?Chapter 1038:


    The truth? Meeting the parents was only part of the n. The real reason was to find out Ellis’s childhood nickname.


    Thest time she brought it up, he imed he didn’t have one—which was suspicious enough. But when she asked Alyssa about itter, she dodged the question.


    That sealed it.


    Ellis raised an eyebrow. “You seriously expect me to believe that?”


    “Believe it or not,” Freya huffed. “Why ask if you’re just going to doubt me?”


    Ellis chuckled.


    Freya narrowed her eyes. What was so funny?


    Ellis looked at her, clearly amused. “Want me to pull up some couple fight videos? You can study the bodynguage—maybe sharpen your acting.”


    Freya crossed her arms. “You think I’m pretending to be mad?”


    He tilted his head, evaluating. “You’d probably fool Trent and Frederick.”


    “Ellis Lambert!”


    “Hmm?”


    “I’m indeed upset right now.” Her voice was cool, firm—with a note of seriousness.


    She was determined to stand her ground against him.


    She didn’t mind losing to him in most games or falling for his traps now and then. She conceded defeat in arguments. But this? This little battle of pride? She needed a win.


    Ellis didn’t argue. “I know.”


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    Freya blinked. That was it? Nothing else? This wasn’t how a proper fight was supposed to go.


    “Freya,” he said suddenly, his eyes twinkling with curiosity and amusement.


    She looked up instinctively.


    “You realize there’s a pretty big w in your performance, right?”


    She frowned. “What w?”


    She thought she was doing a convincing job, even had herself halfway convinced.


    Ellis leaned in slightly, his voice low and teasing. “Who argues with their boyfriend… while sitting on hisp?”


    Freya nced down.


    Right. She was still sitting on hisp. Damn.


    Before she could recover, Ellis’s voice came again,zy and warm. “Next time, make sure to storm off first. That way the fightsts longer and I get to y along too.”


    Freya finally relented.


    She slid off Ellis and perched on the couch, her expression turning grave as she spoke with unflinching sincerity. “The more I think about it, the more I believe Greta and Riley had a point. I’m starting to worry about what lies ahead.”


    Ellis tilted his head slightly, regarding her. “What’s got you so worried?”


    “I’m afraid you’ll end up conning me, and I’ll still thank you for it.” There wasn’t the slightest trace of sarcasm in her voice. She meant every word.


    “You really don’t have to worry about that. I won’t lie to you,” Ellis murmured, reaching over to give her cheek a yful pinch.


    Freya narrowed her eyes at him, scrutinizing his face as though trying to read past his calm exterior—but he gave away nothing. If this man were tounch a business from the ground up, she had no doubt he could swindle the world with that charm of his, and no one would see iting.


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