Chapter 221:
Stepping out of the building, Kristian slid into his car with a sigh. As he settled into the driver’s seat, he pulled out his phone and dialed Gerard’s number. He needed Gerard to dig into whatever Ashley was hiding.
He had his doubts—he always did about people who had deceived him in the past. Trust was not easily rebuilt.
On the other end, Gerard, already knee-deep in inquiries about Charlie, raised his eyebrows at the new assignment. He couldn’t help but think his hard work warranted a better paycheck.
“Really? Are we digging into Miss Bradley’s affairs now? Wasn’t she the one Kristian’s in love with? Wasn’t Kristian ready to leave his wife just to be with that woman? What was there to look into?”
“Just cut the chatter and follow my orders,” Kristian snapped back, his voice icy, matching the evening air creeping through the car windows.
“Start by checking when she was hospitalized, then see where she really was during those days.”
Even with hospital records proving her admission, it would be pointless if her whereabouts didn’t align.
A normal person wouldn’t find themselves tethered to a hospital bed without good reason.
Letting out a deep sigh, Gerard responded,
“Understood.”
Agreeing was his only option—Kristian was the one signing his paychecks.
Ending the call, Kristian tossed his phone beside a stack of documents on the passenger seat, his thoughts swirling with recent betrayals and unresolved questions.
𝗢𝗻𝗅𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘁 𝗀𝖺𝗅𝖓𝗈𝗏𝗲𝗅𝗌⍿ⅽ𝗈𝗆
Emotions tugged at him like a relentless tide.
He considered messaging the group chat to convene a meeting with his friends, but with Zander off joining a film crew, that left only one other. He dialed Felipe, who picked up amidst the clinking of glasses and muffled laughter of a lively bar.
“Now?” Felipe’s voice cut through the background noise, tinged with surprise.
“Yes,” Kristian replied, his tone devoid of warmth.
Felipe’s voice carried a mellow warmth as he spoke.
“I can’t make it. Norah just got back, and I’m still with her. Why don’t you come over instead?”
Joining someone else’s gathering just wasn’t Kristian’s style.
However, today had been one rollercoaster after another; Kristian felt a pressing need to escape the confines of his routine. Determined, he got the address and didn’t waste a second before hitting the road.
Meanwhile, on Freya’s side, she had just powered down her computer, marking the end of another grueling workday, when her phone buzzed with a new message. It was from Trent.
“Mina, I need you. Room 520, Imperial Hotel. Please come.”
Puzzled, she quickly replied,
“What’s going on?”
The silence that followed Trent’s unread messages tightened a knot of worry in her stomach. With no time to spare, she snatched her phone and hailed the first cab she found, anxiety nudging her every second.
The cab ride seemed endlessly long, stretching over an hour.
.
.
.