"Freya, you can’t be serious," Alia reacted imdiately. "We can’t sign her. Right now, given our situation, we need soone we can slowly raise —soone who can at least survive. With her, we won’t last a day. Definitely not a career."
Freya remained calm, her gaze never leaving Adelyn.
Adelyn was watching as well. She smiled faintly.
"Sister Freya," she began, "If I ca here ready to entrust you with my career, then it ans I am confident to let you lead the direction."
"If that’s flattery," Freya said coolly, "I don’t appreciate it."
Adelyn shook her head. "I don’t believe in flattery. What I an is —I will agree to your conditions, as long as ... they are in my best interest. And given your personality that I have read about ... you won’t take any wrong decision for ."
Freya paused.
If soone had said this two years before, she wouldn’t have doubted it.
But now, when the whole industry doubts her principles, she couldn’t just believe a young girl putting all the trust in her.
Freya stared at her, her gaze deep, as though trying to read the seriousness behind those words. But —
Up until now, she had understood one thing clearly.
It wasn’t easy to reach this girl’s soul through her eyes.
Nodding, Freya didn’t rush to acknowledge her acceptance. Instead, she chose to lay everything out —open and clear.
"Condition one," she said evenly. "I want absolute control over your career-based decisions. As long as I decide sothing for you, you will follow it without questioning."
"If there is sothing you are uncomfortable with, we can discuss it," Freya continued. "But in the end, the final call will always be mine."
Adelyn didn’t interrupt. She didn’t even respond imdiately. Her gaze remained sharp and attentive —like a student listening to a ntor.
Alia, on the other hand, was growing increasingly anxious. She had no idea what Freya was planning.
She wanted to interrupt.
But she didn’t.
Trusting Freya had beco second nature ever since the day she started working under her.
"And condition two," Freya continued calmly. "I refused to have my artiste perceived as fussy or arrogant. If you join us, you will maintain proper conduct at all tis. No public or private tantrums. No misplaced entitlent."
Her tone never wavered.
She spoke like soone who knew exactly what she was demanding.
She didn’t mind if her conditions sounded like shackles.
For now, she just intended to test Adelyn and her limits to oblige.
Adelyn listened carefully before nodding with ease. "As I said, I agree to both the conditions."
"Heh!" Alia snorted. "You’d better think again before agreeing so casually. Once you sign the contract, these shackles won’t be easy to escape."
Knowing that she couldn’t do anything more, she made one last attempt to deter Adelyn.
But the mont Adelyn smiled at her, Alia knew she had failed.
She turned to Freya for one final try. "Freya, how can we even think of grooming her? Do you think this is the right decision?"
Freya t her gaze. "I know what I am doing."
Alia stared at her for a mont before nodding. "Then I will choose to trust you. Let’s brace ourselves for what’s coming —because one thing I am sure of is that this won’t be easy."
With that, she glanced at Adelyn and finally pushed the folder toward her.
"You can sign it," she said, her tone still reluctant.
Adelyn watched her, unmoving.
"What?" Alia frowned. "Are you already having second thoughts? If you are, then —"
"I was just wondering," Adelyn cut in, half-teasingly, "if you have any conditions for as well?"
For a second, Alia actually paused to think about it.
Then she realized she was being teased. Narrowing her eyes, she clenched her jaw and said through her tight lips. "As long as you create less trouble for us, I will be satisfied. So have rcy and try not to stir up scandals. Can you do that?"
She removed the cap from the pen and handed it to Adelyn.
Adelyn took it and shrugged, "I will try."
"You dare say you will try!" Alia’s blood pressure shot up. "Freya, did you hear her? I am telling you, it’s still not too late to change your mind. I can find soone better —trust ."
"It’s already too late," Adelyn said calmly, placing the final stroke of her signature on the paper. "We are officially signed."
Alia’s gaze dropped to the distant bottom of the contract.
"Congratulations to you —and good luck to us," she said almost regretfully. "From today onward, you are our artiste, and we are your manager and assistant."
"Don’t tell you regret it already?" Adelyn teased, instantly sending Alia’s blood pressure soaring again.
"You dare ask that?"
Adelyn looked at her for a mont before nodding. "Of course. How could I not? After all, you are the one who found —with so much effort."
"You —"
"Enough," Freya intervened softly, turning to Alia. "Since we have made this decision, let’s not regret it before failing."
She then turned to Adelyn and continued, "I will be honest with you. I won’t say I am very optimistic about you, nor will I say you have won a lottery by getting as your manager."
"What I will promise is that I will do my best to help you." She paused, thinking. "I can’t tell you my plans for you yet, as I have none at the mont. But you can trust . I will get back to you with one soon."
Adelyn nodded. "I trust your arrangent, Sister Freya."
It was not just Freya that Adelyn trusted.
She trusted herself, too.
She trusted that as long as she wished, she could reclaim everything she once abandoned for others’ happiness.
Freya nodded.
"You’d better stay this sweet even later," Alia muttered while checking the nu. "Otherwise, no matter how good we are at our jobs, we won’t be able to help you."
Adelyn paused briefly. "I know," she humd. "After all, given how much you like , you’d be the first one to throw off the ship if you get a chance."
"You —!"
"Enough," Freya spoke, tapping on Alia’s hand lightly. "Let’s order first."
Alia clenched her fingers, swallowing her frustration, then nodded and turned back to the nu.
"Oh, by the way," Freya asked casually, not intending to probe too deeply, "what have you been doing abroad all this ti? And when did you leave Ashvale, exactly?"
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