Chapter 174 Because He''s


    Your Cousin


    n found his eyes drifting toward Freya''s ex-husband.


    He couldn''t stop himself from wondering-did Kristian actually love Freya or not? If he did, then why on earth had they split up? But if he didn''t, what was he doing paying attention to such a small detail?


    n had caught it earlier. The moment Kristian spoke, Freya hesitated, clearly thrown off bnce.


    Even though she rarely let her feelings show, n liked to think of himself as a seasoned observer of human behavior.


    "Mr. Briggs, not a fan of the food?" Kristian had asked, catching sight of n holding his fork midair, the food untouched.


    "I''m not picky." n replied curtly, before finally starting to eat.


    Within five minutes, Freya had already polished off her meal, while n was still chewing at a leisurely pace.


    Then Kristian turned to Freya and said, "Come with me." Just like that, he took her away to erase the surveince footage.


    He even allowed her to watch him do it.


    That one gesture softened n''s view of him, and the irritation he''d felt when he first found out about Kristian and Freya''s divorce began to ease,


    But would that feeling stay the same if he ever learned the real reason behind their split?


    Inside the study, Kristian tracked down the footage by checking the timestamp.


    Just as he was about to hit delete, Freya suddenly said she wanted to see it first. She fast-forwarded through the video, and after watching the scene unfold in the living room, her brows pinched together slightly. Her eyes drifted to Kristian "What''s wrong?" Kristian asked, confused by the change in her expression. "Have you been going through somethingtely?" Freya had debated whether to ask. Whatever was going on with Kristian wasn''t really her concern anymore.


    But after watching the video, one thought kept circling in her head: since when did Kristian have this much


    patience?


    Back then, if something like this had happened, Kristian would''ve had n thrown out before he could cause a second of trouble. Why was he letting it slide now?


    Kristian picked up on her meaning by piecing together her question -


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    Chapter 174 Because He''s Your Cousin


    your cousin."


    He meant he was letting n off the hook for Freya''s sake, even if the man was practically tearing his apartment apart.


    Freya couldn''t even exin what she was feeling. When she remembered the part where n snatched Kristian''s phone and smashed it, her head started to ache. Why was n so talented at causing chaos?


    "Can you make a copy of this for me?" Freya had made up her mind. n needed a reality check.


    Kristian paused for a moment. "You really want a copy?"


    Freya nodded. "Yes. I do."


    Kristian hardly ever turned down her requests, so he agreed to make the copy. Freya gave him a quiet thanks.


    After finishing up his meal and cleaning up, n wandered into the study-only to spot Kristian transferring the surveince footage onto a sh drive.


    He stopped dead in his tracks. What the hell was going on? Why was the footage being saved?


    Before he could even open his mouth, Kristian had already finished copying the file and wiped the footage from the system.


    Freya and n didn''t stick around long. It was already pushing eleven, and Freya looked worn out. She shut her eyes and started dozing off the second they got into the car.


    n wanted to ask about the footage, but when he looked over and saw her face, all tired and peaceful, he didn''t have the heart to wake her.


    The car rolled on quietly.


    By half past eleven, they pulled into the driveway of Freya''s private residence.


    n walked her upstairs, and just as he was about to ask something, Freya handed him the sh drive. "This is the footage I had Kristian save. Take it home and watch it carefully."


    n looked confused.


    He took the sh drive, baffled, not entirely sure what she was trying to tell him.


    Freya didn''t offer any more exnation. She gave it to him, then went off to wash up and get ready for bed. n shut her door behind him and left with the sh drive in hand. When he got home and yed the footage, the embarrassment hit him like a freight train.


    Why was that ridiculous man in the video-him?


    Suddenly, it all clicked. Freya had wanted him to see for himself.


    This time, he''d outdone even his worst behavior. And the strangest part? Despite


    all that, Kristian hadn''t


    tossed him out


    It was... surreal.


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    In the days that followed, Freya and Kristian didn''t run into each other again.


    n kept a low profile at work and even told Toby to make sure he never had more than three drinks, no


    matter what


    Toby had no idea what had happened, but he agreed anyway.


    Time zipped by


    The date was now the 14th


    Kristian had already flown back to Jeucwell.


    Freya and Hugh were booked on an afternoon flight that same day.


    In the past, Lionel''s 80th birthday would''ve been just another corporate function


    for Hugh-showing up for formality''s sake, then slipping away unnoticed.


    But this time, things were different.


    Hugh was about to meet the very family that had once been his inws.


    From the moment Hugh boarded the ne to Jeucwell, he looked visibly uneasy, ncing at Freya every now and then like he wanted to say something but couldn''t quite get the words out.


    Though things between them had improved, their bond wasn''t what it had been when Freya was still a kid.


    Freya noticed the tension and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    What am I even supposed to do when we get there?" Hugh asked, lips pressed together, clearly anxious. "Nothing, Just treat it like any other business event," Freya replied matter-of-factly. "I''m just going to see Lionel You don''t need to do anything special."


    "Really?"


    "Yes."


    Even with her reassurance, Hugh still seemed unsure.


    If this really were just another work event, he could make a brief appearance and


    duck out.


    But ever since Briggs Group and Shaw Group started working together two years ago, this was the first time Shaw Group had sent a formal invite.


    Back then, events like annual banquets had nothing to do with the Briggs family. "What if they figure out I''m your father and want to talk to me? Should I talk to them?" Hugh asked, his nerves creeping back in.


    Freya didn''t reply right away.


    She turned and looked at him.


    Hugh only grew more uneasy under her gaze. "Should I?"


    "This is a normal corporate event. As the chairman of a business partner, your job


    is to show up. That''s it,"


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    Chapter 174 Because He''s Your Cousin


    Freya said again. "Just act like yourself."


    "Just be myself? I don''t need to go around chatting like we''re all buddies?" Hugh


    pressed.


    Freya responded, "That''s unnecessary."


    "Alright." Hugh looked a little calmer, but deep down, he was still a bundle of


    nerves.


    He had no clue what the Shaw family was really like.


    Even though Freya had told him they''d treated her well and that Lionel adored


    her, as her father, Hugh couldn''t help but worry.


    Over the past two years, he''d thought about reaching out more times than he could count-but in the end, he held back, afraid of upsetting her.


    Two years.


    To an adult knee-deep in work, it shed by in the blink of an eye.


    And before anyone realized it, time had passed.


    Meanwhile, back at the Shaw estate, as everyone scrambled to get things ready for Lionel''s 20th birthday, Kristian went straight to see his grandfather.


    Still wearing the suit from his flight, his sharply defined features gave off a cool, distant charm. He stepped forward and greeted him with a crisp, "Grandpa." Lionel didn''t so much as nce his way.