Chapter 38
No.1
"By the way," Martha suddenly changed subjects, "who was that woman protecting you?"
Evelyn paused. "My aunt."
"Thought it was your mom," Martha clicked her tongue, eyes gleaming. "Feisty. I like that..."
Evelyn: "..."
Was her boss a sadist or a masochist?
Martha clapped her shoulder. "When you sue Alexander Kingsley, bring her along. Bet she'd shred him so badly he'd crawl away in shame."
Evelyn sighed. "You're a born journalist, Martha."
No.2
Mrs. Kingsley wouldn't just curse—she'd pelt her own son with slippers!
A sudden cheer erupted from nearby cubicles.
Simon York rushed over. "Martha! Team Two snatched Moon Over Misty Peaks!"
"What?!" Martha's lollipop clattered to the floor.
Moon Over Misty Peaks was Horizon's summer blockbuster bet, tracked since casting. Martha's team had fought hard for promotional rights—only to lose them at the final hurdle.
Like nurturing a fruit tree, only for someone to uproot it at harvest!
Daniel Young strutted over smugly. "Martha, Victoria wants all Misty Peaks materials transferred to me. Hurry up—don't waste our time."
No.3
Martha stormed into the department head's office. Soon, Victoria Henn's icy voice carried through the floor:
"Your team's instability makes Misty Peaks too risky. Daniel delivered last quarter's best performance—he's the safe choice."
Martha protested, "That was unpredictable—"
"As editor, you lacked contingency plans?" Victoria cut in sharply. "Sending a rookie out alone reflects your leadership?"
"Ryan specifically requested Evelyn—"
"Enough!" Victoria's voice spiked. "Fix your team first. One more failure, and even I can't save you."
Martha muttered something, but Victoria's next words silenced the office:
No.4
"I don't care who backs her. Entertainment doesn't carry dead weight. If she's so talented, let her prove it elsewhere—not drag the entire department down!"
Martha emerged pale with fury.
The floor held its breath.
Evelyn traced her keyboard's edge.
Julian Ashford had promised no blame would fall on her—but workplaces wielded soft knives.
Victoria's reprimand targeted Martha, yet every word stabbed at Evelyn. Unable to fire her directly, they'd pressure her to quit.
At noon, Julian invited her to lunch.
No.5
Declining, Evelyn carried her meal to the cafeteria—freezing at overheard gossip:
"She handed Ryan to Orange Media on a platter, yet the Crown Prince still shields her?"
"Maybe she's got... special skills."
"Just transfer to Corporate already. Stop poisoning Entertainment."
"Kingsley Group sued for eight million? Is the Crown Prince really paying her debts?"
...
Evelyn had grown immune to such whispers.
No.6
But slandering Julian crossed the line.
She marched inside, lunchbox slamming onto a table.
Silence fell.
Coworkers exchanged uneasy glances.
Evelyn scanned the room, her voice glacial:
"Three days. That's all I need to ruin Ryan Holt."
"Ryan Holt's career will be ruined within three days?"
No.7
Melissa Lee tapped her fingers on the desk, a mocking smile curling her crimson lips. "Does she really think Julian would move against Ryan for her sake? That cash cow was handpicked by investors—does she think she can just take him down?"
"But Melissa, the whole company's buzzing about her being the Crown Prince's..."
Melissa tossed her long hair back. "What do they know? Back at Imperial Media University, Evelyn Sinclair was always clinging to Julian. He was just being kind to a junior—yet she took it as permission to overstep." She twisted a lock of hair around her finger. "Couldn't even land a proper job, so she shamelessly latched onto him."
"Exactly," agreed Victoria Henn, head of the entertainment division. "Gossip spreads like wildfire among low-level staff. Everyone in management knows about your history with the Crown Prince. Those rumors make my blood boil."
"Julian let the Ryan incident slide out of respect for their shared alma mater. Yet she actually thinks she's special." Melissa's grip on her hair tightened.
As the daughter of Horizon Media's co-founder, Melissa had been parachuted into the finance division after graduation. She and Julian Ashford were classmates in the same program—campus royalty, the perfect match.
Both families had long considered them destined for each other.