Freya moved back home since that day.

Miraculously, she felt as if her entire being had calmed down the moment she was home.

She had slowly let go of her hatred against Travis, though she still had no wish to see Travis's face ever again; whenever her father mentioned about having Travis over at the house as their guest, she would firmly reject the idea. Travis never came by.

On the other hand, her yearning for Chris had morphed into something else: an emotion suppressed and hidden within the depths of her heart. Although that emotion would still come out from time to time, throwing her into a daze, it no longer affected her daily life.

The saying was right after all, "Home is your safe haven. No matter what happens, you'll feel alright again after coming home."

It was also during this time that Freya had become more caring. She noticed the sure signs of age in her parents. But in their eyes, she was still their little child who had yet to grow up; they were still fussing and worrying about her constantly.

Freya deeply regretted her rebellious years. She would still crack jokes on occasions, though, "Mr. Norris, I've had dinner with you, so you have to give me some pocket money."

Then she would use the money to buy things for her mom and dad. Her father had sleep issues, so she bought a special sleep-aiding pillow for him. Her mother was prone to having cold feet, so she had someone install a foot tub at the house. She even got a prescription from the traditional Chinese doctor that Joanne had consulted with last time. She brought the medicine home and used it to prepare a nice foot bath for her mother.

She was rewarded with the happy smile on her parents' faces for all she had done. Although she was put on a smiling face, deep down, her heart was stinging as if someone had spilled an entire tank of vinegar in her heart.

So her parents did not expect much from her after all. After all the hard work they had poured into her upbringing, they were contented with something as simple as having their daughter buy things for them using their own money.

Worse, Freya had never once considered doing these things for her parents in the past. She had always thought it was unnecessary considering how rich her parents were: if there was something they wanted, they could either buy it on their own or have someone else buy it for them if they were too lazy to be bothered.

Only now did she understand one thing- some things were only meaningful when done with your own two hands.

Chairman Norris's mood had noticeably improved these days. He would sing the praises of his daughter to anyone he met, saying that his precious daughter had finally grown up into a sensible lady. A few of his old friends mocked him jokingly, "Hey, Mr. Norris, isn't your precious daughter already 24 years old? You mean to say that she's only grown up now?"

"Haha." Mr. Norris just laughed in response, the crinkles in his eyes held nothing but joy. "I was willing to pamper and spoil my daughter until she only grows up at 24. How about that!"

Freya was surprised to hear such words from her father. Chuckling, she hugged her father, "Mr. Norris. Now that I'm earning my own money, I'll be a good daughter to you from now on!"

She was indeed earning her own money. Ever since getting her act back together, Freya had been doing photo shoots for a several magazines. After the release of those magazines, she had been slowly getting more jobs as well; sometimes, she would work late into the night before going home, and that was after Candy had rejected quite a few job offers.

In any case, the name "Freya" was slowly becoming famous within the modelling circle. The number of her tweet followers had gone from thousands to ten thousands.

Simply put, Freya was becoming a big hit.

Brian had mentioned to her before about the Top Model show organized by a TV station. Candy had been trying to secure Freya's participation all this while. But now, Candy no longer had to use her connections to negotiate a deal with the TV station; the organizers themselves had sent an invitation to officially invite Freya to be a part of the show.

The show's director thought that there was something special about Freya and was convinced that Freya would shine on catwalk.

Freya could potentially boost the number of viewers of the show. At the same time, the show was a platform that Freya could use to boost her popularity. In other words, it was a win-win situation.

"Freya, what do you think?" Candy asked. "Are you going to join the show? If you perform well, you will definitely become popular after the show's screening. Even if you don't become popular overnight, we can still slowly work our way to that point. One thing's for sure though. This show will push you into the limelight."

"I'll join!" Freya said. She was still clad in her workout tank top and was sitting on the floor. She reached out and flicked the invitation letter. "I'll never know what fate has in store for me if I never try, right?"

Candy replied the show organizers, confirming Freya's participation in the show. All of a sudden, Candy remembered something else. "By the way, the show's biggest sponsor is Everbridge Group."

"..." Freya felt a bit glad, but she also felt a little worried at the same time.

She was glad because this was a way for her to reconnect with Chris and worried because this work relationship might be all she ever had with him.

Two days later, the organizers held a small party and had invited all participating models as well as all sponsors. Apparently, the organizers thought it was a good idea for the participants to familiarize themselves with each other and with the sponsors. Of course, the invitee were given a choice whether or not to attend.

Freya was hesitating over her decision to attend.

What would she do if she ran into Chris there? But it would seem rather silly to give up such a good opportunity to see him again.

She never saw him again after that night. She kept count: it had been 27 days since then.

"Freya, just go." Candy nudged her and then went on, "You still have so many days ahead of you, and you're best friends with his younger sister. Like it or not, you're bound to run into him in the future. Also, he never mentioned that he doesn't want you anymore. You're the only one who came to that conclusion. How can you be so sure that you've lost your chance?"

The truth of it hit Freya like a truck. She came to a decision, "Fine, I'll go!"

She put on a conventional dress, did her makeup, and prettied up her long curly hair. After that, Freya showed up at the medium-sized but immaculately decorated banquet hall.

She followed Candy when the latter brought her to meet the show's director and assistant director. After that, they met up with other participants.

The acting skills of everyone were not too shabby; they greeted each other as if they were long lost sisters despite the fact that they barely knew each other and the fact that they were about to become competitors.

Any lady who could enter Top Model naturally had a good figure. All of them were tall and luscious. Their clothes revealed just enough skin to turn heads and kick other people's fantasies into overdrive. Their clothes were like veils. Anyone who set eyes on them would inadvertently feel an urge to pull them back and peer at the mysterious beauty underneath.

