Love Across the Light Years -The Devil CEO Indulges My Lies.-Chapter 27: Better to get duped by a beauty than a lecherous bast*rd.

Chapter 27: Better to get duped by a beauty than a lecherous bast*rd.

Adelyn’s brows furrowed.

For the first time, something truly had caught her off guard.

Her gaze shifted slowly towards Freya, only to see her standing rigid, shoulders drawn tightly as if every muscle in her body had stiffened under the weight of Corrin’s words.

That reaction alone was enough to tell Adelyn that what Corrin was saying wasn’t entirely false.

It was real. If not entirely ... then to some extent.

"Don’t look at her," Corrin said the moment he noticed Adelyn staring at Freya. His voice carried an almost lazy amusement. "She won’t explain it to you. Not even if you ask. People rarely announce their dirt."

"Manager Thatcher, that’s enough," Amelia cut in sharply. "I think you are forgetting something crucial. You have signed —"

"The NDA?" Corrin finished smoothly.

The ease with which he said it froze Amelia mid-sentence.

For a brief second, she simply stared at him.

"Do you think I care about those petty papers?" he continued, his lips curling faintly in mockery.

"You —"

"Amelia," He lifted a finger and placed it lightly near his lips, silencing her with a gesture that was almost playful —and deeply insulting. "You really should learn to see things clearly. The supremacy your Freya once had is long gone."

His gaze swept the room slowly, deliberately.

"Now, in ZX Media, I hold the power. That’s simply reality." His voice lowered, edged with quiet certainty. "So even if I reveal everything today ... the company won’t touch me. They will just remove the problem."

His eyes flicked to Freya.

Then Amelia.

Then back again.

"They will remove you people to contain the damage. You don’t believe ..." he paused to shrug. "Give it a try."

The room fell silent.

Amelia’s fingers curled tighter and tighter until her knuckles turned white. Her jaw locked, breath shallow. Her chest rose sharply as she fought to restrain the violent surge burning through her veins.

Her every instinct forced her to lunge forward and wipe the smug off his face. But she held back, knowing she couldn’t afford it.

Freya couldn’t afford it.

Corrin watched her with a smirk until he was satisfied. He then turned and looked back at Adelyn.

"I saw potential in you, and out of goodness, I offered you help," he said, his confidence now unwavering. "But it’s up to you whether you take up or not."

In truth, he wasn’t entirely sure of her potential. But her appearance alone was enough to shine on the screen. He blindly trusted Freya’s judgment. If Freya chose her, then potential would be the last thing she lacked. He was sure signing her wouldn’t be a loss for him.

Still, he didn’t want to be too obvious.

What he really wanted was for Adelyn to choose him over Freya —so he could rub that victory in their faces.

And now, he was sure, she would choose him.

He stared at Freya one last time with a silent challenge in his eyes.

Freya’s fingers clenched slowly against the edge of her desk. Her nails pressed against the wooden texture —but she didn’t speak.

"If you agree to sign under me ..." he began.

But before he could finish, Adelyn interrupted him.

"I appreciate your goodness, sir." Her voice was calm and composed. "But I still stand by my previous decision."

Corrin froze.

Even Amelia looked at her in confusion.

"What did you say?" Corrin asked, the frown between his brows was impossible to miss. "You still want to sign with her?" He pointed at Freya, clearly unsettled. "Did you even hear what I just said. She ... she killed an artiste before. It was her —"

"As I said earlier," Adelyn interrupted, almost losing her patience. She knew she was being a little hasty in her decision, but it was already getting late, and she was feeling exhausted. She wanted to go with whatever her instinct suggested. And for now, her instinct was telling Corrin was the last person to put trust in.

Offering a polite smile that was nothing but a formality, she continued, "As I said earlier, I really appreciate your goodness. But since the decision was mine, I chose what I believe is right for me."

"You —" he pointed at her begrudgingly. "Fine, I hope you don’t regret it."

His gaze lingered a second longer than necessary —sharp, measuring, almost warning. Then he turned and left.

Adelyn watched him leave until he disappeared.

When the door finally closed behind him, she turned back toward Freya. "Do I just need to sign these papers, Sister Freya?"

Amelia looked at her as though she couldn’t quite understand her. "Are you really signing the papers?" she asked.

Adelyn met her gaze and pressed her lips together. "What else do you think? I’m already exhausted and need to get this over with so that I can go back and rest."

"You ... so you are just deciding on us because you are exhausted?" Amelia didn’t know how she should react.

Just now, she was almost about praise her loyalty. But all this was about her being tired. Can this girl, for once, not make her regret thinking of her in a fresh light?

"Not exactly!" Adelyn replied. "Yeah, I am tired, and I want to get this over with as soon as possible. But that’s not the only reason I chose Sister Freya."

"Then what else?" Amelia asked.

Adelyn’s gaze shifted slowly to Freya. "I just feel that, compared to that man, Sister Freya is more trustworthy. If I am going to get duped, it’s better to get duped by a beauty than a lecherous bast*rd. Isn’t it?"

A small laugh cracked in the room before Amelia could even react.

They turned to look at Freya, only to see her laughing —her face flushed, her laughter as hearty as it could be.

It was like the moment of heavy tension sometime before hadn’t existed at all.

When Freya realized she had nearly burst out loud, she quickly composed herself and looked at Adelyn. "Those papers will be enough to officially make you my artiste. And yes, that will be all for today. You can leave after that."

Adelyn nodded to her. Then, taking a pen from the desk, she flipped the agreement to the last page and signed her name at the bottom.

Once done, she set down the pen and looked up Freya. "Done. Please take care of me from here on, Sister Freya."

Freya stared at her, trying to read her. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t tell why Adelyn still chose her when she could have conveniently chosen someone else.

Adelyn pushed her chair a little more to step out. "Since that was all for tonight, I will take my leave."

"Adelyn," Freya stopped her.

When Adelyn looked back, Freya asked quietly, "Do you want to ask me something?"