I Read Their Tragic Fates, and My Family Reads My Mind?

Chapter 340: Chapter 340: It Can Be Calculated Like That?

Zane Lynch was screaming internally, but he had to force himself to appear calm and collected.

"Since you’re a friend of Serena’s, we can be flexible on the contract. I’ll have my team prepare a top-tier contract for you. As for profit sharing, I can offer you thirty percent. How does that sound?"

"Isn’t thirty percent a little too low?"

Zane Lynch drew a sharp breath, his gaze on Arabella Donovan filled with anguish, as if to say, ’Whose side are you on, young lady?’

"...Fine, forty percent."

"Let’s make it forty-five percent."

"...If I agree to that, are you just going to say that since we’re already at forty-five, we might as well round up to an even fifty?"

Arabella gave a bashful smile. "Well, if you’re willing to be that generous, Cousin, I’m sure he wouldn’t object."

Zane Lynch nearly fell over backward in exasperation. "I’m the one giving him a better deal, and you’re worried about whether *he’ll* object?"

But that was just how business negotiations went. The opening offer was always padded, like setting a high price just so the other party could haggle it down.

The profit margin Arabella proposed landed right on the edge of Zane Lynch’s bottom line. The thought pained him for only a moment before he gave in.

He then turned to Samuel Foster. "And what are your thoughts?"

"Miss Donovan is my family’s benefactor. I trust her completely, so I’ll go with whatever she says. I have no objections."

With that statement, Samuel Foster was also subtly making his position clear: he was signing this contract and staying with the company purely out of respect for Arabella Donovan.

As long as Arabella Donovan and Zane Lynch remained cousins, and as long as Zane Lynch was the head of the company, his contract would not go to any other agency.

Both Zane Lynch and his sister picked up on the subtext, and their gazes toward the pair grew more meaningful.

Hearing this, Arabella chuckled and clapped her hands together, making the final decision. "Then it’s settled."

’Don’t worry, Cousin. Samuel Foster is a blue-chip stock. He won’t just be a cash cow; he’ll be a rocket, launching all the other newcomers in your company to stardom. Consider this fifty percent an advance investment. I guarantee you won’t lose money on it.’

Zane found her thoughts both amusing and heartwarming. As if he didn’t already know everything she was thinking.

For a company like theirs, a single superstar was worth more than a whole stable of B-list and C-list celebrities. A true megastar was like an engine powerful enough to pull an aircraft carrier, whereas some so-called "big names" could barely drag a dustpan. The difference in their influence wasn’t even comparable.

Just as Arabella had thought, since everyone was already there, they should strike while the iron was hot. They could sign the contract as soon as they hashed out the details.

The company used standard contract templates, so only a few numbers needed to be changed. Zane Lynch made a quick phone call, and less than five minutes later, a young secretary with short hair in her early twenties came down with the contract. She also brought two small cakes with her.

"You must be hungry after touring the building for so long," Zane said to Arabella. "Go have some cake with Melody. We’ll get this sorted out in a jiffy."

Arabella nodded and sat on the other side of the table with Melody Lynch, obediently eating her cake.

Since the basic terms had already been settled, they just needed to give the document a once-over for final confirmation.

The two men reviewed the contract’s articles. After confirming the terms matched their discussion, they each signed their names and added their thumbprints. Just like that, a ten-year contract was put in place, ensuring a seamless future.

After the signing, the two men stood and shook hands as customary. On the other side of the room, Arabella had just finished her cake and was about to leave when a different contract was pushed in front of her.

"What’s this?"

"When I asked her to bring down the talent contract, I had her grab a share transfer agreement for the company as well."

"A share transfer agreement? What for? Who is it for?"

The moment the words left Arabella’s mouth, every gaze in the room swiveled and locked onto her.

"For... me?" Arabella pointed to herself, incredulous. "Why would you give this to me?"

"To thank you, of course."

"Thank me for what?"

"To thank you for helping me find your sister-in-law and nephew." ’And for changing the fate of Eloise and our entire family.’

"But this is too valuable."

"It’s only five percent of the shares. What’s so valuable about that?"

"Oh, just take it already!" Melody Lynch, who couldn’t stand to watch them go back and forth, stepped forward, pressed Arabella back into her seat, and shoved a pen into her hand. She cut straight to the heart of the matter. "Just consider it giving my brother a chance to piggyback on your good luck. With you as a shareholder, the company’s fortunes are bound to skyrocket. He’s the one who’s really profiting here."

Arabella: ??? ’Can you really look at it that way?’

"Melody’s right," Zane chimed in. "Hurry up! I’m waiting to ride your lucky coattails to a fortune."

In the end, Arabella was pressured into signing her name on the contract and adding her thumbprint.

In a single afternoon, without spending a dime, she had acquired five percent of a rising entertainment company. Arabella herself felt like she was in a dream.

And yet, the very person gifting her this fortune was acting like he’d gotten the deal of a lifetime. "The company is still in its growth phase, so I can’t give you much in dividends right away. But don’t you worry. I’ll work my tail off to make more money as soon as possible and help you achieve financial freedom."

Melody Lynch: ... ’As if I don’t know you. This isn’t about you working hard to make money for her. You’ve clearly found yourself a prime workhorse and are dangling a carrot in front of it, waiting for it to generate profit for you.’

Samuel Foster had been standing at the other end of the table, witnessing the entire exchange. His eyes glinted, but he remained silent.

After signing the two contracts, the group left the conference room one after another.

Before she left, Arabella’s sharp eyes noticed that the name on the contract in Samuel Foster’s hand was actually "Samuel Fulton." A look of surprise crossed her face.

"Why does it still say Fulton?"

"Nine times out of ten, celebrities use a stage name. Most of them are different from their real names; plenty of people even change their last names. I discussed it with my grandparents, and we decided I’ll just use my old name as my stage name."

"I see."

’This is good, too. In the original novel, they still used his old name, Fulton, when talking about Samuel Foster right up until the end. Who knows, maybe using ’Fulton’ in the entertainment circle will be luckier for him? Sometimes, you just have to selectively believe in a bit of metaphysics.’

Zane Lynch’s gaze flickered. ’So, this Foster family... isn’t *that* Fulton family?’

Although filming for Samuel Foster’s new series had already wrapped, some leaked on-set photos had generated a lot of buzz, giving him a taste of fame. Numerous investors had already recognized his potential and were proactively reaching out to collaborate. Because of this, he had to go with his new manager to the business affairs department immediately after the signing to coordinate his upcoming schedule, so he didn’t stay for long.

After Samuel Foster left, Arabella belatedly remembered the real reason she had come with Melody Lynch today. She turned to Melody with an expectant look.

"Melody, we’ve done a full tour of this place. Any luck? Any prospects? Did any of the male celebrities here seem particularly tall, dashing, and handsome? Anyone catch your eye?"