Save Myself from Desperation

Ashley heard the question and looked coldly at Ryan.

Her gaze didn't show much emotion. But to Ryan, it felt like a sharp ice blade shooting his way. His back immediately tensed up.

Suppressing the chill running down his spine, Ryan forced himself to look back and retorted, "You can't even give an explanation to the race fans who support you?"

Pullan frowned upon hearing this, thinking, 'Why does Ryan always deliberately pick fights with Ashley?'

Lester gave Ryan a warning look and thought, 'Ryan is such an idiot. Ashley did so much for him in vain.'

However, the guests and journalists in the banquet hall were curious about Ryan's words.

"It was indeed sudden when Ava retired, and she didn't explain the reason."

"That's right. Ava was at the peak of her career, and most racers wouldn't retire at such a time. If she had continued racing, she would have won many more championships!"

"Yeah, why did Ava suddenly stop her career?"

In the midst of heated discussions, Jessica smiled at Ryan.

She was genuinely relieved that it seemed Ryan's attitude towards Ashley hadn't changed.

She firmly believed that Ryan's love would still belong to her alone! He would still revolve around her!

A journalist couldn't hold back and asked, "Ashley, why did you suddenly retire during your prime? Can you tell us the reason?"

Pullan glanced at Ashley and saw her desolate expression. He answered the reporter's question on her behalf, "Ashley made an agreement with someone to never participate in any official races again, hence the retirement."

Immediately, someone followed up with more questions. "What kind of agreement? Who did she make it with?"

Ashley finally spoke, and her voice was flat. "I'm sorry, it's a confidentiality agreement, so I can't disclose it."

'A confidentiality agreement?'

Upon hearing these words, the people in the banquet hall exchanged puzzled looks.

'It seemed that things are not simple...

'There must have been something big happening, something that forced her to retire.'

Ryan, however, sneered, "Confidentiality agreement? Ashley, is that just an excuse you made up, or is it because the real reason is too embarrassing to admit?"

Pullan's anger started to rise upon hearing this.

The others in the banquet hall had no personal hatred against Ashley and didn't make any malicious speculations.

But Ryan, as Ashley's brother, was suspecting his own sister like this.

He had no affection for her whatsoever.

Lester looked at Ryan as if he were looking at a despicable criminal, and his eyes filled with an icy chill of death.

He told the bodyguard behind him, saying, "Bring Nell in."

Within seconds, Nell was brought into the banquet hall.

Ryan furrowed his brows, thinking, 'Mr. Pound? What is he doing here?'

When Ashley saw Nell appear, she was momentarily surprised but then understood, looking at Lester. It was he who brought Nell here.

The deal she made with Nell was a confidentiality agreement, so she couldn't disclose it voluntarily to everyone.

Ryan walked up to Nell, his face full of confusion. "Mr. Pound, why are you here?"

Nell glanced at Lester with fear, his legs trembling, and then looked back at Ryan. He said with a trembling voice, "Didn't you want to know why I agreed to perform surgery on you back then?"

Ryan paused for a moment, nodding. "Yes."

Under Lester's oppressive gaze, Nell shakily began to speak.

"You injured your right leg and could no longer race. You couldn't accept this fact, and your family tried everything to find me, hoping that I could perform surgery on you.

"But I refused. To be honest, you're not someone, and your family is nothing special. I simply didn't have the energy to operate on you."

Upon hearing this, Ryan felt awkward but couldn't refute it.

Nell took a deep breath and continued, "After I rejected you, I heard that you became depressed and lost interest in life. But then, the racing legend Ava, that is Ashley, specifically came to me and asked me to perform surgery on you."

Ryan was shocked. 'Ashley contacted Nell?

'Asking him to help me?

'That's impossible. Why would Nell listen to Ashley?'

Nell wiped off the sweat on his forehead and continued, "At first, I didn't agree. But unexpectedly,

Ashley, the Racing Legend, set aside her pride to do chores for me just to ask me to operate on you.

"I have a nephew who is also a racer, but his skills are not as good as Ava's. He has never won first place. In order to help my nephew achieve that, Ashley and I made an agreement. As long as Ashley announced her retirement, I would agree to perform surgery on you.

"I thought Ashley wouldn't agree, but she thought for a few seconds and said yes. She retired at the peak of her career, giving up her beloved racing career just to let me heal your leg and give you a chance to return to the racetrack."

Ryan couldn't hear what Nell said next.

His ears were echoing with the words.

"Ashley retired at the peak of her career, giving up her beloved racing career just to heal his leg and

let him return to the racetrack."

He thought, 'No, this can't be true!'

Ryan didn't even dare to look at Ashley on stage. He grabbed Nell's collar. Furious, he roared, "You're lying! Do you think I'll believe this? How could Ashley do such a foolish thing for me?"

Nell was being choked by the collar, struggling to breathe. With a red face, he said, "I have the agreement with me! It's in my briefcase. You can take it out and see for yourself!"

Ryan immediately let go of Nell and found his briefcase. He trembled as he took out the agreement.

He swiftly flipped through the pages.

The contents of the agreement were exactly as Nell had described.

At the end, Ashley's handwritten signature was there.

'How could this be?! My leg was healed because of Ashley?

'The person who saved me from the despair and darkness, giving me the chance to return to the racetrack, was Ashley?

'For me, Ashley was willing to give up her racing career.' Ryan couldn't believe it.

The others in the banquet hall, after listening to Nell's account, were all stunned.

"I can't believe the truth is like this!"

"Oh my, how could Ashley do that? She was at the peak of her career, and yet she retired just because of Ryan. Why did she treat Ryan so well?"

"Why didn't Ashley consider herself? Ryan loves racing, and not being able to return to the racetrack must be painful for him. But what about her? She also loves racing. Was her sacrifice really worth it?"

"Especially since Ryan is such an ungrateful and malicious person. Her sacrifice wasn't worth it at all!"

"I guess at that time, Ashley still saw Ryan as her brother, as family, and wanted to help him."NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.

"She traded her racing career for Ryan's!"

Listening to the discussions around him, Ryan tightly squeezed the agreement in his hand, his knuckles turning white. His heart felt as if it were pierced by countless arrows, in pain to the point of suffocation.

Why did it have to be like this...

As if a puppet on strings, Ryan mechanically turned his head, afraid yet longing, to look at Ashley in the distance.

Ashley descended from the stage and walked up to Lester, whispering, "Why did you bring Nell here?"

Lester looked at her with sympathy and regret. "Seeing you being targeted by Ryan, I couldn't stand idly by."

Ashley felt a warmth in her heart and smiled, saying, "Thank you."

"Ashley..." Lester softly called her name.

"What's wrong?" Ashley asked.

Lester gazed into her clear eyes and pleaded, "Ashley, could you please do another DNA test with us?"