Chapter 153:
“I expect it to be posted by tomorrow evening,” Kristian declared, his brow furrowing at her casual demeanor. “If it’s not, be prepared for the fallout.”
“You’re really disrupting my evening,” Freya snapped back, irritation clear in her voice. “Can’t I have a moment’s peace to watch TV?”
With a sigh, Freya snatched up her glass of water and marched upstairs, her steps echoing. Both Gerard and Kristian stood there, dumbfounded by the abrupt outburst of Freya’s temper.
Gerard, compressing his lips, hesitantly ventured, “Don’t worry. I’ll stay late and draft one myself. If she hasn’t prepared it by tomorrow, I’ll send her mine.”
Kristian merely gazed at him, offering no reply.
Under the weight of his piercing stare, Gerard nervously wiped his brow, puzzled. “Is there something on my face?”
He remembered clearly washing up after their meal—his face had been free of anything.
“Why aren’t you heading out for dinner?” Kristian’s gaze hardened, his features tightening into a mask of cold displeasure.
“I’ve had my dinner already,” Gerard responded, recalling how he had been so captivated by the variety show that he had lost all sense of wariness. “Ms. Briggs had my meal ordered along with hers around six, and we shared it.”
Kristian’s eyes seemed to frost over at the mention.
It had been a long time since he had dined with Freya, yet here was Gerard, seemingly relishing his evening, despite being placed here strictly for business.
Realization dawned slowly on Gerard. “You haven’t eaten yet?”
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“Go to the office and scrub the toilets,” Kristian instructed, ignoring the question.
Gerard raised an eyebrow, his voice tinged with disbelief. “Seriously?”
Kristian, leaning back with a sardonic lift of his eyebrow, retorted smoothly, “Do I seem like I’m in the mood for jokes?”
“And what of Ms. Briggs?” Gerard inquired, his tone laced with a hint of worry.
“I’ll handle her personally,” Kristian stated, his tone sharpening around the word “personally.”
Realization dawned on Gerard, a shadow passing over his features as he decoded the frostiness in his boss’s manner. “Understood, I’m off to the office then.”
He turned on his heel and exited with urgent strides, his departure brisk and without delay.
As a frequent moocher of snacks and screen time, Gerard made it a point to haul out the garbage as he left—a tiny gesture of goodwill. With the door’s soft click, Kristian’s gaze swept over the room, contemplative and calculating.
Had he not appeared tonight, would Freya have tolerated Gerard’s continued presence?
Compelled by this question, he made his way upstairs silently and tapped on the door behind which Freya had vanished.
Freya, expecting Gerard, swung the door open without hesitation.
The notion that Kristian might linger had never crossed her mind. He was likely just here to monitor Gerard’s progress; after all, a personal check-in often proved more impactful than a simple call. However, upon seeing Kristian instead, Freya promptly tried to close the door, a clear dismissal.
But Kristian was quick; he blocked the door.
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