Echoes of Unrequited Love ( Hogan Zade )
Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Hogan wiped the corner of his mouth in a leisurely fashion and said, “Ms. March, you’re laying it on thick. After last night’s dinner, the whole scene knows there’s this hotshot software engineer named Xaviera who’s caught Tack’s eye. I’m just an investor, who am I to give instructions?”

His voice was steady, flat as a pancake with not a ripple in sight, but every word was dripping with sarcasm.

“Mr. Zade’s just kidding around.” I said with a canned smile, “It’s all smoke and mirrors. You are the real deal here. Don’t you worry; Rainbow Capital will always be our knight in shining. armor.”

I could play the bureaucrat too, no biggle.

Hogan, seemingly caught off guard by my ready response, snorted coldly and said, “But Ms. March, you talk a good game, but your actions are not so much.”

“What are you getting at, Mr. Zade?”

“Why play dumb, Ms. March?” Hogan called me out, his eyes questioning.

I wasn’t about to beat around the bush. I got serious and said, “Mr. Zade, we never intended to give you and Director Irwin the brush–off, but changing character designs and image on a whim. isn’t the way to go.”

Hogan looked up and said, “So making the lead in finance the ultimate ‘flatterer‘ is the way to go?”

I was left speechless. Of course, I wouldn’t admit to Hogan that there might have been a touch of personal vendetta in that character design, but as of today, we were all business, discussing the matter at hand.

Wallis, picking up on Hogan’s displeasure, tried to smooth things over, “Mr. Zade has a big heart; surely you don’t think we’re taking a dig at you, right?”

Hogan kept his gaze fixed on me and said, “Ms. March seems to have a real issue with this character.”

Suddenly, alarm bells went off in my head, “Do I?”

“A character who’s been chasing after someone for years without success, still persistent. Heh, if you were him, would you do that, Ms. March?”

I choked up again. Would I do it? The answer was as clear as day in Hogan’s eyes.

felt like Hogan was settling personal scores. But he kept pressing on, “This setup is so unrealistic. After all, nobody waits around forever.”

That was a bit harsh. Cecilia just wanted to tweak the game’s lead character, and Hogan, he

Chapter 93

was branding it as a flight from reality. But it did fit his cool and collected persona.

I patiently explained. “Mr. Zade, it’s precisely because this doesn’t exist in reality that we want to fulfill players‘ fantasies in the game.”

“Fantasies.” Hogan repeated the word, saying with a sneer, “Ms. March sure knows what the

users want.”

Staring at the disdain in Hogan’s eyes, I was at a loss for words again.

Wallis chimed in, trying to be the peacemaker, “Hear that? Mr. Zade’s giving us props for our skills.”

Talking out of his hat, I only took my hat off to Wallis. Yet Hogan still had his eyes on me, “Ms. March, all this hard work, gotta say, I’m impressed.”

That didn’t sound like a veto. Cecilia, too, caught the drift, and her face turning red and pale by turns, timidly said, “Mr. Zade, Xaviera, I’m sorry; the proposal was ill–considered, an

unnecessary move.”

She bit her lip after speaking, looking like she was holding back tears, like they were about to burst out any second.

Hogan noticed and softened his tone, “You’ve done well already. For instance, the character design, it’s as rough as you said.”

At that, both Wallis and I were taken aback. I suddenly had a bad feeling.

Next thing I knew, Hogan said, “Let’s redefine the lead character’s artwork. Bring in a famous artist to do the job.”

“Mr. Zade?” I was caught off guard.

We never doubted Candy’s artistry, but look, Hogan, in just a few words, dismissed all her hard work.

“How about FreeMan?” Hogan cut me off, his gaze falling on Cecilia, asking in an indulgent tone, “You’ve always admired his work, haven’t you?”

A glimmer of joy flashed across Cecilia’s gloomy face, “I do like his work, but FreeMan, he’s surely hard to get, right?”

My heart skipped a beat. FreeMan, that elusive genius among concept artists in games, a mystery rarely seen, let alone approached by us mere mortals.

And to this day, no one had even seen his true face. Where were we supposed to replace him? But then I heard Hogan say, “Ms. March, that won’t be a problem, right?”