Chapter 261 Barging In The


    Bathroom


    Lost in thought, Freya came up with an idea-though she wasn''t entirely sure it would work.


    She rose to her feet, but before she could take a single step, Brendan''s eyesnded squarely on her. "Ms. Briggs, where do you think you''re going?"


    "To the restroom," Freya answered crisply.


    Brendan turned to Natasha and said, "Go with her."


    "Is that really necessary?" Natasha asked,zily sipping her juice through a straw. "It''s not like she can jump ship."


    “She can''t run, true, but hiding''s a different story on a vessel this size," Brendan replied, casting a pointed nce at Freya. "Besides, she doesn''t know her way around. What if she gets lost?"


    Setting down her juice, Natasha stood and followed Freya toward the restroom.


    Along the way, she kept up a friendly chatter,ced with concern. "Any preference for dinner? I can talk to the chef for you."


    "I''m not picky."


    "You remind me of my mentor," Natasha said, ncing sideways at her.


    To deflect suspicion, Freya asked casually, "Is that why you''re being so nice- because I remind you of her?"


    "Of course not," Natasha retorted with a softugh. "I just think the two of you would''ve hit it off. Quiet types, not fussy about food."


    "You''re reading too much into it," Freya said with a shrug, her tone breezy.


    When they reached the restroom, Freya went through the motions and stepped out wearing a hesitant expression.


    Natasha noticed immediately and asked bluntly, "What''s wrong?"


    "I want to take a shower," Freya admitted. "I didn''t get tost night, and I''m feeling ufortable.".


    "Go ahead,” Natasha said, not nearly as strict about such things as Brendan. "I’II take you."


    Freya followed along, thinking to herself that having a former apprentice who had switched allegiances could


    actually be quite handy.


    Natasha led her to the room, gave a few brief instructions, then locked the door and returned to Brendan.


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    Freya casually scanned the room to check for cameras. Finding none, she slipped on a few fingerstalls and opened Natasha''sptop.


    She knew it was wrong to use someone else''s things without asking, but given the situation, she had no choice.


    The moment the device powered on, Natasha received a notification.


    Freya spotted it but stayedposed, her fingers flying across the keyboats


    In no time at all, she sent a message about their destination-Butterfly Ind-to Greta and the rest, including Ellis.


    She thought about messaging Kristian too, but knew he''d act on his own terms regardless. In the end, she just typed, "Don''t worry, I''m safe."


    Once the messages were sent, she essed Frederick''s system and nted a virus into Natasha''s machine.


    Just as she finished, a chat box popped up on the screen. "Is that you?" Frederick was clearly excited, but didn''t dare call her Freya in case it wasn''t really her on the other end.


    Freya knew her time was limited, and that Natasha would likelye check after receiving the notification.


    She quickly typed back, "Yes. Open the program I sent to yourputer and hit Enter every ten minutes. I just uploaded a virus to Natasha''sptop. Pressing Enter will upgrade it."


    Frederick, ever dependable, replied, "No problem."


    Freya closed the chat, wiped all traces, and powered theptop down.


    Making sure there were no fingerprints, she stepped into the bathroom, turned on the water, and began to undress.


    When Natasha returned, the first thing she did was check herptop. Seeing it off, she frowned slightly. What was this? How could there be a power-on alert when the device was shut down?


    Her first instinct was to suspect Freya, but then again, if Freya had turned it on and then off, there should''ve been a shutdown notification too.


    Puzzled, she switched on theptop. And what she saw left her utterly stunned!


    She couldn''t think about anything else, dragging over a chair and diving into the code to crack the virus.


    Just when she was on the verge of breaking it, the virus upgraded.


    At first, Natasha suspected Freya-if she were K, she might know how to turn theptop off without triggering any alerts.


    But after the upgrade, her doubts faded.


    Something felt off.


    Natasha froze at the keyboard.


    What if Freya was only pretending to shower while attacking her system from inside?


    With that chilling thought, she ignored the virus.


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    Chapter 261 Barging In The Bathroom


    It was just code-it might fry herptop, maybe even reveal her location.


    Nothing she couldn''t handle.


    Tiptoeing to the bathroom door, she listened to the water, bit her lip in determination, then pushed the door open and barged in.


    Startled by the noise, Freya immediately grabbed a towel, her eyes sharp and wary.


    She''d figured Natasha might hover by the door, trying to catch the sound of running water and confirm she was actually showering-but barging in like that? That hadn''t even crossed her mind.


    "What are you doing?" Freya asked, brows furrowing.


    "N-Nothing," Natasha stammered, her face turning beet red. "I just... wanted to make sure things were safe in


    here."


    Freya shot her a look and said simply, "Out."


    "We''re both women. No need to be shy," Natasha replied, though her gaze flicked


    to Freya''s flushed skin, and her own cheeks darkened. "I''ll just... leave. Take your time..."


    She shut the door awkwardly behind her and covered her face with her hands.


    What was wrong with her? Why had she even thought Freya was faking a shower?


    Freya must think she was some kind of creep now!


    Her mentor always said to take responsibility for one''s actions-but how was she,


    a woman, supposed to take responsibility for walking in on another woman? What now? That virus had truly messed her up.


    Meanwhile, Freya had no idea her apprentice was spiraling outside the door.


    Still uneasy, she rinsed off quickly. Before she could leave, Natasha was already there, waiting with a bag in hand, saying she''d brought some clothes.


    Freya epted, changing into them while drying her own garments.


    After getting dressed, she discreetly hid the miniature tracker Ellis had given her


    in the most secure ce she could manage, then strapped the poker and another device to her body.


    Once she was set, she stepped out.


    And right there, Natasha was waiting, ncing back with an awkward look on her


    face.


    "Freya... wait for me," Natasha said. "Once everything''s over, I promise I''ll make


    amends."


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