The ladies had painstakingly trained and prepared themselves for this; their each and every move were perfectly orchestrated to incite a temptation so great that it could drive just about anyone into obsession. Also, their actions were completely natural and without signs of contrivance. They did not give a single impression of being women who led complicated, wild and whorish lives.

Despite the complicated and conniving schemes they were involved in, here they were, competing with each other in the name of beauty and novelty all the while keeping straight faces. It was no wonder that women were said to be fearsome characters.

As Freya observed these young women who were flaunting their sex appeal without restraint, she felt as if she were looking at her past self. After a simple greeting, she honestly did not have it in her to hang around them and bicker over whose figure had better proportions or who was skinnier in the right spots. She stood alone to one side, sipping her fruit juice. Every now and then, her glance would flit towards the entrance.

Despite the fact that she had arrived for quite some time, Freya had yet to see Chris making an appearance. His name was not on the signature wall either.

Had he decided not to come after all? Or was he delayed? Freya felt both anticipation and fear at the prospect of seeing him.

"Hey! I've seen you before!" A middle aged man suddenly appeared before Freya. He was smiling so broadly that his facial muscles were practically twitching, "Norris. That's your surname, right? You're Freya!"

Social decorum dictated that she smile politely, so she did. "Hello," she greeted.

"I'm Aaron," said the man, offering his hand. "I'm the chairman of Aaron Group. I saw my two secretaries reading a magazine a few days ago. You were the one on the magazine's cover! So I recognized you immediately!"

Freya shook Aaron's hand briefly. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Green," she said and was about to withdraw her hand.

"Hey!" Aaron grasped Freya's hand tightly. Grinning, he said, "Miss Norris, I found myself liking you a lot after taking just one look at your photo. Why don't we take our conversation somewhere quieter? Oh, by the way, I'm Top Model's second largest sponsor!"

Subtext, "A good half of the show's money comes from my pocket. Now that you're part of the show, your fate is in my hands. You will agree to a 'conversation' with me if you're smart enough."

As if Freya was oblivious about these kinds of subtexts. Back then, she would definitely kick the man in the nuts. But now she had matured, so she had to be level-headed. Level-headed!

She flashed the man a smile, "Mr. Green, I'm sure there'll be plenty of opportunities for us to chat in the future."

"In the future?" Mr. Green paused in thought. All of a sudden, his brows parted as he broke into a grin. "True, true. From now on, I'll be there every time during the show's filming. I'll see you at the backstage, then!" After that, he patted Freya's hand in a decidedly inappropriate manner before letting go of her hand, "Freya, you better remember me."

Goosebumps broke all over Freya's skin. She put on a fake smile and made up a random excuse to leave. She had barely taken several steps before she noticed Chris.

She had no idea when he had arrived, or how long he had been standing there. A young, cute, and petite woman was holding onto his hand, though his eyes were firmly on Freya.

Had he seen her interaction with Mr. Green?

Freya felt a sudden urge to walk up to Chris and then explain everything to him. But... what was the point in doing that? Plus, his date was standing right there beside him.

Her rational mind told her that she should walk away right now. But still, she had not seen Chris for nearly a month; she was unable to tear her eyes away from him.

He had not changed at all; he was still exceptionally handsome. Together with his date, they made a fine pair indeed, the type that would have anyone staring at them in envy.

Apparently, that incident had not affected him much at all. She was the only one who had changed.

At the thought, Freya averted her gaze and walked away.

She could not bring herself to greet Chris naturally as if nothing had changed. She just could not do it. Besides, there was another woman beside him.

"What a rare sight indeed," Chris's date remarked with a smile. "In the past, she would have come up to me and gone into a mocking spree. Or at least she would have tried to cause trouble for you? Looks like that incident has changed her a lot."

"And yet it was just happenstance that things went wrong," said Chris.

"Are you really not planning to tell her the truth?" Asked the lady.

"It's not that simple." Although Chris had kept a straight face, there was a hint of hesitation in his tone, "This incident involves Maya's future. I'm trying to find a better solution."

"Aren't you happy that she's become like this?"

The edges of his lips lifted into a smile, "Well, she's no longer as reckless, and she doesn't do things impulsively without considering the consequences anymore. I should be happy indeed." Still, he knew better than anyone the price Freya had to pay in order to make that change.

If possible, he would go back and ensure that it all never happened. That way, Freya would not have changed. She would still be the impulsive and brazen Freya, the woman who pestered him endlessly.

Meanwhile, Freya had found Candy and was now following Candy around like a chick following a mother hen.

At one point, even Candy had begun to feel a bit annoyed by her behavior, "What happen to all your energy and liveliness? And what about that wit and charm of yours? Why are you even following me around? Just look around you. There are so many investors staring at you like a bunch of hungry tigers. You could have these rich men running towards you and eating straight out of your palms the moment you make eyes at them!"

"It took everything in me not to hit that Aaron just now. Please, Sister Candy, don't force me into a situation where I'll end up punching people in their faces!" Freya gulped down half a glass of fruit juice in annoyance. "Or else I'll be boycotted before I even become popular..."

Candy whistled, "Oops. I nearly forgot that you're Freya. Even when you've matured, you're still the same Freya. Others might have a tiger hidden in their heart, but you, however, have the heart of a frigging lion!"

Freya, "..."

In the end, Freya stopped following Candy around. Instead, she stood alone in one corner to enjoy her food. She did not spare a single glance at Chris; her heart would burst if she saw the woman beside him.