Chapter 23 Arranging Dinner With Freya''s Father
Kristian strode out of the hospital room with measured steps, Damon''s words echoing in his mind.
His eyes darkened as the implications sank in. Could Freya truly be Hugh Briggs''s daughter? The possibility
unsettled him.
Outside, he spotted Richie Hewitt, the branch manager, waiting attentively by the door.
"Richie," Kristian summoned him with quiet authority.
Richie snapped to attention, his posture stiffening as he searched Kristian''s expression for clues about the meeting with Damon.
"Find an opportunity to arrange dinner with Hugh Briggs of the Briggs Group," Kristian instructed, his voice deliberately measured, masking his true intentions. Confusion flickered across Richie''s features. “Hugh Briggs of the Briggs Group?" "Yes," Kristian confirmed casually, continuing his path down the corridor. He paused briefly to nce into Ethel''s room as he passed.
Richie hurried after him. "But our projects with the Briggs Group aren''t core coborations." He assumed business motives behind the request. "Wouldn''t arranging dinner seem inappropriate under these circumstances?"
"It''s perfectly fine," Kristian replied, shifting his gaze forward again. He had already formted his strategy to probe Hugh. "Simply mention that I find our cooperation with the Briggs Group promising and wish to explore deeper coboration."
Richie hesitated, his lips twitching with unspoken reluctance.
"What''s wrong?" Kristian inquired, noticing the man''s difort.
"Our cooperation with the Briggs Group hasn''t exactly been pleasant..." Richie''s face paled as memories surfaced. "During percentage negotiations, both parties maintained superficial politeness while secretly harboring violent thoughts toward each other."
That coboration had resembled nothing short of a battlefield.
The Briggs Group rankedst on Richie''s list of desired business partners-they were impossibly difficult! Kristian fell silent, taken aback. He hadn''t anticipated thisplication, as Alerith''s business dealings were managed externally. "Then devise another pretext for the meeting," he directed.
"Yes, sir," Richie agreed, though reluctance still tinged his voice.
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Meanwhile, Freya remained blissfully unaware that Kristian nned to meet her fatture
At nine that evening, Ethel finally stirred from unconsciousness
Her eyelids fluttered open to reveal the sterile white hospital room. Pain radiated through her body coding her to wince as she attempted to move. Then, a voice- one she had yearned to hear em in her theme
reached her ears.
"Don''t move," Freya cautioned gently, cing a restraining hand on her sister "You''s willmened to an
drip."
Excitement instantly flooded Ethel''s being. Joy illuminated her eyes as she turned toward the seed mice
"You''re back!" she eximed, her voice thick with emotion.
"Yes," Freya confirmed softly. "The drip will bepleted in about twenty minutes just ter sill wil frem "Okay," Ethelplied eagerly, her bright gaze fixed adoringly on Freya, drinking in her presence
Freya tucked the nket snugly around her sister''s form, concerned about potental chills
"Mina," Ethel murmured.
"Yes?" Freya responded attentively.
"It''s so wonderful to have you back," Ethel continued, her voice warm with affection
Freya''s lips curved into a tender smile.
"Mina," Ethel called again.
"Yes?"
"I''m overjoyed to see you," Ethel whispered, her words simple but heartfelt.
Freya yfully tapped her sister''s nose, affection radiating from her expression. Focus on recovering inst."
"Okay!" Ethel beamed with happiness.
Twenty minutester, after the infusionpleted, Freya summoned the night
nurse
Once freed from the IV, Ethel struggled eagerly to sit upright, desperate to be closer to her sister
Freya adjusted the bed to afortable position, offered her a cup of water, and settled beside her, their reunion finallyplete.
Since reuniting with Freya, Ethel''s face radiated pure joy, her spirits soaring with each passing moment. "Dad mentioned you married Kristian Shaw and are nning to divorce. Is that true?" she inquired, cannsity dancing
in her eyes.
Freya fell silent, contemting the question.
The knowledge of her marriage seemed to have spread further than she anticipated
"Before I address that," Freya redirected gently, her gaze settling on the bandages encircling Ethel''s head, "you need to exin how you acquired these injuries."
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Chapter 23 Arranging Dinner With Freya''s Father
Ethel''s excitement dimmed noticeably, reced by a flicker of hesitation that crossed her features.
Freya waited with patient silence, allowing her sister the space to gather her thoughts without pressure.
"You can''t be angry when I tell you," Ethel negotiated, teeth worrying her bottom lip anxiously.
"Alright," Freya conceded with a reassuring nod.
Ethel hesitated extensively before finally admitting, "I was beaten, though I''m uncertain about who orchestrated
it.*
"Share your suspicions with me," Freya encouraged, maintaining herposure despite the revtion.
"I believe it might have been Cheryl''s rtives," Ethel confessed in a whisper. “But
it probably bears no connection to her personally."
Cheryl Newman had be their father''s newpanion in recent times.
"I only had a single morning ss, so I''d arranged to go shopping with my dormmates that afternoon. Then I received an unexpected text," Ethel borated, reconstructing the sequence of events. "It imed a friend of mine was in trouble and urged me to hurry to a specific location."
"Which friend?" Freya probed, seeking crucial details.
Ethel hesitated meaningfully, her eyes deliberately avoiding Freya''s prating gaze.
Understanding dawned immediately on Freya. "A boyfriend?"
"Uh..." Ethel confirmed sheepishly, anticipating her sister''s potential disapproval.
"I didn''t analyze the situation thoroughly at the time and simply rushed to the
address provided. It proved to be an borate trap."
"Could you show me the text message?" Freya requested.
"Of course!" Ethel unlocked her phone with swift fingers and presented it to her
sister.
Freya examined the message carefully,mitting the number to memory.
"Mina," Ethel ventured cautiously.
"Yes?"
"Please don''t create difficulties for Cheryl," Ethel implored, well aware of her sister''s lingering resentment. "I can confidently assure you she had no involvement in this incident."
During the two years of her sister''s absence, Ethel had gained significant perspective. Cheryl wasn''t the viin she''d once believed her to be.
Freya paused thoughtfully before responding, "As long as she hasn''t caused you harm. What traired after you arrived at the location?"
She returned the phone after thoroughly examining the message.
"I was ambushed in an alleyway before reaching my intended destination," Ethel recounted with remarkable objectivity. "I caught a glimpse of Cheryl''s younger brother observing from outside the alley. Then my... boyfriend arrived, rescued me, and transported me to the hospital. Everything afterward remains a nk. Oh! I should mention-my boyfriend came because I texted him en route to verify if he was genuinely in trouble."
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Chapter 23 Arranging Dinner With Freya''s Father
Freya nodded, having assembled aprehensive picture of the events. "Did you
file a police report
"Yes," Ethel confirmed with a nod.
Freya made a solemn promise. "I''ll provide you with theplete truth within
seven days."
Ethel nodded eagerly, a mischievous sparkle igniting in her eyes.
Having sessfully avoided censure for having a boyfriend, she grew emboldened. "Now that I''ve shared my story, shouldn''t you reciprocate with yours?"
Freya was poised to respond when her attention shifted to an iing text message from Hugh.
The message read, “Kristian has requested to have dinner with me. Should I ept the invitation?"