Thalassa's face twisted in annoyance as she grabbed her phone from her desk, ready to dial Kris's number and hurl every insult she could think of. But she stopped herself

This was exactly what he wanted-for her to unblock his number and call, even if it was just to tell him off. But she wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

Placing the phone back on the desk, she turned to the delivery man. "Take it back. Whatever he promised to pay you, tell my secretary to give you double. That should be enough for you to stop delivering anything he sends. Just go back and tell him I refused, but don't bring them to my office again." She smirked as the delivery man readily accepted her offer. But she should have known Kris would find a loophole. The next day, an envelope arrived in her office. It contained a movie ticket for The Mask of Zorro, along with a

note:

'Dear Lassa,

I never understood your obsession with this movie, but I'll gladly endure the torture of watching it again for your sake. This cinema is showing it tonight, so I've booked us tickets. I'll pick you up at seven,

Kris.

This time, Thalassa couldn't help herself. She crumpled the note in her hand while Luisa burst into laughter.

"It's not funny," Thalassa gritted out.

"Sorry, but it kind of is," Luisa said, still chuckling. "What's wrong with him? Do you think he's actually going to show up to pick you up?"noveldrama

Thalassa stood up and threw both the note and the ticket into the trash. "No, he wouldn't dare. He's just trying to push my buttons to get me to call him, but I won't let him provoke me.'

"Aww, a man who adores you so much that he prefers your anger over your silence. Isn't that romantic?"

Thalassa shot her friend a sharp glare, but before she could respond, there was a knock on the door. Juana poked her head in.

"Lassa, Mr. Frey is here to see you. He doesn't have an appointment. Shall I let him in?"

"Mr. Frey?" Thalassa and Luisa exchanged glances.

Mr. Frey was her private investigator. He had helped her over the years by discovering Linda's business plans. His help was part of how she had gradually been able to bankrupt Linda's company. He was also assisting her in investigating the supposed suicides of the women linked to Clark.

"Let him in," Thalassa instructed.

A few moments later, Mr. Frey entered the office and took a seat in one of the visitor's chairs, looking almost giddy.

"I apologize for not informing you beforehand, but this came up rather suddenly," he began, clearly eager to share what he had found.

"Do you have any new information?" Thalassa asked, leaning forward slightly.

"I do," Mr. Frey nodded. "I was working on a case for another client when I accidentally stumbled across something... rather significant. Linda Miller isn't quite the high-class lady she pretends to be. At least, she wasn't before."

He paused for dramatic effect, then revealed, "Before she met James Miller and married him, she worked in a brothel... as a prostitute."

Luisa's eyes widened so much that they looked like they were going to fall out of their sockets while Thalassa remained calm, her expression neutral.

Mr. Frey hesitated, confused by her lack of reaction. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"You've done a good job, Mr. Frey," Thalassa said thoughtfully. "But I can't use that information. Yes, it would tarnish Linda's image, but I don't believe in shaming women for selling their bodies due to their circumstances. Also it must've happened over thirty years ago so she can't be jailed for it."

"You're right," Mr. Frey acknowledged. "She can't be jailed for being a prostitute. But she *can* be prosecuted for what she did during and after that time."

Now Thalassa's interest was piqued. She leaned forward slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, during her time in that 'profession,' one of her clients was a man connected to the underworld-human trafficking, drug trafficking, you name it. She agreed to work for him. Her duties included pushing drugs and luring innocent women into thinking they were getting respectable jobs, only to traffic them into prostitution."