She Took The House The Car And My Heart

Chapter 244

Chapter 244 Why Are You Scheming Behind My Back

"That man must really believe Ashley's turned her back on him." Freya's chest felt unbearably tight, like a

weight she couldn't shake off.

She'd always figured that if she helped Ashley set up her phone right-hid their chats and calls-it would be

enough. But she hadn't thought the man might do sdigging of his own.

There was nothing for him to find-no calls, no messages between her and Ashley,

Still, Freya had gone all out, securing Ashley's phone with top-level encryption. And let's be honest, no regular

phone had that kind of hacker-grade protection.

Kristian tried to steady her. "It's fine. Just breathe."

But Freya didn't say a word.

She didn't want Ellis tangled up in this.

If he stepped in now, the fallout would be endless. She wanted him far away from this chaos-safe, untouched.

There was one small thing that gave her a sliver of comfort.

Back when she set up Ashley's phone, she'd thought ahead-disguised her number, just in case Ashley ever

swapped devices.

So as long as Ashley was out in public, her phone's IP address was virtual, not traceable.

That mastermind wouldn't be able to track their previous meetups.

"Dropoff a little further up," Freya said, voice calm despite everything. "You and Gerard need to stay back."

"Why?"

"Because your phones aren't cloaked. If you show up near Ashley's place now, it'll look like she's been secretly

meeting you." Freya was precise, her logic flawless.

Since Ashley's old phone couldn't work now, it meant the mastermind had been keeping tabs on her ever since.

What a pain.

Kristian flung his phone onto the seat beside him, making his decision clear. "Then I'm going with you, phone-

free."

"It's easier if | go alone," Freya said plainly. She'd only gotten into Kristian's car to tell him all of this. "If you come

with me, it'll just complicate things even more."

0.0%

+X

Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt

14:43

111

o

<

Chapter 244 Why Are You Scheming Behind My Back

Kristian didn't have a comeback.

Gerard piped up, "Sir, best listen to her."

Kristian wanted to argue but held back. The last thing he wanted was to make Freya upset.

Freya hopped out of the car, bought a laptop on the way, then hailed a cab to Ashley's apartment.

About thirty minutes later, Freya arrived, skillfully dodging all the nearby cameras.

Ashley opened the door, her eyes red and puffy like overripe plums. "Freya! What do | do now? Did he find out

| betrayed him?"

"Don't freak out," Freya told her gently. She glanced around the room, making sure Ashley's phone and laptop

were powered down before she relaxed. "Telleverything you said to him today."

Ashley spilled everything, not holding anything back.

"So you're saying he started getting suspicious after you mentionedand Kristian?" Freya clarified.

Ashley nodded quickly. "Yeah."

"Relax. It's not the end of the world." Freya felt better once she pieced the situation together.

She'd been terrified of being exposed. If that happened, getting that man brought to justice would be a thousand

times harder.

"Check the phone you used to talk to him. He probably called." Freya's mind was laser sharp now.

Ashley's report wasn't the problem. Her panic, her fear-it all felt understandable. The only odd part was the

sudden shutdown of her new phone.

With that in mind, Freya powered up her new laptop and dove into the work.

After confirming that their call hadn't been picked up by any surveillance, she edited the audio, tweaking it to

sound like Ashley had been chatting with a telemarketer.

"He... he calledthree times," Ashley stammered, hands shaking. "What do | do now?"

Freya stayed calm. "Call him back. If he asks why you didn't pick up, say your main phone suddenly shut down

and you had to go buy another one."

"You think he'll buy that?" Ashley asked, clearly doubtful.

"He will," Freya assured her. "If he asks who you called after getting the new phone, say it was a telemarketer. If

he asks why it was off, say the battery died."

As she talked, Freya hooked Ashley's phone to the laptop with a data cable, draining the battery fast.

She waited until it hit five percent, then started charging it again.

Every little detail mattered.

Ashley's new phone wasn't online, so they couldn't monitor it. Fortunately, Freya had the foresight to bring a new

laptop and a data cable. Otherwise, they'd be in trouble.

28.9%

14:43

X+

IR

<

Chapter 244 Why Are You Scheming Behind My Back

"He won't find any record of our call," Freys explained carefully, walking Ashley through every step. "And don't

forget-you've lost your phone for a day when you cback from abroad."

Ashley looked confused, caught off guard but didn't press for answers.

Heart pounding, she dialed that man's number, dread rising with every ring

"Why did it take you so long to answer?" The man's voice was cold, flat.

"My main phone blacked out," Ashley replied, sticking to the plan. "I went out to get a new one and forgot to

bring the old one along"

"Oh really?"

"Why was the new one off?" the man asked sharply, "Who called you before it shut down?"

Ever since he attacked her last phone, he'd been tracking her usual number. When a signal finally popped up, he

sent someone to investigate. But there was no connection-nothing useful.

So he called the number again, only to find it was busy,

Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm

That little detail-making a call right after getting a new phone-made him

suspicious.

Ashley's heart nearly stopped.

She looked at Freya in disbelief.

How did he know?

"Ashley, you know what happens to those who betray me," the man said, voice

disturbingly calm and smooth, like poison in honey.

"| didn't betray you..." Ashley's voice cracked with fear, "The battery died. | turned

it off. The call was from a

telemarketer."

"Power on your new phone and get it online. Now.".

"Okay," Ashley obeyed without hesitation.

Once it was on, she quickly reported, "It's online now."

The man didn't answer.

In front of him sat a phone on speaker. He listened closely, then looked at the

woman across from him.

At his signal, she began typing rapidly on her keyboard.

Moments later, Ashley's call logs appeared on the screen.

The woman listened carefully, comparing the content, then gave him a nod

That single nod made his eyes narrow with suspicion.

"I'm telling the truth," Ashley said anxiously, her voice shaking in the silence. It sounded like she truly feared

being misunderstood.

66.4%

14:43

<

The man's gaze darkened, and something in him shifted. He no longer looked at

her the sway. "Why are you scheming behind my back with other people?"