She Took The House The Car And My Heart

Chapter 214

Chapter 214 You Care About Him That Much

Freya's gaze shifted ever so slightly, a subtle flicker that spoke volumes.

"Just good buddies?"

Gerard caught the silent message in her eyes, and his grin wavered. "You don't believe that?"

"If it really was just friendship, then why did you tellhe hit a rough patch in his relationship?" Freya asked,

her confidence finally beginning to crack. "And why did you tellto lighten his workload... even suggested

you'll compensate him?"

Most telling of all-when she had asked if he was the reason behind Melvin's problem, Gerard had fallen

completely silent.

"Because..." Gerard glanced in Kristian's direction.

Admitting Melvin had feelings for Freya now felt like stabbing Kristian in the back, didn't it?

Besides, Melvin had called it a secret crush. If Gerard blurted the truth in front of Freya, Melvin would absolutely

hold it against him later.

Freya followed the direction of his gaze, her brows knitting together. "Why are you looking at him?"

"I gave Melvin my word I'd keep it private," Gerard replied quickly, scrambling for a way out. "I can't tell you."

Even though Melvin had confessed that the story was fabricated to dig for information, Gerard couldn't shake the

feeling that something didn't sit right.

Melvin wasn't the type to dangle his emotions like bait-not even to fish for

answers.

Freya's stare turned sharper, narrowing slightly as she studied Gerard.

Trying to rescue his own name, Gerard made one more attempt. "Look, all you need to know is that Melvin and |

are just good friends-nothing more."

Freya responded with a noncommittal, "Hmm."

Kristian, who had been silently observing the entire exchange, locked eyes with Freya. That face-he had seen it

in his dreams countless times. And now, here she was, right in front of him. "What happened tonight?"

"Why were you even there?" Freya shot back instead of answering.

Given how that mastermind usually operated with surgical precision, such a blunder seemed completely out of

character.

If she were in his place, she would've ensured no chance for her to slip away-no loophole to call for help. The

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23rd floor should've been locked down airtight.

Kristian pressed his lips into a thin, tight line.

He couldn't possibly confess he'd been investigating Melvin and had gone there out of fear Melvin might hurt

her.

If he admitted that, Freya would definitely demand to know why he was digging into Melvin's life. No matter

how he explained it, it would look like he was meddling. And she'd despise him even more for it.

"Yeah, Mr. Shaw, why were you there?" Gerard added, his curiosity lighting up his face. "And how did you know

Melvin was in Room 2309?"

The second he said it, Freya's entire demeanor shifted-her guard shot right up.

Kristian, for the first ttonight, felt a strong urge to ship Gerard off to the furthest edge of the planet. The

man talked too much.

Sensing the frost in Kristian's aura, Gerard swallowed hard and forced a grin, pretending he wasn't rattled.

After all, Freya was his idol and his good friend's leader. If things went south with Kristian, maybe he could land a

job with her instead.

"Did you follow me?" Freya asked outright.

Kristian answered swiftly, "No."

"Then how did you know?" Her suspicion only deepened. She studied his expression closely, not letting a single

twitch slip past her. "Other than Melvin and me, only the person who booked the room would know that it was

Room 2309."

Kristian's chest tightened. "You think | orchestrated this?"

"I'm not stupid," Freya retorted coldly. "I don't jump to conclusions without evidence."

Her sharp remark tugged at something inside him-memories he'd buried.

Back then, he had linked scattered clues and half-baked theories and pinned the blfor Ashley's accident and

the online chaos on' Freya.

Had Ashley's miscarriage been tied to Trent, or if he hadn't placed such unwavering faith in Liam, perhaps he

would have questioned Freya back then as well.

Lost in that haze of regret, Kristian spoke-his voice rough and barely audible. "I'm sorry."

Freya blinked in surprise.

Gerard, too, looked baffled.

Both wore identical expressions of confusion.

Gerard, emboldened by the silence, asked, "Are you alright?"

Why did he apologize now?

"You're not upset about earning a fat paycheck, are you?" Kristian thought Gerard

had really been pushing his luck lately.

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Chapter 214 You Care About Her That Much

Gerard promptly shut his mouth, plastering on a tight smile and choosing silence.

But Freya was still waiting-still expecting an explanation

"I was looking into past incidents and just happened to follow the trail here,"

Kristian lied smoothly. "So | went

upstairs."

Freya didn't budge. She stared at him, unwavering,

"You don't believe me?" Kristian asked.

"No," Freya answered without hesitation.

Her flat response left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

But what truly bothered him was the knowledge that this tiny he was already cracking her trust. If this small

deception felt this heavy, how must she have felt when he'd wronged her before?

No wonder she didn't want anything to do with him now.

If their roles were reversed, he'd probably hate himself too.

"I'm telling the truth," Kristian insisted, still determined to keep his investigation on Melvin under wraps. He tried

pivotifig, "Lettake you home. We can talk at my place."

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"If you had really followed the trail, you wouldn't have said those things to Melvin-

or told Gerard to call the police," Freya countered, not letting him steer the conversation away. "You investigated

Melvin, didn't you?"

If Kristian had truly uncovered something, his usual method would've been to detain Melvin on the spot and

Esqueeze out whoever was pulling the strings.

But he'd acted hostile from the very beginning

His tone, his choices-none of it added up.

"Why would we investigate Melvin?" Gerard cut in, visibly confused.

Freya took note of his reaction. So Gerard was out of the loop?

"I'm not investigating him," Kristian replied. "If you don't believe me, check it out yourself. With your skills, it

won't be hard."

"Normally, it wouldn't be," Freya said, her voice tinged with doubt. "But if you're using your hidden resources, |

might not be able to find anything."

She had always known that Kristian had access to power and connections far beyond the public eye. Strails

simply couldn't be followed through ordinary channels.

Kristian's expression darkened. "Am | really that untrustworthy in your eyes?"

"Trust?" Freya scoffed. "From a man who lies without blinking? What gives you the nerve to even ask?"

Even though Kristian knew he was lying, hearing her say it so plainly made his chest ache.

"I don't care why you're investigating Melvin. Just stay out of my business with him," Freya said, her tone leaving

no room for argument. She didn't want her plans derailed again. And she sure as hell didn't want more

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Chapter 214 You Care About Him That Much

ties to Eristian

She wasn't concerned about Kristian targeting Melvin either.

If push cto shove, Melvin had the full weight of Anita International behind

him.

Kristian's temper flared Hearing Freya speak up for another man with such conviction, something inside him

snapped. "You care about him that much?"

"Yes, | do."

"Do you love him?" The words tumbled out of Kristian's mouth before he could stop them.

Freya stared at him, incredulous. "That's none of your business."

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