Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
“Yes. We’re still investigating the matter. Once we’re done, we shall get back to you.”
The staff knew what actually happened, but he couldn’t say it. Five minutes ago, his boss called, asking him to ban a certain channel. He looked at the name of the channel, and he fell silent. First, the channel hadn’t said anything sensitive or spread fake news. Two, the channel was Jethro’s private channel. If he banned Jethro’s channel, he might get into trouble, but his boss adamantly told him to do it and promised he wouldn’t shoulder any responsibility. So, he did as he was told, albeit a bit reluctantly. Now that Elspeth was asking him, he got nervous.
“Can you undo the ban, then?”
The staff froze. But the boss didn’t give me that permission. “There’s something wrong with the channel. We can’t undo the ban that easily. You might have to wait.”
Elspeth narrowed her eyes and hissed, “So, you banned the channel without knowing the reason, and you refuse to unban it, is that right?”
The staff member was starting to sweat. “I didn’t mean that, miss.” Someone, help me.
“You have five minutes. Unban the channel, or I’m going to lodge a complaint against you,” Elspeth sneered. “You banned an Azure channel for no reason. I see you don’t value our partnership.”
That’s out of my depth. Things are getting serious. The staff calmed her down first before calling Callum. “Sir, Miss Lynwood demands an immediate unban of the channel.”
Callum snapped, “Refused.”
“But she’s going to lodge a complaint against me otherwise.” The customer service thought this was unfair. This has nothing to do with me. I don’t want to be blamed for this. “She’s not the boss of this company.”
I see. “Yes, true. She’s not.”
“Then, do as I say.”
The staff member was relieved, but he still was a little nervous. “What if she calls again?”
Callum was quiet for a while, then he said, “Then redirect her call to my office.”
The customer service staff member patted his chest. As long as I don’t have to deal with this.
Elspeth put her faith in the staff member and waited for an answer, but nothing happened even half an hour later. Frustrated, she made a call, but nobody picked it up even after two minutes. When she called the second time, a familiar voice spoke, and she froze. Callum? “Callum, is that you?”
“Yes. What is it?” Callum said calmly.
“You’re the company’s boss, aren’t you?” Elspeth remembered that the founder of this app was Winthrop Group.
“Yes.”
“Why did you ban Jethro’s channel for no reason?”
Callum asked coolly, “What does that have to do with you?”
“I’m his boss, and he works for me. His account’s banning will affect my company’s earnings greatly,” she lied.
Jethro being banned alone wouldn’t affect her company at all, but she had to make the issue seem as big as possible to make Callum pay attention.
However, Callum was unfazed. In fact, he scoffed. “I can’t believe you’re relying on an influencer to stay afloat.”
He’s mocking me and my whole existence? Annoyed, she mocked, “And I can’t believe your employee would ban a user’s account for no reason. But when they have a boss like you, I can see why.”
She’s mocking me? Callum frowned. Annoyance and frustration welled up within him, and conflicting emotions filled his heart.
“Just unban the account,” Elspeth said without hesitation. Callum was surprised she had the courage.
“And why do you think you can order me around?”
Elspeth stubbornly said, “You banned the account for no reason. I have the right to lodge a complaint.”
“Do it. See if it works.”
Elspeth didn’t expect Callum to act this way, and she felt powerless. “What happened to you?”
Callum was signing his documents, and he froze. “You have no right to ask. You’re no longer related to me.”
Then, he hung up right away.
Jasmine had been eavesdropping outside Callum’s office for a long time now. After Callum hung up, she walked into the office, pretending that she had just arrived. “You seem upset. Did something happen?” She put on an act of innocence, her voice as soft as cotton and velvet.
“Nothing. Just work. Got to me,” said Callum coldly.
Jasmine stepped forth and placed her hand on his shoulder, kneading it. “I know you love your work, but don’t push yourself. I would worry.”
Frustrated, Callum wanted to push her hand away, but he held himself back and smiled at her. “Thank you, Jasmine. It’s good to have you here.”
