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Novel Catalog
Chapter_18
Abigail had arranged to meet at her café, and they arrived together with Quinn. Quinn sat by the window, her eyes lingering on the wound on Abigail’s forehead. A sense of unease settled in her chest. ‘Alexander won’t like that I’m meeting Abigail. If he finds out, he’ll be furious.’
Abigail noticed her nervousness and gently patted her shoulder with a reassuring smile. “Relax. I’ll handle the talking.”
Quinn forced a smile, her gaze still fixed on Abigail’s face. She had been so alone for years. Apart from Alexander, she had no one. Everyone else seemed to despise her.
The second she saw Abigail at the club two days ago, memories of Alexander resurfaced in her mind—his face when he opened the door that year, his presence breaking into her life like a flash of light in her otherwise desolate world. Abigail, like Alexander, had appeared without warning, filling a space she didn’t even realize was empty.
After waiting for about ten minutes, a figure hurried in from outside. Shaking the rain off his umbrella, he moved quickly toward them.
Abigail stood to greet him. “Mr. Cole.”
Ellis Cole, in his forties, was thin and not particularly tall. He wore black-rimmed glasses and had a friendly, approachable demeanor.
Ellis smiled, “Ms. Vanderbilt, good to see you. Amber Bay sure is rainy at this time of year, isn’t it? Quite inconvenient.”
Abigail nodded. “Yes, it started sunny this morning, but the rain crept in by noon.”
She extended her hand to Ellis. “Thank you for coming all the way here, Mr. Cole. Quinn, this is Mr. Cole, the agent from VX Games I mentioned.”
Quinn quickly stood and bowed politely.
Ellis gave Quinn a thorough look, and a flicker of admiration passed through his eyes. He waved them to sit. “Let’s take a seat.”
Abigail grinned. “Mr. Cole, am I right? She’s just as I painted her, isn’t she?”
Ellis laughed softly. “Ms. Mellon is even more beautiful in person. She’s perfect for the role.”
Abigail had already filled him in on Quinn’s background, so Ellis wasn’t concerned by Quinn’s silence.
He continued, “I’ve got a tight schedule, so I’ll keep this brief. This isn’t exactly an advertisement, more like a Christmas event promo. We’ve always used animation in the past, but one of my colleagues saw Ms. Mellon’s photo and suggested we try using a real person for the promo instead.”
VX Games was a major gaming company with two globally popular games, but those games were overseen by different departments, creating some internal competition. The event they were discussing was part of that rivalry, and Ellis had thought of using a real person to add a fresh twist to the campaign.
One of the game characters he worked with had a massive following, and the right person to represent the character was essential. Quinn’s image fit perfectly.
After Ellis finished explaining, Abigail looked over at Quinn and then turned back to him. “Mr. Cole, we’re on board with everything you’ve mentioned. But what about the pay?”
Ellis smiled. “No need to worry. While Ms. Mellon may not be a celebrity yet, our offer is sincere. What do you think about this?” He raised a finger, but it wasn’t clear whether he meant $10,000 or $100,000.
Quinn didn’t fully understand, so she looked to Abigail for guidance.
Abigail smiled knowingly. “Mr. Cole, I see you’re being generous. $100,000 sounds very fair. Let’s make it official. When can we sign?”
Ellis chuckled. “Ms. Vanderbilt, you’re straightforward. I’ll head back to a meeting for now and have the contract prepared. I’ll contact you when it’s ready, and you can come by our office to sign.”
“Perfect,” Abigail said, standing and shaking hands with Ellis to seal the deal.
Quinn also stood up, smiling as she said goodbye.
As soon as Ellis left, Quinn’s phone buzzed several times. She picked it up and saw a text from Alexander: [Come back.]
