?Chapter 399:


    “It’s really me,” Ashley’s voice sounded much the same as it always had. “I’d like to meet with you. Is that okay?”


    “I’m busy,” Freya replied curtly, turning her down.


    Ashley sat at a café, gazing out the window at the endless parade of cars. Her mood was far from pleasant.


    Holding her phone, she said with calm urgency, “I cane to you.”


    “Miss Bradley, I don’t think we’re that close,” Freya replied, her grip on the steering wheel tightening as she continued driving. She couldn’t figure out why Ashley had suddenlye to Alerith. Hadn’t Ashley once said that returning to that man was like stepping into hell?


    “Please, I’m begging you,” Ashley pleaded.


    Freya heard the desperation in her voice, her own hands tightening on the wheel, her expression unreadable.


    Had she not known about Ashley’s past, she wouldn’t have cared at all. Whether Ashley begged or not wouldn’t have made a difference. But for some reason, Ashley’s plea evoked the image of someone being manipted.


    After a moment’s thought, Freya decided. “Where do you want to meet?”


    “The café next to Shaw Group building.” Ashley’s voice rxed, a faint, bitter smile tugging at her lips.


    Freya set her GPS and drove off.


    Half an hourter, she arrived.


    After parking, Freya saw Ashley sitting by the window. She looked even more worn than when she’d left. Though it was only autumn, she wore a scarf.


    Her white knit sweater and flowing hair gave her an air of fragile calm, but her appearance screamed of silent battles.


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    As Freya walked in, Ashley’s gaze instantly locked onto her.


    In that moment, a glimmer of hope sparked in Ashley’s eyes.


    Freya took a seat across from her, her voice distant and cold. “What do you want?”


    “That person wants me to kill Kristian,” Ashley murmured, gripping the spoon in her coffee cup, biting her lip as though to hold back tears.


    Freya blinked, caughtpletely off guard. “What?”


    She stared at Ashley, utterly confused.


    “Someone tells you to kill, and you just do it?” Freya asked, disbelief clear in her voice.


    “I don’t have a choice,” Ashley replied, her words heavy with helplessness.


    “You’re your own person. How can you not have a choice?” Freya’s tone grew sharper, disbelief edging into her words. She thought Ashley was a fool for even considering such a thing. “Your grandmother and younger brother are under protection now. No one can threaten their lives.”


    Ashley fell silent.


    Freya scrutinized her for a moment before continuing, “The more you give in, the more that man will see you as easy to manipte. He’ll use the same leverage to force you into doing things you’d never consider otherwise.”


    Ashley avoided Freya’s gaze, her face clouded with doubt.


    She understood the logic. But fear and anxiety often led her to make irrational decisions.


    “If you knew who he was, you’d understand why I couldn’t resist,” Ashley finally whispered, her voice barely audible.


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