Stella laughed and replied: [He felt guilty for roping you in, so he offered you a high price.]Felicity replied: [Back then, I thought I was too principled to bow for a good sum. But now, looking back, being locked up for two hours for a hundred thousand seems worth it. You have no idea how hard it is to earn money these days! Short dramas have become a big hit recently, and I've been working on those.]She continued: [We don't use famous actors and film within 3-5 days, using scripts from online crowdsourcing. With quick turnaround and low budgets, usually 20,000 to 30,000, we can make huge profits, even more, if a project goes viral. It's a highly profitable model, so many in our industry are doing it. I've been assigned to oversee these projects, but sorting through the overly dramatic scripts every day is overwhelming.]Since her pregnancy, Stella had not been watching many short videos, so she was quite out of the loop about this trend. She asked Felicity what these short dram
Jaylene, dressed in a white silk blouse with her hair loosely tied back, exuded a refined elegance with her pearl earrings. She appeared with two people who were carrying bags of what seemed to be high-end cosmetics and perfumes, judging from the packaging.With a gentle voice, she addressed the gathered employees, "Sorry to interrupt, everyone. We've all been busy since returning to work, and it's rare for us all to be together like this. Today, with Stella joining us, I thought it'd be a good opportunity to give you all some small gifts."Stella internally mused, 'I bet those "small gifts" are likely an attempt to win over their hearts. Now I know that Julia had brought me here just for Jaylene to showcase this.'The announcement of gifts naturally excited everyone, leading to a round of applause and a lively atmosphere.Stella glanced at the gifts and thought, 'Those are indeed cosmetics and perfumes. They are not extravagantly expensive, but not cheap either. They are certainly
Looking somewhat embarrassed, Stella explained, "It's nothing much. Considering the cold weather, and since it hasn't warmed up much even after the holiday, I thought about preparing some warm clothing items, something everyone could wear to keep out the cold."Hearing the term "warm clothing," most people thought of hats, scarves, gloves, or knee warmers, causing their interest to wane significantly. Those items were typically distributed by the company at the start of winter, making them hardly something to look forward to.Considering Stella's initial comments upon joining, some could not help but see her as a clueless rich heiress, now contending with Jaylene and Darcie for control.Observing the crowd's reaction, Jaylene smirked as she suggested, "Stella, since you've already prepared them, why not distribute them now? If we wait any longer, they might not be of much use this year."Julia added, "Whatever Ms. Hall has chosen, even if it's for warmth, it's bound to be extraordi
Someone from the crowd could not contain her curiosity and asked, "Ms. Hall, what are these?"Stella approached, appearing slightly embarrassed. She said, "Didn't I mention earlier? The weather is cold these days, so I thought of giving some clothing items to keep everyone warm.""But didn't you say you had prepared something more uniform? These don't look uniform at all. They're all different." another from the crowd said.Stella explained, "They are uniform in a way. I didn't know everyone's sizes, and since we're not all acquainted yet, asking directly felt too presumptuous. So, I opted for a uniform approach and bought everything in size S."Seeing that some of you have a similar build to mine today, I initially thought of exchanging a few for size M. But Jaylene insisted I give them out today, and seeing everyone so eager, I had no choice but to bring them over."Stella touched the fabric of the clothes and added, "These might not look very thick, but they're actually quite w
Stella smiled as she scanned the entire room.None of the members from Unit A had come forward.The other groups sent a few representatives each. About thirty percent of them took the clothes while seventy percent did not.Darcie had deep roots in Caline; most of the staff in the fragrance department were loyal to her.Just as Stella was mulling over this, she caught sight of a girl at the door delivering files, sneaking glances in their direction.She raised her hand in a friendly gesture and said, "Hey, come on over and pick something out."The girl hesitated for a moment before rushing over. She explained, "Ms. Hall, I'm not from the fragrance department."Stella glanced at her work badge, which indicated she was from the finance department.The girl's name was Wren Adkin. She looked young, likely fresh out of school.Stella flashed her a grin. "It's a gift. You should take it while you have the chance."Wren's eyes lit up. She blushed as she thanked Stella and joined the
Julia's face drained of color as she nervously fiddled her fingers. She bowed her head and was too scared to speak.She said what she said only after seeing Jaylene's expression and receiving her silent signal. 'If Jaylene was against the idea, why didn't she stop me during the event?' she thought.Stella's gifts outshone Jaylene's, and her speech was also better. Jaylene felt publicly humiliated. Frustrated, she needed an outlet for her anger, and Julia became the scapegoat.Once Jaylene's temper subsided, Julia tentatively said, "Ms. Saun, perhaps this incident isn't entirely negative. It helps us see who we can rely on in the future."Jaylene calmed down upon hearing that. She noticed Stella had not finished distributing her gifts and that most of the staff seemed hesitant to take sides. Caline was not The Velvet, and winning people over would not be easy for Stella, let alone with such simple tactics.Although Jaylene understood this, being publicly embarrassed without retalia
Keegan was uninterested in Jaylene's post. He texted Stella: [Have you been keeping that wedding photo on your phone all this time?]'That's not the main point here,' Stella thought.Despite that, he pressed on: [Didn't you say you deleted all the photos when we divorced? Were you lying to me?]Stella did not know how to respond.Keegan speculated further: [Were you lying too when you claimed you didn't like me back then? Stella, did you... have feelings for me when we got married?]Stella replied: [No? I married you to avoid being forced into marrying an old man. I had plenty of suitors back then, you know. Just look at Spencer; that should give you an idea of the type of men pursuing me. With so many high-quality men after me, why would I like you?]Keegan continued to type out a message: [Stella, you married me because you had feelings for me, right?][No, it was because I was interested in your money.]As soon as the message was sent, Keegan called. Stella remembered the li
Jaylene hesitated for a moment, her expression subtly changing."The Rosaceae family isn't only roses. It's similar to how peonies and herbaceous peonies are in the same family, Paeoniaceae. Having an allergy to peonies doesn't mean being allergic to herbaceous peonies. They're separate species," she hurriedly clarified."Ah," Stella nodded in understanding. Then, she inquired, "Jaylene, I've noticed you seem unaffected by these flowers now. Has your asthma improved?"After the incident earlier, Jaylene was cautious in her interactions with Stella.'Why the sudden interest in my asthma? Is Stella trying to use it as an excuse to kick me out of the fragrance department?' she thought."I think it's getting better. I've never been sensitive to pollen, which is essential for working in the fragrance department," Jaylene replied cautiously."Is that so? We've known each other for less than a year, yet I've seen you have attacks twice, even with medication on hand. Is it really wise fo