After a few days in the hospital, Jasper never appeared. His assistant simply texted that Freya should rest and return when she felt better. For once, Freya prioritized herself, ensuring her body fully recovered before checking out.
Meanwhile, the office group chat exploded with Jasper-and-Mia updates. He'd rented Disney World for a week for her birthday, complete with fireworks for three nights. He'd taken her to the Whitemore family dinner and given her the bracelet traditionally reserved for future wives. He'd even bought land to build a private ski resort named after something connected to Mia. Freya scrolled through these messages feeling absolutely nothing.
Back at work, she was her usual efficient self. However, she quietly delegated anything requiring direct contact with Jasper to other executive assistants.
After a blissful week of dodging him, Jasper called again. She dropped off the requested files and turned to leave when he stopped her. "Got a meeting. Mia hates eating alone. Stay with her." Freya froze, about to refuse, when Mia immediately barked orders. "I'm in the mood for shrimp. Peel me a plateful."
As Jasper closed his office door, Freya swallowed her objections and moved to the dining table. After finishing the shrimp, Mia had someone bring over a huge plate of walnuts and jackfruit. "I want some dessert, but there aren't any tools around. Use your hands." Eyeing the hard shells and wicked spines, Freya's heart sank. She knew exactly what Mia was doing, but she did it anyway.
By the time she'd cracked all the nuts and opened the jackfruit, her hands were a bloody mess. Mia wasn't finished yet, forcing her to serve soup from the kitchen. The just-boiled liquid scorched her already raw hands bright red.
Chapter 6
Steam billowed as blisters formed instantly on her hands. The searing pain was brutal, but she bit her lip hard to stifle a sound. Seeing Freya crumpled on the floor, Mia couldn't hide her delight. Hearing the office door open, she quickly erased her smile and adopted a victim's pose. "Jasper said you were competent. How can you not even carry soup without spilling it everywhere? You burned my hand!"
Hearing this, Jasper panicked, rushing over. "Where? Let me see—does it hurt bad?" Mia held up her hand—which she'd pinched red moments before—and manufactured a few tears. "Just a couple splashes, but I hope it doesn't scar."
"What's wrong with you? Mia's never had to deal with pain in her life. You couldn't even bring soup without burning her? Couldn't you have been more careful...?" Jasper's face darkened as he snapped at Freya. But seeing her injuries, he couldn't continue. He simply scooped Mia up to treat her "burns."
At the door, noticing Freya still frozen, he called back firmly, "Come with us to the ER. Get yourself checked too." Freya had no choice but to follow them to the car, fighting through her agony.
On the road, Jasper drove like a maniac. Mia, not wanting to blow her cover, occasionally hissed and whimpered. Each sound twisted the knife in his heart, making him constantly glance her way. With his attention split, he never saw the sports car running the red light.
BOOM—the vehicles slammed together. The impact hurled Freya against the door. Her insides felt scrambled, pain firing from everywhere at once. Blood poured out, turning her world red. She hazily heard urgent voices as sirens wailed closer. "Sir, this woman's just in shock. The passenger in the back is bleeding out—if we don't get her to a trauma center now, she's not gonna make it."