After standing there for over ten minutes, Freya saw Ryan walking downstairs. His handsome face was ashen, and a scar was on his forehead. He was probably hit by something.
âAre you⦠okay?â
Freya looked at him nervously. âDo you needâ¦â
âNo need.â Ryan lowered his head and walked outside.
âStop right there.â Nathanâs somber voice sounded from behind. â I donât care how you do it, but you must clarify this matter. Also, you have to get a girlfriend within half a month. I canât afford to lose my dignity.â
âLose your dignity?â Ryan looked back and gave a deep, sarcastic laugh. âAs your son, I donât even have the right to fall in love with someone.â
âShut your mouth, Ryan. Same-sex marriage may be legal, but donât ruin your life. â Nathan glared at him. âBreak off your relationship with him right away.â
Ryan pursed his thin lips before he turned around and walked away.
Then, the living room fell into an eerie silence.
Freya could feel her scalp turn numb. Nathanâs reaction had made her a little frightened.
âFreya, you should advise him since youâre quite close with him.â Nathan said helplessly, âToo many people are eying the prime ministerâs office. Considering that Ryan is young and has considerable standing, many people are jealous of him. If he continues to behave like this, heâll destroy his future.
It doesnât matter to me whether Iâll continue in office, but heâs still young.â
As soon as Nathan finished speaking, he strode away.
Heidi also came down with a frown, like something was weighing on her mind.
âGodmom, do you want to have breakfast?â Freya held her.
âI donât have much of an appetite.â Heidi sighed. â No wonder heâs not interested in the women Iâve introduced to him. Iâm to blame for not noticing it. I donât understand how he ended up like this.â
Freya could not get her head around it either.
Women were great. Why would he like a man instead?
Even so, she said, âGodmom, who took those photos? How dare they publish those photos. Are they trying to go against the executive council?â
âWay too many people have been trying to go against us.â Heidi forced a smile. âThings werenât so bad earlier. However, this world is always full of ambitious people. Even if Ryan and that person were just friends, other people might not believe it. Thatâs why he needs to get a girlfriend as soon as possible. It wonât be an issue even if he wants to get engaged.â
âFreya, please advise Ryan, â Heidi said. Freya was at a loss for words.
Did she not advise him? She did. However, Ryan refused to listen to her.
In less than an hour, the news about Ryan coming out was soon suppressed. At the same time, the executive council publicly clarified that Ryan was only friends with that man. On the day the photo was captured, Ryan had drunk too much and lost his footing. Hence, his friend beside him supported him.
Even so, many people did not buy it.
Nevertheless, the PR deleted all the comments of those who did not believe it. Within a day, the news about that incident gradually died down.
After letting out a sigh of relief, Freya called Ryan, but he did not pick up her call nor reply to her message.
She reckoned Ryan must be in agony right now.
She had once fallen for someone too. Indeed, the feeling of not being able to be with the person she loved was torturous.
However, how could she help Ryan? Ryan had helped her many times, so she wanted to help him, too.
Ryan was still not back when she returned to The Lodge after work. Once she sent Dani to bed, she called Ryan again. Finally, someone picked up the call, but it was a strange voice.