Chapter 47: The Contract Is Signed

The revised audio contract arrived on Tuesday. Freya read it once alone, once with a notebook, and a third time beside Louis. Nearly every important change they had requested appeared in the final document. The license applied only to the current novel, production had a defined deadline, and her royalty percentage was noticeably better than the original proposal.

"They changed the adaptation approval clause too," Freya said. "Not complete approval, but I get consultation rights on major plot alterations." Louis nodded. "Reasonable for your current bargaining position."

"Current?" "If the novel becomes significantly more successful, negotiate harder next time."

Freya smiled. "You really expect there to be a next time." "Don't you?" The question stopped her. Of course she did. She had already planned future novels, but hearing someone else treat her success as an expectation rather than a possibility felt unexpectedly good.

She signed electronically that afternoon.

Her editor congratulated her and explained the next steps. Production would begin with narrator auditions. Freya would receive several samples and could provide preferences, though the final casting decision belonged to the audio department.

After the call, she opened her income spreadsheet and added the advance payment. Her earned-income total had crossed another milestone.

She immediately transferred part into savings. Louis, passing behind her, noticed. "You save aggressively." "Security is addictive." "You have enough from the luxury sales to live for quite a while."

"That's inherited money, in a way. I want money I created myself." She paused, realizing how strange the wording sounded. "I mean, money from my own work."

Louis's gaze lingered on her, but he didn't question the slip.

That evening, Freya insisted on another small celebration. This time she cooked instead of buying cake. She made braised beef, vegetables, soup, and a dessert that took two attempts because the first batch collapsed.

Derek arrived halfway through dinner after Louis casually mentioned food was available. Freya accused him of possessing supernatural dinner detection.

"I have excellent timing," Derek said. "You have no shame," Louis corrected.

During the meal, Derek congratulated Freya on the audio deal. She narrowed her eyes. "How did you know?"

Derek froze with his fork halfway to his mouth. Louis looked at him coldly.

"Louis mentioned you were negotiating one," Derek recovered. "I assumed it worked out." Freya accepted the explanation, but Louis made a mental note to threaten Derek later.

After dinner, Freya checked her novel comments. L had written beneath the newest chapter: "The protagonist finally accepted useful advice without treating it as surrender. Character development."

Freya laughed and replied, "Don't get comfortable. She's still stubborn."

From across the room, Louis's phone vibrated with the notification. He didn't open it until Freya returned to her bedroom.

The audio contract was only a small deal compared with the transactions Louis handled daily through Northstar. Yet watching Freya sign it had felt strangely significant. She had started with an old laptop, a pile of handbags, and determination. Now her fictional world was beginning to move beyond the screen. Louis suspected this was only the beginning.

Before sleeping, Freya printed the final agreement and stored it with her other important documents. The contract wasn't worth a fortune, but it represented something larger: proof that the stories in her head had value in this world too. She had lost her old name, old career, and old readers when she died. Slowly, she was earning all three back in a different form.

The situation was far from resolved, but neither Freya nor Louis had reached this point by rushing blindly into the next move. For now, they would keep working, watching, and gathering what they needed. The larger game could wait another day.