At this moment, Elijah’s gaze towards Freya seemed as if it could tear her apart. If looks could kill, Freya would be long gone by now.


    “I was just…” Freya began to exin.


    Elijah abruptly stood up, seemingly unwilling to hear any words from her, finding any excuses, and left the restaurant. Freya tightly bit her lip, choosing not to follow. Elijah was still furious, and she knew that seeking him out now wouldn’t result in a calm conversation. Better to let him cool off, and she could exinter.


    *Ah-choo!*


    Freya covered her mouth after a sneeze.


    Linda, noticing, asked, “Are you catching a cold?”


    Freya nodded.


    Linda went to fetch some cold medicine for her.


    “Thank you,” Freya said when receiving the medicine.


    Linda smiled, “You’re Mr Silverton’s wife, taking care of you is my duty.”


    At the mention of Elijah, Freya’s eyes lowered. She took the medicine, drank some water, changed into clean clothes, and left the house.


    First, she went to the hospital to confirm Ynda’s absence and then met her father. She informed Leo that Ynda coveted the Stone family’s fortune, warning him to be cautious in case Ynda harbored ill intentions. After all, Ynda could go as far as attempting murder for money.


    Leo frowned, “Freya, you weren’t like this before.”


    He understood Freya’s dislike and even hatred towards Ynda. Standing in her shoes, resentment was justified. However, he didn’t expect her to speak ill of Ynda in front of him.


    Freya realized that Leo didn’t trust her. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “What kind of person was I before?”


    Leo replied, “You wouldn’t even associate with Ynda.”N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Freya saw through it; Leo didn’t believe her.


    “Ynda wants to kill me. Do you believe it?”


    Leo visibly hesitated; the information was explosive. While he knew Ynda was cruel and vain, the idea of hermitting murder was hard to fathom.


    “She wouldn’t dare!”


    Freya didn’t rush to exin, “I can prove it to you.”


    Leo asked, “How?”


    “Now that Ynda thinks I’m dead, how do you think she’d react if she saw me?” Freya had a n.


    Leo began to think, “She would be shocked?”


    Freya remained silent.


    Leo started to believe his daughter, given her firmness.


    “I’m willing to cooperate,” he said.


    “Thank you,” Freya replied.


    Leo asked, “Is there a gap between us?”


    Looking at her father, Freya felt a pang. He looked frail, yellowish, and worn by illness, yet his dry eyes held a yearning for family warmth. Perhaps vulnerability made people crave warmth. Leo was no exception.


    Freya’s expression remained indifferent, holding no warmth. Past experiences had shaped their rtionship, and Leo had never been a loving father. Expecting sudden warmth from her was impossible.


    Leo sighed, realizing she couldn’t be forced to be affectionate.


    “Ynda will bring me dinner around five,” Leo said.


    Freya nodded in acknowledgment.


    Time passed swiftly, and soon it was five o’clock.


    “Leo,” Ynda came in carrying a thermos.


    Without Freya around, she was in a good mood, thinking the Stone family fortune was now her son’s.


    “I followed the doctor’s instructions to make this for you, a bnced diet. You must eat more; it’ll help you recover faster,” Ynda said.


    Leo stood up as usual. Ynda came over, helping him and cing a pillow behind him forfort.


    “Leo, I heard Freya is missing,” Ynda mentioned while serving Leo.


    Leo immediately looked at her. Ynda found his gaze odd andughed, “Why are you looking at me like that?”


    Leo knew he had overreacted, trying to cover it up, “I think today’s soup is good. Did you stew it for a long time?”


    “Well, yes. I spent hours on it. If you like it, have some more,” Ynda poured soup for him and turned the conversation back, “Don’t you think it’s strange for Freya to disappear suddenly? What if something happened to her?”


    Leo, seemingly calm now, retorted, “She’s fine. Besides, she disappeared for months before. Maybe she’s hiding somewhere again. No need to make a big deal out of it.”


    Seeing Leo react this way, Freya realized her words were proven true.


    “I’m just concerned,” Ynda asked tentatively, “If something really happened to her, you have to n for the future.”


    “What do you mean by that?” Leo asked while ring at her.


    “I mean, you only have one heir now, Leo. You need to think more about your son. Don’t always focus on your daughter. A married daughter is like spilled water; she’s already Elijah’s wife, and the Silverton family isn’tcking in money…”


    “Ynda, did you do something to Freya?” Leo couldn’t listen anymore and interrupted.


    Yndaughed and said, “No, I didn’t…”


    Before she could finish her sentence, she heard a noise behind her. She turned and saw Freya.


    “Ah!” She screamed in fright, “Ghost!”


    Havingmitted a guilty act, Ynda felt anxious and scared, “Don’te near me!”


    “When you wanted to kill me, it wasn’t like this!” Freya approached.


    Ynda, still frightened, huddled, “No, it’s not me who killed you. If you’re looking for someone, don’t look for me!”


    “Even if you didn’t kill me, you ordered it,” Freya seized the opportunity, recording the conversation on her phone.


    As long as Ynda admitted it, it could prove that she indeed wanted to kill her. Even though Freya didn’t die, Ynda would still be guilty of attempted murder.


    Ynda kept shaking her head, “Don’t look for me, don’t look for me!”


    Seeing Ynda in this panicked state, Leo’s face turned blue with anger. He scolded, “Ynda, do you want to die? You dare tomit murder; are you tired of living?”


    Leo’s loud reprimand made Ynda sober up a lot. She looked at Leo and then at Freya, “You, you’re not dead?”


    “If she died, don’t think about living either!” Leo roared!


    Nowpletely awake, Ynda tly denied, “How could Imit murder? It’s all a misunderstanding!”


    “Misunderstanding?” Freya sneered, “You hired someone to destroy my innocence, to take my life. I barely survived. Ynda, do you think I’ll let you go?”


    Ynda pretended to be innocent, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”


    “Ynda, did you really try to ruin Freya?” Leo’s voice had calmed down considerably at this point, not as angry as at the beginning.


    “Don’t listen to her nonsense. How could I do such a thing?” Ynda tried to please Leo, “Look at your daughter. Do you not know what kind of person she is?”


    “Exactly because I know, I believe what she says,” Leo said.


    Ynda wanted to exin further, but Leo directly said, “I know what you’re thinking. You want  Zane to inherit my wealth. I won’t be around for much longer, and I don’t me you for having such thoughts. But if you want to kill my daughter, do you think I can forgive you?”


    “I didn’t…”


    “If you still want Zane to inherit my wealth, turn yourself into the police. If you refuse, Zane won’t get a penny from us.” Leo wasn’t indifferent to his son.


    How could he not leave a way out for his son?


    By saying this, he was forcing Ynda. He knew that with Ynda around, Freya and Zane couldn’t be real siblings. As long as Ynda was there, Freya wouldn’t ept Zane as her brother. Freya was a bit older and more sensible, but Zane, spoiled by Ynda, was just causing trouble. Leo wanted to entrust Zane to Freya. That meant he had to punish Ynda severely.