Chapter 5 A Frozen Heart

• "Please don't say that, Fay," Lucian began, his voice filled with bitterness. "I've been in the army all these years, thinking that I would make a name for myself and come back to officially ask for your hand in marriage. I was suffering too."
• "Things have come to this point. What else is there to say?" Freya's words were indifferent, and her eyes lacked any spark of life. Despair washed over Lucian.
• The tension in the room was palpable.
• Lucian had never been good with words, and the overwhelming guilt only made him more at a loss. He knew that whatever he said to appease Freya would fall on deaf ears.
• "If you loved me, stay and take care of Minnie," Freya made a shocking request.
• "I'll do it," Lucian replied, seizing the opportunity. "You have nothing to worry about, Fay. I'll take care of both you and Minnie. No one will ever torment you again. I promise."
• "Hah." Freya's smile was apathetic as she heard his promise. "I don't need you to take care of me. All I want is for you to take care of Minnie. I'm not ashamed of any of my decisions. My only regret is having made Minnie suffer. My only hope is for you to raise her into adulthood, and then you'll be free to do as you please. Once she's an adult, she'll be able to take care of herself."
• She spoke as if she were passing on a will to a world that disgusted her.
• To Lucian, it sounded as if she was ready to leave the world behind.
• Despair consumed him. He understood that no amount of reassurance would have any effect on her. Perhaps being by her side would help her out of the darkness.
• "I'll take care of her," he said after a moment of silence.
• "Minnie does not need you…"
• Frank Harrison and Annie Watson burst into the room in a furious flurry. Anger radiated from them the moment they laid eyes on Lucian. Their family had fallen into such a state because of him.
• They had such a brilliant daughter, but a single moment of weakness had ruined her.
• They hated him as much as Freya and Minnie did.
• "Ma'am, I…" Lucian had no idea how to respond and could only stand in silence.
• "What?" Annie yanked him by his collar and snarled, "My daughter loved you so much she gave up everything for you, and how do you repay her? You disappeared for seven years. Do you have any idea what my daughter had to go through?"
• "Enough, Mom, Dad. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I've decided to keep him around. Stop trying to convince me otherwise!" Freya no longer wanted to discuss the past.
• Neither Frank nor Annie could convince her otherwise. They had no choice but to reluctantly back off. It was true that Freya and Minnie needed to be taken care of. The recently retired Lucian could stay as their caretaker. It was a weight off their shoulders when they went to work too.
• Annie glared at Lucian and then sat down next to Freya. "Oh, Fay. You shouldn't have been so foolish. You know what Calvin is like. Just put up with it when he comes by. Why did you get Lucian to put him in the hospital?"
• "I…" Freya didn't know what to say. It was true that Calvin was seriously injured because Lucian had beaten him up for them.
• "Your grandparents and uncle were furious when they heard about it. They want us to have you return to the Harrison residence to apologize, or they'll kick your father and me out of the family too. You know your father's income isn't very high at the Harrison Group. We're barely scraping by to support the family. What are we going to do if we're expelled from the family?" Annie said helplessly to her daughter.
• These words made Freya feel extremely guilty. Her father had been demoted from his position as a high-ranking executive after she had given birth to Minnie. What kind of horrible person would she be if they were expelled from the family too? They were in debt because they had to treat her. Even the house had been sold. They continued to help her regardless. She wouldn't be here otherwise. She had to bow her head for her parents' sake.
• "I'll go," Freya nodded.
• "I'll come too," Lucian said. "I was the one who beat Calvin up. This is all happening because of me. I should be the one to apologize."
• "No," Frank scoffed. "You have nothing to do with Fay. We don't need you pretending here. This is a family matter that is none of your business. Leave."
• "Let him go, Dad," Freya said.
• Freya had allowed him to stay by her side not because she forgave him. She simply wanted to give Minnie a better life. She was going to leave him once her daughter was old enough. They would never speak again.
• She would never forgive him. All the warmth in her heart had bled out a long time ago. There was no way to recover what was already lost.
• Lucian was the one to wheel her out of the village and into the city alongside Frank and Annie. The furious Minnie was left behind. She hated Lucian with a passion but had no power to veto her mother's decision.
• ...
• Dax Harrison, the head of the Harrison family, sat in the parlor of the Harrison residence. Fury was evident on his face. The walnuts in his hand clicked against each other as he rolled them in his palm. The rest of the family was equally indignant. No one expected the audacity of the crippled Freya to call upon the outcast of the Gray family to put Calvin in the hospital.
• She's got nerve!
• Dax had three sons. The eldest was named Aaron, the second in line was Hugo, and the third was Frank.
• Aaron Harrison was Calvin's father, and he was the most furious person present. He turned to Dax and Eleanor Reeves. "That little b*tch put your dearest grandson in the hospital. I want justice."
• "That wh*re has gone too far. How could she have done this? This is clearly an act of rebellion," Roxanne Cavoy cried out for her son.
• "Don't worry. I've contacted Frank and Annie. They will bring Freya here," Dax said, waving his hand to signal for the group to calm down. "Ah, yes. How is the project with the Infernal Group progressing? We have to be the ones to secure that project. It will propel the family to even greater heights. This is very important."
• "We are almost there, Dad. My daughter is in a relationship with a manager at the Infernal Group. You can rest assured that we will secure it," Hugo Harrison declared confidently.
• "Hahahaha." Dax burst into laughter, throwing his head back. "Well done, Nadine. If we secure it, you'll be the project director for The Infernal Group. It will fall under your family's responsibility."
• Nadine Harrison felt a surge of excitement. She had been aspiring for this position for a while and expressed her gratitude to her grandfather profusely.
• "You're welcome." Dax dismissed her gratitude with a wave of his hand. "I did promise that whoever brings us the project will be in charge of it. I always keep my word."
• "Grandpa, Freya and her family are here…"
• Nadine suddenly pointed towards the four individuals standing at the door.
• The group silently agreed to halt their discussion. To them, Freya was no longer considered a part of the Harrison family. She was not entitled to be present for such an important matter.
• "You brought her along, that worthless person?"
• Dax's wife, Eleanor, was furious.