Chapter 197 He Has Always Been Silently Supporting You
Ella's official account "Say No More" had gone viral for the second time, drawing attention once again. Social media analysts were even creating content explaining its success model.
Arabella had always loved writing and had plenty of manuscripts tucked away, but she had never imagined her words could be published for others to read—and even earn money.
With Ella's encouragement, she pulled out her old drafts to polish and edit, planning to publish them all.
She had even written a novel-length coming-of-age story—over 100,000 words. When Ella accidentally discovered it and read through it, she was full of praise.
"I knew you had talent! This novel could be published too. Who knows—maybe a publisher will notice and we could get a book deal!"
Arabella wasn't entirely convinced. "I wrote this sophomore year. I think the writing style is pretty immature..."
"Maybe a little—but you can revise it. Just try! I used to serialize a novel on my old blog, but back then blogs didn't have much reach, so it fizzled out."
Ella refused to let such talent go to waste. She encouraged her relentlessly: "Really, just revise it and start serializing after New Year's. You could update twice a week or so. Begin with free chapters, then charge for later ones. Oh, and pick a pen name! Even though it'll be published on Say No More, use your own pen name. That way if we ever get a book deal or sell adaptation rights, it'll all be yours."
Arabella was somewhat intimidated by the future Ella painted, her smile turning uneasy. "Ella... I just realized you're really good at making empty promises. Is that a CEO thing?"
"Who's making empty promises? I'm serious!"
Seeing Ella's wide-eyed, earnest expression, Arabella finally believed she wasn't just fooling around.
Well, she had time to spare anyway. She might as well try—completely revising and polishing the manuscript, then typing it up for serialization after New Year's.
Eager to dive in, Arabella was practically itching to start revising all 100,000 words at once.
Noticing her enthusiasm, Ella glanced at her watch as a reminder, "It's almost noon. Don't forget we're having lunch with Manuel today."
"Oh, right."
Manuel had returned from his business trip and heard about their thriving little enterprise, insisted they treat him to lunch. Faced with their investor's request, Ella naturally readily agreed.
At the restaurant they had chosen, Arabella and Ella had just stepped out of their car when Manuel approached from behind. "Arabella! Ella!"
They turned around, surprised. "What a coincidence—You just arrived too!"
"Yeah, I was meeting with some business partners nearby this morning. This location worked out perfectly." Manuel quickly caught up, walking alongside the two women as they headed toward the elevator .
Ella had been in great spirits lately and teased, "Abandoning your business partners to have lunch with us—we're honored!"
Manuel smiled warmly. "You two are also my business partners, and rising stars at that. I wouldn't dare neglect you."
This mutual flattery made them all laugh.
In the elevator, Ella turned to him curiously. "So didn't you really buy anything this time?"
Manuel spread his hands. "Nope. I'm a single guy—how long would it take me to use up all those skincare products?"
Ella remained silent, but shot Arabella a meaningful glance.
Manuel caught the exchange, his expression puzzled. "What's this about? Did this sales spike happen the same way as last time—someone making large bulk purchases?"
Arabella nodded. "Yes. The buying was concentrated over three days, all bulk orders using our blog's discount codes. Around twenty different buyers in total. The remaining scattered orders were probably from genuine followers—those seemed normal."
After opening the studio, with Manuel's investment providing sufficient funding, Ella had also invested in marketing and promotion—basically buying traffic.
These efforts had given Say No More greater exposure and reach, quickly gaining another wave of followers whose purchasing power had also increased.
But the follower purchases paled in comparison to those bulk orders.
"Actually, this isn't necessarily good. If we want to build something lasting, it has to be based on our reputation and product quality, supported by our follower community. If someone keeps artificially inflating our numbers, it's just a bubble—unless they can keep it up forever."
So Ella's excitement was only temporary.
She wanted to figure out who was throwing money around to support them, thank them properly, and then explain why it wasn't sustainable.
Manuel's first thought was Gabriel.
He knew Gabriel had turned over a new leaf—finally recognizing his wife's worth, and was desperately refusing to divorce.
So pulling this kind of childish, ridiculous stunt wasn't entirely shocking.
He glanced at Arabella several times, wondering what she thought, but she kept her eyes downcast, lost in thought—her expression impossible to read.
Before they'd finished eating, Ella's phone rang.
She barely answered before jumping up in panic, responding repeatedly, "Okay, okay—I'll be right there."
Arabella asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
"The after-school program teacher says Emma fell and cut her forehead. I need to go check on her immediately." She grabbed her purse while answering, hurrying off. "You two take your time eating. I have to go."
Arabella wanted to ask if she should come along too, but didn't get the chance.
That left only her and Manuel at the table, the atmosphere suddenly awkward.
Manuel watched Ella's hurried retreating figure and sighed, "Ella's got it tough. A single woman juggling childcare while building a business—managing both takes real skill."
"Absolutely. I really admire her! Meeting her has given me so much confidence about my own future. She's my role model." This wasn't flattery—it was Arabella's heartfelt admiration.
"Don't worry, your future will keep getting better." Manuel smiled warmly, encouraging her.
With Ella gone, they stopped discussing work.
Manuel cut his steak, glancing up at her before asking directly, "Has Gabriel contacted you recently? Have you two talked any more about the divorce?"
Arabella pressed her lips together, lowering her eyes somewhat guiltily.
She couldn't bring herself to admit she'd reconnected with Gabriel and made that particularly humiliating agreement with him.
"He did come to see me..." After a moment of silence, Arabella slowly nodded.
Manuel wasn't surprised, and asked directly again, "Is he the one who's been supporting your business behind the scenes? Have you asked him about it?"
Arabella shook her head. "No... After the first clothing sales spike, I thought you'd helped us. But when you said you hadn't this time—and the sales were so impressive again—that's when I started suspecting him. I just haven't had a chance to confirm it."
The night she'd moved into her new place, Gabriel had shamelessly insisted on staying over. Then all that chaos happened the next morning, leaving her too emotionally rattled to remember to ask about it.
Manuel said gravely, "It seems he really doesn't want to divorce you."