The mention of divorce stirred conflicting emotions within Hugh.
After weighing his options, he conceded.
They discussed additional details before Hugh asked, “Can you enlighten me about the situation between you two?”
“I’ll explain later,” Freya replied dismissively, effectively ending their conversation before returning to the ward.
Noticing Freya’s expression upon her return, Ethel immediately sensed something, her eyes twinkling with curiosity as she tentatively asked, “Did you call Dad?”
“Yes,” Freya admitted without hesitation.
“He’s missed you terribly these past two years,” Ethel offered, attempting to mediate. “He constantly worries about your wellbeing away from home.”
Freya remained silent.
Seeing another message from Hugh appear, she moved her fingers across the screen to respond.
“Mina,” Ethel began, her emotions complicated. “Would you tell me what happened between you and Dad?”
Throughout the past two years, she had repeatedly questioned her father about this.
Each time, Hugh skillfully deflected, inquiring about her studies or graduation plans, expertly avoiding her questions.
She yearned to understand the truth.
“Nothing,” Freya replied, determined to shield her. “I’ll fetch you something to eat. Once you’re feeling better, let your boyfriend know you’re alright.”
At this mention, Ethel’s thoughts immediately diverted.
She nodded, a delicate blush spreading across her cheeks.
Freya departed from the hospital, instructing Frederick to watch over her sister.
Wandering aimlessly along the street outside, Freya’s mind circled back to her sister’s question from earlier.
She couldn’t bear to reveal Hugh’s actions to her.
Such knowledge would shatter her sister’s idealized image of their father and destroy her faith.
Since childhood, Hugh had embodied a superhero figure for Sheila, consistently fulfilling her every wish.
Freya desperately wanted her sister’s lifelong happiness preserved. Those painful matters should remain exclusively between herself and Hugh.
Freya exhaled wearily, about to purchase food for Sheila when her phone vibrated against her palm.
Kristian’s name illuminated the screen.
She swiped to answer. “Hello.”
“How is your family faring?” Kristian inquired.
“Nothing serious,” Freya assured him.
“Join me for dinner tomorrow evening,” Kristian stated directly, his voice resonating with depth and confidence. “Send me your address, and I’ll have Gerard collect you.”
Freya’s brows knitted together. “Dinner?”
“Indeed,” Kristian confirmed, his voice flowing pleasantly through the phone. “With the chairman of the Briggs Group.”
Freya fell silent, thinking Kristian had become a genuine nuisance.
Kristian sat in his hotel room chair, studying the computer screen before him, which displayed Freya’s previous email. As he absorbed its contents, his eyes gradually darkened. “Didn’t you claim your father to be the Briggs Group’s chairman?” he questioned. “Your presence would facilitate our discussion considerably.”
“I’m not going,” Freya refused with unwavering certainty.
“If you don’t attend,” Kristian countered, determined to test her true identity, “the day after tomorrow, your missing person alert will appear on digital billboards outside every major mall in Alerith. Whoever locates you will receive a million.”
Freya fell silent, weighing her options carefully.
Kristian pressed his advantage. “I believe numerous individuals will eagerly pursue that reward.”
“Do I need to remind you that we’re in the midst of divorce proceedings?” Freya felt compelled to emphasize this point. “I have no interest in socializing with your circle. My previous claims were merely in jest.”
“Whether it was a joke will be verified tomorrow,” Kristian replied, no longer concealing his intentions.
Freya contemplated something briefly before responding. “Aren’t you concerned that Ashley in Jeucwell might discover us together in Alerith and dissolve into tears at the hospital?”
“She won’t,” Kristian stated with absolute conviction.
“So certain?” Freya questioned, skepticism evident in her voice.
“Yes,” Kristian affirmed simply.
Freya sighed. “Then you fundamentally misunderstand women. If you neglect to contact her for a month, promise to divorce me yet attend a dinner engagement with me, she’ll inevitably wonder whether your affections have waned or if you’ve developed feelings for me during our two-year marriage.”
Kristian dismissed her concerns. “She differs from you. Gerard has explained our arrangement to her, and she consented.”
Freya responded with a hollow “Oh,” her tone deliberately devoid of emotion.
For other matters, Ashley might maintain her composure.
However, based on their hospital encounter, Ashley appeared to value her position as Kristian’s wife immensely. The more one cherished something, the more anxiety surrounded its potential loss.
Currently, Ashley was likely investigating whether they had divorced, what circumstances prevailed, and whether Kristian harbored any reluctance toward Freya.
Ashley might even respond with anger upon learning about the divorce settlement between Kristian and Freya.
“Gerard will contact you upon his arrival in Alerith. Consider carefully whether you wish to attend,” Kristian concluded before terminating the call.
He remained confident that Freya would ultimately agree.
She wouldn’t risk having her photograph and personal information displayed so publicly.
Freya indeed intended to attend, though not because of his threat.
Regarding what Kristian had mentioned, if she truly wished to prevent her information from appearing publicly, she possessed the means to ensure it wouldn’t.
She was attending specifically to dispel his suspicions.
She didn’t want him to believe she had approached him with ulterior motives.
From the moment she decided to marry him, she had desired nothing more than to live simply as Freya, not as the successor of the Briggs Group.
The burden of being the Briggs Group successor weighed heavily on Freya’s shoulders. She yearned simply to find genuine love – someone who cherished her for herself – so they could build a life together through their own achievements, not inherited wealth.
Even without her successor title, Freya’s social standing matched Kristian’s perfectly.
She wanted their marriage to conclude just as it had begun – with her identity stripped down to simply being Freya.
Having made this decision, she resolved to inform Hugh immediately. If she delayed, Kristian’s introduction tomorrow would certainly catch Hugh off guard, potentially exposing her secret.
“W-What?” Hugh stammered, visibly shocked, his mind temporarily unable to process her words. “Why would he bring you to meet me?”
“He intends to verify my identity,” Freya stated matter-of-factly.
In reality, this wasn’t Kristian’s true motivation.
His actual purpose was to discover whether Freya would contact Hugh after learning about the meeting.
If she reached out to Hugh, it would confirm their relationship.
If not, he would dismiss her claims as mere fiction.
After speaking with Hugh, Freya checked her inbox and discovered two emails.
The first one read, “I request your assistance in examining call records for a number to determine if it has recently communicated with Hugh Briggs of the Briggs Group.”
The second email contained her own number.
Freya nearly laughed at the irony. Kristian had unwittingly asked her to investigate herself.
Her spirits lifted slightly as she swiftly replied, “Checked. No contact.”
She harbored no concerns about Kristian employing additional hackers for verification.
Her contact information remained securely encrypted, rendering it untraceable through illicit methods.
Upon receiving her email, Kristian placed a verification call, which yielded identical results – no contact detected.
This discovery deepened his contemplation of the situation.
The following afternoon found Freya still at the hospital, engaged in conversation with her sister, absorbing fascinating stories from the past two years.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.