Chapter 52: Coffee with Serena

Freya finally accepted Serena's coffee invitation the following week. She chose a busy café in the business district and deliberately scheduled the meeting between a design-site visit and a writing session. That way, even if the conversation became uncomfortable, she had a genuine reason to leave.

Serena arrived first and waved when Freya entered. "I was starting to think you'd avoid me forever." "I considered it," Freya replied honestly.

Serena laughed instead of taking offense. "Because of Ethan?" "Because our husbands tried to destroy each other financially. It doesn't exactly create ideal friendship conditions."

"Fair."

They ordered drinks and initially talked about ordinary things. Serena asked about Freya's work, though Freya still didn't reveal her pen name. Freya learned Serena was involved with a charitable foundation and several projects separate from Ethan's companies.

Eventually, Serena became more serious. "Ethan thinks Louis is planning something."

Freya stirred her coffee. "Ethan is probably right."

Serena blinked, apparently expecting denial. Freya smiled. "Louis is not the type to sit at home forever. That doesn't mean I know his plans."

"I didn't invite you to investigate him." "Good, because I'd leave."

Serena nodded. "Actually, I wanted to apologize properly. During the competition between Ethan and Louis, I gave Ethan information that helped him anticipate several moves. At the time, I believed Louis was trying to destroy Ethan first."

Freya knew all of this from the novel. Hearing Serena say it herself felt different.

"Were you wrong?" Freya asked.

Serena hesitated. "Not entirely. Louis was aggressive. Ethan was too. But afterward, I started wondering whether some information we received from other sources had been manipulated."

Freya's attention sharpened. "Other sources?"

"Anonymous tips, market intelligence, people approaching Ethan's team. Things that made Louis look like he was preparing certain moves." Serena frowned. "Some turned out to be accurate. Others pushed both companies into reacting against each other."

Victor Shaw immediately came to Freya's mind, but she kept her expression neutral. "Does Ethan know you're telling me this?"

"He knows I had doubts. He doesn't know I'm discussing them with you."

Freya leaned back. The original novel had presented the conflict clearly: Louis acted, Ethan countered, Serena helped, and Louis lost. But reality was becoming messier. Someone might have encouraged both sides to escalate.

"Why tell me?" Freya asked.

Serena looked uncomfortable. "Because after seeing you with Louis, I realized the ending wasn't as clean as I wanted to believe."

Freya almost laughed at the word ending.

Before leaving, Serena said, "If Louis ever wants to compare what happened, Ethan might listen now."

Freya didn't promise anything. "That's Louis's decision."

On the way home, she called him anyway. "I had coffee with Serena. We need to talk when you get back."

Louis heard the seriousness in her voice. "What happened?"

"Apparently you and Ethan may have been fighting with someone else's hands on both your shoulders."

There was silence on the line. Then Louis said, "I'll be home in thirty minutes."

Freya spent the remaining ride home organizing the conversation in her head. She didn't trust Serena completely, but she believed the uncertainty in her voice had been genuine. More importantly, the details could be checked. In Freya's experience, verifiable information mattered more than whether she liked the person delivering it.