Chapter 64: Buying a Trending Topic
In March, it seemed to rain more often in Aethelburg.
Vivian Lowell didn’t like rainy days.
When it rained, if there was any wind, you’d inevitably get a little wet even with an umbrella. On top of that, the rain always made Aethelburg’s traffic even worse.
"Boss, the client has replied. They said they’re very satisfied with our design plans. The final payment will be transferred to our company account within three days."
Just before the end of the workday, Vivian Lowell received some good news.
A smile touched her lips as she said, "Okay, I understand. It’s almost six. You can all leave early. That way you can avoid the crowds and the trouble of squeezing onto the subway."
"Thank you, Boss!"
The young receptionist was overjoyed and practically skipped back to pack up her things.
Vivian Lowell also started to pack up.
DING.
Just then, her phone chimed. It was a message from Julian Faulkner.
"Done with work?"
"Yep."
"It’s raining. I’ll pick you up so we can go home together."
"Okay."
After their brief exchange, just as Vivian Lowell was about to put her phone down, a push notification popped up.
"Engagement Ceremony for the Heiress of Aethelburg’s Lowell Family and the Young Master of the Grant Family to Be Held in One Week at the Grand West Aethelburg Hotel!"
It was a trending topic.
Vivian Lowell tapped on it and saw a photo of Mason Grant and Shelly Lowell browsing in a jewelry store. The two were by a display case, trying on jewelry.
It was hard to tell if the photo was staged or if the photo editor was just very skilled.
Shelly Lowell looked gorgeous in the photo, a world away from the "dark-skinned girl" she had been just half a month ago. Even the bridge of her nose seemed much more defined.
Standing with Mason Grant, they looked like a perfect couple.
Seeing the photo, Vivian Lowell couldn’t help but sneer.
’So, the reason Shelly Lowell disappeared for a few days and stopped harassing me with messages... was because she went to get a nose job?’
’That was a definite possibility.’
’She was about to get engaged to Mason Grant, and it was a major union between two prestigious Aethelburg families. Who knew how many people would be there on the day of the ceremony? Of course she had to make herself look as beautiful as possible.’
’As for Mason Grant, though...’
’He had a rather blank expression in the photo. Maybe he was still hung up on what happened at that banquet.’
’It was no wonder.’
’What man would be happy about being cheated on? It was only natural that a rift would form between them once Mason Grant saw Shelly Lowell’s true colors.’
Putting down her phone, Vivian Lowell heard the receptionist’s delighted voice from outside her office.
"Special Assistant Wyatt, it’s you! President Faulkner, hello!"
The receptionist had clearly seen Vance Wyatt and Julian Faulkner getting out of the elevator. She hurriedly bowed to them, her manners impeccable.
Julian Faulkner glanced coolly at the receptionist and asked, "Where’s your boss?"
The receptionist pointed in a direction, and Julian Faulkner gave a soft grunt of acknowledgment.
Vance Wyatt was tactful enough not to follow Julian Faulkner to find Vivian Lowell. Instead, he turned to the receptionist and asked, "All packed up and ready to leave?"
"It’s raining outside. Do you have an umbrella?"
"I do!"
The receptionist nodded, gave Vance Wyatt a sweet smile, and said, "The boss said it’s raining and was worried about me getting caught in the subway crowds, so she let me leave early. She’s such a great boss, a perfect match for the boss’s wife..."
"Er, no, I mean the boss’s husband! They’re a perfect match! Haha, listen to me rambling! Special Assistant Wyatt, I won’t keep you. I’m heading out now, bye-bye~"
Vance Wyatt was thoroughly amused by the receptionist, but his gaze also held a new sense of appreciation.
’She’s got a good eye.’
’She could tell at a glance how good the President and Madam’s relationship was.’
’"Boss’s wife" was one thing, but what the heck was a "boss’s husband"?’
’So weird!’
Watching the receptionist walk away, Vance Wyatt smiled, feeling much more relaxed.
Meanwhile, Vivian Lowell put down the file in her hands. Hearing a knock, she looked up to see Julian Faulkner walk in. He asked, "All finished?"
"Almost. A few recent clients have been very satisfied with our designs. They want to continue working with us, so I took the opportunity to request that we take over a portion of the Lowell Group’s market share."
Vivian Lowell smiled sweetly and said, "They’re still a bit hesitant, but it seems like they’re ready to agree. After all, the price I’m offering is much lower."
