Chapter 44: The Wrong Target

Knox Group's investigators eventually realized following Freya directly was producing nothing useful. She visited supermarkets, courier shops, cafés, design sites, and occasionally shopping centers. None of those movements revealed Louis's financial network.

Marcus Knox reviewed the latest report with irritation. "She's either completely uninvolved or much better at hiding things than expected." Clement sat across from him. "Freya was never good at hiding anything."

"The woman you knew may not exist anymore." Marcus pushed several photographs across the desk. They showed Freya meeting Chloe, visiting an apartment renovation, and working in a café. "She's earning her own money. She rejected your gift. She stayed with Stone after his collapse. Stop assuming she'll behave like your university girlfriend."

Clement's jaw tightened. "She'll come around." "Your personal obsession is becoming inconvenient."

Marcus had a different plan. If Freya couldn't be tempted, perhaps pressure would work better. Not physical pressure—that would create unnecessary risk—but professional inconvenience. A few disrupted design contracts or rumors around her new writing career might make her reconsider where her security came from.

He instructed an assistant to gather information about both activities.

The first sign reached Freya two days later. Chloe called sounding frustrated. "The second client suddenly canceled." "Why?" "They claimed someone warned them you're unreliable and financially desperate."

Freya's expression hardened. "Who warned them?" "They won't say." Chloe hesitated. "Adrian thinks it's weird. Your first project went well."

Freya thanked her and ended the call. An hour later, her fiction editor messaged about several newly created accounts posting identical accusations that F.S. Moon had plagiarized another novel.

That was too much coincidence for one morning.

Freya gathered screenshots, timestamps, and links instead of responding publicly. Years of online writing had taught her never to fight rumors emotionally before preserving evidence.

When Louis came home, she placed everything on the table. "Someone is messing with my work." His expression changed as he read.

"When did this start?" "Today. One design client canceled after receiving a warning. Now coordinated accounts are accusing my novel of plagiarism."

Louis looked at her. "Do they know F.S. Moon is you?" "That's what worries me. Very few people could connect both careers."

Derek arrived less than thirty minutes later. He traced the plagiarism accounts while Freya contacted her editor and provided original drafts, timestamps, and writing records. The platform temporarily restricted several suspicious accounts pending review.

By midnight, Derek had found the first connection. The accounts had been purchased through a marketing service used by a public-relations subcontractor. That subcontractor had recently worked for Knox Group.

Freya read the report twice. "They're targeting my novel because they can't get information from me? That's pathetic." Louis's voice was colder. "It's also a mistake."

"What are you going to do?" she asked. "Nothing publicly yet." "Good." Freya closed her laptop. "Because this is my career. I want to handle the plagiarism accusation myself."

Louis studied her, then nodded. "And the people behind it?" Freya smiled without warmth. "You can handle your enemies. I'll handle anyone stupid enough to attack my work."

For the first time, Knox Group had stopped treating Freya as merely Louis Stone's weakness. They had chosen her as a target. What they didn't understand was that the woman they were attacking had already rebuilt one life from nothing—and she had no intention of letting them damage the second.

Before sleeping, Freya prepared a detailed document for the platform showing her outline history, drafts, revision dates, and source notes. If Knox expected a frightened newcomer, they had chosen badly. Writing had been her profession before this world, and she knew exactly how to defend authorship. By morning, she intended to turn their manufactured accusation into evidence against the people who had created it.