Chapter 248 Sophia's Goddaughter
Arriving at the agreed-upon location, Caroline was promptly escorted by a server to Gabriel's private room.
In the room, Gabriel was not alone; someone seemed his assistant was with him.
Because of Sophia, Caroline didn't hold Gabriel in high regard, so upon entering, she presented a disingenuous smile.
"Hello, Mr. Lancaster. Is there something you needed to see me about?" Caroline got straight to the point as soon as she sat down.
Gabriel was taken aback. After their last encounter at a press event, Alex had shown him footage where the camera had inadvertently captured Caroline. Recognizing her, Gabriel had meant to discuss Emma's situation with Caroline but had been delayed by various matters.
To his utmost surprise, Emma’s mother turned out to be Sophia's best friend. That meant Emma was Sophia's goddaughter! He had been searching far and wide, suspecting other major players, never expecting the connection to be so close to home.
Alex handed Caroline a contract.
"We would like to sign your daughter. Please take a look at the contract terms and the compensation."
It turned out that this was all about Emma! Caroline struggled to appear composed.
"I don't plan on letting my daughter sign with any company. Gaming is just a hobby for her, and signing with a company would change that."
Gabriel spoke calmly but with confidence, "I can ensure that Emma maintains complete freedom, and she would not be required to attend company events."
"She's still very young, and we plan on returning to the M Country in the future."
"I understand, so Emma can do her streams from home."
Gabriel had anticipated each of Caroline's concerns and made the most generous concessions.
Truthfully, if it had been her own choice, she would have agreed immediately. The offer was enticing, and the shared profits were generous, with the Lancaster Group taking only a marginal cut.
Finally, Caroline said, "I'll need to think it over."
"Of course, take the contract and review it at your leisure."
Gabriel then presented a gift: "This is a little something for Emma to mark our meeting."
Unable to refuse, Caroline accepted the gift to take home.
Emma, meanwhile, was still fondly thinking about Kyi.
Caroline took out the contract, and Emma immediately said, "I want to sign."
Ethan, meanwhile, carefully reviewed the contract. There were some professional terms he wasn't quite familiar with, but a quick search online clarified everything for him.
After finishing his analysis, Ethan came to the conclusion that as long as Emma didn't attend the event, the likelihood of her being recognized by 'bad guy daddy' was slim. Plus, the last time 'bad guy daddy' was within close proximity to Emma, he hadn't recognized her.
Having agreed to sign the contract, Emma fretted in her mind. She too feared the possibility of being recognized by 'bad guy daddy.' But then her eyes landed on the perks section.
"Wow, Ethan, look, 'bad guy daddy' is quite generous. He's willing to give me a lot of money."
Ethan was still deep in thought.
Emma mused, "I can save up quickly, and then buy Mommy a big villa."
"Mommy won't have to work hard anymore. Emma can make money and take care of Mommy."
Hearing Emma's words, Caroline couldn't help but chuckle and scooped her up for a kiss.
The two children and one adult discussed this major decision in the room, while Sophia was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen. As soon as the meal was served, the three appeared at the dining table right on time.
"Mommy, I'll help you serve the food," Ethan offered, hurrying over to assist.
"Mommy, I'll help you by... massaging your hand," Emma said, finding nothing else to do, and began to gently squeeze Sophia's arm.
After dinner, Sophia dove into the study, Caroline washed the dishes, then continued to discuss the contract decision with the children while also fitting in a half-hour livestream.
At the main office of Lancaster Group, everyone in the secretarial department had left, except for Tiffany, who was still at her desk. With her recent amnesia, her colleagues had not asked her to do much. Bored, Tiffany tuned into a livestream.
Listening to the host with earphones, she was drawn to the loli-like voice. Some in the comments mentioned the host was only five years old. Tiffany was engrossed in watching the game play and listening to the host, and she even searched for the host online after the livestream ended.
Two minutes post-livestream, Gabriel finally emerged from his office, car keys in hand, ready to head home.
Tiffany sprang to her feet and rushed over.
"Gabriel!" Her voice, now tinged with a newfound clarity, seemed a tad less coquettish.
"What's up?" Gabriel glanced at his watch. It was getting late and Tiffany was still there.
"I was waiting to go have dinner with you."
"I don't have time."
"But aren't you off work now?"
"I have to go home and spend time with my son."
"Then I'll come home with you."
Gabriel was at a loss for words.
"I’ll have Alex drive you home. Today, I really don't have the time," he responded firmly.
Seeing Gabriel's displeased expression, Tiffany dared not persist and, dejected, lowered her head, "Okay then, I'll wait for Alex."
"But I'm really scared being here by myself."
A few minutes later, a bodyguard came up.
Gabriel instructed, "Stay here with her until Alex arrives."
The bodyguard promptly replied, "Yes, sir!"
Tiffany watched as Gabriel walked away. She turned with her back to the bodyguard and made her way back to her seat. Once seated, she bowed her head, a cold glint flashing through her eyes.
She genuinely suffered from memory loss, but today fragments of memories intermittently flashed through her mind.
She faintly remembered how she had fallen down the stairs.
It seemed she had been scuffling with another woman when she pushed her, only to have the woman sidestep, causing her own footing to falter.
As she fell, she had tried to drag the other woman down with her.
Yet in the end, she was the only one who fell.
Before losing consciousness, she thought she saw Gabriel saving the woman.
Trying to recall more only resulted in Tiffany's head hurting more.
When Alex arrived, he found Tiffany pale and, with genuine concern, asked, "Are you feeling alright?"
"My head is spinning."
"Do you want to go to the hospital?"
"I don't."
Resigned, Alex took Tiffany back to Mansion Heights.
After some discussion, Caroline ended up signing the contract with the Lancaster Group on Emma's behalf.
The contract was for one year; during this period Emma, as the Lancaster Group's featured broadcaster, was to stream on their platform, with the company responsible for crafting her public persona.
However, at this point, Emma's image didn't seem to need any more crafting.
Emma was a trendsetter by nature, and as soon as Lancaster Group announced the partnership, they topped the trending searches again.
Kyi reposted on Instagram congratulating Emma.
Emma sweetly replied, "Thank you, Kyi."
Ethan, watching from the sidelines, stared enviously at Kyi's ID on the iPad, feeling a strong urge to hack his account.
On the day the contract was signed, Gabriel suggested taking Emma out for a meal.
"No need, Mr. Lancaster, my Emma is quite shy."
Shy?
Gabriel remembered the day Emma had playfully touched his beard. That girl wasn't shy at all - in fact, he thought she was quite bold and sociable.
Mischievous and utterly adorable.
He was genuinely looking forward to meeting her again.
Gabriel didn't insist further. After all, they had sealed the deal, and there would be plenty of opportunities to meet the real Emma in the future.
For reasons unbeknownst to her, Caroline couldn't shake the feeling of having been bamboozled after signing the contract.
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