These were all businesspeople.
As long as Vivian Lowell could deliver high-quality work, they would naturally choose the lower-priced option.
As for the Lowell Group’s status in the industry?
With Vivian Lowell’s impressive, emerging talent, they believed it was only a matter of time before she replaced the Lowell Group!
This was Vivian Lowell’s revenge against the Lowell Family!
The final, most thorough blow would have to wait until the day of the engagement banquet in one week!
"Since you’re finished, let’s head home. Grandma had Ms. Shaw buy a lot of groceries tonight and told us to come home early for dinner."
"Mm-hm!"
It was already six o’clock by the time they left the office building.
The streets were bustling, and traffic was backed up because of the rain. Vivian Lowell wasn’t anxious while they waited, so she took out her phone and casually scrolled through X.
She was looking at that trending topic about the "engagement."
She didn’t know if Sharon Galahad had hired an army of paid commenters, but the replies under the trending post were almost all congratulating Mason Grant and Shelly Lowell.
But one comment stood out from the rest.
"Pah! You all probably don’t know, do you? At Shelly Lowell’s family recognition banquet, photos were exposed of her getting lovey-dovey with another man! And not only that, there were also risqué photos of her, suggesting she worked as an escort!"
"A woman like that, who tried to use those things to climb the social ladder in the past—and the Grant Family still dares to take her? Bring a daughter-in-law like that into the family, and won’t she be cheating on her husband within days?"
This comment, amidst a sea of uniform congratulations, was a real breath of fresh air.
Vivian Lowell opened the replies to the comment and found many onlookers asking for the details.
Someone else commented, "OP, hang in there! A moment ago, my comment got deleted and I was blocked just for mentioning the family recognition banquet! This is my alt account. I was going to post it again, but I didn’t expect you to be so brave."
"Yeah, my previous comment was deleted too, and I thought my internet was just lagging! Turns out it’s the Lowells manipulating the comments. It’s disgusting, treating a major family union like it’s some toxic fan circle!"
"Exactly! Keep deleting them if you’ve got the guts. This girl has three thousand alt accounts, and I’m ready to take you on!"
"..."
Vivian Lowell almost burst out laughing.
’It seems the netizens’ eyes are sharp after all. Plenty of people still knew about Shelly Lowell’s scandals from that night.’
She refreshed the page a few more times.
Vivian Lowell saw that many of the negative comments had indeed been deleted, but even more had popped up to take their place. Perhaps the Lowell Family was trying too hard to control the narrative.
This had annoyed some people, who were now picking a fight with the Lowell Family just for the sake of it.
Because of this online battle, the topic remained in the top three trending spots.
’I bet plenty more people will click into the comments section and see all of Shelly Lowell’s dirty laundry, right?’
"Vance Wyatt."
Vivian Lowell was in a good mood. She forwarded the trending topic to Vance Wyatt and said, "Find me a powerful media contact later. Let’s buy some trending spots!"
"Leak some more of Shelly Lowell’s past scandals. The Lowells are getting so much attention right now; I’m sure any media outlet would be happy to capitalize on the traffic."
For content farms and independent media, "traffic is king" was the motto. Headlines and content were designed to be as eye-catching as possible.
The authenticity of such information was questionable, but it always drew a large audience.
Although this approach wasn’t exactly ethical, Vivian Lowell felt that when it came to Shelly Lowell, such moral concerns didn’t really apply.
"You got it, Boss Lady! You can count on me!"
Vance Wyatt readily agreed. After turning a corner, he announced, "President Faulkner, Madam, we’ve arrived at the Faulkner family villa."
"..."
Vivian Lowell glanced at Vance Wyatt, his "Boss Lady" still ringing in her ears. She really wanted to roll her eyes at him.
’What was with that guy!’
’When did he start acting just like the young receptionist at her company!’
"Ahem, Madam, please step out!"
Vance Wyatt seemed to notice Vivian Lowell’s less-than-friendly gaze. He gave a polite laugh and came over to open her door.
Vivian Lowell shot Vance Wyatt a look but didn’t say anything.
’Fine, I’ll stop bullying him. It must be hard enough for him already, always having to follow around the black-bellied Julian Faulkner.’
"You’ve had a long day. Go home and get some rest. And don’t forget what I asked you to do."
After saying this, Vivian Lowell went into the house with Julian Faulkner.