Bradley got a call from Frederick while he was in the Royal Garden Mansion's study.

"Mr. Austin, I have looked into this matter. Mrs. Frederick's mental condition had not improved since she became seriously ill when she was twelve. According to what I overheard from the locals, the family who adopted her also kept her in a dog kennel and fed her dog food. It's outrageous."

Bradley's handsome face froze over, and his hand that had been gripping the phone froze solid. He was aware of the hardships she suffered as a child, but he had no idea she used to eat dog food and live in a dog kennel.

"Put that family in a dog kennel and feed them dog food to teach them a lesson!"

Bradley's voice had a chilling tone as if he came from hell.

No matter what Freya had experienced before, he would not allow anyone to mistreat her now that they were married.

"Alright, I know what to do."

Bradley hung up the phone. His face displayed a cold and indifferent expression as he stood up and walked purposefully towards the window.

With determined steps, his tall and strong figure appeared immovable, overlooking the entire Royal Garden Mansion.

From where he was sitting, he could see a tiny figure curled up on the window seat in the next room.

The girl was barefoot and wiggled her pretty toes for laughs.

Freya was wearing a white dress that accentuated her natural beauty.

It appeared that the color white complemented her vivacious personality perfectly.

She had a glowing object in her hand that she was fiddling with.

A soft smile adorned her face, revealing slight dimples. She was so enchanting that Bradley couldn't keep his eyes off her.

Perhaps his gaze was too intense because Freya suddenly turned her head and looked in his direction, causing Bradley to avert his gaze quickly.

Freya stared blankly in front of her.

There was a brief moment of surprise in her eyes as a shadowy figure passed in front of the tall, floor-to-ceiling window.

She suspected that Bradley was the one who observed her just now.

She apparently failed to notice that the study directly across from her room faced her room and offered a clear view of her activities thanks to a window that reached from floor to ceiling.

Freya swallowed nervously and wondered if she had done something wrong.

She heard the wheelchair's wheels roll in as she got off the window ledge, and the door creaked.

Freya turned her head toward the door and met a pair of narrow, gorgeous eyes. The sparkling starlight within those eyes always made her wonder if Bradley was truly blind.

However, Bradley's eyes were not properly focused, leaving Freya bewildered by the paradox brought by their beauty and emptiness.

She even speculated that Bradley was once a handsome man before his disfigurement.

"What do you have in your hand?" Bradley asked as his gaze fell on Freya's hand.

She was holding a silver necklace that still emitted a faint glow from her hand, though its luster had faded with age and the fact that it had been neglected for a long time.

Freya hesitated for a moment.

Like a curious child, she blinked and asked, "Mr. Austin, can you see that?"

Bradley realized that he had made a mistake. He maneuvered his wheelchair closer to her, reaching out his hand to sense the space in front of her.

His sturdy yet slender hand firmly grasped her delicate and petite hand. Freya's hand, with slender and delicate fingers, was entirely engulfed by Bradley's larger hand.

The texture of the girl's palm was slightly rough, a result of years of laborious work.

Bradley gently enclosed her hand in his palm and smiled faintly, "I may be blind, but I have perfect hearing."

Freya dipped her head and glanced down at her necklace, which she had been fiddling with earlier and making a jingling noise thanks to the tiny bell pendant.

Bradley, who was "blind", pretended that he had to rely on his heightened sense of hearing.

"This was a present from my mother on my eighth birthday, and I treasure it to this day. "

She delicately caressed the tiny bell on the necklace as if handling something incredibly precious.

The silver necklace appeared stunning the first time Freya saw it. She could distinctly remember her mother's words when she gave the necklace to her, "My dear, I wish for your safety throughout your life and hope that good fortune will always be by your side!"

Freya's mother bought her the silver necklace hoping it would bring her good health because she had been so sickly as a child.

After Freya's mother passed away soon, Lola stole the necklace.

She'd never forget how Lola snatched her necklace when she was only eight years old. When she still wouldn't give it up, Lola ripped the necklace from her neck and scratched her face with her nails.

After retrieving the necklace, Lola proudly proclaimed, "Freya, everything you have belongs to me," as she stood atop the stairs and made victory faces. "Even your dad belongs to me and no one else."

Freya felt so brokenhearted that she locked herself in her room and cried for hours.

When Bruce got home after dinner and saw her crying, he got mad and scolded her, calling her a carbon copy of her "repulsive" and "vile" mother.

Freya would never forget the day she was bullied and scolded so severely that it would haunt her forever.

Thinking back, she could still feel the utter hopelessness and isolation of being pushed to the side like an unwanted child.

Bradley, seated in his wheelchair, felt compelled to comfort the girl after noticing her sadness.

"If you like it so much, I'll buy you an identical one," Bradley said with his deep and charismatic voice.

She gave him a pitiful expression like she was a wounded little animal and said, "Even if it's completely identical, it wouldn't be the one my mother gave me."

Bradley ran a gentle hand through her supple hair. He felt his own heart being gently stirred, but he had no idea how to comfort her.

He really felt bad for the poor girl.

His desire to shield her came from his recognition of the parallels between their tragic histories.

He took the necklace from her and calmly said, "I'll have Frederick clean it and see if we can restore it to its original state."

He reasoned that since she was so attached to the necklace and didn't want to replace it, they might as well give it a shot at being repaired.

Freya blinked and stopped moving.

"What did he just say? He wants to restore it to its original state?" she thought.

Freya felt slightly uneasy as Bradley patted her nose and studied her bewildered expression.

Bradley could see the distance in her feelings, as she was clearly uncomfortable with people touching her.

He knew no one would want to be touched by him because he now had such a scary face.

"Mr. Austin, thank you!" Freya suddenly said.

Bradley's eyes widened in surprise, and he asked, "What are you saying?"