Chapter 181 Mr. Sterling Silently Boosting Sales
Gabriel was absolutely livid at her words, grinding his teeth as he threatened, "Arabella, you listen to me! I forbid you from doing any more of this modeling nonsense! If you need money, I can give it to you. Just stay home where you belong!"
"Mr. Sterling, are you mentally ill? I suggest you see a psychiatrist before your condition becomes incurable!" Arabella completely ignored his outburst, delivering this cutting remark before hanging up decisively.
Gabriel was so furious he nearly smashed his phone!
He really was mentally ill! How could he have fallen for such an impossible woman! She never listened to a word he said, always going against him!
Infuriating!
Gabriel gripped his phone, forcing himself to take deep breaths and calm down. It took several minutes before rationality regained control of his mind.
No, he absolutely couldn't let her do another shoot like that.
But how could he possibly stop her?
Offering money was pointless—she clearly had too much pride for that, otherwise she never would have ended up in this situation.
So what could he do?
Gabriel paced frantically, then suddenly remembered something and immediately made a call.
"Evelyn, how exactly do social media influencers make money from sponsored content?" As someone whose business empire didn't include new media, Gabriel was unfamiliar with how bloggers actually earned income.
Hearing this question, Evelyn immediately understood—Gabriel was clearly planning to secretly help Arabella. She quickly explained, "Influencers need a certain follower base to get sponsorship deals, but the specific profit model depends on their agreement with the brand. Sometimes it's a flat fee per post agreed upon beforehand. Other times it's based on conversion rates—the more sales they generate, the higher their commission. For the fashion brand Mrs. Sterling modeled for, I'd guess it's probably the latter."
Gabriel understood immediately. "So you're saying the more people buy, the more she earns?"
"Exactly. Though I'm not sure about Mrs. Sterling's relationship with the account owner. If she's just working for them, she might have to split the commission. But if the account actually belongs to her, then it's pure profit."
After explaining, Evelyn asked curiously, "Mr. Sterling, is that account actually Mrs. Sterling's?"
Gabriel snapped irritably, "How would I know!" He'd only discovered this whole thing today.
Evelyn muttered, "I thought you might ask her directly."
Gabriel couldn't be bothered to respond. "Fine, you're smart enough to figure out what needs to be done."
Evelyn chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm already promoting it to my friends and sharing the posts to boost Mrs. Sterling's sales."
Gabriel was satisfied. "Your year-end bonus won't disappoint you."
After hanging up, he reopened the social media account. Gabriel studied the main page carefully, but still couldn't determine whether this was actually Arabella's account.
He'd always known she was talented—perhaps during those two years as a stay-at-home wife, she'd been quietly building this online presence.
So as long as he created sales, she would earn money.
Once she had enough money, surely she'd stop doing these modeling shoots, right?
After pondering this logic, he formulated his plan.
————
As dinner approached, Sterling Mansion came alive.
The extended family had returned with their children, filling the grand dining hall with two full tables of guests.
What no one expected was Emily's appearance!
"Joanna, I wanted to wish you early holiday greetings!" Emily approached with a beautiful bouquet, sweet-talking Gabriel's mother.
Unfortunately, Joanna had her hands full with her precious grandson and couldn't accept the flowers directly, nodding to a servant instead. "Why aren't you with your parents today? They only have you—their house must be so quiet."
Emily replied, "They went to visit my grandmother's house, but I didn't want to go, so I snuck away."
Emily's divorce proceedings were equally troubled. She was avoiding going home, afraid of facing more lectures from relatives.
Gabriel remained fixated on his phone, generating sales for his woman's business, completely ignoring Emily's presence.
Emily took the initiative to approach him, peering curiously at his screen. "Gabriel, why are you buying so many women's clothes?"
Gabriel didn't look up. "Corporate event. Preparing some prizes."
"Event prizes?" Emily found this strange. "What kind of corporate event gives away clothing?"
And surely this kind of task should be handled by administrative or logistics departments—why would the CEO personally manage it?
Gabriel's cousin Wendy, who owned a high-end women's boutique, overheard and joined the conversation. "Gabriel, is our company going bankrupt? Why are you handling this kind of thing personally?"
As she spoke, Wendy caught sight of her cousin's phone screen and gasped. "Oh my God, Gabriel, you follow lifestyle bloggers? That's so unexpected!"
Gabriel looked up at her. "You follow this too?"
"Yes! I've been following for two years. This blogger has such great insights—I think she's a single mom, really inspiring!"
"Single mom?" Gabriel's face crumpled into a frown.
So the account owner wasn't that damned woman after all?
Had all his bulk purchases been completely pointless?
"Yes, I've read basically all her articles. Sometimes she writes about her own life and family—she's a single mother raising her daughter alone." Wendy explained while opening her phone. "She posted something new today, but I was too busy to read it earlier..."
Before she finished speaking, she'd already clicked on the account's latest post.
Within seconds, she let out a shocked cry!
"Gabriel, isn't this Arabella?! Wow, she's absolutely stunning and so elegant! That figure—Gabriel, you're so generous letting her model. This account has quite a few male followers too—imagine how many guys are drooling over these photos!"
Wendy's dramatic exclamations successfully drew attention from several cousins and younger family members.
Gabriel was already in a foul mood, and hearing his cousin's words made him even more furious.
The family hadn't yet learned about his impending divorce.
Everyone knew he and Arabella were having marital problems, but what couple didn't fight occasionally? Most assumed they'd work things out eventually.
No one knew Arabella had moved out of Parkside Estate and actually filed for divorce.
Joanna felt embarrassed that her son was being rejected and refused to discuss it.
Wendy's announcement drew everyone closer to examine the phone, and they all erupted in amazed praise.
"By the way Gabriel, why didn't Arabella come back with you? Are you two fighting again?" Wendy looked around curiously.
Gabriel's expression grew uncomfortable. "She's busy with work... couldn't make it."
To maintain his image as a good husband and cover up their marital crisis, he magnanimously announced to all the women present, "Look at that sponsored post—if any of you like those styles, go ahead and buy them. Whatever you spend, come to me for reimbursement."
Wendy was thrilled. "Gabriel! Are you serious? Is this our holiday gift?"
"Consider it that. Hurry up and buy." He frowned impatiently, his face taking on an odd flush.
Under Wendy's guidance, the group of women immediately followed the account and began their shopping spree.