?Chapter 432:


    Remembering how he’d used her phone to call Gerard the night before, she hesitated for a second. Just in case he caught a glimpse of what she’d previouslybeled him, she quickly updated his contact name to “Kristian.”


    But the more she thought about it, the more self-conscious she felt. That kind of precaution was suspicious in itself.


    So in the end, she switched it back to “Jerk,” as if to remind herself not to fall too deep into that murky water.


    After putting her phone away, she headed to n’s office.


    Inside, he hadn’t aplished a single thing all day.


    Paperwork had piled up on his desk.


    “What’s wrong with you?” Freya asked, noting the slump in his shoulders and the haze behind his eyes. “You look half-dead. Are you—”


    “No.”


    “Then what is it?” Her eyes scanned him like a lie detector.


    n replied in a tone as dry as dust, “Hangover.”


    How he had survived the day was anyone’s guess.


    Every time someone knocked to discuss work or drop off documents, he had to snap into action, forcing a mask of energy onto his weary face. The second they left, he deted again like a balloon with a slow leak.


    Never in his life had he felt so awkward, so absurdly helpless.


    Freya could see it in as day—he was running from the situation. “Then go through these files. I’ll deal with Kristian.”


    “No need. I’m just… gathering the courage.” n turned her down. She had said she wanted to keep a respectful distance from Kristian, and as her cousin, he couldn’t just dump the task on her.


    Freya didn’t argue. She merely said, “Take your time. I’m heading over now.”


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    “Wait!” n called out, blocking her exit.


    He couldn’t go by himself.


    If he walked into Kristian’s ce alone, what if Kristian mocked him mercilessly?


    At least with Freya there, Kristian might tone things down.


    Freya turned around, staring at him with a mix of curiosity and exasperation.


    After wrestling with his pride, n finally said, “Help me finish these documents first. Just give me onest moment to pull myself together.”


    “I’m leaving.” She didn’t budge.


    He immediately sprang from his chair and rushed after her, stepping in front of the door like a human barricade. “Mina, please.”


    “You’re the older cousin,” she pointed out.


    “So what? Does being older mean I can’t beg?” That, surprisingly, was hard to argue with.


    “Just this once, okay? I really can’t think straight today. Just once!” n pleaded, softening his tone.


    Freya gave him a long, searching look. Eventually, his persistence wore her down.


    She sent a quick message to Kristian, letting him know she’d bete, then sat down to start reviewing the documents. For every one she checked, n signed.


    As he watched her move efficiently through the stack, a strange sense of pride blossomed in him.


    They always said a man looked attractive while working. But at this moment, watching Freya’s poise and focus, he thought she put every working man to shame. She was the very picture ofposure and capability.


    “Mina.”


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