?<strong>Chapter 426:</strong>


    Tears streamed down Freda’s face, dripping onto the sofa. She could no longer hold them back.


    Staring nkly at the damp cushions, pain welled up in her heart. She had known Theo wouldn’t care for her, yet she had humiliated herself by trying over and over again.


    Freda felt ridiculous, like an actress in her own tragic y.


    ncing at her phone, she saw it was seven in the morning. Theo was surely awake, but he continued to shut her out.


    Confronting this harsh reality, Freda set her phone aside and tried to steady herself. She wasn’t much of a drinker, yetst night she had overdone it. Perhaps all she needed was to lie down and rest.


    However, rest brought no relief. Soon afterying down, nausea overwhelmed her despite her stomachache subsiding.


    Unable to fight the urge to throw up, Freda stumbled up, hurried out of her room, and rushed to the restroom.


    Clutching the tile, she retched, expelling everything she had consumed the night before.


    Exhausted, she slumped onto the floor, her gaze falling on the watch wrapped around her wrist—a limited edition worth a million dors. The irony of vomiting in such close proximity to something so valuable made her feel even more miserable. And Theo was the reason for her misery.


    How could he not reciprocate her feelings? She was the heiress of the Jimenez family after all. He had to have feelings for her, she reasoned desperately. The more she dwelled on it, the more it dawned on her how much she was diminishing herself for love, trapped in a downward spiral despite her status.


    Leaning on the tile, Freda sobbed. The bar was quiet in the early morning, allowing her the freedom to cry unrestrained, without fear of mockery.


    After a long while, when her tears finally subsided and a chill set in, she got up. She walked out of the restroom, her high heels clicking against the floor, steadying herself against the wall as she moved.


    As Freda rinsed her mouth at the sink, she sensed someone approaching and instinctively moved aside.


    Kaelyn removed her sunsses, eyeing Freda with a sneer. “It seems you’ve been through quite the ordeal over a man, just like another ordinary woman caught in a hopeless love affair.”


    Freda’s body tensed, and her expression darkened. “I think you’re mistaken. You don’t know me,” she said, her voiceced with disgust.


    Kaelyn ignored Freda’s dismissal, ying with her sunsses as she smiled slyly. “Theo Ward’s quite the scoundrel, isn’t he? Believes you’re not up to par with his ex, yet he’s hardly a catch himself.”


    Freda looked up, her annoyance growing. “Who are you? How do you know all this?”


    Recognition dawned on Freda as she scrutinized Kaelyn. “Aren’t you that actress? Weren’t you just banned in showbiz? How do you know about me?”


    Kaelyn shrugged nonchntly. “That’s not important. What matters is your situation with Theo. Doesn’t it infuriate you? He’s overlooked you and crushed your heart, yet you love him more than anyone.”


    She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “If I were you, I’d make Theo regret everything.”


    Freda eyed Kaelyn warily. Her studies in psychology told her Kaelyn had an agenda. Drawing back, she said coolly, “I don’t know you, and I don’t care to. Please leave, or I won’t be polite.”


    Kaelyn arched an eyebrow, pressing further. “What if I told you I could make Theo change his mind about you? Would you still dismiss me?”


    Freda hesitated, torn between her desire for Theo and her better judgment. “Theo has fallen for someone else—a married person. He ignores my calls, doesn’t even nce my way.”


    Kaelyn’s look of pity deepened. “You are too tame. He’s infatuated with a woman who once lost to me. I can help you win him over.”


    Confused and intrigued, Freda asked, “Who are you, really?”


    “One of Theo’s ex-girlfriends,” Kaelyn revealed, her smile loaded with implication, seemingly unfazed by the gravity of her admission.


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