time meeting. You don’t care about me. It’s just your possessiveness, pure and simple.” “Believe it or not, I liked you the moment I saw you.” Her voice was tight with desperation. “I just hope you won’t have any lingering ties with your ex–girlfriend, and definitely don’t have anything ambiguous going on with her.”

Damon’s cold gaze locked onto her, his voice cutting and severe. “Ms. Pierce,” he stated, “I don’t two–time. If you don’t trust the kind of man I am, then don’t marry me.”

“I…” Veronica stammered, a sudden panic seizing her.

Damon’s expression darkened, and he enunciated each word. “One more thing, and I want you to understand it clearly: I’m the man Aubrey rejected. She even dumped me twice. She doesn’t want me, and she certainly wouldn’t try to seduce me. If she truly had any interest, you wouldn’t be my fiancée. Understood? Don’t bother her again.”

Veronica’s jaw dropped, her eyes wide with disbelief. “She dumped you twice?” The question burst out, sharp and incredulous. “And she’s worthy of

< Chapter 61

that?”

“Worthy or not, those are the facts.”

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Veronica’s stomach churned with resentment. She truly hadn’t imagined it was Damon who’d been dumped, a completely baffling reversal–like a pauper spurning a kingdom. It was utterly astounding.

She’d been played by that manipulative little bitch Skylar. The more she thought about it, the more foolish she felt. Her voice laced with guilt, she asked, “So I completely misjudged her? Should I go apologize and explain everything to her?”

“No need to apologize,” Damon said flatly. “She knows exactly what she wants. And frankly, she’s probably thanking you for that slap.”

“Right. She fleeced you for thirty grand. Your ex looks all delicate and innocent, so sweet and pure. I never would’ve guessed she had such a ruthless streak. What does she even do?”

“A lawyer.”

“No wonder. She was so cutthroat when she went after that money.”

Damon scoffed inwardly.

Ruthlessness was Aubrey’s middle name. And she was capable of far worse.

He buckled his seatbelt, his hand on the steering wheel, preparing to start the car, just as a slender figure emerged from the police station. He froze, his movements halting abruptly.

Aubrey walked in front of their vehicle, an off–white floral maxi dress draped over her slender frame. Her soft, dark hair was pulled back, and her steps were slow and dragging. Under the sunlight, she exuded a melancholic elegance, an ethereal grace that hinted at a deep sadness.

Veronica watched Aubrey walk ahead, a suffocating knot tightening in her chest. It wasn’t just that the woman possessed an innocent, ‘first love‘ kind of face; her entire aura was so melancholic, so gently vulnerable, so utterly delicate, that even Veronica felt a grudging pull.

She nervously turned her head to Damon.

His gaze was still fixed on Aubrey, profound and unreadable.

“Do you still love her?” she asked, her voice tight with anxiety.

Damon’s gaze snapped away. “I don’t love her,” he stated flatly, then started the car and drove off.

“So, when are we going to get our marriage license?”

“Anytime after your background check clears.”

“What do you like about me?”

“It’s not so much about liking. My aunt just thinks we’re a good match.”

“Anyone would do, wouldn’t they?”

“Yeah.”