Chapter 10: A Different Freya

After Derek left, the apartment became quiet again. Freya finished washing the dishes, wiped down the kitchen counter, and returned to her room. She had already wasted more time than planned because of Clement's sudden appearance, so she immediately opened her laptop and continued working on her secondhand store. The photographs she had taken were good enough, but every item needed a description, condition report, original price, and reasonable resale price. Fortunately, most of the bags had barely been used. The original Freya had enjoyed buying things far more than actually carrying them.

Freya listed several bags first and deliberately priced them slightly below similar products. Her goal wasn't to squeeze every possible dollar out of them. She wanted cash flow. If the items sold quickly, she could turn a room full of useless luxury goods into money she could actually use. Once the first ten listings were published, she stretched her arms and smiled with satisfaction. At least she had taken the first real step toward supporting herself.

A notification appeared less than twenty minutes later. Someone had sent an inquiry about one of the limited-edition bags. The buyer asked for additional photographs and proof of authenticity. Freya immediately found the original packaging and cards, took several detailed pictures, and sent them over. Another message followed, then another. By late afternoon, three buyers were negotiating with her at the same time.

Freya was so focused that she didn't notice Louis standing outside her half-open bedroom door. He had come back for a document and heard her typing rapidly. From where he stood, he could see photographs of expensive bags covering her screen. His first thought was that she was shopping again. Then he noticed the words "Item Sold" beside one of the pictures.

"You're selling them?" Louis asked. Freya jumped and turned around. "You scared me. Yes, I'm selling most of them." She pointed toward the mountain in the corner. "I don't need a hundred bags. Keeping them here is basically keeping money trapped in leather." Louis looked at the pile and then at her. "Those are yours. You don't have to sell them because of me."

"I'm not selling them because of you," Freya replied. "I'm selling them because they're useless to me. Besides, prices fall when styles go out of fashion. Selling now makes more sense." She hesitated before adding, "And if you eventually need some money to restart your career, I can lend you some. Not give. Lend. You can repay me when you're rich again."

Louis's expression became difficult to read. "You're planning to finance me?" Freya nodded seriously. "Only if you need it. Don't misunderstand. I'll charge interest." That finally drew a faint curve from the corner of his mouth. "How much interest?" Freya considered it. "Friends-and-family rate. Maybe three percent."

"We're husband and wife." "Then husband-and-wife rate. Two percent." Louis actually laughed, quietly but unmistakably. Freya stared at him for a second. She had never seen him laugh before. The cold antagonist described in the novel suddenly looked much younger, and she quickly turned back toward her computer before her thoughts wandered somewhere inconvenient.

Louis collected the document he had come for but didn't leave immediately. "Clement may contact you again." Freya's fingers stopped over the keyboard. "I figured." "If he bothers you, tell me." She glanced at him. "You're bankrupt. What are you going to do, glare at him?"

There was a brief silence. Louis calmly replied, "Being bankrupt doesn't mean I'm incapable of handling Clement Knox." Something about his tone made Freya look at him again. For just a second, the man in front of her didn't resemble someone who had lost everything. He looked exactly like the powerful antagonist from the novel—the man who had once made entire companies nervous with a single decision.

Then the feeling disappeared. Louis picked up his folder and walked toward the door. "Lock the door after me." "I know," Freya called after him. "You're the one who forgot last time." His footsteps paused outside her room before continuing. Freya smiled to herself and returned to her listings, completely unaware that Louis was beginning to take her transformation far more seriously than before.