Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 181

She suddenly shot a glance my way with her clever almond-shaped eyes. Without following up on her comment, | turned to Timothy and explained, “You were there when Rainbow Capital laid out the terms of collaboration. If there’s anything you're not happy with or want to add, now’s your time to speak up.”

Timothy gave me a quick once-over and said coolly. “Those terms aren’t exactly alluring: they're pretty lackluster if you ask me.” Well, what can | say? The big shots always march to the beat of their own drum.

After all, Timothy's got the clout to do as he pleases.

Trying to smooth things over, | softened my tone and asked, “So, Mr. Temple, what kind of terms are you looking for in a collaboration?”

Looking somewhat annoyed, Timothy rolled his eyes at me and said, “You're sick as a dog, and you still want to get involved in this mess? What, is Rainbow Capital so desperate they have to squeeze every last drop out of you as a partner?”

evoe His flicked to Hogan for a second; the dig at him couldn’t be more obvious if he tried.

Hogan caught the subtext and snorted, “Mr. Temple is already meddling in our business without even starting the collaboration? Is this the usual work style?”

Timothy was taken aback; he couldn’t help but scowl, “Seems like Mr. Zade isn’t really keen on collaborating, huh?”

Hogan, cool as a cucumber, flicked his cuff and said, “Rainbow Capital is always sincere about collaborations, but we're also very choosy about our partners. Mr. Temple’s terms are decent. but they might just not mesh well with Rainbow Capital’s vision.”

The words “not mesh well” hit me like a ton of bricks, and they momentarily silenced Timothy as well. | bet nobody expected Hogan to pull a boomerang after all the trouble of courting FreeMan.

“Mr. Zade.” | said, getting anxious, “we can still talk about the terms.”

“There’s no need.” Hogan cut me off and stood up. “Our time is precious too.”

With that, he went out, not leaving any room for further discussion.

Cecilia, noticing the situation, tried to keep things light, “Mr. Temple, Mr. Zade has some urgent business. Don’t worry, we'll discuss it back at the office and get in touch with you.”Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

She then turned to me and reminded me, “Xaviera, you need to smooth things over with Mr. Temple. You know how crucial he is to the project as the head of art at this stage.”

It was both a hint and a reminder.

11:35

And | was well aware that the art is key to the project’s success; it can’t be neglected or delayed any longer.

But with things as they were, what was | supposed to do now?

“Xavi?” The pleasant voice snapped me back to reality. | looked up, only to see Timothy’s displeased eyes, “He’s giving you a hard time, and you're still speaking up for him?”

He was indeed a few years my junior; that's why he acted without considering the

consequences.

“And you?” | said, feeling a bit helpless, “Didn’t you keep telling me not to reveal your identity? Why are you blowing your cover now?”

Timothy scratched his head, looking resigned, “If | didn’t show up, you’d probably be worn to the bone.” A flutter touched my heart, as | realized that this kid was worried about me.

| was about to thank him when he added, “Besides, life and work are intertwined. | want to experience something different, to taste a different slice of life.”