She Took The House The Car And My Heart

Chapter 820:

“Hugh, can’t you give me even a small chance?” Cheryl’s voice cracked with desperation, as if saying that had drained whatever strength she had left.

Watching her crumble like that, Freya suddenly thought of Kristian putting on the same act in front of her.

Hugh spoke again, and his tone was more solemn than she’d ever heard. “The moment you made false accusations against Mina right in front of me, whatever chance we had vanished completely.”

“False accusations against Mina?” Ethel picked up on the key part immediately.noveldrama

Hugh started to explain but paused, worried the truth might upset Freya.

But Freya, with her sharp memory, spoke calmly. “On Ms. Newman’s birthday, after I finished speaking with her and was about to head home with you, do you remember what she said?”

Ethel thought for a moment, then the words came rushing back to her in a flash.

Cheryl had once said, “Freya’s right. The difference between us is too much. If you really marry me, people will talk. They’ll mock you behind your back. Vivien and I will pack our things tomorrow and leave. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”

Ethel turned to Freya after recalling it. “Were those the lines?”

“Yes,” Freya said softly.

Back then, Hugh had a talk with Cheryl, but Freya hadn’t asked about the details and hadn’t cared much either.

Ethel had spoken to him as well, but Freya hadn’t known exactly what they’d discussed.

𝙉𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝗀ⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀․𝗰𝗼𝗺

“I was just scared of losing you,” Cheryl explained, worry furrowing her brow.

Hugh didn’t respond, unmoved by her explanation.

He wasn’t that same naive man from the days before the arranged marriage. He had two daughters now, and while many things could be forgiven, dragging Freya’s name through the mud wasn’t one of them.

“That’s not a reason to accuse Mina of something she didn’t do. I understand you want Vivien to have a good life,” Hugh said, his tone honest but firm. “But the Briggs Group belongs to Ethel and Mina. It’s also the product of their mother’s hard work and sacrifice. It’s not something that can just be handed away. I can build another company. Running it won’t be a challenge.”

He had considered this possibility before, but now he was simply tired. “That company can be handed over to Vivien.”

“I’m sorry…” Cheryl murmured, bowing her head, her voice barely audible.

In truth, she couldn’t accept this outcome.

Even if Hugh built another company and made it thrive, it could never compare to even a small stake in the Briggs Group.

But now she understood—if she turned this down, she’d walk away with nothing at all.

“If that’s all, I’d like to ask you to leave,” Hugh said, his tone final.

The memory of that day was still crystal clear.

After Freya and Ethel had left, he’d asked Cheryl if there had been a misunderstanding with Freya. He knew how Freya was—if she didn’t like someone, she made it obvious. She wasn’t the type to play dirty behind the scenes. But Cheryl had spun a tale, putting words in Freya’s mouth that were biting and cruel. And the second he heard them, he knew she was lying—Freya would never say those things. When she saw the disbelief on his face, Cheryl realized she’d been caught and ended up confessing what was really said.

He didn’t care about wealth. If Cheryl had just come to him from the start and told him her goals, he would’ve built a future for Vivien with no hesitation. But from the beginning, Cheryl had acted as if she wasn’t interested in money—just him. That sharp contrast, paired with her slander of Freya, had killed every last bit of hope he had.

“Mr. Briggs…” Vivien sounded panicked. “Is there really no chance we can go back to the way things were?”

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