Chapter 271 That''s Daylight Robbery!
Freya had just shut down herptop and was about to freshen up when her phone buzzed to life.
She nced at the screen-Lawrence. With a sigh, she answered, “Hello.”
Her voice caught Lawrence off guard for a beat.
To him, the voice sounded somewhat familiar.
"K?" he asked, as he always did.
"It''s me," Freya replied tly.
"I got the email you sent." Lawrence didn''t bother with pleasantries. He cut straight to the chase. "Meeting''s fine. You pick the time and ce. But I need a favor first-hope it''s not too much trouble."
From what Lawrence knew of K, she was never the type to sugarcoat things.
She didn''t y games, didn''t lure anyone into traps, which was why he didn''t hold back.
In the past, Freya would''ve agreed without a second thought.
But knowing Kristian had a deal with Lawrence, she simply said, "Go ahead."
"There''s a guy here-he''s got a bullet lodged near his heart and a raging fever. Doctors are hesitant to operate,* Lawrence said briskly. "Can you reach out to the doctor Jacob Prescott and ask for his help? Of course, you can
name your price." Lawrence tacked on.
Freya froze. A gunshot? A fever?
At once, Kristian''s face shed through her mind.
Her thoughts flew back-leaping off the cliff, their rushed parting, Brendan''s gun raised and firing.
She''d been boarding the yacht, and when the shot rang out, Kristian had seemed to stumble toward her. She hadn''t thought much of it then-just assumed the yacht had rocked beneath them.
Looking back now, that must have been him reacting to the bullet Brendan fired. The memory looped relentlessly in her mind.
When she''d asked if he was alright, he had casually steered the conversation away-and borrowed a coat from
Lawrence.
Kristian, of all people, borrowing a coat? He was too particr for that. Unless- he''d wanted to hide something.
And suddenly, all those overlooked moments surged back with rity.
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Freya felt a sharp pang twist in her chest. No wonder she''d thought he looked paler on the yacht than he had on the cliff. She''d brushed it off as a trick of lighting against Lawrence''s ck coat.
Lawrence waited a beat, heard only silence, and tried again, "K? You still there?"
"You owe me," Freya said evenly. "When I ask for something, you''ll have to agree. No questions."
Lawrence hesitated. What was this now? Was K ying games too?
Freya didn''t push. She wanted Kristian safe more than Lawrence did-but she
needed that guarantee first. Without it, even if Kristian recovered, Lawrence might still drag him into trouble.
"Alright," Lawrence said after a pause. "As long as you get Jacob to treat him, I''ll agree to anything."
He believed K wouldn''t trick him.
"Address."
"I''ve emailed it to you. You''ve got twelve hours to get there, or it''s toote." "Okay."
Freya ended the call.
Once she saw that the address was in Alerith, she grabbed her keys and headed out, calling Jacob as she drove.
When he saw her name, Jacob picked up with azy, half-asleep drawl, "Mina.” "Where are you?"
"Alerith."
"Help me save someone."
"Alright."
That was all.
After hanging up, Freya sent him the address and sped off to pick him up.
She kept the windows down during the drive.
The biting wind snapped at her skin, keeping her focused, reminding her how easilyposure could slip in a
crisis.
Normally, if Kristian had a fever, she''d have known something was wrong- especially if he''d been shot.
But this time, she''d missed itpletely.
No wonder he''d kept pushing her to leave, insisting he had things to do.
Freya couldn''t quite untangle her feelings-guilt, remorse, worry-all tangled in her chest.
She understood why he''d done it, why he''d hidden it from her. But to her, none of it had been worth his me
She''d already forgiven him.
With that storm of emotions tightening in her chest, she pressed harder on the gas, picked Jacob up, and drove
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toward the location Lawrence had given.
Jacob was striking in his own way-or more precisely, he was a lethargic-looking heartthrob.
With messy hair and a sideways nce, he asked, "Who got hur?"
"Kristian Shaw." Freya didn''t bother hiding it.
Jacob blinked, momentarily thrown off.
Kristian Shaw?
He searched his memory until the name clicked. "Your ex-husband?"
"Yes."
"Standard fee-he pays."
"Lawrence Haynes pays," Freya replied smoothly.
Jacob, remembering the deluge of calls earlier, connected the dots and nodded.
"Fine."
He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from the sidepartment and, after asking for a few details, jotted everything down. Besides the favor Lawrence owed Freya, Jacob demanded a billion dors.
They pulled up outside Lawrence''s private hospital.
Jacob, holding the paper loosely between his fingers, handed it over. "Take a look. See if anything''s missing."
"A billion dors?" Freya raised a brow. "Did you forget Lawrence is notoriously
stingy?"
"He''ll pay," Jacob said with a yawn, his tone indifferent. "We''ve been rivals for years, and he''s never called me once. This time, he called nonstop."
"I''ve got nothing else to add." Freya handed it back. "Have him sign it first. I''ll get out of the car once he does."
She couldn''t show her face until Lawrence agreed.
If he saw her, he''d dump Kristian on her without a second thought. If Kristian died, she''d bear the me. If he lived, Lawrence could still wring out the original deal. Jacob gave azy nod, taking the paper and pen as he stepped out.
He was dressed in a loose-knit sweater, looking every bit as unbothered as ever. Lawrence had been pacing in the corridor since the call, unsure when K or Jacob would appear.
He waited. And waited.
Then finally, footsteps echoed.
As he turned to see who it was, a papernded before him, and a voice followed-
dry and devoid of emotion, "Sign, and I save him. Refuse, and I walk away. You''ve got one minute."
Lawrence frowned in confusion.
He took the paper and saw Jacob standing in front of him, still looking infuriatingly
casual.
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"You''ve got fifty seconds," Jacob reminded him.
"I''ll sign," Lawrence said, grabbing the pen-then froze at the figure on the page.
He pointed at it, stunned. "A billion?"
"Yes."
"That''s daylight robbery!" Lawrence gaped, incredulous at how bold the man was.
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