Chapter 248 Are You Trying To Rece Me


    "I won''t," Freya said smoothly, her voice calm as ever.


    Ellis shot her a few sidelong nces, clearly suspicious, before finally starting the car and pulling out behind her. He wasn''t fooled-he knew damn well Freya was hiding something from him.


    The rest of the day passed uneventfully. The four of them had dinner, lounged around for a bit, and then went their separate ways.


    Normally, an evening like that would''ve involved a few drinks, but Ellis abstained.


    He knew Freya was a lightweight when it came to alcohol, and if she ended up drunk, he wouldn''t be able to stop himself from poking around for answers.


    That wasn''t the way he wanted to find out about her secrets.


    After nine that night, Freya and Ellis returned together. Before leaving, she grabbed herptop..


    When they arrived, Freya was just about to unlock her front door when she remembered to bring up the contract with Ellis. "Captain, when you wake up tomorrow, just go straight to Anita International. I''ll have


    Melvin handle it all for you."


    "Alright," Ellis said with a nod.


    Freya grunted her acknowledgment, opened her door, and stepped inside.


    But instead of heading straight to bed, she went to her study, still restless from the day''s chaos.


    She flipped open her personalptop and quickly typed up a summary of what had happened at Ashley''s ce, circling a bold letter K on the screen.


    The fact that someone had instantly recognized Ashley''s phone had been tampered with by her meant only one thing-they knew her style.


    Not even Frederick would have figured that out. Only her apprentice could''ve guessed.


    Once Freya had gathered her thoughts, her fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard, pulling up an encrypted


    chat window.


    She typed, "It''s you, right, Natasha?"


    Halfway across the world, a stunning woman with long flowing hair raised one perfectly arched brow at the message. She picked up herptop and strolled outside, calling over to the man reclining on the sofa with a wine ss in hand. "She messaged me."


    "Who?" he asked without moving.


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    Chapter 248 Are You Trying To Rece Me


    "My mentor. ''K''," Natasha Sugden replied.


    That made him pause.


    Natasha passed him theptop and exined, "This is how wemunicate. Our own way."


    "Message her back," he said with a sly little smirk. "Get her talking. Try to figure out where she is."


    "I''ll give it a shot," Natasha replied crisply.


    She set theptop on the table and typed out her response, "I really can''t hide anything from you. Why''d you mess with Ashley Bradley''s phone?"


    Freya read the message and decided there was no point dancing around it. "You


    should know better than anyone else why I did it."


    Natasha frowned. "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    Freya replied, "I''m going after the person you''re helping."


    Natasha stopped typing and repeated the message to the man beside her.


    He didn''t seem the least bit rattled. His expression stayed unreadable. "If she could catch me, she''d have done


    it years ago."


    Natasha sent his words back in her reply.


    Freya''s response came swift and sharp. "Back off before yound yourself in


    deep trouble. When I catch him, I''lle for you too."


    Natasha typed, "You''re in Yham, aren''t you?"


    Freya saw that and immediately pulled up a satellite map in her browser, captured their precise location, and sent it straight back.


    Then she added, "Looks like you''ve still got a long way to go. Can''t even tell the difference between a virtual IP


    and a real one."


    That made Natasha''s face tighten. It was hard to believe.


    "She... she knows we''re here," Natasha said quietly, her tone suddenly serious.


    The man didn''t even blink. "She''s ''K''. Of course she knows. Doesn''t matter. Even if she does, she can''te


    here."


    Natasha felt a twinge of defeat.


    She''d spent three long years grinding, studying like hell to catch up-and she still couldn''t measure up.


    Even so, she couldn''t help but admire her mentor.


    "K" really was something else.


    Natasha typed again, "How''d you break through my virtual IP and find the real one?"


    Freya''s reply was brutally blunt. "Did you forget who trained you?"


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    Natasha had nothing to say to that. The sting of humiliation hit hard.


    She tapped out onest message, "Honestly, if he hadn''t told me K was a woman,


    I''d still think you were some scruffy male hacker."


    Freya''s eyes darkened at that. She knew exactly who Natasha meant.


    Even though she''d disguised herself for that mission, it should''ve been obus she


    was a woman.


    Back then, she went by the codename "K".


    Freya didn''t reply after that. She ended the chat and casually dropped a virus into Natasha''sptop and server.


    Once that was done, she shut down herptop, washed up, and went to bed. The virus would buy her some time-at least Ashley''s side would stay quiet for now.


    As for Natasha, when she realized what had happened, she leaned her head on


    one hand. "My mentor doesn''t even spare myptop."


    "What happened?" the man asked.


    “Virus attack. The other room''s server got hit too,” Natasha said, sounding


    surprisingly calm. "The entire database is gone."


    The man stared at her,pletely thrown.


    "You''re kidding, right?"


    "Would I joke about this?"


    "I thought you said it was locked down."


    "Yeah, well... that was before I pissed her off."


    The man was speechless.


    "Give me half a month. I''ll try to crack it and recover what I can," Natasha said.


    The next morning arrived in the blink of an eye.


    Freya, fresh off her vacation, got up early and headed straight to work.


    By the time she arrived at the office, Melvin already had her task list waiting and


    all the necessary documents


    lined up neatly for her signature.


    After flipping through the files, she handed over the contract prepared for Ellis. "Someone new will be joiningter. Take him to HR department to finish the onboarding."


    "Understood," Melvin replied, casually skimming through the paperwork like he always did when vetting her


    hires.


    He was just about to move on, but then his eyes stopped cold at the sry and position section.


    Freya had just opened another file, pen in hand, when she noticed Melvin''s usual poker face break into a deep frown, like he''d just been handed a loaded problem.


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    "What''s wrong?" she asked.


    Melvin tapped the document. "You''re hiring him as your assistant?"


    "Yes"


    "Ms. Briggs."


    "Hmm?"


    "I can handle everything on my own. There''s no need to waste money bringing someone else in."


    "I know." Freya acknowledged hispetence without hesitation. "But you''re overloaded. Bringing him in will help lighten the load."


    Melvin didn''t say a word.


    Freya had never seen him like this.


    She set down her pen and looked up at him with those bright, striking eyes of


    hers.


    Just as she was about to offer some reassurance, Melvin finally spoke. "Are you trying to rece me?"


    "No," Freya answered inly, her tone honest and direct.


    Melvin stood there, looking aloof, but the defiance in his eyes reminded her of a


    kid terrified of losing his


    favorite toy.


    Freya found herself a little thrown off.


    By all logic, Melvin had no reason to be insecure.


    He owned so many shares in thepany that he could quit tomorrow and never


    worry about money again.


    Why was he reacting like this over an assistant?


    "Actually... he''s a friend," Freya admitted quietly. "He''s switching careers and


    doesn''t really know what he wants yet. I figured I''d let him try working with me.


    After a month, I''ll help him find a role that suits him


    better."