She Took The House The Car And My Heart

Chapter 174

Chapter 174 Because He's

Your Cousin

Alan found his eyes drifting toward Freya's ex-husband.

He couldn't stop himself from wondering-did Kristian actually love Freya or not? If he did, then why on earth had

they split up? But if he didn't, what was he doing paying attention to such a small detail?

Alan had caught it earlier. The moment Kristian spoke, Freya hesitated, clearly thrown off balance.

Even though she rarely let her feelings show, Alan liked to think of himself as a seasoned observer of human

behavior.

"Mr. Briggs, not a fan of the food?" Kristian had asked, catching sight of Alan holding his fork midair, the food

untouched.

"I'm not picky." Alan replied curtly, before finally starting to eat.

Within five minutes, Freya had already polished off her meal, while Alan was still chewing at a leisurely pace.

Then Kristian turned to Freya and said, "Cwith me." Just like that, he took her away to erase the surveillance

footage.

He even allowed her to watch him do it.

That one gesture softened Alan's view of him, and the irritation he'd felt when he first found out about Kristian

and Freya's divorce began to ease,

But would that feeling stay the sif he ever learned the real reason behind their split?

Inside the study, Kristian tracked down the footage by checking the timestamp.

Just as he was about to hit delete, Freya suddenly said she wanted to see it first. She fast-forwarded through the

video, and after watching the scene unfold in the living room, her brows pinched together slightly. Her eyes

drifted to Kristian "What's wrong?" Kristian asked, confused by the change in her expression. "Have you been

going through something lately?" Freya had debated whether to ask. Whatever was going on with Kristian wasn't

really her concern anymore.

But after watching the video, one thought kept circling in her head: since when did Kristian have this much

patience?

Back then, if something like this had happened, Kristian would've had Alan thrown out before he could cause a

second of trouble. Why was he letting it slide now?

Kristian picked up on her meaning by piecing together her question -

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Chapter 174 Because He's Your Cousin

your cousin."

He meant he was letting Alan off the hook for Freya's sake, even if the man was practically tearing his apartment

apart.

Freya couldn't even explain what she was feeling. When she remembered the part where Alan snatched

Kristian's phone and smashed it, her head started to ache. Why was Alan so talented at causing chaos?

"Can you make a copy of this for me?" Freya had made up her mind. Alan needed a reality check.

Kristian paused for a moment. "You really want a copy?"

Freya nodded. "Yes. | do."

Kristian hardly ever turned down her requests, so he agreed to make the copy. Freya gave him a quiet thanks.

After finishing up his meal and cleaning up, Alan wandered into the study-only to spot Kristian transferring the

surveillance footage onto a flash drive.

He stopped dead in his tracks. What the hell was going on? Why was the footage being saved?

Before he could even open his mouth, Kristian had already finished copying the file and wiped the footage from

the system.

Freya and Alan didn't stick around long. It was already pushing eleven, and Freya looked worn out. She shut her

eyes and started dozing off the second they got into the car.

Alan wanted to ask about the footage, but when he looked over and saw her face, all tired and peaceful, he

didn't have the heart to wake her.

The car rolled on quietly.

By half past eleven, they pulled into the driveway of Freya's private residence.

Alan walked her upstairs, and just as he was about to ask something, Freya handed him the flash drive. "This is

the footage | had Kristian save. Take it hand watch it carefully."

Alan looked confused.

He took the flash drive, baffled, not entirely sure what she was trying to tell him.

Freya didn't offer any more explanation. She gave it to him, then went off to wash up and get ready for bed. Alan

shut her door behind him and left with the flash drive in hand. When he got hand played the footage, the

embarrassment hit him like a freight train.

Why was that ridiculous man in the video-him?

Suddenly, it all clicked. Freya had wanted him to see for himself.

This time, he'd outdone even his worst behavior. And the strangest part? Despite

all that, Kristian hadn't

tossed him out

It was... surreal.

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In the days that followed, Freya and Kristian didn't run into each other again.

Alan kept a low profile at work and even told Toby to make sure he never had more than three drinks, no

matter what

Toby had no idea what had happened, but he agreed anyway.

Tzipped by

The date was now the 14th

Kristian had already flown back to Jeucwell.

Freya and Hugh were booked on an afternoon flight that sday.

In the past, Lionel's 80th birthday would've been just another corporate function

for Hugh-showing up for formality's sake, then slipping away unnoticed.

But this time, things were different.

Hugh was about to meet the very family that had once been his in-laws.

From the moment Hugh boarded the plane to Jeucwell, he looked visibly uneasy, glancing at Freya every now

and then like he wanted to say something but couldn't quite get the words out.

Though things between them had improved, their bond wasn't what it had been when Freya was still a kid.

Freya noticed the tension and asked, "What's wrong?"

What am | even supposed to do when we get there?" Hugh asked, lips pressed together, clearly anxious.

"Nothing, Just treat it like any other business event," Freya replied matter-of-factly. "I'm just going to see Lionel

You don't need to do anything special."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Even with her reassurance, Hugh still seemed unsure.

If this really were just another work event, he could make a brief appearance and

duck out.

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But ever since Briggs Group and Shaw Group started working together two years ago, this was the first time

Shaw Group had sent a formal invite.

Back then, events like annual banquets had nothing to do with the Briggs family. "What if they figure out I'm your

father and want to talk to me? Should I talk to them?" Hugh asked, his nerves creeping back in.

Freya didn't reply right away.

She turned and looked at him.

Hugh only grew more uneasy under her gaze. "Should 1?"

"This is a normal corporate event. As the chairman of a business partner, your job

is to show up. That's it,"

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Chapter 174 Because He's Your Cousin

Freya said again. "Just act like yourself."

"Just be myself? | don't need to go around chatting like we're all buddies?" Hugh

pressed.

Freya responded, "That's unnecessary."

"Alright." Hugh looked a little calmer, but deep down, he was still a bundle of

nerves.

He had no clue what the Shaw family was really like.

Even though Freya had told him they'd treated her well and that Lionel adored

her, as her father, Hugh couldn't help but worry.

Over the past two years, he'd thought about reaching out more times than he could count-but in the end, he

held back, afraid of upsetting her.

Two years.

To an adult knee-deep in work, it flashed by in the blink of an eye.

And before anyone realized it, thad passed.

Meanwhile, back at the Shaw estate, as everyone scrambled to get things ready for Lionel's 20th birthday,

Kristian went straight to see his grandfather.

Still wearing the suit from his flight, his sharply defined features gave off a cool, distant charm. He stepped

forward and greeted him with a crisp, "Grandpa." Lionel didn't so much as glance his way.