Chapter 14: An Unexpected Contract

Freya's revenge against Louis was petty but satisfying. The next morning, she gave herself two slices of bacon and placed only one on his plate. Louis looked at his breakfast, then at hers. "Why do you have more bacon?" "The cook decides portion sizes," Freya replied without shame.

"Is this because I said you don't have many friends?" "I have no idea what you're talking about." Louis quietly moved one piece of sausage from her plate to his. Freya stared at him in disbelief. "Did you just steal my food?" "The person paying the rent decided the redistribution was fair."

For several seconds they looked at each other before Freya burst out laughing. The strange distance that had existed between them since her arrival seemed a little smaller. Louis lowered his eyes to his coffee, but there was a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

After he left, Freya returned to her laptop and discovered an email from one of the fiction platforms. Her submission had passed the initial review. An editor wanted to offer her a contract if she could maintain a stable update schedule. Freya read the email twice before raising both fists in triumph.

It wasn't a huge achievement compared with her career in her previous life, but it meant she could rebuild from the beginning. More importantly, she now knew readers in this world responded to her style. She reviewed the contract carefully, checked the payment structure and rights clauses, and sent several questions to the editor instead of accepting immediately.

Her phone rang while she was working. This time the caller wasn't Clement or Melissa. It was the secondhand platform informing her that a buyer interested in several high-value items wanted an in-person authentication appointment. Freya disliked meeting strangers, but the combined sale was substantial enough to consider.

She arranged to meet at an established luxury authentication store inside a busy shopping center the following afternoon. The platform would record the transaction, and the store would verify the items before payment. That seemed safe enough.

Around noon, her editor replied. The answers were reasonable, so Freya signed the digital agreement. Her first contracted novel in this world was officially underway. She immediately created an update schedule. If she maintained several thousand words a day, she could build a large backlog while still managing the secondhand store.

When Louis returned that evening, he found Freya sitting at the dining table with an unusually pleased expression. "Something happened?" he asked. "I got a contract." "For what?" "My novel." She tried to sound casual but couldn't hide her pride. "I'm officially earning money again."

Louis loosened his tie and sat across from her. "Congratulations." Freya nodded. "Thank you. The starting income probably won't be much, but that's fine. Once readership grows, it'll improve." She then pointed at him with her pen. "So don't worry about supporting me. Your three-thousand-a-month promise is officially unnecessary."

Louis remembered the conversation from their first night in the apartment. At that time, he had expected her to take the money and leave. Instead, she was selling her luxury collection, cooking their meals, and celebrating a writing contract as though she had been given a company.

"Keep the promise anyway," he said. Freya frowned. "Why?" "Because I made it." "Then save it and give it to me when you're rich again." Louis looked at her for a long moment. "What if I become rich sooner than you expect?" Freya laughed, assuming he was joking. "Even better. I'll charge you interest on everything I spend feeding you until then." Louis said nothing, but his eyes carried an amusement she didn't understand. If she knew how much money he still controlled, she would probably add fraud charges to that future bill.