Chapter 94
Hogan wasn’t really asking for our opinion; he was totally bossing us around again. The only reason he’d made this decision was because Cecilia herself was head over heels for the work of the illustrious FreeMan.
But then again, in the realm of concept artists, I bet there was hardly anyone who didn’t dig FreeMan’s work. His style was lifelike, unique, and the colors popped. He was already miles. ahead of the pack in the scene, and what’s more, a lot of times he was all about that traditional hand–drawing.
Talked about a real challenge for any artist. But the more talented he was, the more likely he was to be eccentric. That was why since his debut, FreeMan had never shown up for an interview, nor had he ever been seen in the media.
Mr. Mystery, that was what he was.
“Ms. March.” Hogan didn’t give a hoot about my explanations; he just flatly said, “If it was easy peasy, why would I even bother bringing it up to you?”
So, yeah, changing his mind was a no–go.
Then Cecilia, ever the empathetic one, said, “Hogan, Xaviera does have a point. Getting an concept artist of FreeMan’s caliber is super tricky. I’m a huge fan, but I don’t want to make things tough for Xaviera and President Lott.”
She batted those big, pretty eyes while she said it, oozing this “who, me?” innocence.
Seeing this, Wallis chimed in, “Director Irwin’s got the touch, always considerate. Aside from the fact that no one has ever seen FreeMan’s real face, just his status alone is way out of our league.”
Wallis always had a knack for keeping it real.
A few years back, one of FreeMan’s original pieces already fetched five figures. These past couple of years, after a few collabs with film studios for some famously iconic posters, his stock has soared even higher.
“No worries, money isn’t the issue.” Hogan replied crisply, his gaze tenderly falling on Cecilia, “As long as you guys can actually get him here.”
“Hogan.” Cecilia murmured shyly, looking down, bashful, “I’m at a loss for words.”
“Then let’s see how Ms. March and President Lott do.” Hogan said, standing up and dropping the hammer, “I trust you two won’t disappoint me, yeah?”
He dropped that bomb and walked off with Cecilia, leaving me and Wallis just standing there with our jaws on the floor.
We left Rainbow Capital with our tails between our legs. That meal was nothing short of a roller
coaster.
Chapter 94
Neither Wallis nor I could have guessed that Hogan would throw such a curveball at us. Ironically, I heard that another big–name software development company that got Tack’s business card at last night’s dinner had tried to commission FreeMan through a middleman not too long ago. But the agent just brushed them off with “FreeMan’s job has been arranged till early next summer” and that was that.
How the heck were we supposed to chew on this tough bone?
“Don’t you get it?” Wallis gripped the steering wheel, fuming, “That sly old fox Hogan probably saw this coming a mile away. But he couldn’t let us push Cecilia around, so he threw us this impossible task on purpose.”
Turned out, he was so protective of her.
“And don’t forget, last time Candy went head–to–head with Cecilia.” Wallis recalled with a sigh, “If FreeMan really shows up, how’s she gonna handle it?”
I hadn’t thought that through; knowing Candy’s fiery temper, she was not one to swallow her pride.
Wallis let out a wry chuckle, saying, “We’ve underestimated Cecilia; that’s for sure.”
I looked at Wallis, puzzled, and after a brief silence, said incredulously, “Are you suggesting that Cecilia intentionally brought up FreeMan to Hogan?”
“What else?”
I was taken aback. If Wallis was right, then the company was in for a rocky ride.
As sharp as Hogan was, he must’ve seen right through Cecilia’s little scheme. But the decision was his. He really did keep her under close watch.
“About the cooperation with FreeMan, if we somehow manage to get in touch with FreeMan and pull off a collaboration, we’re just doing our job. But if we fail, this thing could drag on forever.”
“Killing three birds with one stone.” Wallis scoffed and said, “Xaviera, we’ve really stepped in it this time.”
Whether Wallis‘ analysis hit the mark or not, one thing was crystal clear – if we couldn’t find FreeMan, we were gonna be in deep trouble.
