Chapter 22: Revenge

Could it be Daniel?

So, the acquisition plan she saw at Daniel's house that day was only part of the picture. But why would he do this?

If she really tried to figure out the reason, the first thought that popped into her mind was revenge.

Was he trying to get back at her for using him five years ago?

But then, she quickly shook her head, dismissing that idea.

Even Gloria knew that selling Jadeite Lane to build skyscrapers would be far less time-consuming and costly than maintaining and preserving it. The math was simple.

Moreover, she wasn't some important figure now, so spending billions just to take revenge on her would be either insane or downright crazy. A fool would know the right choice, let alone someone like Daniel, who had risen to the top of the business world.

Besides, he had long known how important Jadeite Lane was to her.

If he wanted revenge, he could easily team up with Gloria. Watching her futilely stomp her feet, heartbroken, would have been the perfect revenge.

But if it wasn't that, what could it be?

Vivian's mind was in a whirl as she left Jadeite Lane, feeling confused and vaguely agreeing to Auntie He's request to renew the lease for five more years.

It didn't matter, she thought. She wasn't depending on the income from this place. She had bought the shop as a way to preserve some memories.

Auntie He had kept the shop in good condition, and Vivian was happy with that.

She still hadn't managed to sort through her chaotic thoughts when her phone rang. It was Emily.

As soon as Vivian answered, Emily's voice came through mysteriously.

"Vivi, want to take on some freelance work?"

Vivian hesitated for just a moment before answering, "Sure."

After losing 300,000 because of her impulsiveness, she needed to recover. She couldn't even earn that much money selling alcohol in a month. It was painful to swallow the loss.

She replied quickly, and Emily, always chatty, asked, "You're not going to ask what it is? Just going to take it? Aren't you worried I'm going to sell you out?"

A faint laugh came through the phone. "What's there to be scared of? My most valuable treasure, hasn't it always been with you? If I wanted to sell, I'd have done it long ago."

Emily chuckled too, a little smug. "That's true."

Then, as if to claim credit, she added, "Same deal as always. You help me, we split it 70/30. This time, there's quite a bit of money involved."

Rosewood Hotel was part of Emily's family business, and hosting various business banquets and meetings was an important source of income for them.

Emily was sharp-witted. She figured since there was a business event, they must need a host. Vivian was the perfect fit.

Vivian was beautiful, tall, and elegant, with a mix of sophistication and innocence. Her fluent English and hosting experience from university, where she had hosted the welcome parties for four years, made her well-suited for the role.

If it hadn't been for her family's downfall, she might have been hosting for a major TV station by now.

Over the years, whenever Rosewood Hotel needed a host, Vivian was Emily's first choice. From having nothing to now being moderately successful, Vivian owed much of her progress to this side job.

It usually lasted a day, sometimes just a few hours, but it allowed her to network and make money. Why not?

As for the payment split, she trusted Emily. They had worked together many times, and everything was always clear. Taking on work from Emily was far better than dealing with other random business events on her own.

"When is it?" Vivian asked.

She had been dealing with a lot recently, and she was exhausted. She thought about whether she should go for a spa treatment before heading to the event.

But Emily seemed even more rushed. "This afternoon."

"What?"

"Is it that urgent? I'm still at Jadeite Lane. I don't think I'll make it to Rosewood Hotel in time, and I still have to go over the script."

Hosting a small conference was simple—just a few names to remember. But if it was more complicated, there would be technical terms to recall. Even though she was an amateur, she couldn't afford to tarnish her reputation.

It would be embarrassing if she messed up.

The Rosewood Hotel was located in the city center, and Jadeite Lane was closer to the suburbs. It would take almost two hours round-trip.

"No worries, I'll send a driver to pick you up," Emily said. "The makeup artist and stylist will come with you. You can change in the car, review the interview script, everything's ready. Just follow the flow."

Vivian felt something was off.

Normally, they'd at least let her check the script with the interviewees beforehand, but this time, everything was already prepared.

She thought maybe Emily was just in a hurry, so she skipped those steps.

After eating a bowl of cereal at a small shop to tide her over, she waited for about twenty minutes before the car Emily sent arrived.

The driver, stylist, and Emily's assistant were all familiar faces. Once she got into the car, they immediately began preparing.

"Where's Emily?"

"Miss White is at the hotel hosting guests. She's busy with the afternoon press conference. Someone from the city is coming, so she couldn't make it," the stylist said, quickly applying a face mask and serum.

"The city? Is it a government press conference?"

That sounded like a big deal. Why wasn't Emily hosting it herself? Something felt off.

The assistant handed her an iPad. "Miss Pruitt, take a look. You've been a big help. The two hosts we hired earlier got into a car accident and are still in the hospital."

"Other hosts from the city can't make it in time."

That explained why they were calling her.

"This is a press conference for a highly anticipated product launch by a returnee entrepreneur, and it's being hosted by the government. It's a big deal, so we can't afford to mess it up."

The assistant handed her another iPad. "The list of attendees and the interview questions are here. Everything's been approved. You just have to follow the live broadcast."

Vivian suddenly caught on. "Live broadcast?"

She had hosted high-end events before, but they were usually recorded. If anything went wrong, they could just re-record it. But a live broadcast was different—it was all happening in real-time, and once it was out there, there was no taking it back.

One mistake, and it could be shared and recorded everywhere.

"Miss Pruitt, this time they're going for a more accessible approach. The audience will be able to interact with the speakers live."

Not only would it be live-streamed, but the comments would appear in real-time as well.

Vivian sighed. This time, it was a real dilemma.

No wonder Emily said the pay was good—if she did well, she'd get paid handsomely. But if she messed up, her career might be over.

"You should also take a look at the list of attendees. It's important," the assistant added.

As she skimmed through the list, a familiar name caught her eye: UX.Inc.

Her finger paused for a moment as she continued scrolling down, and then Daniel's name—highlighted in red—jumped out at her.

So, the press conference she was hosting was for his company?

The person she would be interviewing live was Daniel?