He ignored her, murmuring something to Ashley that made her blush.
Freya’s patience snapped. “Gerard,” she called, not turning from the bed. “How long will you lurk by the door?”
Gerard stiffened. How had she even noticed him?
“Get your phone out.” Her tone was lethally calm. “Record your boss cozying up to his mistress. Let’s see how Shaw Group’s shareholders enjoy the scandal.”
Gerard paled. He never intended to be pulled into this.
Ashley gasped, recoiling from Kristian as if burned.
“Freya. Enough.” Kristian’s voice was winter itself. He didn’t look at Freya, his hand still resting on Ashley’s back.
“You’re here to apologize.”
Freya pulled out her phone, tapped the video recorder, and smiled. “Funny. I thought you brought me here to witness your cheating in person.”
The room plunged into silence.
Freya saved the video with a deliberate tap, then slid her phone into her purse. “What do you think your mother would do if she received this?”
Kristian’s face hardened into marble.
Still handsome, Freya noted absently. Even fury couldn’t dull the sharp lines of his jaw – the man was unfairly attractive.
“Are you threatening me?” His voice was dangerously quiet.
“Just admiring the view.” She waved a hand toward them. “You’re both so… photogenic. I could frame every shot.” Her gaze lingered, mocking. “But is this really how you want to handle things?”
Kristian didn’t budge. His stance screamed loyalty – to Ashley, not Freya.
“Fine.” Freya dropped her purse onto a chair with a thud.
Confusion rippled through the room, except for Gerard. His stomach dropped. He had a hunch she was plotting something.
And he was right.
Freya seized Gerard’s arm, her tone breezy. “Let’s make this quick. Gerard and I have business to discuss later.”
Gerard’s composure shattered. “Sir, I swear, Mrs. Shaw and I, it’s not what it – “
“Why so nervous?” Freya patted his sleeve, a viper’s smile curling her lips. “Miss Bradley isn’t flustered, and she’s the one clinging to my husband.”
Gerard choked. Kristian’s glare could’ve frozen lava.
Ashley’s fingers twitched under the blanket, her sweetness cracking to reveal something darker.
Kristian’s jaw clenched. Gerard’s arm in Freya’s grip suddenly seemed wrong.
“Gerard.” The warning in Kristian’s voice could’ve toppled empires.
Gerard yanked his arm – once, twice. Freya’s grip didn’t yield.
How was she this strong?! Panic scrambled his thoughts.
“Sir – ” His voice cracked. “Nothing’s happening here, I – “
Kristian’s eyes went arctic.
Yet he adjusted Ashley’s pillow and pulled his hand away from her.
Freya released Gerard with a smirk. She sank into a chair, crossing her legs.
Gerard exhaled like a man granted a last-minute pardon.
Ashley watched them, her nails biting into her palm under the sheets.
“Miss Bradley.” Freya laced her fingers together. “My darling tells me you’ve accused me of hiring your attacker – with evidence.” She stressed the word, gaze locked on Kristian. “Care to share?”
Ashley cast a quick glance at Kristian and, with an unmistakable air of intimacy, said, “I’ll listen to Kristian.”
Freya, her striking eyes lifting slightly, turned to Kristian. “Darling, can I take a look?”
Kristian noted the artificial warmth in her voice but remained silent. Without a word, he picked up the phone from the table and pulled up a conversation before handing it over.
Freya took the phone, scanning the chat history.
A contact labeled “Mrs. Shaw” had sent a message. “Help me get rid of Ashley, I’ll settle your debts and throw in an extra million.”
“How do I know you’ll keep your promise?” Ashley’s attacker responded.
“I’m Kristian Shaw’s wife. A million is nothing to me,” came the reply from “Mrs. Shaw.”
The attacker responded cautiously, “I’ll trust you this once. But if you go back on your word, I’m not afraid of making a scene at Shaw Group! Send me her photo.”
Moments later, “Mrs. Shaw” sent an image, followed by a warning. “Don’t leave any traces.”
Freya finished reading, her expression unreadable. She raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, “That’s it?”
Kristian studied her face, searching for any flicker of panic – but found none. “That’s all.”
“It wasn’t me.” Freya handed back the phone, her voice calm as she reasoned, “With your resources, it shouldn’t be difficult to track down who owns this account.”
“The account is new. No user identity verification,” Kristian replied, his voice edged with cold detachment.
“Then trace the login IP,” Freya suggested effortlessly.
Kristian’s gaze lingered on her, his expression darkening slightly. In all the years he had known her, intelligence had never been her defining trait.
She had always relied on him to solve her problems.
Yet, now she was analyzing the situation with a sharpness he hadn’t expected.
“You’re not about to tell me the IP was hidden, are you?” Freya asked when his silence stretched a little too long.
Kristian didn’t answer her directly. Instead, he issued an order. “Gerard, have the tech department trace all login IPs linked to this account.”
“Understood,” Gerard responded promptly, taking the phone and swiftly exiting the room, eager to avoid being caught between Kristian and Freya’s tension.
Kristian’s gaze remained fixed on her. “Are you absolutely sure it wasn’t you?” His voice was cool, unreadable.
From the moment he had seen the messages, he had been certain Freya was responsible. Everything about her lately had contradicted his previous impression of her.
She had never cared much about money before, yet during the divorce, she had demanded an exorbitant sum.
She had always been gentle and unassuming, but suddenly, she had become sharp and unrelenting.
Had her easygoing nature just been an illusion all along?
Freya, unfazed, folded her arms. “Instead of wasting time questioning me, you might want to figure out how the driver got Miss Bradley’s schedule today,” she pointed out coolly.
Kristian narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing.
Before he could respond, she added, “Oh, and one more thing.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“In cases like this, the logical first step would be to call the police,” she remarked, holding his gaze. “Not to come after someone irrelevant like – “
Kristian’s expression darkened.
Strangely enough, the moment he learned Freya was involved, his first instinct had been to confront her – not to report it to the authorities.
For a moment, silence stretched between them, an unspoken tension lingering in the air.
Kristian found himself locked in her gaze. Her eyes – once perpetually warm – blinked slowly, her long lashes fluttering like butterfly wings.
Neither of them looked away.
The moment broke when Ashley’s soft voice pulled Kristian back to the present.
“Kristian,” she murmured.
His head turned slightly. “What is it?”
Ashley hesitated for a beat before saying, “I want to rest now.” It was a simple request, but the implication was clear – she wanted them gone.
Freya, however, had no intention of leaving just yet. A subtle smile played at her lips as she took a step closer to the bed. “Before you rest, shouldn’t you apologize to me?”
“What?” Ashley’s eyes widened in feigned confusion.
Kristian caught Freya’s implication instantly. His voice dropped to a warning growl. “Freya.”
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.