?Chapter 858:


    “Dad,” Ethel said pointedly after Freya put the pen down, her tone firm.


    “What do you think of Jarrett?”


    Hugh was taken aback. She really knew how to pick her timing. It was bad enough she asked with Freya sitting right there, but Jarrett hadn’t even left yet.


    Freya instinctively looked at him when she heard the question.


    “He’s fine,” Hugh answered with a slight cough, keeping it brief. He fully intended to give Ethel a talking-to once they got home for putting him on the spot like that.


    “Then you don’t have any objections to us dating, right?” Ethel wasn’t even trying to be subtle anymore.


    Hugh, always the dignified one, held hisposure. “When did I ever say I objected?”


    Ethel finally felt at peace. She walked out of the restaurant with Hugh and Freya, her arm linked with Freya’s, her happiness written all over her face.


    The scene didn’t go unnoticed. Someone stood at the corner, watching them leave. A phone was pressed to their ear.


    On the other end, a woman’s voice spoke slowly, with chilling precision. “Miss Garza, I’ve said everything I needed to. Working with me will do you more good than harm. You’re a smart woman—you know which choice serves you best.”


    “1 don’t see what good this is going to do.” Vivien watched as Freya and the others slowly faded from sight, her voice eerily calm—almost devoid of emotion. “Whether it seeds or not, it’s still a crime.” The person on the other end didn’t respond.


    Vivien went on, “You know how deep the Briggs family’s roots run. Freya’s not someone I can afford to cross.”


    She wasn’t naive. Beyond their towering presence in the business world, the Briggs family held frightening sway. And that didn’t even ount for their powerful allies—families like the Seymours and other major yers. Freya alone had enough weight to make Vivien tread carefully. Vivien was aware that Freya was not someone she could casually go up against.


    g?????0ν??????.??????; ?????????? ????????


    “You know who I am,” the voice finally said. “The Briggs family might be a force in the corporate world, but the blood that runs in my veins could wipe them out. Wealth means nothing in front of real power.”


    Vivien hesitated. The Russell family’s background was nothing short of extraordinary.


    “If we work together, and you help me take Freya out, I promise nothing will happen to you,” the voice continued, smooth and steady. “Isn’t your situation—and your mother’s—all because Freya came back into the picture?”


    Vivien’s fingers clenched around her phone. She didn’t answer for a long while. Eventually, she asked, “Can you really guarantee my safety?”


    “I can,” the voice said, confident. “The name ‘Russell’ alone is enough.”


    “I’ll think about it,” Vivien murmured, her thoughts in chaos.


    Hugh had always looked out for her and her mother. But her father was getting out of prison soon. Without protection, her father would definitely stir up trouble again. Her mother had cut ties with him, so he had no im on her anymore. But now she herself was an adult. Her father might want her to support him.


    “I’ll give you half a month to decide,” the voice said.


    Far away overseas, Norah’s hatred for Freya had already sunk deep. “If you’re going to help me, make sure it’s when Ellis isn’t around.” Ellis was more than capable of handling any sudden threat that came Freya’s way.


    Norah had been pushed to the edge—if she was going down, she’d make sure Freya went with her.


    Vivien didn’t answer. She ended the call.


    .


    .


    .