Chapter 130:
“I might just handle it myself if you keep pushing,” Kristian declared, his tone bordering on audacious.
“Only you could dress up rudeness and make it sound classy,” Freya shot back, her voice laced with sarcasm.
“Freya Briggs!” Kristian exclaimed sharply.
“Looking for a fight?” Freya responded, her words sharp and provoking.
Kristian’s fists tightened at his sides, his stance rigid. The air around him grew charged, enough to make anyone else go stiff with unease. He struggled to connect the fierce figure standing before him with the gentle person he once knew.
“Having to hide your true self and feign gentleness for the past two years must have been exhausting,” he sneered, his words dripping with scorn.
“Isn’t it the same for you, masquerading as someone caring?” Freya retorted sharply.
Kristian’s breath grew labored. Had it not been for his family’s fondness for Freya, he would have made sure she was utterly isolated after the divorce.
“You ought to feel fortunate that my grandpa thinks so highly of you,” he said bitterly, oblivious to the impact of his words. “Otherwise, I would make you pay ten times over for what you did to Ashley.”
“And you should feel fortunate your grandpa thinks so highly of you,” Freya echoed, turning his words against him. “Otherwise, you’d already be shark bait if I wanted it that way.”
Their gazes locked.
After this heated moment, Kristian ceased speaking to her and exited the villa.
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Freya found herself confined within the villa by his orders. With ruthless strategy, Kristian had all the chargers removed from the premises, clearly intending to cut off her communication by rendering her phone useless.
Freya offered no protest. She powered down her phone, casually tossed it onto the bed, and drifted off to sleep. She resolved to reactivate it only when she felt the need to reach out to someone. Before powering it down, she quickly texted Frederick to inform him that she would be off the grid for a few days, just in case someone might start to worry.
However, she hadn’t foreseen that Lionel would fret over her sudden silence.
The day after Kristian’s departure, worried that Freya was isolated without provisions, Lionel asked Gerard to arrange for meal deliveries to the villa.
That was when Gerard discovered that Freya was actually being held against her will. He confronted Kristian about it. “Sir, even though you are still Ms. Briggs’s husband now, holding her against her will is unlawful. You…”
“Exactly whose assistant are you?” Kristian interjected sharply.
“Yours, of course,” Gerard responded, his loyalty unwavering.
“Why must you always take her side?” Kristian demanded sharply.
“I’m merely trying to stop you from making a grave mistake,” Gerard replied seriously. “You’ve kept her locked away for a full day and night. You do realize that holding someone against their will for more than six hours is technically a crime?”
“Utter another word and you’ll be out of a job,” Kristian snapped.
Gerard opened his mouth to respond but ultimately chose silence. He went on to order a meal, had it delivered discreetly, and then confidentially relayed the entire ordeal to Lionel. The thought of his idol in distress was unbearable.
“Sorry, boss,” he muttered under his breath. Though professionally aligned with his employer, his moral and legal compass pointed firmly towards Freya.
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