?Chapter 888:


    Freya offered the faintest of smiles before letting out a deep sigh.


    Silently, she slipped the knife back into her bag, careful not to rm the other patrons milling around. “Alright. Start talking. What’s going on?”


    “It was Norah Russell who told me to do this,” Vivien confessed without hesitation. Something in her had shifted since Freya said she believed her—like that simple trust had cracked her defenses. “She said that if I killed you, she’d give me the life I wanted and promised I’d walk away clean.”


    Freya raised an eyebrow. “And you believed her?”


    “Halfway.” Vivien gave a dry, uneasy smile. “It’s not like we signed a contract. Who’s to say she wouldn’t screw me over the second it was done?”


    “So, that’s why you didn’t go through with it?”


    “Of course not!” Vivien’s response came quickly, desperate to correct the assumption. “That was just a small part of it. The real reason?” She drew in a breath. “I realized the life I wanted shouldn’t be built on your death. Even if I got everything she promised, I’d never be able to live with myself in peace.”


    She had thought about it. Really thought about it.


    Even if Norah kept every word, even if freedom and luxury were guaranteed—Vivien couldn’t cross that line.


    She wasn’t a killer. All her arrogance, her maniptions—they’d made people hate her, sure. But murder? It was a serious crime, a point of no return. She just couldn’t do it.


    “And also…” She hesitated, knowing her next words might sting. But she owed Freya the truth. “Your dad and sister have always been so kind to me. If something happened to you… they’d be devastated.”


    “How did she even contact you?”


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    “She called me,” Vivien admitted. “But… weren’t you two close? How did it get this bad?”


    “I’ve got nothing to do with her anymore.” Freya’s voice was t, dismissive. “And for what it’s worth, none of what she promised you was even possible. The Russell family cut ties with her a long time ago.” That part was true. Thest time Freya had met with Josiah, he’d made it clear where they stood.


    Even Norah’s father couldn’t overlook her actions. Damon, least of all.


    “Wait… I thought the Russells had those kinds of connections?” Vivien asked, still trying to piece it all together.


    “They do,” Freya said, “But Norah’s father chose the corporate path, while her uncle went into the military. The Russells are people of principle. Just because they’re family doesn’t mean they’d cover for her. And they definitely wouldn’t do the things she imed.”


    “So she was bluffing the whole time?” Vivien murmured, stunned.


    The weight of what she almost did crashed down on her. For the first time, she was truly grateful she hadn’t followed through. Her life would’ve been destroyed—and for nothing.


    Freya studied her quietly. Since when did Vivien believe her so easily?


    Freya and Vivien continued chatting, letting the conversation drift into lighter, unrted topics for a while.


    Vivien, sensing a pause in the flow and feeling the weight of unspoken words, pressed her lips together nervously before finally speaking up. “I’m sorry about what happened before… for going against you and even saying awful things about you.”


    “It’s all in the past,” Freya answered, her voice calm and even.


    When it came to old grudges, she had a clear stance—if something bothered her, she’d deal with it directly. If not, it wasn’t worth dwelling on.


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