?Chapter 592:


    Ellis stayed quiet, letting the two of them have their fun at his expense. After lunch, Josiah kept them around for a bit longer.


    If Ellis hadn’t shown up, Freya would’ve made an excuse to leave early—she had to get back to pack up her things for her departure tomorrow. But now that she’d seen Ellis, the urgency had faded.


    They ended up spending the whole afternoon with Josiah, passing time over chess.


    At first, Ellis went up against Josiah, but when the older man got tired, he handed the board over and watched as Freya took his ce. Before they realized it, it was already past five in the afternoon. Freya nced at the time, ready to head out, but wasn’t sure how to bring it up.


    Ellis noticed the movement and, still ying with Josiah, said, “Josiah, Freya and I have a few things to take care of. After this round, we’ll have to head out. We’lle back to visit soon.”


    “Dragging poor Freya into your business, huh?” Josiah huffed. “That girl always ends up as the scapegoat.”


    Ellis didn’t respond, just smiled quietly, his eyes on the board.


    Freya felt a small wave of relief. It was always tough for her to turn down an elder’s invitation.


    And if they didn’t leave soon, she worried Josiah might invite them to stay the night after dinner—and worse, that Ellis might bring up that awkward phone call again. He had only mentioned it briefly before, never expanding on it. Freya was still uneasy.


    Not long after, they wrapped up the game.


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    Ellis smoothly packed away the chessboard and pieces himself, bidding Josiah farewell with polished grace.


    Freya offered her goodbyes as well.


    Though Josiah was reluctant, he knew better than to hold the younger ones back.


    “Captain, how are you getting back?” Freya asked.


    “I’ll walk out and catch a cab.”


    Josiah looked surprised. His gaze flicked over to the nearby SUV, clearly wondering how Ellis could lie with such a straight face. Still, he didn’t call him out—just watched the little performance unfold. He was curious to see what Ellis had up his sleeve.


    “It’s a pretty long walk, and you won’t find a cab nearby,” Freya said, holding up the car keys. “Where are you headed? If it’s not too far, I’ll drive you.”


    Ellis had always looked out for his team members. Freya couldn’t just let him wander off on foot.


    His expression stayed calm, his voice warm and light. “Would it be too much trouble?”


    “Not at all,” Freya said. “Let’s go.”


    “Alright.”


    Ellis followed her with a secret smirk.


    Josiah’s lips twitched. What a crafty young man.


    Freya led Ellis to her car, started the engine without hesitation, and drove out of the residential area.


    She didn’t suspect a thing—after all, when she arrived, there had only been three cars in the garage, and Ellis had walked in. It never crossed her mind that he might’ve shown up earlier.


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