Chapter 9 No Amount Of Persuasion Would Sway...


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    Kristian carried the fruit over to Freya with a heavy sigh, cing it gently before her. He then slid into the seat


    next to her.


    Just as he was about to mention the divorce to Freya, Lionel interjected with a pointed observation, "Freya seems reserved, reluctant to touch the fruit. As her husband, shouldn''t you be offering some encouragement? Why sit there in silence?"


    "So, just to confirm, am I adopted?" Kristian finally blurted out.


    Melinda shook her head firmly. "No, you''re not."


    Isaac, with a sly smile, joked, "You were part of a special promotion."


    Kristian just stared,pletely at a loss.


    Breaking the uneasy quiet, Freya took a deep breath and addressed the group with a sense of resolve. "Isaac,


    Melinda, Lionel," she began, her tone serious yet gentle, "we need to discuss something important today."


    Melinda and Lionel leaned forward, their faces lighting up with anticipation. “Are you pregnant? How many


    months? When did you find out?”


    Freya''s heart sank at their enthusiasm, knowing she was about to shatter their expectations. "I''m nning to divorce Kristian," she announced softly, her voice steady.


    The room''s atmosphere shifted dramatically, turning cold and tense as the words hung heavily in the air.


    Melinda''s hand froze above the fruit, Lionel''s grin slipped away, and Isaac folded his newspaper with a frown. The gravity of the announcement settled over them like a heavy fog.


    "Why the sudden decision to divorce?" Melinda broke the silence, her voice a careful blend of concern and


    curiosity.


    Freya began, her tone resolute, as if she were tying off a loose end that had bothered her for too long, "Well, I simply don''t love him anymore."


    "That''s understandable," Melinda responded, her words measured.


    Lionel exhaled a sigh of relief, as if releasing a burden he hadn''t realized he''d been carrying.


    Across the way, Isaac sent a sharp, unreadable nce towards Kristian.


    "That''s fine," Lionel dered with a blunt nod. "Isaac and I will stand behind you as you refine your leadership skills. Freya, you''re going to make a formidable president for Shaw Group."


    For them, love fading felt like nothing more than a small inconvenience.


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    Chapter 9 No Amount Of Persuasion Would Sway Her Resolve


    Emotions could be cultivated, and as long as there weren''t any deep issues, they were confident in their ability to maintain their rtionship with Freya.


    "We''re serious about this." Kristian interrupted, his voice carfying a newfound assertiveriess. "Everything''s already set in motion. We''ll file the papers on Monday, and once the waiting period passes, we''ll finalize the divorce."


    "Who exactly told you to speak up?" Melinda snapped, irritation ring in her tone. Kristian replied with conviction, "We''re merely here to make things clear."


    "So, it''s you who''s pushing for the divorce, not Freya?" Lionel pinpointed the crucial issue swiftly, his toneced with rage. "You rushed into marriage without thinking, and now you want a damn divorce? Do you even get what the hell marriage means?"


    "Why did you even marry Freya in the first ce?" Melinda demanded sharply.


    Lionel, not satisfied with the surface details, pressed. "It couldn''t have been merely a fleeting romance, could it?"


    Isaac spoke up, his suspicion lingering like a shadow. "Was Freya merely standing in for someone else in your


    heart?"


    Both Melinda and Lionel turned to Isaac, their expressions grave, demanding, "A stand-in for whom?"


    Caught off-guard, Kristian faltered, unable to formte a response. Isaac was making things way moreplicated than they needed to be.


    "It''s my choice to go through with the divorce," Freya interjected firmly, aware that divulging too much could


    make things worse.


    She opted to keep the details to herself and Kristian, insisting, "It has nothing to do with Kristian." Her tone


    was earnest and her demeanor resolute, leaving no room for doubt.


    The family had hoped to bridge the gap, but as they delved deeper, they sensed a growing rift between Freya


    and Kristian, hinting at deeper, unseen conflicts.


    For a fleeting moment, a somber silence enveloped the room, the tension palpable.


    Freya remained silent, her gaze fixed intently on the gathering of elders before her, awaiting their verdict with


    a quiet intensity.


    "Let''s do this," Melinda dered, her fingers intertwining with Freya''s in a warm, reassuring sp. Her eyes


    shimmered with genuine affection as she spoke. "Divorce isn''t a trivial affair. We should involve your parents in


    this discussion. If it''s too much trouble for them toe here, we''ll go to them instead."


