?Chapter 523:


    Aside from being a little clueless when it came to love, Kristian was sharp and reliable in every other way—or at least, that’s how Gerard saw him.


    At first, Freya hadn’t given the matter much thought. But Gerard’s words had been far too pointed to brush aside.


    “Ms. Briggs, are you still there?” Gerard asked, his voice gently prodding after a long silence.


    “Are you sure what you said is true?” Freya asked, her brows knitting together slightly.


    “Yes. I’m sure.”


    “Did you cause it?”


    Gerard was too stunned to form a single word. His face was a picture of confusion. What exactly did she think he had caused?


    His silence read like guilt to Freya. She pinched the bridge of her nose and, in a tone muddled with emotions, murmured, “I see.”


    “Thank you, Ms. Briggs.” Gerard didn’t give the conversation much more thought after her reply. “If you need to make adjustments to the sry, just let me know.”


    “That’s not necessary.” Freya wasn’t even sure how she felt at that moment.


    After hanging up, she sat there, mulling over how to bring the matter up with Melvin. She had been curious—but she never imagined Melvin would pay such a steep price.


    More than anything, Gerard just didn’t strike her as that kind of person. Melvin had noticed that since Freya ended the call, she had barely touched her food. The fork in her hand was untouched, her mind clearly lost in thought.


    Recalling the conversation, Melvin quietly ced a ss of water in front of her.


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    “Was that Gerard on the phone just now?” he asked.


    “Yes.”


    “What did he say?”


    Freya paused mid-bite, her calm eyes flickering with a mix of emotions. No wonder Melvin had been so reluctant to talk about it earlier. If she were in his shoes, she wouldn’t have wanted to discuss it either.


    “Nothing much,” she replied, her voice measured. She knew Melvin got embarrassed easily. He came off as cold and aloof, but when it came to romance, he was honestly pretty clueless. “He just asked if you’de back to work.”


    “Ms. Briggs.”


    “Hmm?”


    “Do I seem naive to you?”


    “Not at all,” Freya said with a genuine smile. “You’re smart.”


    “Then why did you lie to me?” Melvin’s voice shifted suddenly—low, edged with hurt. “You two were on the phone for ages; that couldn’t have been just a simple chat.”


    What bothered him the most was that he hadn’t heard what Gerard said, but he had seen Freya’s expression change.


    Freya was at a loss for words. How was she supposed to respond to that? Melvin waspletely in the dark. What on earth had Gerard told Freya? Why did she look like that afterward?


    “He said you hit a rough patch in your rtionship,” Freya said, offering a half-truth. “And asked me to lighten your workload a bit.”


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