Ryan almost lost control.
He could only turn his face away. âGet in the car. Letâs go home.â
On the way home, Freya opened the box. There was a starry moon necklace inside, and tiny diamonds were embedded on a small moon. It was dazzling.
âItâs so pretty,â Freya praised, and her eyes lit up. â But⦠It must be expensive.â
âItâs not expensive. Just a few thousand dollars. There arenât a lot of diamonds on it.â Ryan did not want her to feel burdened.
A few thousand dollars was indeed not expensive to a family like theirs.
However, as the person receiving the present, Freya felt embarrassed. âYouâve given me such a good gift, but I donât have anything for youâ¦â
âDidnât you give me a scarf last time?â Ryan said nonchalantly with a smile.
âThat scarf was only more than a hundred dollarsâ¦â
âIf you feel embarrassed, I donât mind you giving me another small gift.â Ryan stopped being polite. â
However, thereâs no need to return the gift. You donât have to get me a present of the same value as what Iâve given you. Thatâll be meaningless.â
Freya initially had that exact thought. However, after hearing his words, she canceled her idea. â What present would you like?â
The car passed through a crossroad when Ryan thought of something. âMy belt isnât very good. You can give me a new one, but donât buy one thatâs too expensive, though. I donât want shady people taking pictures of it and saying that Iâm involved in embezzlement.â
Freya understood instantly and quickly nodded her head.
After nodding, she was deep in thought again. Why did it have to be a belt?
Freya had dated and gotten married before. She knew that a girl giving a man belts and scarves suggested an ambiguous relationship.
However, she saw Ryanâs honest expression. Moreover, considering that she had given him a scarf previously, perhaps he really wanted to change his belt. She might have been overthinking.
After figuring it out, Freya wore the necklace on her neck and looked into the mirror. She felt like anything she wore looked good on her as she had fair skin and was beautiful.
The next day.
Freya wore the necklace to work.
Once the morning meeting ended, Catherine glanced at the necklace on Freyaâs neck and teased, âThis necklace is pretty cool, and it suits your image too. Was it Jack who gave it to you during dinner last night?â
âNope.â
Speaking of Jack, Freya pouted. âI felt we didnât suit each other after yesterdayâs meal, so I made things clear to him this morning. From now on, weâll only be friends.â
âWhy do you think so?â Catherine opened a packet of biscuits and curiously asked, âDidnât you say he was okay when I sent a message to you during the meal?â
âThat was just on the surface. Afterward, we met Rodney during the meal. When Rodney pointed his finger at me and scolded me, Jack didnât even defend me from the side. Besides, Ryanâs friend, a lecturer at the University of Canberra, helped me look into Jack. Jack has dated his students in the past, and many girls in the university have a crush on him. Itâs too complicated. There are too many temptations around him.â
Freya shook her head. âJack also has a daughter, whom he doesnât care about much. Heâs not a good father.â
Catherine raised her eyebrows out of astonishment.
Well, it turned out Ryan was influencing the whole thing behind the scenes.
Tsk. Ryan was indeed not a simple man, to be able to eliminate an enemy in mere moments.
Not only that, but Freya even believed in Ryanâs words without any doubts.
âIn that case, your necklaceâ¦â
âItâs Ryanâs Christmas gift to me. It looks nice, right?â Freya touched the necklace on her neck. She smiled with her eyes. âBy the way, do you have time in the afternoon? I feel embarrassed for not getting Ryan anything for Christmas yesterday. Can you accompany me to the nearby shopping mall to get a belt for him? Itâll be a return gift to him.â
âBelt?â The corners of Catherineâs mouth twitched, and she could not hold it in anymore. âFreya, do you ⦠like Ryan?â Freya was startled. âDonât talk nonsense. I treat him as my family.â