Hiding Behind Her Superficiality by Kyla Olson

Chapter 406

Chapter 406

Chapter 406 Throwing Money Away for a Beauty

Agnes felt a burden lifted off her chest after she was given Elspeth's assurance. Head high and chest puffed, she appeared more relaxed during the photoshopping, which came as a surprise for the staff around her. They knew she was the subject of online abuse, but she appeared happy and unconcerned at that moment.

Is she not quite right in her head?

Agnes ignored the judgmental looks around her. Since she got Elspeth's word that she would be protected, she decided to give Elspeth full trust and wait for the good news.

As expected, an announcement was released in the afternoon. It was the candidacy list for the models of Azure Corporation's new product. Apart from Yelena and another good-looking actress, the other two names were Skylar Byron and Agnes. This was Azure Corporation's first attempt at getting influencers to be models, hence the waves of shock throughout the Internet as netizens flocked to check out the news. They were astonished to find Agnes as one of the candidates.

'How is that possible? How can she be Azure's model?'

'Why not? She's quite pretty. Her vibe fits the jewelry design this time around.'

'She's from a company under Azure. Do you think the CEO is trying to hype her up?'

'Look! Agnes' name is above Skylar's! Her poster is larger and nicer. They're promoting her, for sure.'

'Tsk tsk. She's backed with all the resources during her debut. I bet she doesn't need to act cute like Skylar.'

'Our Agnes has her charm. She shouldn't be compared to that five-foot-three woman.'

'I'll leave you guys to hate on Agnes Braille. I'm gonna follow her socials, though. I'll be one of her oldest fans when she becomes popular down the road.'

'How sneaky of you! I'm doing that too!'

…

There was a huge change in the situation. Agnes sighed at the shift of tone in the comment section and marveled at the power of money. She believed Skylar had to be furious about it.

The incident wrapped up with a change in online sentiments. Not long after, Skylar sent a message, explaining that Agnes, a newcomer, should be allowed to shine and that Agnes was not copying her.

Although she appeared to be speaking up for Agnes, it was nothing more than an attempt to maintain a positive public image. At the end of the day, her action was for her benefit.

After the incident died down, Elspeth received a surprise message from Arthur. She had no idea how many social media accounts he possessed because she had blocked about five of his Facebook accounts along with his phone number.

'You there?' he texted.

She frowned and sent a question mark.

'I have a new idea regarding the model for your jewelry.'

She could not hold back from taking a jab at him, seeing how unabashed he was. 'What does our jewelry have to do with you? Mr. Winthrop, if you care so much about the models, why don't you come up with your jewelry line?'

He had anticipated her sarcastic remark and replied calmly, 'I'll pay you four million to hear me out.'

'Four million? There's nothing to be discussed.'

'Seven million.'

When she saw his offer, she rewrote her text message. 'Perhaps you have a creative idea. Tell me about it.'

Arthur's lips twitched when he saw her reply. 'I want to talk to you in person.'

'But I don't, so no deal.'

He knew he could not jump the horse and nodded reluctantly. 'Okay, then. I'll tell you over text. I want Aldea Swift from our company to model your jewelry. You can give me a number.'

Aldea Swift? Elspeth could vaguely picture that woman in her head, but she was confused as to why Arthur would spend tons of money on a random model for a minor advertisement deal.

'Are you into her?'

'Why? Are you jealous?'

She rolled her eyes and replied, 'Ha-ha. Very funny.'

'If you're jealous, just let me know. I can drop her.'

She gritted her teeth and smirked. 'That'd be unnecessary. I'm not interested in you anyway. Don't read too much into it.'

'Oh, okay. What do you think about my suggestion, then?' He was referring to his idea of using Aldea as the model.

'I don't think that'll work because I've already found my models. There are only two slots for influencers.'

'I'll offer eleven million for a position.' Arthur was being too generous.

Elspeth ran a quick calculation and immediately got a clear idea of the cost and benefit. 'Deal.'

In this situation, she had no choice but to sacrifice Skylar. To protect her integrity, she made another announcement online, which clarified that Arthur had paid eleven million to get Aldea modeling for the jewelry. Under the tough situation, she had to make Aldea and Agnes the two influencer models, given how Skylar wanted to give more opportunities to the newcomers.

When Skylar received the news, she felt immensely regretful for making the previous statement. Had she known there would be a turn of events, she would not have made that announcement! Now, she had to give up her position to Agnes!

While she was wallowing in pain and regret, the Internet was unconcerned about her predicament. Instead, everyone's attention was on Arthur and Aldea after reading Elspeth's new announcement. They were saying the CEO of Winthrop Group was throwing money away for a beauty.

Still, he did not care about the comments online. When everyone assumed he had spent a fortune on a new female influencer, only he knew the reason behind doing so. In reality, he spent eleven million just so he could meet with Elspeth. The thought of her constipated expression and forced smiles when she had to collaborate with him amused him to no end. Therefore, the eleven million was undoubtedly worth it.

…

Elspeth thought the drama about the jewelry models had come to a perfect ending. To her dismay, she received a call at night from Callum, who sounded icy. "Elspeth."

Hearing his unfriendly voice, she wondered why she did not block his number earlier when she had the chance.

"Mr. Winthrop. What makes you call this late at night?" She sounded distant, but he was unbothered by it.

He revealed his intention soon. "I wanna talk about the modeling for your company's jewelry."

"Why? Do you want a gig for your lover too?"

The word 'lover' sounded jarring to him, and his face soured. A short silence later, he uttered slowly in a low voice, "Jasmine said she'd love to model for your jewelry too."