Jasmine was surprised that Callum would react so positively, and she was delighted. So, he’s accepted me? I knew it. I knew he would give me a chance as long as I worked for it. She heard the call. It was from Elspeth, and Callum snapped at her. What a joke. She gave up on him, and now she’s calling just to beg him to take her back? I bet Callum’s disgusted with her. If I keep this up, he’ll marry me sooner or later. All I have to do is be nice to him. The thought delighted her, and she kept smiling.
“Someone’s happy. Did something happen?” Callum took interest for the first time in a while.
Jasmine met his smile, her heart racing. “Yeah, something good.”
“As long as you’re happy.” Callum quietly pushed her hand away from his shoulder. “I have work to do. I can’t accompany you now, so why don’t you go home without me? We’ll meet when I have time.”
That disappointed Jasmine a little, but at least it was better than how they went along earlier, so she backed off to avoid annoying Callum. “Don’t push yourself, then. I’ll be going now.” She clutched her chest and ran away.
Callum saw her off and frowned. Then, he wiped his shoulder with a tissue and tossed it into the bin, feeling disgusted.
…
Elspeth was in a bind, pacing back and forth.
Looking at Elspeth who seemed ready to explode, Jethro asked helplessly, “Why are you so worried?”
“I’m not. I’m mad. Very mad.” Even if he doesn’t like me anymore, there’s no need to come at me. What’s his deal? He’s coming down on me hard. It’s like that’s his only purpose in life.
Jethro had no idea what she was thinking. He thought she was angry because his account was banned, and he crossed his legs, languidly looking at her. “Calm down. It’s not that important.”
“The account? No, no it’s not.” Elspeth took a deep breath. “But for now, it is. What are you going to do now that you have no account?”
“I can just create another one. It’s going to be fine.” My fans care about me, not my account. I can gain my fans back if I just make another account.
“But it’s hard to gain back all your fans in a short time if you make a new account.”
“What will you do, then?” Jethro scratched his head.
“I’m going to see Callum and make him unban your account.” It’s not easy to gain nearly ten million fans in just a few days. It’s doable the first time, but not the second.
“You’re going to him?” Jethro didn’t like the idea. “Nope. I told you I could make another. Moreover, it’s not like he’ll unban my account. I heard the call. He obviously doesn’t want to do that.”
Jethro just didn’t want her to see Callum. What if their love for each other was rekindled again? Then my wooing her would have been for nothing.
“Can you gain back all your fans, then?”
Jethro nodded confidently. “Of course.”
Elspeth doubted it, but she would give him a chance.
Jethro spent the next few days working earnestly, though he would still pick her up after work. She thought he was finally focusing on his work, and since it had been a busy week, she left him to his own devices. On one fine day, Elspeth was working in her office when Jethro came in and placed his phone on the table. “Here.”
What’s with that mysterious smile? Curious, Elspeth turned her attention to the phone on the table, and she was shocked. She couldn’t believe Jethro’s new account had twenty million followers, and it had only been a week since he created it. “Is this your account?” Elspeth asked.
“Yeah. Look at the new video. It has my name on it.” Jethro put both his hands behind his head, smiling.
“Where did you get this account?” Elspeth didn’t think he worked on this account himself. He wasn’t that powerful.
“Fine. I bought it.”
He bought it? An account with this many followers must have cost millions. “Your family sure is rich,” she mocked.
The disdain in her eyes didn’t escape Jethro, and he felt awkward. “I wouldn’t have done that if I could help it. I was going to work on my new account the best I could, but no matter what I did, the algorithm wouldn’t put me on the front page. I had to buy a spot on Trending, and the cost for that alone was higher than the new account’s price.” He didn’t care about the millions he spent, but the look Elspeth gave him made him uneasy.
Well, if he says so. The algorithm wouldn’t suggest his channel? Callum. But why? To get to me? “Why did you still buy it, then?” Elspeth sighed. “Someone’s obviously trying to restrict you. You should quit the influencer industry for now.” She was dissuading him.
