Bradley turned to look out and did not speak for a long time.

"Bradley, are you listening to me? Are you busy right now?"

Juliet did not wait for him to answer before speaking once more in a soft tone of voice.

Eventually, he nonchalantly responded with a grunt. "I'm in a meeting. Someone will escort you to your residence later. Rest well."

"Okay. What time are you clocking off tonight? I'll have dinner waiting for you," she eagerly said.

"It's fine. I have a meeting tonight. I might not have time to visit you today."

Juliet let out a disappointed sigh but obediently said, "It's fine. I'm dealing with jet lag anyway, so I'll wait for you no matter how late you'll be."

Bradley fell silent, furrowing his brows.

At the airport.

Harry had picked up Juliet and personally escorted her to his car.

When Juliet recalled what Bradley said earlier, she asked, "Mr. Lewis, does Brady often work late?"

Harry, who was driving, politely smiled. "He recently took back control of the Austin Corporation. As most of the company's work is handled by the vice president, he rarely works overtime."

"Does he have a meeting tonight?" she asked.

Harry smiled. "No. All of his meetings are done for the day."

"Do you know where he is now?" Juliet bit her lip, upset that Bradley had lied to her.

"Mr. Bradley should be looking at jewelry with his wife right now," harry casually replied.

Just as he said that, he heard a bang coming from the back.

Through the rearview mirror, he saw that there was an unpleasant look on Juliet's face. That made him realize he might have misspoken.

He mentally slapped himself and did not dare say another word.

Juliet clenched her fists and lowered her eyes as tears swelled in them.

"Brady is married already?" she softly asked.

Harry was hesitant to speak as he was worried he would misspeak again. "You better ask him yourself, Miss Jordan. I don't know anything."

Miss Jordan is so strange.

While Harry had heard she was not the average woman before he picked her up, he just thought she was just Bradley's distant cousin.

Why did she not know about Bradley's marriage?

Juliet was very sad. No wonder Brady hasn't contacted me for so long. He got married while I was overseas.

When he said he was too busy to visit her because of his meeting, it was just a lie to placate her.

Perhaps he did not want to see her at all.

Juliet looked out of the window as she bit her lip again.

Bradley was the heir to Solterra. He bore the duty of revitalizing Solterra. All these years, he had lived for revenge with no time spared for love.

That woman must have bewitched Brady. That must be it.

Besides, marriage needed to be blessed by the Holy Maiden of Solterra before any marriage was valid in the eyes of the Solterrans. Even if Bradley was married, that woman would never be considered his wife unless their marriage was blessed by the Holy Maiden.

With that in mind, Juliet's hope was rekindled. She still stood a chance as long as Bradley had yet to bring that woman back to Solterra.

…

Royal Garden Mansion.

Freya rushed upstairs to pull out her laptop from the doll as soon as she returned home.

She immediately logged on and messaged Michael.

Poppy: Do you plan to work with Keating Corporation?

Michael was clearly at his computer as he soon replied.

Michael: How did you know?

Poppy: Don't ask me how. I do hope you'll terminate all projects with Keating Corporation right now. Walter is not a good man.

Upon seeing that message, Lance frowned.

He then tapped out a response.

Michael: Reasons?

Freya frowned.

Poppy: No specific reason. He just feels unreliable. You'll suffer if you work with him.

She disliked Lola, so she selfishly did not want to work with Walter because he was Lola's benefactor.

Michael: There are few reliable people in business. Walter is unscrupulous, and I never planned on working with him.

Poppy: Okay. Still, I have to remind you to be careful around Walter during the anniversary celebration. I worry he might do something to you just for a contract.

Michael: Thank you for the reminder.

Poppy: You're welcome. We are partners, after all.

Freya had been about to log out when Michael replied.

Michael: Arrive at the celebration early. I want to meet you alone so that we can discuss a collaboration with Austin Corporation.

Freya thought about it for a moment.

Poppy: Sorry, but I have some personal affairs to attend to on that day. I may be late. Still, rest assured. I'll help you secure a contract with them.

Michael: Okay.

Freya then logged off and spaced out while lying on the bed.

Just then, her phone beeped, notifying her of a new message.

Freya glanced at it and was surprised to see a photo from Bruce.

It was a photo of Bruce himself.

He was tied to a chair while covered in blood. He was clearly in trouble.

Freya could not be bothered with him. As she had cut off all ties with Bruce, she had nothing to do with the state of his survival.

She deleted the message and blocked Bruce's number before getting out of bed to cook dinner.

Ring, ring.

The phone was ringing.

When Freya picked up her phone, she saw that the call was from an unknown number.

She hesitated for a moment, but answered the call. "Who is this?"

"Should I call you Miss Lawson or Mrs. Austin?" a man hoarsely asked.

Freya frowned.

Before she could speak, the man spoke once more. "Your father has a high-interest debt, and the deadline for repayment has arrived. Bring 50 million with you to guarantee his safety."

50 million?

Freya sneered. "Bruce's debt is his problem. Why are you asking me?"

"You are his daughter. It is only right for a daughter to repay her father's debts. If you don't come, be prepared to collect his corpse tomorrow," the caller threatened.

Freya played with the necklace around her neck and casually asked, "Didn't Bruce tell you? I have already severed ties with him. His life or death is none of my concern."

The caller seemed to have put her on speakerphone as Bruce cried out for help as soon as she finished speaking.

"Freya, please save me. If you don't give them the money, I will be killed."

The next second, Bruce's screams of pain could be heard, indicating that the other party was beating him up.

The caller's harsh voice rang out once more. "Did you hear that? If you don't come right now, I'll cut off one of his hands and mail it to you."

"Go ahead. He's no longer my father. Do what you want."

"Freya!" Bruce was clearly infuriated as he roared. "If you don't help me, I'll sell off the land where your mother's grave is. Don't come crying to me when your mother's grave is robbed or disturbed for redevelopment."