I frowned and looked him straight in the eye. "Come on. Have you ever seen a CEO this free with their time?" I wasn’t being sarcastic—that was just a solid, logical argument. Adam seemed to buy it and quietly dropped the subject, slipping back into his usual gloomy silence. "We’ll probably run into Simon at the office. You might want to pull yourself together before then. The guy’s… let’s just say his personality’s a bit intense." I trailed off, not wanting to scare him, but Adam nodded like he already knew. "I get it. I’ll do my best to work with him." … When we got to the company, I could tell the employees were doing their best not to laugh. A few shot me knowing glances, but no one said a word. The way they were pretending not to recognize me almost made me laugh, too. I had called Jackson earlier and told him to make sure no one in the company referred to me as president. Judging by the awkward poker faces, that directive had definitely reached them. I brought Adam up to the office, where Maxwell—currently filling in as president—was waiting. The moment he saw me walk in, his pupils narrowed slightly, and he started stammering. "You… uh, is there something I can help with?" I pressed my lips into a tight smile. Maxwell’s acting skills could really use some work. "I’m bringing in a new artist for Light Corp. You recognize him, right?" Maxwell looked at Adam and immediately perked up. "Of course, of course! That’s Adam, isn’t it?" Adam had spent most of the past six months filming nonstop, and since none of his new work had aired yet, his popularity had dipped quite a bit. Compared to his breakout days, the buzz had quieted. A lot of people even thought he’d quietly left the industry. His Twitter was filled with fans begging for updates, but since Adam barely checked it, many had given up and moved on. He used to be A-list, but without realizing it, he’d slowly slipped to B-list status. But we all knew Adam was just getting started. He was barely in his twenties, with talent, looks, and a voice that made people pay attention. His potential was enormous. "I’ll take care of his onboarding right away. He can officially join today," Maxwell said, giving a tight smile and lowering his gaze slightly. I shot him a warning look, and he quickly straightened up. "Wait, that’s it?" Adam asked, surprised. "Don’t I need to go through training or an audition or something?" Maxwell hesitated, nodding slowly as if thinking it through. "Technically, yeah… that’s how it usually goes." But then he caught me giving him a look and immediately switched gears. "But for someone like you? No need. I’m sure you already did all that at your last company. You’re more than ready. Honestly, you can do whatever you want here." His sudden shift clearly caught Adam off guard. He bowed his head quickly, almost overwhelmed. "Thank you so much." I nodded, satisfied. "Great. Then let’s get Adam settled. Oh—and Simon doesn’t have any artists under him right now, right? Let’s assign Adam to him." Maxwell’s mouth opened slightly. "Uh, Mr. Simon… he—" "What about him?" I asked. "Nothing," he said quickly, grabbing his phone. "I’ll call him now." I already knew what he was trying not to say. Jackson had warned me: since joining the company, Simon had been running hyper-personalized, high-pressure training sessions. Plenty of artists had complained behind the scenes, but no one dared confront him—because Simon had been personally brought in by me. To me, it was actually a good thing. He was shaking things up and pushing people to work harder, which was exactly what this company needed. Before long, Simon picked up and came downstairs. He was clearly busy, talking on the phone as he walked, but even at a low volume, his tone left no room for argument. "I told you already—either deal with it or leave. I don’t need anyone whining about being tired. Everyone’s tired. He’s not special. If he’s here, he’s part of the team. He’s not some pampered celebrity who gets special treatment. And by the way, that new kid? Keep an eye on him. He’s got potential." He caught sight of me, ended the call, and gave me a smirk—charming with just enough bite. "Raelyn. You’re here." "Hi, Mr. Simon," I said politely. "We’ve got a new artist who needs a manager. Can I count on you to take him on personally?" I kept my tone professional, as if we were just acquaintances. Technically, I’d given him a job and even helped save his wife’s life—so you'd think he'd be easy to work with. Simon looked Adam up and down with a neutral expression. "Adam?"Adam gave a respectful nod. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Simon." "I’m not easy to work with," Simon said plainly. "Even if you’re already a star, with me, you start from zero. I may not look strict, but trust me—you’re in for some serious hard work. Think you can handle that?" I nearly laughed out loud. Not strict? Yeah, right. That was the funniest thing I’ve heard all day. Adam gave a smile. "Don’t worry. I can take it." "Good," Simon said. "Come with me to the training room. Let’s see what you’ve got." He turned to me and grinned. "If this kid turns out to be the real deal, I owe you dinner." I lifted my chin. "Looking forward to it." Once Simon and Adam left, Maxwell finally dropped the act and relaxed. "Ms. Beck," he said, "why don’t you want people to know you’re the CEO?" I pressed my lips together, about to respond, but before I could say a word, someone called out from behind me. "Raelyn."