Chapter 30: A Warning from Clement

Clement's expression remained pleasant, but Freya could see irritation beneath it. Louis's arrival on the balcony had ruined whatever effect he wanted his warning to have. "There's nothing mysterious," Clement said. "I was only telling Freya that business failures are rarely as simple as they appear." Louis nodded. "On that point, we agree."

Clement studied him. "Then you know some people aren't interested in seeing you recover." "I've never expected my competitors to support me." Louis's hand remained lightly at Freya's waist. His posture was relaxed, but Clement looked increasingly uncomfortable.

Freya decided to interrupt before the conversation became a competition in vague threats. "Clement, if you actually have something useful to say, say it. Otherwise, I'm going back inside. I haven't tried dessert yet."

Clement looked at her. "You really don't understand what you're involved in." "I'm involved in a charity dinner with disappointing portions." Freya replied. Louis's mouth moved slightly as though suppressing a smile.

Clement lowered his voice. "There were people inside Louis's own companies who helped bring him down. Some of them are still watching him. If he tries to rebuild, they'll move again." Freya's amusement faded. That sounded close to what she had already suspected after noticing the surveillance.

"Who?" she asked. Clement glanced at Louis instead. "He knows." Louis didn't deny it. Freya turned toward her husband. "You know?" "I have suspicions." "That's different from knowing."

Clement smiled faintly, apparently pleased to create tension between them. "Maybe ask him how much of his bankruptcy was really unexpected." Louis's eyes turned colder. "Careful, Clement."

For the first time, Freya felt genuinely annoyed—not because Clement might be telling the truth, but because he clearly wanted to use that truth to manipulate her. "If Louis is hiding something, I'll deal with Louis. That still doesn't make you trustworthy."

Clement's smile disappeared. Freya stepped away from both men. "Now I'm getting dessert." She walked back into the ballroom before either could stop her.

Louis followed a moment later. "You're angry." "Not yet." Freya selected a small chocolate pastry from the dessert table. "But apparently everyone knows more about my husband's bankruptcy than I do, which is becoming irritating."

"There are things I can't explain yet." "That's fine. We barely had a marriage before this week. You don't owe me every business secret." She took a bite of the pastry. "But if those secrets put me in danger, then I do expect a warning."

Louis became serious. "I won't let anything happen to you." Freya met his gaze. "That's not the same as telling me the risk exists."

He had no immediate answer. Freya finished the dessert and placed the plate aside. "I'm not asking tonight. But eventually, Louis, you're going to have to decide whether I'm actually your wife or just someone temporarily living in your apartment."

She walked toward the ballroom doors. Louis remained still for several seconds before following. Across the room, Marcus Knox watched them leave. Clement had failed to separate them. Worse, his warning seemed to have pushed Freya toward demanding answers from Louis. Marcus quietly decided that the supposedly useless Mrs. Stone had become a problem worth watching.

On the ride home, Freya replayed Clement's words but refused to let them control her judgment. She would listen to Louis when he was ready to explain, then decide what mattered for herself. She had already made one mistake in her previous life by trusting circumstances she couldn't control. In this one, she intended to keep her eyes open—even if the person hiding the most from her happened to be the man sharing her breakfast table.