Chapter 136: Freya's Publishing Studio

Freya registered her publishing studio under the name Awake Stories.

Louis noticed the joke immediately.

"Subtle," he said.

"I considered Transmigrated Media, but the paperwork people might ask questions."

Awake Stories would manage Freya's intellectual property rather than replace her existing publisher. She hired an experienced rights manager, a part-time assistant, and an accountant who had no connection to Stone family businesses.

The decision mattered to her. For the first time in either life, she was building a company around work she genuinely loved.

Her audio adaptation entered production, translation offers arrived, and a streaming company expressed early interest in one of her novels.

Freya refused to let Louis negotiate for her.

He looked almost proud when she told him.

"I wasn't offering," he said.

"You were thinking about it."

"Possibly."

Their domestic life changed gradually too. Louis spent more nights home rather than at Northstar. Freya stopped treating every meal as something she had to provide because he was supposedly helpless after bankruptcy.

Sometimes Louis cooked.

His first attempt was terrible.

Freya stared at the overcooked pasta. "You mocked my early cooking anxiety for this?"

"It's edible."

"That's what I used to say."

They ordered takeout.

Outside their apartment, the legal cases continued. Adrian remained in custody pending proceedings. Investigators had not yet filed homicide charges related to Freya's parents, but obstruction, conspiracy, financial crimes, and illegal data practices formed an increasingly substantial case.

Freya was learning to live without waiting for every legal answer.

Claire sent her the complete Gentle Devotion manuscript through counsel. Freya read only parts of it.

The original fictional Freya was shallow, lonely, and ultimately disposable.

Freya felt unexpectedly sad for her.

"She never got a second chance," Freya told Louis.

"Maybe you are her second chance."

The thought stayed with her.

She possessed the original woman's memories, body, relationships, and unfinished life. Whether that meant the original Freya was gone or somehow part of her remained unknowable.

Freya decided she did not need to solve that metaphysical question before living responsibly.

She visited the graves of the original Freya's parents with flowers.

Louis came but stayed several steps away until she reached for his hand.

Freya silently promised them she would finish seeking the truth.

Then she promised something else.

She would also make this life worth having survived for.

When they returned home, an email from her rights manager waited.

A major platform wanted to acquire adaptation rights to Freya's newest novel.

The offer was larger than anything she had earned before.

Freya grinned.

Poor to rich, she thought.

Apparently that tag applied to more than Louis.

Awake Stories also gave Freya a reason to learn the business side of publishing properly. She studied licensing clauses, royalty structures, translation territories, and adaptation options instead of simply accepting whatever sounded impressive. Louis occasionally answered general business questions but respected her rule that her team would negotiate her work.

Awake Stories also gave Freya a reason to learn the business side of publishing properly. She studied licensing clauses, royalty structures, translation territories, and adaptation options instead of simply accepting whatever sounded impressive. Louis occasionally answered general business questions but respected her rule that her team would negotiate her work.

Awake Stories also gave Freya a reason to learn the business side of publishing properly. She studied licensing clauses, royalty structures, translation territories, and adaptation options instead of simply accepting whatever sounded impressive. Louis occasionally answered general business questions but respected her rule that her team would negotiate her work.

Awake Stories also gave Freya a reason to learn the business side of publishing properly. She studied licensing clauses, royalty structures, translation territories, and adaptation options instead of simply accepting whatever sounded impressive. Louis occasionally answered general business questions but respected her rule that her team would negotiate her work.