?


    And under Nadine''s management, there were dozens of such authors!


    "Good heavens! Is that even legal? Are these authors clueless? Selling rights like that, doesn''t it require the author''s personal consent and signature?"


    Lana scoffed, "With all those contracts passing through your hands every day, haven''t you ever taken a closer look at the fine print?"


    "What do you mean?"


    Lana borated, "When Ms. Gordon signs someone up, she also manages to snag the full rights to the author''s other works on the side! No need to notify the authors or get their signatures. She makes the deals, and a stamp from our studio seals the deal. And if a signature is really needed, anyone''s scribble would do. It''s not like the buyer would actually check with the author themselves."


    "Heavens-so Ms. Gordon doesn''t even share profits with the authors? Since the authors are in the dark, she keeps all the money to herself, and nobody bats an eye."


    Lana took a sip of her coffee, "Exactly. How do you think she affords sports cars, mansions, and dresses head-to-toe in designer gear? I heard her handbag collection alone is worth a fortune. Is that true?"


    "Absolutely, Hermes."


    "Wow..." Lana expressed her amazement mixed with envy, "I heard the author who got the worst of it writes mystery novels. A couple of his early books became hits, and Ms. Gordon sold off their derivative rights. Over the years, she''s been selling other rights piecemeal, just from this one author''s works, our studio makes at least a five-figure sum every month."


    "Mystery author? Who could that be? There''s been this super popr mystery novel recently, called ''Seven Days,'' now a phenomenon in the mystery genre. The author... what was their name? Madge!"


    "Madge?!" Lana was taken aback, "Seems like the author who got fleeced was also named something simr."


    "It couldn''t be the same person, could it?"


    "Impossible. How would Ms. Gordon be promoting a new book for them?" Lana sighed in relief.


    "Right." Her colleague nodded.


    But discreetly, they pressed a key under the table, ending the recording.


    "Lulu, thanks for the coffee. This ce always has a line; it''s so hard to get."


    "As long as Lana likes it, just keep the gossiping."


    "You got it!"


    ...


    Nadine spent her days in Australia enjoying the sun, beaches, surfing, and clubbing, living the carefree life.


    As per her usual routine, she nned to return home after the spring when the weather warmed up.


    This year was no exception.


    But unexpectedly, during a casual stroll through a bookstore, she stumbled upon the English version of ''Seven Days''!


    The cover was all in English, except for the author''s name, which was in Chinese characters—


    Madge!


    It stood out distinctly.


    Nadine''s first thought was that it was a coincidence.


    But when she pulled out her phone, logged onto the social media back


    home, and searched for "Seven


    Days", she realized this was no coincidence-she had been O blindsided!


    It was her own fault, really. After heading to Australia to escape the cold, she''d stopped paying attention to affairs back home and hadn''t even logged into her social media ounts.


    Otherwise, she wouldn''t be finding out just now!


    That Madge!


    That very night, Nadine booked a flight home. Uponnding, she


    l


    hly took a high-speed train


    straight to Pinehollow.


    WY


    Knowing Madge had moved, she had someone track down the new address en route.


    Standing in front of the pricey vi, Nadine sneered. It seemed Madge had indeed made a fortune behind her back.


    Living in a detached vi, no less!


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!