After finishing the shoot, it was already nine at night.
Since they had gifted her the clothes and jewelry, Sarah didn’t want to change there; she planned to wait until she got home.
After a long ride in the company car, she felt exhausted and didn’t want to stay up late reading or watching shows. She figured she’d just shower and go to bed.
Uncertain if Holden was home, she hesitated outside his bedroom door, peeking in to see if anyone was inside.
She wasn’t sure if this endorsement was an opportunity given by Holden. If he was secretly helping her, she would be grateful.
She wasn’t as proud as she pretended to be. If someone was lending her a hand, she wouldn’t loudly claim her independence or talk about not relying on anyone. Having support in life or work was just good fortune, and she intended to seize any opportunity she got.
“What are you spying on?” a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her, startling Sarah as she turned around.
Holden was still in the suit she’d seen him in earlier, but his tie was loosened, giving him a more relaxed look.
Sarah felt cornered against the wall. “I wasn’t spying!”
Holden reached up and touched her collarbone, where she had a tattoo similar to the character she was portraying, making her skin glow with a bright color.
She almost asked him something but swallowed her words. It wouldn’t change how she felt inside.
He opened the door and pulled her in, pushing her down onto the bed. She gasped as she fell onto the soft mattress, feeling a bit dazed.
With Holden’s tall frame pressing down on her, she struggled to push him off. “Dude, you’re gonna crush me!”
Holden looked at her and said, “Kiss me, and I’ll let you go.”
Sarah hesitated. Her lipstick was still on, and kissing him directly on the lips felt wrong. Instead, she quickly pecked his Adam’s apple.
True to his word, Holden released her, letting her sit on his lap. The dress was already short, and sitting there made it ride up even more, exposing her pale thighs beneath his hand.
Despite her usual confidence, Sarah felt a bit shy. Holden seemed to prefer that she initiate the affection.
The fabric of her outfit was slightly irritating, making her want to change into something more comfortable.
Holden actually thought that this kind of seductive outfit didn’t really suit Sarah, even though she looked stunning in it. Sarah naturally had a more innocent vibe, and in Holden’s eyes, she was still that quirky young girl. Such a mature style-and showing so much leg-just didn’t seem right for her. Plus, with makeup that heavy, kissing her would mean smearing foundation everywhere.
When Sarah noticed Holden loosened his grip, she quickly slipped out of his arms and headed to the bathroom to remove her makeup and shower.
Afterward, she came back, lay on the bed, and started scrolling through her phone. She had changed into a lace nightgown, her golden hair draping over her shoulders, still damp at the tips. Not long after, she crashed right there on the bed.
Honestly, wrapped up modestly like that suited her better in Holden’s opinion.
The studio wasted no time releasing the ad video and posters.
Both gamers and casual viewers were impressed. To the game’s fans, Sarah was the Ghost Queen from the game’s Eastern Phantom Realm come to life.
In the video, she stepped slowly through a field of fiery red spider lilies, draped in red robes, captivating and mysterious. With a wave of her hand, legions of ghostly soldiers crumbled into white bones. Then, she smiled into the camera, her gaze enchanting, full of charm and allure.
The short twenty-second clip was flooded with praise and quickly racked up over a hundred thousand shares.
Sarah’s fans, who had noticed the Circle Tech Company account liking her previous posts, had already been expecting a collaboration.
The comment section blew up with excitement:
“OMG, she’s so gorgeous!!”
“She looks insane in period costumes-when’s her next historical drama?”
“…”
Even the notoriously harsh gamers couldn’t help but compliment her:
“Okay, not bad. From now on, pick endorsers who look like this, not random nobodies wasting our money.”
“Why did she cos the Ghost Queen though? Western Continent players think she’d nail Eve.”
“Damn, are those legs real? If only she cosplayed Eve…”
“…”
The gaming community, known for rarely giving compliments and mostly roasting the company, couldn’t find a reason to complain. Some even hoped Sarah would cosplay their favorite characters in the future.
The ad was so effective that even casual viewers were drawn in, and the game saw over a million new downloads.
Clifford, who oversaw Alien Continent and other projects, was stunned. Even hiring an A-list actor for previous campaigns hadn’t generated this much traffic or in-game purchases. Initially, Clifford had agreed to work with Sarah as a favor to Butler Ted, thinking it was a gesture for someone close to Mr. Holden. But now, it felt like Sarah had done them a favor.
Despite not being a household name yet, her commercial value was off the charts, and the video was going viral across multiple platforms. Most of Sarah’s fans were pretty chill, so the ad’s success was mostly driven by organic buzz from random viewers. Clifford now treated Sarah like a prized asset, ensuring no negative comments about her stayed up, and he planned to collaborate with her again in the future.
Meanwhile, Grace’s team and fans were furious. After chasing this partnership for so long and getting nothing in return, they were now plotting their revenge in group chats.
The most surprised of all, though, was Butler Ted.
Since Butler Ted was also working as Sarah’s agent, plenty of business deals started coming his way, including promotions for top international brands. He was currently negotiating a partnership between Sarah and a luxury car brand, which was being handled domestically by the Smith family.
But Ted had realized that the biggest winner from this endorsement deal wasn’t going to be Sarah-it was the company hiring her.
Sarah just had incredible public appeal. Even if the opportunity had been handed to her, she earned every bit of the success herself.
******
The movie The Mysterious Family had already released its posters and promo videos. Director Colby’s films were always popular, generating buzz even during the early stages of promotion. But this time, the reviews were mixed.
Since the movie was based on a novel, fans of the original book were especially picky-particularly about the casting. Everyone in the promo got picked apart.
“Frank again? Ugh, he was so greasy in his last film.”
“What is Frank even wearing in this? Did they put him in some beggar’s rags?”
“Frank always has that smug ‘I’m the coolest’ vibe. In the book, Godfery was supposed to be youthful and energetic. Frank’s basically hitting middle age now, isn’t he?”
Sarah couldn’t help but stifle a laugh when she saw that comment.
Filming The Mysterious Family had been rough, and most of the action scenes were between her and Frank. He even got injured during one shoot.
With the freezing weather and awful boxed lunches, Frank had jokingly complained more than once that the movie had aged him ten years. He kept saying he was going to retire after wrapping up this project.
In the book, the male lead wasn’t exactly a teenager, but his youthful spirit was undeniable. His character started out reckless and impulsive, growing wiser only after going through some tough experiences.
But soon, Sarah wasn’t laughing anymore.