Chapter 399
Leonie was waiting outside the main entrance of LAU Beauty.
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The receptionist looked apologetic as she said, “I’m really sorry, but you can’t go in without an appointment‘
Arielle forced a smile and introduced herself, “I’m Arielle, and this is Miss Avalos. We’re genuinely here to talk about working together. Could you please let Mr. Nixon know we’re waiting?”
Leonie was pretty well–known in Northvale. The receptionist definitely recognized her.
Even though the receptionist recognized Leonie, without an appointment, she still couldn’t let them in and had to shake her head and refuse.
Arielle quickly added, “Miss Avalos had dinner with Mr. Norman from Norman Group and Mr. Nixon just a few days ago They discussed this over dinner, but we simply forgot to set up a formal appointment.”
The receptionist hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. “Alright, come with me.”
After the receptionist led them inside, they met with Ryder’s assistant. The assistant said Ryder was in a video call with the boss and asked them to wait a moment.
As soon as the assistant left, Arielle lowered her voice and said, “Looks like Mr. Norman already put in a good word for us. We might actually have a shot today.”
Arielle added, “Mr. Norman is really invested in your affairs.”
Leonie felt a surge of warmth in her chest. “Herbert’s always looked out for me,” she said.
Arielle nodded in agreement. “Mr. Norman doesn’t just care about you; he went all out for you this time. If he hadn’t stepped in and pressured the higher–ups, there’s no way this mess would’ve ended well.”
Just thinking about it made Leonie fume. ‘Who would’ve thought Aurelia would actually speak up for Mia? Leonie grumbled inwardly.
Not only did Aurelia post a statement on the company’s official account, clarifying that the “sugar daddy” Mia mentioned on Instagram was actually Aurelia herself, the boss of Regal Investment.
She even had Regal Investment’s legal department send cease–and–desist letters to Leonie and all those marketing accounts that had spread the rumors. She even took legal action against the internet trolls.
To keep herself out of trouble, Arielle had to give up the eight hundred promo accounts she’d been running for years. The loss was brutal. But at least Leonie came out unscathed.
Arielle was willing to risk everything because she saw how much Herbert cared about Leonie. She was betting on Leonie making it as his wife and taking her along for the glory.
So she tried to reassure Leonic, “Once you land the LAU Beauty endorsement, everything will turn around for you.”
Leonie felt the same way; she was set on winning that endorsement today, no matter what.
After waiting for about half an hour, the assistant came to invite them in. Leonie and Arielle exchanged a glance.
When they walked in, Ryder was sitting in his chair and didn’t bother to get up. Arielle greeted him warmly and explained why they were there.
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Ryder kept glancing at his computer, responding distractedly, “You know, LAU Beauty has very high standards for our brand ambassadors
Arielle smiled and said, “Absolutely! Miss Avalos’s image and temperament are an excellent fit for your brand. We sincerely hope you’ll consider her. And regarding compensation, she’s willing to endorse your brand without any payment”
She deliberately paused. “You know, Miss Avalos doesn’t need the money, Mr. Norman’s always been generous with her. Her real motivation is her genuine love for LAU Beauty’s products”
Offering an endorsement free of charge was certainly an attractive proposition. Put Ryder just raised an eyebrow and said. Tll need to consult with our boss about the ambassador decision. It’s not something I can decide on my own!
Leonie spoke up right away, “Is it possible to set up a meeting with your bou? I can talk face–to–face
Ryder looked awkward. “Honestly… she probably doesn’t want to see you?
Both Leonie and Arielle were stunned. Arielle quickly asked, “Wait, your boss actually knows Miss Avalon?”
Even Leonie chimed in, “Is there some kind of mix–up?
Ryder just turned his computer screen toward them and said, “Why don’t you tell her yourself?
Both their eyes snapped to the screen. Mia popped up on the screen, waving cheerfully. “Hey, Leonie! Good afternoon!”
