Chapter 9:
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.
𝖀𝗽𝗅𝗈𝖆𝖉 𝖙𝗋𝗮𝖈𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝗈 𝗀ⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⧉𝖼𝗈𝗆
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.
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