Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 172
Under Cecilia's suggestion, Hogan finally gave in and agreed to head over with
me.
But just before we entered, he gave me another heads-up.
I knew he had made a concession, so I geared myself up to be on my A—game.
What took us all by surprise was that Timothy was also there.
Upon seeing us, both Timothy and Sean were visibly taken aback.
Sean, a seasoned player in the business world, paused for a brief two seconds
before extending a courteous hand towards Hogan, buttering him up with, “Mr.
Zade, what an honor! A VIP visit and not a peep beforehand — I would've rolled
out the red carpet for you.”
Hogan, cool as a cucumber as always, cut straight to the chase, “Mr. Abbott,
you're too kind. We came especially to see Mr. FreeMan.”
At the mention of FreeMan, Sean's face stiffened, and he started to stumble over
his words, “Mr. Zade, what are you talking about? It's just me and Timothy here,
not FreeMan in sight.”
Hogan didn’t beat around the bush with Sean, simply stating. “Mr. Abbott, this
morning Rainbow Capital just inked a deal with Lucky Star.”
The subtext was clear — Hogan had dug up Sean's lodging records at Lucky Star
like an open book.
Sean, no fool himself, let out a weary sigh and said with a flattering tone. “You're
on the ball, Mr. Zade. Come, come, let's sit and talk.”
He bowed ever so slightly, showing a decent dose of humility:
We were then ushered into the living room.
Once we all sat down, Sean seemed a bit out of his element, his hand trembling
slightly as he passed Hogan a glass of water, quite unexpected.
Hogan remained aloof and composed, but his brow furrowed ever so slightly
when his gaze swept past Timothy.
“I'd like to get down to brass tacks with you, Mr. Abbott, about a potential
collaboration. Or I should call you FreeMan,” he said, exuding an air of authority.
“I believe it's best for unrelated parties to step out for a moment.”
Chapter 172
His message wasn't sugar—coated, and anyone with half a brain could tell he was
hinting at Timothy.
Sean got the hint and, after scratching his nose, said, “Don’t take offense, Mr.
Zade. Timothy and I go way back — thick as thieves since we were kids. Plus,
we're
intertwined professionally, he’s not an outsider.”
Hogan didn’t respond but shot Cecilia a look.
She instantly got the hint and handed over a document to Sean with a sweet,
cooing voice, “Mr. Abbott, please take a moment to review the partnership
proposal we've
drafted.”
Sean glanced at it without much interest and sighed, “Il won't lie to you, Mr. Zade.
It's been a busy year, and I'm afraid I might let you down.”
An outright rejection.
Hogan didn’t get riled up, but Cecilia seemed a bit flustered as she quickly said,
“Hold your horses, Mr. Abbott. Take a gander at the contract. I'm sure you'll be
pleased once you see what's on the table.”
Sean raised an eyebrow, intrigued, “Oh? Care to enlighten me, Ms. Irwin?”
Caught off guard, Cecilia froze for a good few seconds before stuttering out, “In a
nutshell, the two conditions we've proposed are something no other company
can
match.”
No other company,
I 1 mulled over that bold statement, a shadow of unease creeping into my
thoughts.
Such absolutes rarely hold water in the world of collaboration.
Sean's lips curled into a smirk, “Which are?”
Cecilia, sensing interest, confidently beamed, “First, in terms of compensation,
Mr. Zade recognizes your talent and ability and is willing to offer you a salary
that's 40% above the market rate.”
40% — an enticing figure indeed.
Sure, it was a big draw for us mere mortals, including Cecilia, but for someone
like FreeMan, as far as I knew Sean, that kind of money was small fry.
“And the second?”
“Mr. Abbott, if you collaborate with us, you'll have complete creative control over
the
Chapter 172
art department,” Cecilia chirped, all smiles and brimming with confidence.
Her confidence, however, gave me a slight sting.
It was clear that she could only make such a lucrative offer because Hogan had
given. it the nod.
But why? The project was a collective effort, and no company in their right mind
would ever hand over 100% control of a project, especially not the crucial art
aspect of a game.
And Hogan had made this decision without consulting me first.
My hand clenched involuntarily as I fought off the discomfort in my chest.
I was also curious to see how Sean would respond.
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Just when we all thought Sean was
tempted, Timothy chimed in from the
ee : aa
side, "Ms. Irwin, yqu,pgint & pretty
es
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picture bufas ft as I'm aware,
p B
shouldn't Ms. March be the project
lead? Xaviera, are you willing to hand
0, ”
over that 100% control?” The content
is on Novelxo.org! Read the latest
chapter there!
His words sharpened the edge of the negotiation.
Had we not had prior dealings, I might have suspected he was doing it on
purpose.
He was deliberately exacerbating the tension.
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How was I supposed to respond? If I
: , Ss p :
didn’t back Cecilia up, it joule bile
slapping Hogarcirhe face in front of
eVelyone. But if I went along with her,
)
I couldn't follow through. The content
is on Novelxo.org! Read the latest
chapter there!
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After all the teeth—gritting
perseverance since my arrival at
Pinecrest Hollow, ie sayonithe
¢ 7 A o
HERE aow Sebi Td happily
give it away — not only would that be
a slap in the face, but what would
happen with the collaboration
afterwards? The content is on
Novelxo.org! Read the latest
chapter there!