"I'll examine you now. Take a deep breath, clear your mind, and try not to think about anything,"

Freya said as she moved closer, her hand reaching out to touch his shoulder.

But the moment her hand touched him, Bradley suddenly seized her wrist, his grip verging on losing control.

Freya felt like her wrist was on the verge of breaking, pain shooting through her body, and cold sweat breaking out.

Before she could utter a cry of pain, he forcefully pushed her against the table, his dark eyes like a deep, chilling abyss, filled with icy terror.

His hot breath brushed against Freya's face, his voice hoarse.

"Why did you betray me? Why?"

Freya looked at him bewildered, unable to comprehend why he accused her of betrayal when she hadn't done anything wrong.

She wanted to check on him, but his emotions were too intense for her to even reach out.

She couldn't even grab the silver needles; all she could do was endure the pain of his grip.

"Freya, I love you so much, but you choose to leave with another man. Do you know how much that hurts me?"

He murmured incessantly, his voice growing hoarser until Freya could no longer understand him.

Watching his frenzied emotions and pale face, a dull ache gripped her heart.

"Bradley, please let me go first. I'll give you acupuncture, and you'll feel better." She softly reassured him, trying to awaken his rationality with a deep gaze into his eyes.

Their commotion drew attention inside.

But with bodyguards at the door, no one dared to intervene.

Bradley felt like his blood was congealing, unable to remember anything except for the familiar scent of Freya.

Gradually, his uncontrollable grip relaxed under the influence of her scent.

Noticing his change, Freya forcefully pushed him away and searched for the silver needles on her body.

"Do you still want to leave me, Freya? What have I done wrong? You always want to escape."

He misunderstood again, quickly pinning her against the wall, "I won't let you leave me. Even if I have to die, you belong to me, Bradley Austin."

His desolate eyes overflowed with an unrecognizable color, fierce and bloodthirsty, as if he wanted to tear her apart.

That day at the private villa, his emotions spiraled out of control in the same way.

His pupils were already a deep red. His once beautiful eyes now obscured by darkness.

Like dim starlight, faint starlight obscured by dark clouds, ultimately leaving only pitch-black darkness.

Before Freya could react, a storm of violence crashed down upon her, causing intense pain and gradually fading consciousness.

With destructive intensity, she only felt pain and gradually became unconscious.

A brief sound jolted her back to her senses momentarily.

"No, you can't treat me like this."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she struggled desperately, only to face more brutality.

Pain engulfed Freya's body. As her clothes were torn off, she bit him mercilessly.

The man winced in pain, loosening his grip.

In that moment, she found a silver needle and plunged it into the back of his neck.

His muscles tensed, causing the needle to bend and the first one to fall.

Without hesitation, she dropped the second needle, exerting force to penetrate.

Bradley groaned, collapsing to the ground, his crimson eyes gradually regaining clarity.

Consciousness returned to his brain slowly.

He looked at the girl before him, her eyes filled with tears, her lips crimson, her clothes disheveled, her shoulders bare.

What had happened to him just now?

Desire consumed him, wanting to possess her.

His fists clenched, filled only with remorse and guilt.

"Freya, I…"

"Be quiet and let me examine you," Freya paid no mind to her disheveled appearance. Right now, her sole concern was figuring out what was troubling him.

What was causing him to lose control like this?

As she checked his pulse, she noticed it was erratic, with an odd energy pulsing through him.

Freya was nearly certain he had been poisoned.

However, they still needed blood report from Xavier Jackson to confirm the type of poison.

"Have you eaten anything unusual lately?" Freya asked, her brows furrowed in concern.

Bradley gently held her, still wary of causing her further discomfort after their previous encounter.

"No, but I can't seem to rein in my emotions. I get easily agitated, especially when I see you with other men. I'm overwhelmed by jealousy, even to the point of wishing harm upon them."

"You're not well right now; let's go home," Freya suggested, feeling they shouldn't linger here any longer.

It's okay to be manic if he was alone. But, if he were to have another outburst in front of others, it could be alarming, and they might view him as a threat.

"The contract with Cloudstone hasn't been finalized yet; let's take care of that first."

"You're not in any condition to handle that. Let Harry take care of it," Freya insisted, not wanting him to attract any attention in his current state. Bradley's recent behavior had left her uneasy.

"No, I made a promise to someone. I must sign the contract myself," Bradley held her gently, his tone softening.

"Whenever you see Lance Fenton, you seem to think there's something going on between us. I'm concerned you'll lose control again."

Freya noted, understanding that by "someone," he meant her.

As Poppy, she had asked him to personally sign the contract with Lance. She hadn't anticipated him being so determined to keep his word.

Suddenly, Bradley remembered something and handed her the video sent by Poppy.

"Now I can confidently tell you that Juliet and I are innocent. The person I held that night was you. Although I lost consciousness afterward, I know I didn't touch Juliet," he explained.

"Then how did she end up with those marks?"

Despite having her own suspicions, Freya wanted to demonstrate to him that Juliet wasn't an ordinary woman.

She could set traps for her or manipulate Bradley as she pleased.

"Freya, she suffers from depression. You're familiar with the illness. During episodes, she may engage in self-harm, potentially..."

Bradley was aware that Juliet had inflicted those marks on herself.

But he was now unsure if she was truly unable to control her emotions or deliberately trying to drive a wedge between him and Freya.

Juliet had a background as a highly trained special agent, skilled not only in manipulation but also in hacking.

So, it was likely that she had manipulated the situation behind the scenes.

"Let's go. Don't we need to finalize the contract? After that, let's head home."

Freya suggested, eager to put Juliet's presence behind them.

Though this woman was cunning, out of gratitude to Bradley, even if Freya knew her true nature, she couldn't reveal it in front of him.

Time would reveal everything and expose Juliet's true intentions.

She was patient.