(Freya's POV)I fell silent, unable to answer. My mind is heartfelt with chaos. Feelings of hatred, hurt, and frustration mixed together in my chest. How could he still dare talk about work after all this?"We have to come there to check and take care of ongoing projects," he continued in a serious tone. “You can't run away from work, Freya. If you still have a professional attitude, you will come.”I clenched my fists, trying to contain the burning anger inside me. “I didn't have to come with you,” I said, my voice sharper than I intended."But you have to, Freya," he replied firmly. There is no room for compromise in his voice. He had already decided, and for him, I had no other choice.I was about to open my mouth to reply when my office door was knocked, then opened slowly. Henry appeared in the doorway, his eyes immediately narrowed when he saw Ash standing over me. His face hardened, clearly showing deep dissatisfaction and worry. Henry knows who Ash is, and he knows how much it
(Freya's POV)“Ree, please look after Hazel and Violet while I'm gone,” I said to Reece. I felt a little uneasy because this was the first time I had left Hazel and Violet for a long time. I'm afraid something bad will happen to them, but I'm sure Reece can look after them well."Don't worry. I will look after them,” Reece said as she hugged me tightly. “They are safe with me, Freya.”"Thank You. I'll leave them to you." I smiled, feeling a little relieved.I looked at Hazel and Violet who were standing next to Reece, holding the dolls that Ash had given them. Previously I had told them to keep the doll, but they protested and said that they liked it.“Hazel, Volet, and Mommy went on a business trip for a few days. You guys will be with Reece for a while. Don't cause trouble. Listen to what she says; understand?” I knelt before them.“We understand, Mom,” they answered with a nod. I hugged them before I actually left. I had previously asked Ash to wait for me at the airport and it was
(Ash’s POV)"What's this?" Freya asked when she saw me open the door to the only hotel room I booked.“There are no more rooms leftー”"Then why didn't you tell me first?!" she snapped angrily. She shook her head in annoyance. "That's enough. I will look for another hotel. You can stay here if you want..." she said as she dragged her suitcase towards the elevator.I immediately confronted Freya quickly. I held her hand tightly. she immediately glanced at me sharply."Let go of me, Ash!" she shouted.“Listen to me first…”“Listen to what?!” she shouted, cutting me off. “You should have told me that there were no other empty rooms here. We can look for another hotel that provides two rooms for us. And you just took a room for us to sleep in without asking my opinion first?!" she snapped. she glared at me sharply."Freya, I beg you. It's not what you think. This hotel is our sponsor, and they're completely out of rooms. We have no other choice."Freya didn't budge. "We could just find ano
(Freya's POV)I don't know what Ash was thinking until he ordered spicy food even though he can't stand spicy food at all. It makes me feel guilty when he can't even finish his food. But I didn't want to make that an opening for Ash to approach me. Because I know, everything he does is just a pretense.I sat on the edge of the bed and got ready to sleep, but I called Henry first because I promised to tell him when I got here. And I did it to see what Ash's response would be.This was the right time because soon Ash would come out of the bathroom because he had been in there all along."Hello, Henry," I said with a small smile even though he couldn't see it. "I arrived a long time ago and I'm sorry I just contacted you. "Because I was so tired and rested for a while before contacting you," I said honestly."No problem. Was the trip good?” he asked from across the phone."Yeah, we had a good trip," I answered, trying to keep my voice calm despite my heart beating a little faster. I knew
(Freya's POV)In the morning, when we were preparing to visit the construction site, the atmosphere between us was still awkward. I couldn't ignore the lingering irritation from last night's events, and Ash didn't seem to be trying to make things better either. He just focused on his phone, not saying a word. I tried to remind myself to stay calm and professional, but every time I saw his face, my anger came back.When I arrived at the construction site, I was greeted with the sound of machines and workers busy with their respective tasks. That is the building that will be built as a result of the collaboration between us and me. While I was there, I tried to talk less with Ash and focused on asking the head of the management there about development."I hope you can stay focused, Freya," Ash said suddenly, without looking at me. His tone was flat as if he was just giving ordinary instructions. "Of course, I know what I have to do," I answered in a voice that tried to sound firm, even
(Freya's POV)“What about your back?” I asked after we were silent for a while.“It's fine. It's just that it can't be used to do something heavy," said Ash.Of course. His back had several stitches because of the wounds he got from protecting me. I felt very guilty but also touched by what he did. An Ash who hated me so much, that he didn't even care about his safety to help me.“You shouldn't have done that,” I said, squeezing the hem of my blazer with my shaking hands. I lowered my head because I didn't dare look into his eyes."And let the beam fall on your head?" he asked curtly.I flinched and looked at him. “That's much better. I don't want to be in debtー”"If you don't like being in debt, treat me well while I'm sick," he said, cutting me off.I felt my chest feel tight. Why does Ash have to act like this towards me? What he did made me unable to forget him. That makes it difficult for me. It makes me feel anxious whether he is really starting to have an interest in me or he i
(Freya's POV)I walked away from him, trying to distance myself from the reality of what Ash had just said. My feelings were messy like there was a storm raging in my heart. His words spun in my head, over and over, as if hitting my already fragile walls. How could he say something like that now, after everything that had happened? My steps stopped, and I turned to look at him. Ash still stood there, his face full of regret. But I couldn't believe that expression. Not now. Not after what he did in the past. Why now, when I've tried so hard to forget? Ash always knew how to break me. He knows my weak spots, and he uses them to his advantage. In the past, he dumped me without a second thought, and now he's back, with sweet words that make me shake. Why did he have to do this? Why now?“I know it's hard,” he said again, trying to get closer to me. "But I can't control what I feel. I can't control these feelings, Freya.""Feeling?" I laughed bitterly, looking at him hatefully. "What kin
(Freya's POV)My relationship with Ash became increasingly complicated. After the business trip, we were stranger than ever. I try hard to avoid it. Even told my secretary to tell Ash that I'm not in the office every time he comes to my company.All this to maintain my sanity. Since the business trip with Ash, my feelings have become more confused than before. And I felt angry and disappointed with myself for still loving Ash even after everything he had done to me.And the only way is not to meet Ash either now or later. But I know I can't do that all the time while I still have a partnership with Ash. but for now, I don't want to see his face. Because if I met Ash, maybe my feelings for him would explode until I couldn't hold it in. And I will hate myself even more because I fell so easily into his chains.Every time I hear footsteps in the corridor, my heart races. My mind was filled with fear that it might be Ash, even though I had given clear instructions to my secretary. I felt