The entire office plunged into a deathly silence.
Everyone could tell Zion Shawcross was mocking Jean Yates, yet no one dared to speak up.
"Pfft—"
Ah, that was Faye Rhodes.
Jean Yates, who stood before Zion Shawcross, had a look of utter disbelief on her face. She was so stunned she didn’t even register Faye Rhodes’s snort of laughter.
She asked blankly, "Zion, you... you can’t be... talking about , can you?"
Zion Shawcross ignored her question, waving his hand at her as if shooing a fly.
"Move it. You’re blocking my sun. My doctor said I have a calcium deficiency and need more sun exposure."
It sounded rather convincing. Jean Yates, still reeling from the shock, subconsciously took two steps to the side.
Zion Shawcross’s studio was on the 27th floor. Now that Jean Yates had moved aside, so sunlight did indeed shine through, but not much.
A beam of sunlight as wide as a coin penetrated the office’s many obstructions, and by the ti it reached Zion Shawcross, it only managed to warm the tips of his shoes.
Jean Yates understood. Zion Shawcross was just ssing with her.
She looked at him with a wronged expression, opening her mouth to demand an explanation, but Zion Shawcross spoke before she could.
"So, Henry, when are you turning into a dog? I’d like to docunt the process. It might give so inspiration."
Henry Wright: "..."
’Another big shot I can’t afford to cross.’
Henry Wright’s mouth twitched. For a mont, he had no idea whose side Zion Shawcross was on.
Instead, it was Faye Rhodes who picked up the thread. "He can’t. The technology doesn’t exist yet. If you’re interested, you could try developing it yourself."
"Is that so? What a sha."
Everyone: "..."
’There’s a sort of calm insanity to their conversation.’
"So what’s with so many people gathered here first thing in the morning instead of working? Are you trying to kick Silas Jacobs out of his CEO position?"
Everyone: "...?"
Faye Rhodes: "Not with this small a group, you can’t. Besides, you’d have an army without a general. If you kick Silas Jacobs out, who’s going to take his place? You?"
’She actually played along...’
"I have no intention of becoming emperor. Emperors have a harem of three thousand, and I’m a good young man of the modern era who believes in monogamy."
Everyone: "...???"
’What kind of nonsensical conversation was this!’
Just as everyone was about to be driven mad by their exchange, Faye Rhodes finally said, "Jean Yates doesn’t approve of my proposal. She wants to replace Umi with Kiana Sterling. A mont ago, she forced everyone to vote and made a unilateral decision. What do you think?"
The crowd, who had been dazed by the preceding bizarre conversation, snapped back to their senses.
Jean Yates imdiately cried foul. "Faye Rhodes, don’t you slander ! What do you an I forced everyone to vote? What do you an I made a unilateral decision! You’re being so arbitrary. Do you think this is the Rhodes Family’s house?"
Before Faye Rhodes could even speak, Zion Shawcross’s gaze drifted over.
It was a listless and exceptionally lazy gaze, but when it landed on Jean Yates, it sent a chill down the spine.
"Making such a racket. Do you think this is the Yates Family’s house?"
Jean Yates’s face turned pale then livid, a spectacular sight to behold.
But in the end, unable to hide her hurt, she started to cry.
"Zion, how could you say that to ? I only said it for your sake. The artist Faye Rhodes recomnded has no fa and no fan base. Isn’t it obvious she’s just trying to ride your coattails! What you need now is to move up to the next level. Soone like that is no good for you!"
Zion Shawcross retracted his gaze, leaning lazily back in his swivel chair.
He tapped his toes on the floor and, using his core, made the chair rock slightly back and forth under his control.
His voice was lazy. "Henry, is the twenty-eighth floor vacant?"
Henry Wright actually gave it so serious thought. "No, Catherine Linden’s team is on the twenty-eighth floor."
Only after saying that did he realize Zion Shawcross was responding to Jean Yates’s comnt about "moving up to the next level."
Hearing this, Zion Shawcross nodded with mock seriousness.
"Did you hear that? I don’t need to move up to the next level. There’s no room upstairs."
Everyone: "..."
’Right, right, talk about a completely nonsensical reply.’
Zion Shawcross spun his chair idly. "When I signed with the company, there was a clause in the contract giving absolute decision-making power over my own studio. I just never ntioned it because I was afraid of making others in the company jealous, so I’ve always followed standard procedures for all my work."
He stopped the chair, suddenly stood up, and stuck his hands in his pockets, looking at Jean Yates.
"Who the hell do you think you are, trying to ddle in my work?"
Jean Yates was stunned.
She could never have imagined that the man she thought of day and night, the man she fell for more and more every second, would actually say such cold words to her.
Faye Rhodes comnted, "How can such icy words co from your 37-degree mouth?"
Zion Shawcross: "I took my temperature before leaving this morning. It was 36.5°C. You should issue a correction."
Henry Wright: ’Wait, is that the important part?’
The tears now streaming from Jean Yates’s eyes were, for the most part, genuine.
"I don’t care what complaints or ideas you have. I’m telling you clearly right now: I’ve decided to go with Faye Rhodes’s plan, and I will definitely be collaborating with Umi. As for that artist or whatever you ntioned, I don’t know her, and I’m not interested. If you’re so insistent on recomnding her, you can go be her dog."
Hearing this, Henry Wright’s eyes behind his thick lenses welled up with emotion.
’Just as I’d expect from the talent I’ve managed. He really does have my back, boo hoo hoo...’
Zion Shawcross suddenly paused. "Oh, that technology doesn’t exist in the world yet. You’ll have to wait."
"..."
"Also, my studio doesn’t support freeloaders, and especially not the kind who are toxic and poison the atmosphere. So, would you please resign voluntarily?"
Jean Yates was completely stunned at his words, tears streaming down her face as if they cost nothing.
"Zion, you... how could you do this to ..."
"I wasn’t paying attention before, so I didn’t notice when you were slipped in here. Now that I have, leave on your own. Otherwise, when I’m the one who has to make you leave, the scene might not be very pretty."
After speaking, Zion Shawcross didn’t bother to watch Jean Yates’s reaction and started walking toward the conference room.
He had co today to discuss the details of the collaboration contract with Umi with Henry Wright, but he hadn’t expected to run into this ss as soon as he arrived.
He had only taken two steps forward when Jean Yates finally exploded behind him.
"Zion Shawcross! Stop right there! Apologize to ! Or I’ll make it so you can never work in this industry again!"
Hearing this, Zion Shawcross stopped and turned back to look at her.
"Who do you think you are? Faye Rhodes?"
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