She Took The House The Car And My Heart

Chapter 701:

“Thank you for today,” she said, glancing back with a rare flicker of sincerity in her eyes. “I’ll give you a raise next month.”

Ellis replied in his usual nonchalant drawl, “Much appreciated, my dear boss.”

Freya was momentarily struck dumb. She still wasn’t used to being called that.

“Go on in and rest up. I’ll holler when dinner’s ready,” Ellis said in that familiar, protective tone, one that bordered on brotherly. “Especially after that raise you promised me.”

Freya started, instinctively ready to decline.

But the look in Ellis’s eyes stopped her short.

She swallowed her protest and changed her answer. “Alright.” After they parted ways, Freya reached out to Trent.

Compared to her, Trent probably knew Ellis even better. The two of them were like peas in a pod—sharp, cunning, and full of tricks.

Once the video call connected, Freya made small talk for a bit before cutting to the chase. “How do you turn down Ellis’s dinner invitations?”

“Dinner invitations?” Trent asked, adjusting his glasses.

“He keeps inviting me over to eat,” Freya admitted, a little uneasily. Even though Ellis had said he didn’t hold grudges, she couldn’t shake the worry. “With the way he’s always operated, when he’s nice to you, it usually means you’re in trouble.”

Aside from that one embarrassing phone call, she couldn’t think of any reason she’d gotten on his bad side. But hadn’t they already moved past that?

Trent smiled faintly, quietly marveling at how rocky Ellis’s journey to win her heart had become.

Freya caught the look. “What’s so funny?”

“Have you ever considered the fact that Ellis is retired?” Trent tried to shift the narrative.

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁: ⳑ𝗮𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝗍𝖊𝗅𝘀⸱𝖼𝗈𝗆

Freya looked confused. Hadn’t Ellis already said that?

Trent went on, “Since he’s no longer that ‘devil captain,’ maybe it’s time to stop seeing him through the same lens.”

“Huh?” Freya was puzzled.

“Maybe he’s just trying to be nice,” Trent explained, gently setting the stage. “Or maybe living in your place and collecting that generous paycheck makes him feel like he owes you something.”noveldrama

“Would he really think like that?” Freya always felt unguarded around her teammates.

“He used to be our captain—always one step ahead of the rest of us,” Trent continued, nudging her a little more. “But now that we’re all out in the real world, he’s probably noticed that, compared to the rest of us, some folks—like you—come from pretty privileged backgrounds. That might make him feel a little… out of place.”

Freya frowned.

A bit out of place? That just didn’t sound like Ellis.

“Look, Mina. Men have their pride. Especially Ellis,” Trent said, his tone turning sincere as he wove the tale on Ellis’s behalf. “If he invites you to dinner, just go. It might ease that pride a little.”

“Are you serious?” Freya still found it hard to believe.

Ellis didn’t seem like that kind of person. But Trent’s words held a strange sort of logic.

Trent nudged her one last time. “If you don’t believe me, ask other guys. Just don’t say it’s about Ellis.”

.

.

.