Gabriel was instantly amused by Chloe’s words.

"Has my little sister been possessed lately? She even knows how to compliment people now?" Gabriel couldn’t help but marvel.

He never would have imagined that the prickly Chloe from six months ago would change so much.

As her older brother, he was, of course, glad to see this kind of change in his sister.

Chloe didn’t shy away from her past self, replying frankly, "I hadn’t figured things out back then, but I have now."

"Back then, I..."

Just as Chloe was about to speak, Sharon Thorne appeared at the door.

Chloe’s eyes darkened, and she fell silent.

"Miss Thorne, do you need something?"

Just then, Gabriel was trying his best to back away, wanting absolutely nothing to do with the woman in front of him.

Seeing this, Chloe stepped in front of her brother.

Even though she was a good head shorter, she still puffed out her chest, her gaze cold and sharp.

"Chloe, I’m here to discuss a collaboration with Gabriel. Could you possibly step outside and wait for a little while?"

Sharon Thorne believed her smile was incredibly infectious. But just as she started to walk over, she heard Gabriel say without a hint of mercy, "It’s scorching hot outside. Where exactly do you expect my sister to go?"

Sharon Thorne, who was still by the door, stopped in her tracks.

She looked at Gabriel’s dark, profound gaze, which held a hint of ferocity, and her face instantly turned as white as a sheet.

But the real humiliation was yet to come.

Gabriel walked around Chloe to stand before her. He looked down on her, his lips parting slightly. "I don’t see myself having any future dealings with an artist of such deplorable character. If this is truly about a collaboration, please contact my agent or my executive assistant."

Sharon Thorne’s face grew even paler.

Of course, she knew what he meant.

’Wasn’t this just his way of telling me that a collaboration between us was impossible?’

But then Sharon Thorne remembered her goal of marrying into a wealthy family. She took a deep breath, and a bright smile bloomed on her face, as if she wasn’t the least bit bothered by Gabriel’s earlier bluntness.

She tucked a stray strand of hair from her forehead, her eyes filled with a soft light. Her voice was like a gentle stream as she said softly, "Gabriel, I have a historical drama lined up, and I’d like to offer you the male lead. It’s guaranteed to be a huge hit."

Gabriel shot her a sidelong glance and retorted sarcastically, "You just want to use my fame to launch yourself into the spotlight, don’t you."

His blunt words instantly hit a nerve, exposing Sharon Thorne’s true intentions.

The smile on her face froze, and she was suddenly at a loss for words.

"Gabriel..."

"Stop calling me so familiarly. In the future, please call me ’Senior’ or President Sinclair."

Gabriel cut Sharon Thorne off, his expression turning darker by the second.

After being rejected again and again, Sharon Thorne’s expression turned grim.

’In all her years since her debut, every man she’d ever taken an interest in had fallen at her feet.’

’So why, of all people, was she failing so spectacularly with Gabriel?’

As Sharon Thorne thought this, her expression darkened.

Her gaze fixed heavily on Gabriel, and she suddenly took a step forward.

’This whole setup feels a little too familiar,’ Gabriel thought. He instinctively took a step back, bumping right into Chloe behind him.

His path of retreat was instantly cut off.

Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, Gabriel instantly understood what kind of stunt Sharon Thorne was about to pull.

’It was a crude, cheap trick, but the problem was, if it ended up online, people would actually believe it!’

"Sharon Thorne, you’ve been in the entertainment industry long enough to know what a move like this means. I don’t care who else you pull this stunt on, but if you try it with me, don’t come crying to me when you’re blacklisted across the entire industry!"