Chapter 280: He would win.
Adelyn glanced at the file once before looking up at Freya again.
"What is it?" she asked before pulling the file toward herself and opening it.
Everything was written clearly, and to make things even easier for her, Freya had highlighted all the important points.
Especially the perks and benefits Adelyn would receive if she signed the agreement.
Adelyn had read a similar agreement before. But back then, knowing the company had refused to sign her, she hadn’t paid much attention to it. After all, she wasn’t the one who would be receiving those benefits.
But now that she was reading it again ...
She had to admit—
The perks and promises written on those pages were genuinely tempting. For a brief moment, even she found it difficult to refuse.
But then ...
Along with that temptation—
She noticed something else just as obvious.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly before she looked back at Freya.
"Sister Freya, are you asking me to sign this?"
Freya paused and looked at her. A complicated expression flickered across her face.
After a moment, she nodded.
"Yes. If you want to, you can sign it. What the company is offering you in this agreement isn’t bad."
Before Adelyn could respond to her, a knock on the door interrupted them.
Both women paused and turned toward the entrance, only to see the door being pushed open as Corrin Thatcher walked inside.
His gaze immediately found Adelyn, and a smile curled across his lips.
Stepping inside, he said warmly, "So I didn’t hear wrong. Ms. Grace really has come to the company today."
He then turned toward Freya.
"You don’t mind my presence here, do you, Manager Finn?"
Freya’s fingers tightened.
"Manager Thatcher, I wouldn’t have minded your presence under normal circumstances. But you’ve come at the wrong time." Her voice remained calm. "I’m in the middle of an important discussion with my artiste. With you here, we might not be comfortable continuing it."
Corrin looked at her before shifting his gaze back to Adelyn.
Then he chuckled.
"What is there to be uncomfortable about?" He shrugged casually. "Aren’t you simply discussing something you should have discussed with her a long time ago?"
"Manager Thatcher, you—"
"Manager Finn," Corrin interrupted with a raised brow, "do you think I came here simply because I wanted to?"
He smiled faintly.
"Of course, I wanted to come too. But more importantly, CEO Gibson specifically asked me to come over and oversee everything here."
He paused before adding meaningfully, "He was worried that you still wouldn’t do what you were instructed to do."
Freya understood exactly what he was implying.
But the moment Harry Gibson’s name entered the conversation ...
She had no room to argue.
And seeing her cornered like that had always been Corrin Thatcher’s favorite sight.
A smug smile appeared on his face.
Pulling out the chair beside Adelyn, he sat down before turning toward her.
"So ... Ms. Grace," he began with an easy smile, "did Manager Finn tell you how much effort I’ve gone through to help you within the company?"
Adelyn glanced at him, one brow lifting slightly.
"Don’t tell me she took all the credit in front of you?" he asked suspiciously, looking almost like someone who had been wronged time and time again.
Watching him act like that amused Adelyn.
Still, she decided to play along.
"Your credit?" she asked.
Corrin’s eyes instantly brightened.
He cast a meaningful glance toward Freya.
Considering their previous encounters, he hadn’t expected Adelyn to entertain him this easily.
But now ...
Seeing her seemingly buying into his words, he couldn’t help but feel victorious.
Of course she would.
After all, it had been him who helped secure this artiste agreement for her after Manager Finn had failed to do so earlier.
He hadn’t thought it wrong before.
Every artiste wanted resources ... support ... opportunities that would help them climb higher.
As long as he could offer those things, Corrin believed Adelyn would naturally choose him.
Just as every one of Freya’s previous artistes eventually had.
He simply needed her to recognize his influence and standing within the company. Once she understood that, she would know which side truly benefited her.
"Oh ..." Corrin said, looking genuinely surprised. "Has Manager Finn really not told you?"
When Adelyn remained silent, he smiled helplessly and shook his head.
"If she hasn’t, that’s fine too. I don’t really need the credit."
His expression grew righteous.
"All I want is to see you and your talent shine ..."
"If negotiating better terms with the company could help you achieve your full potential, then ... I’m more than happy to do it for you."
He smiled gently. "After all, isn’t that exactly what a manager is supposed to do?"
Adelyn blinked.
"But, Manager Thatcher ... you aren’t my manager. You’re—"
Before she could finish, Corrin waved his hand dismissively before shaking his head.
"That doesn’t matter." A faint but principled smile appeared on his face. "I didn’t enter this industry to worry about such trivial distinctions. I joined because I wanted talented people to shine."
"And if someone with your talent ends up being buried under my watch ... I might blame myself for the rest of my life."
He smiled knowingly.
"So what if Manager Finn discovered you first?"
"A diamond is destined to shine no matter where it’s placed. And you’re exactly that kind of diamond."
"If not under Manager Finn ... then under another manager." He paused deliberately. "Perhaps even a better one."
Adelyn stared at him.
Her gaze remained deep yet unmistakably conflicted —as though she were seriously weighing something in her mind while struggling to make a decision.
How could Corrin Thatcher possibly miss such an obvious reaction?
The moment he noticed it, he smiled inwardly before letting his eyes drift toward the agreement lying on the desk in front of her.
"I negotiated the very best conditions for you, Ms. Grace," he continued confidently. "The resources you’ll receive will be almost on par with those given to the company’s S-list artistes."
"The benefits ... the rewards ... even the promotional support will all be almost at the highest level."
"All you have to do ..."
He gently tapped the agreement with his finger. "...is sign it."
He looked straight into her eyes.
"So?"
"You wouldn’t really reject the best opportunity placed right in front of you ... would you?"
He waited confidently for her answer.
And the longer he watched her ...
The more certain he became.
The hesitation on Adelyn’s face looked so convincing that, in his eyes, there was almost no possibility of rejection anymore.
Only one more moment ...
One more second ...
She would agree.
And the instant she would agree —
He would win.
... Win once again.