?Chapter 338:


    His face hardened with anger. “You two talked about this in front of her?” he demanded.


    “It was… my uncle who said it,” Vivien faltered, realizing toote that the situation was slipping out of her control.


    Hugh’s gaze instinctively shifted to Freya, a sense of guilt washing over him for not protecting her better. But Freya, calm andposed, didn’t seem troubled in the slightest. Lies would never gain a foothold in the truth.


    She nced at Vivien’s frantic face and, with a cold smile, offered some advice. “You might want to follow your uncle’s example and end up sharing a cell with him.”


    “What?” Vivien’s mind was spiraling in panic.


    Upon learning that Freya was not only Hugh’s daughter, Vivien realized she was in deep trouble. Now everything made sense—why Hugh had listened to Freya at thepany earlier that day, and why Freya had stated that, without her consent, she would never join the Briggs Group again.


    “Your uncle spread rumors about me earlier today, then brought his bodyguards to assault me in the evening, and he even incited Emil to harm my sister,” Freya said calmly. “I’ve got proof of everything he’s done.”


    Vivien, unable to utter a single word, stood frozen. She now understood that Freya was far more formidable than she had ever imagined. Freya was quite different from Ethel.


    “Are you leaving on your own, or should I show you the door?” Freya asked, her eyes looking down at Vivien, who was now noticeably smaller than her.


    Vivien bit her lip in hesitation. A mix of emotions gripped her, but she turned and fled.


    The tension in the room slowly ebbed away, and Ethel, still reeling from the events, finally broke the silence. “Freya, why didn’t you tell me about the assault earlier?”


    “Right, you should have told us,” Hugh’s voice was heavy with concern. The thought of his daughter potentially being in danger gnawed at him.


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    Freya took in their worried expressions. “It’s nothing serious, and it’s already been handled.”


    “How can it be nothing serious?” Hugh’s concern was evident. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll have eight bodyguards follow you everywhere.”


    Freya simply shook her head. “That’s unnecessary.”


    “Mina!”


    “Their presence would only slow me down.”


    Hugh was left speechless. Ethel, too, was too amazed to say anything. Nevertheless, Freya’s words somehow made sense.


    Hugh had previously arranged bodyguards for both Freya and Ethel. Ethel had epted them, appreciating their discreet protection, but Freya had refused. Even after Hugh insisted, Freya had demonstrated she could easily dispatch an entire team of bodyguards on her own. Since then, Hugh had never raised the issue of bodyguards again.


    Freya stood up, preparing to go upstairs. “I’m heading up.”


    “Good night.”


    “Hold on,” Hugh called out, his voice filled with hesitation.


    Freya paused mid-step.


    Ethel, too, nced over, surprised. Hugh had actually stopped her sister—this was definitely a step forward.


    “Well…” Hugh stumbled over his words, unsure of how to phrase what he wanted to say. He feared that being too direct might upset Freya, but remaining silent felt equally wrong.


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