Travis watched Freya's gracious manor and a smile crawled up at the corner of his eyes. "You are probably the only one who dared to hang up on his call."

Freya turned off her phone and threw it back in her purse. "I like him a lot, but that doesn't change who I am."

She passed a look to the bartender, who soon prepared and passed a glass of Long Island Iced Tea to her.

Long Island Iced Tea, though pure and harmless in its name, was actually the devil.

Having overestimated her alcohol tolerance, Freya soon felt dizzy after a few glasses, and finally remembered what she had come for. "Travis, let's talk!"

Travis shook his head. "What's there to talk about when you are in this state? I'm driving you back first."

On the way back, Freya fell asleep on the passenger seat with her head rested on the passenger's seat. The alcohol had brought a blush onto her white cheeks, just as inducing as the color of her lips.

With a thought, Travis parked the car in front of a five-star hotel.

"Good evening, Mr. Qin." The clerk took Travis's ID card and checked him in quickly. "Would you prefer the usual suite?"

"Yes, thank you."

As Travis looked at Freya, who was sleeping in his arms, his Adam's apple slightly moved around and then he followed the bellhop straight upstairs.

...

The night lights gradually went out as the sleepless city returned to silence, waiting for the sun of the next day to rise from the east and mark the beginning of a new day.

After Freya sobered up, she could only feel the weight of her entire body focused on her head. Shocked to find herself at the hotel, she struggled to get up.

Recalling whom she was last with last night, she subconsciously flipped open the comforter only to discover she was wearing the hotel's bathrobe!

She opened her eyes widely, at the same time, the door was swung open by Travis, who appeared leisurely in the same bathrobe. "Are you awake? Then get up, I'll order breakfast."

"Tell me!" Freya roared out using almost all of her strength, "Who changed my clothes?"

Travis looked rather disappointed. "Why don't you ask me if anything happened between us?"

"Get out!" Freya threw a pillow at him. "Do you take me for a three-year-old girl? I will know if anything happened between us. Who changed my clothes?"

"Boring." Travis sighed in disappointment. "The hotel housekeeper helped you change. Your clothes have been cleaned and dried."

Freya's gaze shifted toward Travis. "Where did you sleep last night?"

"In the living room, satisfied?"

"Very much." Freya lifted her chin. "Now get out, and close the door!"

She got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. The clothes from yesterday were hanged neatly in the bathroom. After her morning routines, she got changed, ate breakfast, and left the hotel.

She didn't put much thoughts on it until the reporters outside the hotel swarmed up and surrounded her. In a panic, she looked at Travis, who was standing next to her.

Damn it, how she forgot to tell Travis to come down later!

"Miss Norris, what is your relationship with the young master of Clark Enterprise?"

"Are you two in a romantic relationship?"

"Miss Norris, rumor has it that you have a rich sponsor. Is it Mr. Qin?"

Travis blocked the long lens cameras to protect Freya from being hit. With a lot of effort, he finally sent Freya into the car. Blanking out for a while, Freya finally remembered to call Candy.

Candy almost fainted upon the news flash. "Freya, Travis came to visit you during the first round of the competition and you managed to cover that up. But now... tonight is the final knockout round, you..."

"I know, it's my bad." Freya covered her eyes. "What should I do now?"

"I'll handle it!"

Starting right away with the public relation tasks, Candy suddenly wished she were dead.

The situation was more serious than Freya imagined. The reporter not only had the photo of her leaving the hotel with Travis but also of Travis holding her as they entered the hotel yesterday.

If it was just one photo from the morning, she could still explain that they were just friends who happened to check in the same hotel.

But the photo of him holding her entering the hotel... that was beyond explanation.

The Internet immediately blasted, the hidden scandal which finally calmed down was brought up again by the media, hinting that the young master of Clark Enterprise was the benefactor of Freya.

Dumbstruck by the reports on the Internet, Freya hastily dialed Chris's number.

She wanted to explain it to Chris.

However, Chris did not pick up her phone. Instead, a sweet-voiced secretary answered, "Sorry, Boss Scott is in a meeting."

Freya immediately became anxious. Candy told her to go home first, otherwise, the reporters would swallow her alive.

Mr. Norris had gone to the company, leaving her mom at home. Her mom obviously had no clue that she ended up in the news again and even asked if she had breakfast. Freya took out the tickets to the finals knockout round.

Mrs. Norris understood Freya's intention. "I will take your dad there. By then, you need to apologize to him."

Freya nodded. "Okay."

By noon, she tried to reach out to Chris again. This time, Jack answered the phone. "Miss Freya, Boss Scott is attending a social event. It's inconvenient for him right now."

"What are his arrangements for tonight?" Freya asked, "will he go to the TV station?"

"That... I don't know." Jack said, "I will let him know that you called when he's available. He'll call you back."

Before Freya could even reply an "oh", the phone had been hung up.

Discouraged, she got started on some simple exercises in preparation for the competition tonight.

She would just have to explain to Chris later in the evening.

At this moment, what Freya didn't know was that she would never have to explain to Chris again.

...

It was five o'clock in the afternoon, Freya had set off from home to the TV station. As she arrived at the entrance of the TV station, she was bombarded by reporters' questions. After finally arriving at the backstage, she still could not avoid the bitter mockery from other contestants.

