"Breaking News —"
"Multinational conglorate Warren Corp has reportedly shown interest in a low-key residential colony located in the south-east suburb of the city. Though the company has yet to release an official statent, multiple sources confird the personal interest of President Warren in the property."
Adelyn blinked. She unconsciously took a second glance at the screen ... just to confirm.
The footage was blurry —
Yet she could still make out the silhouette of a tall man stepping out from a quiet street.
The unmistakable, familiar black Rolls-Royce waited by the curb.
The angle of the footage was distant, and the image was unfocused.
And yet —
Sothing about it made Adelyn’s steps falter.
That car ...
That place ...
She saw another line of text flash across the screen as the footage was pushed to the corner.
"Warren Corp’s President was briefly spotted leaving the very sa locality, further fueling speculation that the acquisition process is already in its advanced stages."
The cara zood in again —just enough to catch the blurred profile of the man.
Sharp lines.
Cold composure.
Adelyn’s breath caught before she even realized it.
Even blurred, she recognized that face —one capable of bringing calamity upon the entire nation. Flawlessly carved, strikingly exquisite, even when half-hidden among the mundane.
"It’s him," Adelyn murmured under her breath, her brows knitting together.
The man she had just seen resting in the car with his eyes closed —
It’s him.
The headline shifted again.
"Though the identity was not officially confird on-site, industry insiders believe that the man captured is none other than Dylan Warren, the elusive President of Warren Corp —known for personally overseeing projects he deems ’worth his attention’."
Adelyn’s fingers curled slowly at her side as realization dawned on her.
The man in the car —
The man she had dismissed as nothing more than a fleeting temptation — was Dylan Warren.
What kind of inexplicable coincidence was it?
And, how did she beco a part of it?
Sothing in her gut said it was not rely a coincidence, but —
Before she could ponder more over it, her phone vibrated again in her hand, snapping her out of her thoughts. She shook her head off the the irrelevant thoughts and glanced down.
Seeing it was Alia, she quickly accepted the call, already turning to walk into the building.
"I am here, heading inside the building. Which floor should I co to?" she asked already pressing for the elevator.
However, just as the elevator dinged —and before she could step inside —Alia replied from the other end of the call.
"Co to sub-basent."
Adelyn paused.
Subbasent?
"Adelyn, did you hear ?" Alia asked again, her voice laced with impatience.
Adelyn asked back, a slight doubt flickering in her eyes, as though she wasn’t sure if she had heard it correctly. "Did you say subbasent?"
"Yes," Alia said through the call, adding, "Co soon. We are waiting for you."
And with that, she hung up.
Adelyn blinked, but didn’t linger to process her doubt. Anyway, she would find it out soon.
Stepping inside the elevator, she pressed the button for the basent, watching the door slide shut.
When another ding sounded, she saw Sub-Basent displayed on the screen,
The door slid open —and just outside, Alia was standing there waiting for her.
"Thank goodness you are here," Alia said with a sigh of relief. "I was almost on my way to get you myself."
Adelyn’s eyes scanned the floor around them.
Although it was subbasent, it wasn’t unfinished at all. Rather, it looked like another basent that wasn’t clearly in use. It was well lit, but the lighting wasn’t enough to dispel the emptiness of the area.
"Sister Freya’s office is here?" Adelyn asked with clear suspicion in her tone.
Alia looked rather embarrassed but nodded.
"Yes ... for the last one and a half year. After all, you know ... we weren’t always like this."
She laughed, but her chuckle didn’t carry any humor.
Adelyn was good at reading between lines like these, so she didn’t press any further. She just nodded in understanding and asked, "Sister Freya asked here —was it sothing important?"
"What do you think?" Alia raised a brow.
Adelyn didn’t respond.
And seeing her silent, Alia pursed her lips. "Of course, it’s sothing that needs to be finished ASAP. Otherwise, why would we call you here? Do you think we summoned you for fun?" Her hands rested on her hips as though she was ready to lecture her on the very first chance she gets.
Adelyn might not know Alia well enough, but she had slowly begun to understand her antics.
Nodding, she said, "Okay, then let’s go."
And with that, she already started walking towards the cabin in the distance.
"You —" Alia pointed at her, but before she could say anything more, Adelyn had pushed open the door to Freya’s office.
In the end, Alia simply ran after her.
"Sister Freya!" Adelyn greeted politely.
Freya was reading through so docunts. She raised her eyes and put on a small smile.
"You are here. We were waiting for you. Please take a seat." She gestured to the chair across from her desk.
Adelyn nodded, before pulling a chair for herself.
Once she sat down, Freya gave her a mont to settle before speaking.
"This is what I called you for." She pushed a folder toward her, gesturing for her to take a look.
Adelyn picked it up and opened it. It was the formal managent contract.
"The terms and clauses in the agreent are all the sa as what you have signed in the Deal mo with us. The only difference is ..." She paused, waiting for Adelyn to look up.
When she did, Freya continued, "You won’t be getting signed under ZX dia. You will be under my personal managent. It’s ... almost the sa —just that there will be no big banner na backing you up, no company resources and no company perks."
She had braced herself for the worst possibility, but Freya never thought the company would go this far. She was fine with them not providing Adelyn any resources at the start of her career —but she never expected them to refuse signing her under the banner entirely.
It was clearly not just because she revealed the past of Adelyn. They were also retaliating against her —the manager who had once been too bold to control.
"Sister Freya, I —"
"Hey," Alia interrupted before Adelyn could speak. "Don’t even think of backing away now. Freya has almost ended her contract with the company for you, you can’t just team of with the rest to bully her as well. I won’t allow you to do that."
She shook her head and added more firmly. "I won’t allow you to ditch us. If you do, we will have no face left. Our reputation will be utterly ruined. And Freya —"
"Alia!" Freya shook her head.
But Alia refused to back down.
"No, Freya. Don’t stop . She can’t go back now. Didn’t she already sign the Deal mo with us?"
"Alia, that’s enough," Freya said, then turned to Adelyn.
"You make your decision. If you want to back off, you can. We won’t hold it against you."
After all, it was a crucial decision. She didn’t want to force her.
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