CHAPTER 440: CHAPTER 440: WHO IS THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

"Hmm..." Stella Jennings raised her eyebrows, feeling her question might be silly but, after hesitating, she still asked, "Uncle, Mr. Sinclair won’t set me up, right?"

Aidan Sinclair broke into laughter at her silly question, but he laughed very restrainedly. "Hmm, your uncle thinks not, but I still suggest you carefully review the contract."

"Got it." Stella nodded, opening the contract to read it carefully.

Though she felt her question was pointless and the answer had no practical meaning, her heart somehow settled down immensely.

She didn’t know when she started considering Aidan Sinclair a friend. Ever since Ruby Sullivan stopped appearing, attending banquets had become a torment again. Not only did she no longer have anyone to chat with, but she also had to think of all sorts of excuses to decline men who invited her to dance. She always had to remember to be polite, not to disgrace her father’s reputation, not to hurt anyone—it’s really difficult.

But Aidan Sinclair seemed different from those men who asked her to dance. He made her feel like a little brat in his eyes, one who could act spoiled and make trouble. Even though she wouldn’t do that, talking to him made it easy to drop her guard. The most crucial point was that Aidan Sinclair was so interesting in conversation, knowing a lot, and would even chat about aliens with her, just like a humorous encyclopedia. By the time she realized they were friends, she had actually placed Aidan second only to Ruby Sullivan.

So she was willing to believe what he said, without reason.

It would take Stella Jennings many years to know that the reason she had such a positive impression of Aidan Sinclair initially was entirely because he had seen too many women. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a slick operator skilled in disguise.

Although he sincerely liked her later on, initially, more than half was just posturing, only she wasn’t aware.

After all, for a man of Aidan Sinclair’s caliber, it’s not easy for others to see through his act.

Aidan Sinclair didn’t expect Stella Jennings to read the contract so slowly, but he was happy for her to take her time researching it. While she wasn’t paying attention, he got up to pour her a cup of tea and pushed the cherries on the coffee table closer to her hand, just enough for her to see and easily grab one to pop into her mouth.

By the time Stella finished reading, it was more than forty minutes later. Aidan Sinclair remained silent the entire time, afraid of disturbing her, even controlling how he watched her.

After setting down the contract, Stella’s expression turned somewhat severe, looking at Aidan Sinclair seemingly a bit angry.

"Is there a problem?" Aidan asked unemotionally when her gaze made him nervous, though his expression showed no change.

Stella frowned, "Mr. Sinclair, did you really not give me this contract because of my uncle’s connection?"

The contract only had a one-year term. Besides the resource commitments she didn’t understand, it also included a clause allowing her to terminate the contract anytime if dissatisfied with company decisions. And the signing bonus and this 80-20 split were way too high, right? She heard new juniors usually start with a 50-50 split, and at least five to eight-year contracts. Termination is supposed to be incredibly difficult; companies generally dig big pitfalls with such terms!

The contract even stipulated that if she debuted normally while participating in events, her contract signing bonus and year-end bonus would increase proportionally based on different rankings.

Aidan Sinclair wasn’t lying—this contract really had no pitfalls. Not only did it have no pitfalls, but it might also be the only contract in the world completely favorable to the party.

Aidan Sinclair was stunned for a moment by the question, quickly blinking his eyes, temporarily unsure of the best response. He thought she, his little bunny, upon seeing such excellent terms, would foolishly smile and hurry to sign the contract. Hmm... why did he feel like he was the silly bunny himself facing this question?

"Of course not." He immediately denied her question without hesitation. "You’re not the best among this group of rookies, but in my eyes, you are the most special. This isn’t because we are friends, but due to my professional judgment. Actually, the reason I offered such great terms is out of fear you’ll be snapped up by other companies."

"Nonsense! I know some popular free agents at the camp have already been in contact with agencies, yet I’ve had no interest at all. If it were truly as you said, many companies should have approached me already,

allowing me to compare each agency’s offer to make a choice." Stella argued forcefully, feeling he was deceiving her.

Her judgment was correct, and this accurate judgment put Aidan somewhat at a loss.

On one hand, he was overly confident, on the other hand, his performance in front of Stella was subpar.

Any normal man would be a bit nervous when the girl he likes isn’t yet his girlfriend, right?

Aidan Sinclair smiled wryly, "Stella Jennings, your boss, me, is a businessman with professional integrity. I’ve managed Stellaron to this day relying on my expertise. Do you think a businessman would do a loss-making deal? Moreover, I don’t think your uncle’s relationship with you is significant enough for me to make a foolish judgment. There are too many artists in the market that even big investments can’t promote successfully. I’m not short of money but won’t commit career-suicidal actions."

He spread his hands indifferently, reclining on the sofa, "If you don’t want to sign, you can refuse and leave. It won’t affect your participation in the program, nor your future with other companies. But let me remind you, such a newcomer contract, Morningstar will only prepare one. If you refuse today, I can’t ensure this contract will still be available when you’re convinced."

Aidan Sinclair’s righteous words made Stella’s face stiffen. Her mouth opened and closed several times, seemingly finally intimidated by him.

Just as Aidan felt pleased, Stella stood up and bowed to him solemnly, then firmly said, "I’m sorry, Mr. Sinclair, I cannot sign this contract." She wanted to be an idol because in her brief yet lengthy life of over a decade, she didn’t know what she could excel at.

She wasn’t good at studying nor had any talent. Besides looking good, she was mediocre in everything, even her physique was average. She learned to dance specially to participate in the program, but like when she was little, she still couldn’t grasp it after growing up. Fortunately, she could endure hardships and catch up with everyone after efforts.

She knew she wasn’t suited to rely on looks either, but it is indeed her greatest asset at the moment. If it still doesn’t work, she might only consider becoming a mukbang host.

She knew her worth. So facing such a fantastic contract, she wasn’t overjoyed, only fearful.

She came, wanting to prove she wasn’t useless. Signing this contract would mean bowing to those who mocked her.

Her mother said many things, though with her poor memory, she didn’t recall much. But only one thing stuck deeply, something said before her death, when forced to send her back to the Jennings Family.

She said: Live with dignity.

"I’m sorry." She bowed once more, this apology directed at Uncle Wilder, feeling she failed a friend’s goodwill.