Echoes of Unrequited Love

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. | glanced at Hogan. His expression was as usual, no sign of any particular emotions.

| had to come 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 a compliment.

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 had laid 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 of complicated.”

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Hogan shot him a cold glare 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 another company as accommodating 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 to comfort 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.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

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

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

We had been syncing up with FreeMan for so long that starting the collaboration 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.

| explained, “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

more trouble than it was worth for a small company 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 blaming 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 collaboration?”

Hash it out. She was suggesting | agree upfront and then play verbal tug—of-war with FreeMan later. “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