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.

element, his hand

composed, but his brow furrowed ever so slightly when his gaze

collaboration. Or I should call you FreeMan,” he said, exuding an

Chapter 172

anyone with half a brain could tell he was hinting at

and, after scratching his nose, said, “Don’t take offense, Mr. Zade. Timothy and I go way back – thick as thieves since we

not an outsider.”

didn’t respond but shot Cecilia

the hint and handed over a document to Sean with a sweet, cooing voice, “Mr. Abbott, please take a moment to review the partnership

drafted.”

sighed, “I 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.

quickly said, “Hold your horses, Mr. Abbott. Take a gander at the contract.

Care to

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,

statement, a

absolutes rarely hold water in the world of collaboration.

curled into a smirk, “Which

Zade recognizes your talent and ability and is willing to offer you a salary that’s 40% above the

an enticing

someone like FreeMan, as far as I knew

“And the second?”

us, you’ll have complete creative control over