Leonie’s smile froze mid–face, as if she’d been hit with a bucket of ice water. And Arielle looked like she’d just swallowed a lemon herself.
Leonie blurted out, “Mr. Nixon, are you sure you haven’t made a mistake? Her voice was shaky with disbelief.
Ryder looked serious as he said, “LAU Beauty has never made our boss’s identity public, but if you’d done a proper background check, you would’ve found out. The owner of LAU Beauty is none other than Mia Turner.”
Leonie and Arielle practically bolted out of the office. Once they were outside LAU Beauty, both of them looked absolutely miserable.
Leonie was furing. “How did you botch the background check? Why didn’t you figure out Mia was the boss behind LAU Beauty? You totally embarrassed me in front of everyone!”
Arielle felt pretty wronged, too. “It takes at least a month to get through all the checks. You just had to rush over today..”
“So now you’re blaming me?” Leonie glared at her.
Arielle immediately clammed up. No one had guessed Mia was actually the boss of LAU Beauty.
Leonie was so pissed that she had nowhere to vent, so she kicked the car tire hard. “What kind of dumb luck does she have? She went and started her own company! And it’s a massive one, too!”
“She must be benefiting from Mr. Norman’s influence,” Arielle said, sounding convinced.
Leonie felt the same way, and that only fueled her jealousy.
Arielle nudged her, “You should get Mr. Norman to back you, too. Once you become a real power player, even the hottest stars will just be your puppets.”
Leonie felt a spark of excitement. On the way back, she kept calculating in her mind how she could leverage Herbert’s resources to make herself rise above everyone else.
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Chapter 399
Before she could come up with anything, Arielle, who was surfing the web, suddenly yelped.
Leonie frowned and snapped, “What are you freaking out about?”
Arielle’s face went ghostly pale. “Something’s gone terribly wrong!”
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Arielle had been in this business for almost twenty years; she’d seen it all. If something could make her lose her cool like this, it had to be a real disaster.
Leonie Avalos snatched the phone from Arielle and glanced at the screen; her face froze. “What the hell?” she blurted out her voice shaking.
“Who posted this?” she demanded, panic in her eyes.
“Who took this damn video?” she shouted, her anger spiking.
Leonie, fuming, called Eugene, ready to rip him a new one for not deleting the video properly. However, he wouldn’t answer her calls at all. When she tried again, his phone was already switched off.
“Take it down! Get someone to take it down right now! I don’t care what it costs, just make it disappear!” Leonie was in full panic mode. If those videos started spreading, her life would be ruined.
Arielle made call after call, then turned to Leonie, her face ghostly pale. “It’s too late. They’ve already gone viral.”
Leonie clutched her head in despair. “It’s over.”
If she had known it would turn out like this, she would never have agreed to make those videos. The thought lingered bitterly as she silently berated herself for being so foolish.
But back then, she was so desperate for a shot at fame that she went along with Eugene’s weird kinks and filmed those dirty videos.
After she got close to Herbert, she used his connections to force Eugene to delete everything.
Eugene had promised he’d wiped them all. But she never expected he would actually lie to her.
After finally getting her hands on those fruit tarts she’d been craving in Claxdon, Mia leaned back in the bean bag chair, etting out a contented sigh.
Life is just so much better now that I’m done with that jerk,’ she thought, feeling genuinely happy.
Aurelia, sitting nearby, barely touched her food and kept checking her phone every few seconds. Mia tilted her head, curious. “What’s up? Waiting for a call?”
‘Nope,” Aurelia said, trying to play it cool.
Mia squinted at her. “It’s all over your face. Come on, just admit it.”
Aurelia looked guilty and instinctively touched her cheek. Mia clicked her tongue. “Don’t tell me you’re waiting for Cassian to call.”
Aurelia sighed. “He’s been dodging me lately. Won’t pick up, won’t text back, even when I ask someone to pass a message; still nothing.”
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Chapter 209
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Now Mis was really arroan. “Why’s he avoiding you? Did he do something embarrassing, and now he’s hiding from you?”
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