Up to this point, there were only four contestants left in the competition.

Tonight's game would eliminate one of them and they would pick the winner next week.

Freya's scores had dropped a lot since the scandal outbreak, placing her in close proximity with the other three contestants. Her chances of winning the final depended on whether she could put up a large winning margin this evening.

She tried to call Chris again before the game, but his phone was turned off.

Perhaps after she went on the stage, she would see him watching her from the audience like he used to.

With this kind of hope, Freya stepped out onto the stage. Her gaze swept across the first row of the audience, at that position... sat another person.

The seats for Mr. Norris and her mother were empty as well...

None of them showed up, as they probably did not want to forgive her.

As if a basin of cold water had poured down her head, Freya's heart suddenly felt cold. However, she did not forget that she was still working and that she had put in a lot of hard work for today.

Adjusting her emotions momentarily, she presented her best state to finish the show.

When she returned to the live broadcast room, she was haunted by an uneasy feeling. She grasped her cellphone as the feeling of uneasiness gradually expanded so great that she suddenly felt repressed in the broadcast room and decided to take a walk outside.

Just as she stood up, the phone rung, and she looked to the screen with hopes.

Seeing it was an unknown landline number, she picked it up with disappointment.

"Miss Freya? Your parents had a car accident on Huachi Road. They are now being rescued at the Central Hospital. Can you come over immediately?"

Huachi Road... car accident... rescue...

Freya madly rushed out of the TV station. The dark night sky seemed to be sinking and falling...

"Freya, don't panic." Candy comforted Freya while driving. "Let's go and find out the situation first. Maybe... it's nothing serious."

Freya blankly nodded, hoping that it was nothing serious.

But that uneasiness caught her and grabbed her by the throat, making her hard to breathe.

Once they finally arrived at the hospital, they saw the lights on the operating room door was on, and a nurse rushed out. Freya grabbed her. "Miss, how are my parents?"

"You'll know the detailed situation after the operation." The nurse broke off Freya's hand. "Miss, the patients need blood transfusion now, and I have to go to the blood bank. Please stay calm and go get the patients admitted."

Candy dragged Freya away. "Stay here, I will take care of the procedures."

As the rushed footsteps gradually drifted away, the corridor suddenly fell empty. Freya stared at the pale lights and walls, feeling the strength of her body gradually disappearing, she squatted on the floor.

Shaking, she took out her cellphone and dialed Chris's number.

She hoped that Chris would pick up her phone and come to her at this time. However, Maya's voice came through the phone. "Chris left his cellphone at my place. What's the matter?"

"..." The reason Chris didn't appear at the TV station was that he was with Maya.

Freya was speechless.

"What else do you want to know? I'll tell you; you should break up with him." Maya smiled. "I will just tell you everything now. Remember Everbridge Group's leaked plan? I did that. Chris knew as well, but he would rather let the whole company misunderstand you to protect me. So I've heard that you never dared to appear in Everbridge Group since then. How ridiculous!

"Also, I had Kaylee tamper with your shoes during the first game. Later on, I was also the one who exposed your scandals. Chris knew everything, and he was exactly the reason why you couldn't find any evidence.

"Freya, everyone knew about these things, including your father and Travis. Do you understand now why Travis said you and Chris will never be together and that your father won't let you be together?

"Now that you know, do you still think Chris loves you Just think about it, what kind of man will sacrifice the woman he loves to protect another woman's reputation?"

...

Her cellphone slipped to the ground as the last strength that supported Freya drained out completely.

She knelt on the ground powerlessly, and as the tears streamed down her face, her lips were slightly raised.

When Candy returned after finishing the procedures, she heard Freya's mad laughter.

She rushed over to Freya, whose face was covered by tears that smeared her makeup. She was laughing stubbornly and desperately as if she were on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"Freya!" Candy abruptly shook her shoulders. "What happened? Calm down, cry it out!"

Cry?

As if waking up from a dream, Freya mechanically wiped away her tears and shook her head. "Not worth it."

She picked up the phone and stood up. She searched the contacts for the number of her father's assistant and explained the current situation. Then she contacted the company's vice president to let him handle the company's affairs on behalf of his father and calm the employees.

Candy watched Freya and felt unusual.

Freya was never a calm person, on the contrary, she was used to doing whatever she wanted. Her actions now seemed very abnormal.

After Freya finished arranging things in the company, the operating room lights went off. She stumbled across to the doctor. "Doctor, how are my parents?"

"The patients are out of danger; however, the situation is not very optimistic." The doctor took off the mask and said, "your parents have multiple fractures in their bodies, and their heads were severely hit. If they can't wake up within the next 48 hours... it's very likely... that they will remain in a vegetative state."

Freya's slender body shook and she barely stood firm. She clutched the doctor's hand. "I want the best medicine, the most authoritative expert, no matter the costs! I just want my parents to wake up and live healthily. I am begging you, please think of a way, please help me."

As the last trace of hope crushed by reality, Freya finally broke into tears.

The doctor tried to make Freya calm down. "The current situation has nothing to do with medication or experts. It all depends on the patient's will and luck."

...

Not only this dark night, but Freya's entire world was also disintegrating, and collapsing...