    "Yes, Freya," Lionel chimed in, his voice thick with undisguised ire, his brow furrowed in distaste. "You''ve been married for two years, and that jerk hasn''t even bothered to visit your parents."


    His anger towards Kristian was palpable. "With the divorce proceedings underway, he must meet your parents


    and offer them a sincere apology."


    In Lionel''s eyes, Kristian, who had initially been eager to wed Freya, now seemed neglectful of her needs. If he were Freya''s real grandfather, he would''ve smacked the hell out of Kristian with that damn cane.


    "No need. I can handle this on my own," Freya stated firmly, dismissing the idea with a swift shake of her head.


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    Melinda pressed on, concern etching her features. "Freya..."


    "I''m not close with my family," Freya admitted, her voice dropping to a somber tone as she revealed her family issues for the first time. "My father remarried."


    Kristian, caught off guard, paused and studied her face. It bore the usual stoic expression, yet he sensed an undercurrent of tension.


    With a voice slightly hoarse from emotion, he asked, "Why didn''t you tell me this before?"


    This time, Lionel''s restraint shattered. In a sudden, dramatic gesture, his cane swung through the air with a brutal strike as it connected with Kristian.


    Visions of Freya enduring her father''s neglect post-remarriage, coupled now with the specter of her looming divorce, overwhelmed him. He was certain she had endured far too much suffering.


    "Lionel!" Freya''s voice, tinged with shock, broke through the tense air.


    "You even had the audacity to ask!" Lionel''s voice thundered with fury. "After being married for two entire years, have you even once genuinely cared for Freya? As her husband, you remain oblivious to her past!"


    With each word, Lionel''s anger surged, his disdain for Kristian palpable.


    He seriously contemted throwing Kristian out right then and there.


    "Freya," Melinda cut in, her voice a calming force amidst the chaos. She perceived Kristian''s disregard as the root of Freya''s misery in their marriage and advised, "Give it another year with Kristian. If you still feel the same about a divorce after that, I''ll stand by your decision."


    Freya opened her mouth to object, "No, I-"


    "Actually, I don''t have much time left," Melinda broke in, her voice dropping to a somber whisper. Her eyes dulled with the weight of her unspoken truths. "I didn''t bring it up earlier because I didn''t want to burden you."


    The room fell silent. Isaac found himself at a loss for words, grappling with the gravity of the situation.


    Freya''s expression was a mixture of confusion and concern.


    Kristian was equally baffled.


    If Melinda was indeed facing her final days, why did Isaac seem so utterly unprepared for the revtion?


    Melinda''s voice trembled as she shared the grim diagnosis. "The doctor said I have stomach cancer and only a year and a half to live." Her spirit seemed to dim with each word, her posture slumping under the weight of her own despair. "Freya, could you stay with Kristian for just one more year? Just one, okay?" Freya took her stethoscope out of her bag and gently checked up on Melinda, her gaze piercing into Melinda''s pupils.


    Melinda blinked, taken aback by Freya''s unexpected response.


    ind


    "You might have stumbled upon a rather inept doctor," Freya suggested, a hint of yfulness in her tone as if to cushion the bluntness of her words. "Your condition


    is steady and strong. Plus, there''s no dark? your iris-an indicator of a healthy


    stomach."


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    Chapter 9 No Amount Of Persuasion Would Sway Her Resolve


    Caught in her act, Melinda''s facade cracked, her grip loosening as she fought


    back a mix of embarrassment and


    resignation. "Treya..."


    "Kristian and I reached the decision to divorce after a lot of confideration. I''d appreciate it if you didn''t push


    me on it," Freya exined, her voice soft yet firm, offering Melinda aforting touch. "Thank you for your love and support over the years."


    Tears welled up in Melinda''s eyes, a testament to her genuine reluctance.


    She had always yearned for a daughter, having been blessed with two sons


    instead. In Freya, she had found the daughter she never had, making this farewell even more poignant.


    "Are you really sure?" Lionel interjected, his voice low and strained, his gaunt face


    etched with a clear


    reluctance.


    Freya nodded decisively. "Yeah, I''m sure of it."


    A heavy silence fell over the room as everyone absorbed the finality in her voice.


    It was clear-no amount of persuasion would sway her resolve to leave the


    marriage,


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