?Chapter 973:


    Trent and the crew were shared friends, no need for formal intros, but his childhood friends held a special ce, and Ellis wanted Freya to know them.


    Freya freshened up and headed out with Ellis.


    They were meeting at a cozy restaurant.


    In a private room, Ethan sat next to a sweet-looking woman.


    She was petite, looking tiny beside Ethan’s tall frame.


    “When Ellis shows, act like you’ve been crushing on him since we were kids and confess,” Ethan said, still salty about Ellis sneaking a virus onto his phone, which earned him a scolding from his mom. This was his shot to settle the score!


    Alyssa Castillo blinked, confused. “Are you nuts?”


    He asked her to confess to Ellis? Had he lost it?


    “Come on, help me out,” Ethan begged, giving her arm a yful shake, his eyes pleading. “Do this, and I’ll get you anything you want!”


    “I’ve got my own money.”


    “One wish, then!”


    “Not tempting.”


    “Alyssa, please, after what Ellis put me through with my mom, just help,” Ethan pressed.


    Alyssa shot back, “Stop it!”


    “If you don’t, I’ll tell everyone about your crush on that Aston guy,” Ethan said with a sly grin, ying dirty.


    “You wouldn’t!”


    gα?ησν????s takes you on a journey


    “Bet I would.”


    Alyssa red, fists clenched, torn between frustration and fury. What a knucklehead!


    “If you agree, I’ll keep this secret buried forever and promise to do one thing for you,” Ethan said earnestly. “Deal?”


    Alyssa shook his arm, her way of saying yes. “You better not break your word.”


    As they squabbled, Ellis and Freya walked in.


    Alyssa’s eyesnded on Freya, a spark of awe in her gaze. How did Ellisnd such a stunning woman?


    “Hey, good to see you again,” Ethan said warmly, nudging Alyssa under the table. He wasn’t sure if Ellis had spilled his feelings to Freya yet.


    Ellis always yed it cool, calling her his boss, but Ethan was dead certain Ellis was smitten.


    “Meet my childhood friends, Ethan Pearson and Alyssa Castillo,” Ellis said, then turned to them. “This is Freya Briggs, my girlfriend.” They swapped quick hellos.


    Ethan shot Alyssa a look, and she wanted to slug him again. But she couldn’t risk Ethan bbing about her crush on another man. If that got out, her lie would unravel.


    “Ellis,” Alyssa called softly.


    She was just two years younger than Ellis and Ethan. At twenty-eight, her small frame and cute face made her look barely twenty. Ellis was about to sit with Freya.


    “What’s up?”


    “I’ve liked you since we were kids,” Alyssa said, her heart silently apologizing to Freya, though her face stayed earnest.


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