Chapter 173


    Chapter 173


    As | was mulling things over, a sweet and soft voice suddenly popped up next to my ear, “Xaviera, Mr. Temple was talking to


    you.”


    My gaze shifted curiously to Cecilia, and when our eyes met, | could clearly see a look of longing flicker in her apricot eyes.


    | knew it was a hint.


    | nced at Hogan. His expression was as usual, no sign of any particr emotions.


    | had toe up with a middle-of-the-road response, “Mr. Abbott is top-notch in his field in the whole scene. Once we team up,


    I''ll make sure to coordinate the whole project team and shield FreeMan’s creativity from any bumps in the road.”


    After hearing this, Sean cracked a subtle smile and said, “Ms. March, you have a perfect logic.”


    My gut was telling me that wasn’t meant as apliment.


    But Sean’s face was all smiles, and it didn’t seem sarcastic either.


    | was at a loss trying to figure out what my opponent was thinking.


    The negotiation was at a critical juncture.


    | knew that saying more would be useless, so | didn’t add anything else.


    Cecilia wasn’t wrong about one thing: the two conditions Hogan hadid out were impossible to find on the market.


    The earnestness was plenty clear.


    Now it all hinged on what Sean had in mind.


    After a while, the room was dead silent until Sean let out a soft sigh, his tone dripping with regret, “Sorry, Mr. Zade, I’ve seen the


    genuine interest of Rainbow Capital, it’s just that I’m swamped with stuff this year, I’m afraid I’m all tied up.”


    With those words, the atmosphere took a nosedive, and Hogan let out a cold snort, “In that case, we''ll just have to look


    elsewhere.”


    He stood up immediately, not dragging his feet at all.


    Sean got a bit flustered at this and said, “Mr. Zade, don’t get it twisted, it’s not that | don’t want to work with you, it’s just that the


    situation is kind ofplicated.”


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    Chapter 173


    Hogan shot him a cold re and said, “No worries, FreeMan. It’s not like you have a monopoly on top-notch original artists. But


    I''m afraid, Mr. Abbott, you won''t find anotherpany as amodating as Rainbow Capital.”


    With a stone—cold face, Hogan marched out, ignoring Sean’s backpedaling, not once looking back.


    Seeing Sean’s troubled mug, | was a bit baffled.


    Logically, he was the one refusing the partnership and had the upper hand, so why did he look like he was in a bind?


    And Hogan, despite being the one rejected, strutted off with an air of firm pride.


    We left the thatched cottage in a grand procession.


    Hogan, scowling, was leading the way, with Cecilia by his side, trying tofort him, “Maybe Mr. Abbott has his own reasons,


    Hogan. Don’t be mad, what if you make yourself sick?”


    “Mad? He’s not worth it,” Hogan said with scorn, “I''ll make sure he realizes soon enough that he made a mistake.”


    | raised my eyebrows in surprise, catching the deep and unfathomable look in Hogan’s eyes.


    Was he nning to get back at Sean, or was he really considering finding a new original artist?


    If it was thetter, it wouldn’t bode well for our entire project.


    We had been syncing up with FreeMan for so long that starting the coboration would’ve been a breeze, but getting in sync with


    a new artist would set us back at


    least a month.


    | couldn''t let that happen.


    “Mr. Zade,” | steadied myself and suggested, “I think | want to give Mr. Abbott another try.”


    Hogan looked over, his brows knotted.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    | exined, “Maybe our visit today was a bit sudden, and the two conditions you mentioned are indeed tempting. Mr. Abbott is a


    businessman; he might just need some time to mull things over, so | want to give it another shot.”


    n


    If doing a project was like waging a war, then dragging out the battle was definitely


    Chapter 173


    more trouble than it was worth for a smallpany like ours.


    “But Xaviera,” Cecilia suddenly chimed in, “do you realize your answer just cost us a golden opportunity?”


    Shocked, | looked at Cecilia, asking, “What do you mean, Director Irwin?”


    “The question from Mr. Temple,” Cecilia stated calmly, “at that moment, if you had gone along with Mr. Abbott''s words, maybe it


    would have been better, right?”


    So Cecilia was ming me for not letting Sean steer the conversation?


    — | felt a bit downcast and replied, “Director Irwin, in front of Mr. Abbott, there are some things | can’t openly discuss. The art part


    of the game is crucial, and the project was developed by me from scratch. | really can’t just hand it over entirely to someone


    else.”


    “That may be so,” Cecilia followed up on my words, “but Xaviera, he’s FreeMan, a top tier original artist. Even if you had the full


    say, So what? Couldn’t we just hash it out during the coboration?”


    Hash it out.


    She was suggesting | agree upfront and then y verbal tug—of-war with FreeManter.


    “Sorry.”


    “Enough,” Hogan’s icy voice cut me off sharply, and | heard him say, “Ms. March, after all this time, don’t you understand the


    need for flexibility in negotiations?”


    | was left speechless.


    Looking up at Hogan, | felt the crack in my heart.


    | remembered how he used to despise such “deceptive” tactics, and he was such a sharp guy, he should understand the


    importance of keeping project control in-house. But still, he seemed to endorse Cecilia’s approach.


    | gotta say, | was bummed out