Chapter 111
Levi really had eyes everywhere. Even though he was away on a business trip, he was still keeping tabs on me. I was honestly flattered - the old Levi couldn't care less about what I was doing.
These past few days, while he had been away, had been absolutely wonderful. I had been reading books with my daughter, and whenever I had free time, I worked on my own projects.
I had been pretty efficient. My Star series launched this morning, and the feedback from the marketing department had been great - they said we had landed a lot of major orders.
Plus, the factories we worked with were all saying they were swamped with orders and couldn't keep up, even with overtime.
It looked like my star concept had triggered a wave of nostalgia. A lot of people were saying it reminded them of their first love, of themselves carefully folding paper stars with such devotion.
Reading the online reviews made me so happy - this was honestly the best thing that had happened since I came back to the company.
Compared to all my previous work, this was the one I was most satisfied with. I guessed Levi had something to do with it, too. That night, I didn't answer his question directly, but creating this series should count as a pretty clear answer, right?
Nola burst into my office before I could say anything.
She slammed some documents on my desk, saying angrily, "What a shameless jerk! I can't believe it. As a man, as someone in the same industry, he has no class at all!"
"What happened?"
I picked up the documents and looked them over.
"A few days ago, Michael held a press conference saying he got Jessa as his spokesperson and was launching a major new series, right? Well, get this - we launch Stars, and he immediately comes out with a Moon series."
"Moon" series, piercing through the quiet in your heart, touching gentle warmth?
The copy is pretty tacky. Looking at their promotional materials, I felt anger rising inside me.
Nola put her hands on her hips. "Don't you see? This is clearly aimed at us. Pulling this stunt so openly - it's obviously targeting us."
"Don't panic."
I remembered Elliot's expression that day, and couldn't help feeling a chill. Does he know that Michael is coming after me this time?
I get it - industry competition is normal, but deliberately targeting us like this is just despicable.
"We've always kept a low profile. The Star series becoming such a hit was unexpected - you were even worried it wouldn't have a market at first."
Nola was really upset; her hands were shaking.
I stood up to comfort her. "Calm down. We just need to focus on doing our own thing well. If he's got real talent, we'll accept it. If the response is bad, then he's just making a fool of himself trying to copy us."
"You know that's not what I'm upset about."
Nola rubbed her temples. "My immediate reaction is that he's getting revenge. He didn't get much out of the divorce, and your husband pulled his investment, right?"
"Yeah."
"He can't fight Levi, so he's turning on you instead. That's how I see it anyway."
My mind was a mess, too. I've never really gotten involved in their business. Maybe it was just that one time I stood up for Cleo at the Morgan mansion, and now he's targeting me?
"Let's not try to guess his motives - there's no point. We just need to maintain our product quality. The more things heat up, the more we need to stay calm."
"He's riding our coattails, too. Our Star series is so popular right now, and he launches Moon - don't you think he's trying to piggyback on our buzz? People will definitely make comparisons and naturally look into his designs."
I smiled. "Then it comes down to whose work is more convincing."
"Outsiders just watch for the drama - he clearly just wants a piece of the pie."
Nola suddenly brought up Elliot. "And there's WR. I always thought we lucked out with a good investor, but now look - he's using that sardine motivation trick, putting both our companies in his bowl and making us fight each other."
"See, since you've figured it out, how can we calm things down?"
"Don't take the bait."
"Exactly."
Nola sighed. "I just can't swallow this. It's obviously bullying you, bringing personal grudges into work."
"Not necessarily. As you said, what matters most here is profit."
I pulled her to sit down. "Michael will definitely be eager to prove himself to Elliot. So if he doesn't succeed this time, will he still get support later?"
"No matter how good the relationship is, it can't beat profit. Elliot has his own bosses above him - this isn't just his decision."
Nola frowned. "It's infuriating. If he's got the skills, he should rely on his own real talent. Stepping on others to climb up is shameful."
I smiled slightly. "He was never a good person to begin with."
After comforting Nola, it was almost time to get out of work. Anyway, the Star series has already made me very satisfied. I don't want to deal with Michael.
Cleo must be pretty bored at home - she called, saying she was downstairs at my office building and wanted to see me.
I've had a pretty peaceful few days. I wonder what she's unhappy about now. With Levi not home, she can only come to me.
She's an adult, a mother even. When something comes up, she still doesn't handle it herself and always bothers other people.
Levi's driver has been with me lately. When I saw him circling the plaza, I knew Cleo was waiting for me in the car.
"Mrs. Morgan, should we talk at home or in the car?"
The driver asked for my preference.
I saw Cleo get out of the car, and I knew I didn't have a choice.
Cleo walked toward me in her high heels, the clicking sound making me anxious.
"Tell me, what's your deal?"
"Huh?"
I didn't understand what she meant. She came up asking me why, and I don't even know what she's talking about.
"His company launched a Moon series, and you launch a Star series. What are you two playing at?"
I was really stunned by her. Is she joking?
"Please check the timeline. Our company launched first. He's the one following the trend."
Cleo glanced at me. "Stars and moon - pretty romantic, isn't it?"
"Don't let your imagination run wild. You should spend your time caring about your own life instead of maliciously speculating about others." I couldn't believe she was linking me with Michael.
"I've thought about it over and over, and I never imagined you were this kind of woman."
That set me off. "Please don't talk like that. Not everyone sees Michael as some prize."
"You..."
"You two are divorced. You'd better recognize your current status. Are you still clinging to him? But he stopped caring about you long ago."
"You..."
I took a breath. "There are some things I didn't want to say outright, but you've gone too far today. Let me put it this way - I'm technically your sister-in-law now. But even if I weren't Levi's wife, even if you gave me ten thousand chances, I still wouldn't be interested in Michael."
Cleo was speechless.
"And stop associating me with him. Blair Ember has no respect for men who abandon their wives and children."
"I doubt that."
Cleo is really ridiculous. How could I possibly be interested in Michael? I'm a victim in all this, too. What free time would I have to create some romantic star-and-moon connection with Michael!