Chapter 345: The Humble President Vaughn
In less than an hour, all 20 products in the link had sold millions of units.
At this rate, the factory wouldn’t be able to ship the orders even if they worked overtime until next year, so they simply took down the links.
"I’ll chat with everyone for a while. We’ll end the live stream promptly at ten. Please be rational with your purchases, and stop sending gifts, okay?"
The viewers kept spamming gifts, completely ignoring his plea.
"We haven’t had enough. What are you going to talk about? Tell us something personal! President Vaughn, how old are you? Are you seeing anyone?"
Damien Vaughn ignored these questions, pretending he didn’t see them.
"Let me tell everyone about our company’s history and our plans for the future."
"Who wants to hear about that? Answer our questions!"
Damien Vaughn simply ignored the chat and continued speaking.
He finally managed to hold out until almost ten o’clock before stepping away from the host’s position.
"Next, I’ll let my colleagues from the tech department chat with you all for a bit. Feel free to ask them any questions you have. If you all enjoy our live streams, we can have them set up their own accounts to stream for you from time to time. Thank you all for your support."
In one night, a short two-hour live stream resulted in tens of millions of orders and gift revenue that topped a hundred million.
Damien Vaughn wasn’t a celebrity, yet he dominated several spots on the trending charts.
His second and third uncles completely lost their composure.
"I can’t believe those two are so vicious, pulling a stunt like this on us! If they had this idea all along, why didn’t they bring it out sooner? They let our two departments work themselves to death, only to be publicly humiliated. They’re despicable!"
"I think he’s deliberately trying to kick his own uncles out of the Vaughn Family. We can’t just sit back and take this. Second Brother, you have to think of something, quick!"
"Think of what? What could I possibly do? Unless he dies. Otherwise, with the momentum he has now, what can we do to him?"
Candy was too excited to sleep. When Damien Vaughn came in, she was still wide awake, thrashing around in bed.
Seeing her daddy enter her room, she immediately shot up from under the covers.
"Daddy, you’re so handsome! I saw your live stream tonight, you were amazing! How did I get such an amazing daddy? I’m so happy!"
Damien Vaughn held his daughter in his arms, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction as he looked at her happy smile and smelled the fresh scent of her hair.
"Everything Daddy does is for you. Having a daughter like you makes me feel very happy, too."
Cecelia Archer arrived to interrupt their daily dose of affection.
"Candy, sweetie, time for bed. Daddy’s tired today, so let’s let him get some rest too, okay?"
Candy, being a very sensible girl, hopped out of his arms.
"Okay, I’ll go to sleep now. But Mommy, Daddy, I’ve suddenly changed my mind."
"Yesterday, I said I didn’t want Mommy to have a baby brother or sister, but now... Daddy, please get the very, very best doctor to take care of Mommy so nothing bad happens, and then you two can have another baby, okay? I’m just so happy, and I really want someone to share my joy with. I really, really want a little brother or sister."
Cecelia Archer: "..."
’Why is she bringing this up again out of the blue?’
"Having a little brother or sister isn’t something that can happen overnight. Let Mommy and Daddy discuss it, okay?"
"You two can discuss it, but just promise me first. Please, Mommy?"
Looking at Candy’s expectant gaze, Damien Vaughn couldn’t help but feel a flicker of concern.
’He was only thirty. The Vaughn Family was already in a league of its own. With his ambition, by the time Candy grew up, he might not be the richest man in the country, but he’d certainly be near the top.’
’A single girl, inheriting such a massive fortune...’
’It wasn’t that he was afraid Candy would act recklessly or squander it all. It was just... having no one to share her joys and sorrows with. It’s lonely at the top. She would be all alone, just like him. It was a truly lonely existence.’
Back in their room, he looked at Cecelia Archer pensively, and she seemed to see right through him.
"A child can only be happy if they’re born from parents who love each other. If they’re merely the product of passion, that would be far too tragic."
"Cecelia," Damien Vaughn said, genuinely wanting to talk to her.
"I’m not just saying this because I’m on a high from today’s success. It’s because I truly feel, from the bottom of my heart, that things don’t have to be this way between us. If I courted you all over again, was one hundred percent loyal, and completely honest with you... would you give me another chance?"
While watching his live stream today, Cecelia Archer had also done a lot of reflecting.
’To be fair, fate had been kind to her. It had let her meet Damien Vaughn and have his daughter. Even though she’d suffered a lot in the first few years, it was still a blessing.’
’Otherwise, with her background, even if she had graduated from school without a hitch, standing by his side would have been an impossible dream.’
’He might have hidden some things from her, but all in all, it hadn’t led to any major disaster.’
’She was only twenty-four. Her life was still long. Was she really going to live the rest of her life in this awkward, strained way?’
"I’m really conflicted. Let me think about it some more."
Although Cecelia Archer didn’t agree to it outright, her words were enough for Damien Vaughn.
’As long as Cecelia was willing to come back to this home every day and spend time with him, he was confident that sooner or later, he could win her over again with his sincerity.’
The next morning, Damien Vaughn’s head felt groggy when he woke up. He didn’t know if it was from his recent exhaustion or from catching a cold after sleeping on the sofa.
Fortunately, Cecelia Archer hadn’t left for the day yet. The sight of her made him feel a little better.
"You have to go film the variety show again today?"
"Yes, I have to film twelve episodes."
’So she’ll be gone for twelve days?’
Damien Vaughn knew he shouldn’t ask, but he couldn’t stop himself.
"Does Julian Sherman know you’re married?"
Cecelia Archer, as expected, read too much into it. "What are you worried about?"
Damien Vaughn fell silent for a moment. "Nothing. It’s cold outside. I’ll take you."
Cecelia Archer didn’t need him to take her. She could drive herself.
But Damien Vaughn insisted on taking her.
’If she was going to be filming for twelve days straight, that meant he wouldn’t see her at all during the daytime for twelve days.’
"Don’t refuse me. Just do it for Candy’s sake, okay?"
Damien Vaughn subconsciously reached out and tugged at Cecelia Archer. Startled, she raised a hand to his forehead.
"You have a fever? No wonder your lips are so dry. Don’t tell me you’ve been running a fever all night? You’re a grown man, why didn’t you say something sooner if you weren’t feeling well? I’ll go get you some medicine."
"No need. I’m fine. Aren’t you in a hurry? I’ll take you first. Just wait for me a moment. I’m going to go wash up."
As he said this, Damien Vaughn started towards the bathroom, but Cecelia Archer stopped him.
"You don’t have to be like this."
’Like what?’ Damien Vaughn looked at her with a confused expression.
’Don’t be so overly attentive.’
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but when she met his fever-flushed face and his cheeks, which had grown somewhat hollow from his recent rapid weight loss, Cecelia Archer swallowed them back down.
She suddenly stepped forward and hugged Damien Vaughn.
"We have plenty of time. I promise I won’t get involved with anyone else. We can talk about... us... later. For now, just focus on getting better, okay?"
Damien Vaughn’s mind went blank, the blood rushing to his head. He almost reached out to hug her back.
But he didn’t dare.
The man who made millions of women’s hearts race online was, in front of Cecelia Archer, as cautious as if he were treading on thin ice.
"I’ll listen to you."