A Journey from Bitterness to Truth (Matilda and Yvan) novel Chapter 241

When Adrian spoke those words, Matilda found herself forgetting to breathe, her heart skipping beats in disarray. His eyes were fatally mesmerizing, and as Matilda locked her gaze onto them, she was nearly sucked into their depths. She snapped back to reality when the elevator doors glided open, shoving him away with a mix of urgency and confusion, "I have no clue what you're talking about."

Adrian watched her with an amused smile as she hurried out, eyeing her retreating figure for a long while before sending the elevator down to the underground parking lot. Strolling out with a hand casually tucked in his pocket, he dialed a number, his expression turning deadly serious as if he were an Olympian god gracing the earth with his presence. "It's me," he said, "What's the verdict on the Orson situation?"

...

When Matilda got to work that day, Yoshi greeted her with a booming "Top of the world!" and lifted her up in a bear hug shouting, "Goddess! I've got epic news!" Baxter sat back in his chair, chuckling at the commotion, as Matilda, startled, tried to regain her bearings, "Hold on, put me down, what happened?"

"Mia's been benched!" Yoshi, wearing a grin as wide as a Cheshire cat, carried Matilda over to her desk, "You know how they wanted Mia as the face of our game? She's out now!" Matilda paused, a bit taken aback, "What's the deal?" Yoshi boasted, "No idea, but early morning the higher-ups announced it – no more collaborations with Mia. She's tarnishing our game studio's rep out there!" Luna clapped her hands gleefully, "That's what I call justice!"

Hala, with a smirk, chimed in, "Mia for our spokesperson? Matilda's a better fit – fairer, taller, more elegant. No contest!" "Yeah! Imagine Matilda and Orson as a power couple for publicity!" Luna's eyes sparkled, "Let's start a Facebook page, 'Daily Dose of the Love Factory,' posting about our office shenanigans, and hype up the Matilda-Orson dynamic. That'll get us the buzz we need!"

Matilda chuckled, "Hey, planning my life right in front of me, are we sure that's okay?" Hala slapped her chest with confidence, "Leave it to me! Before I turned novelist, I was a paparazzo – I've seen enough celebrity dirt to know how to stir the pot without burning the soup!" The idea alone was terrifying! Matilda swallowed her objections, then added, "Just don't overdo it, okay? A little studio drama is fine to spice things up."

"Got it." Luna swiftly set up the studio's social media account and rounded up some followers. In just an hour, they had a following of fifty to sixty thousand. Right on cue, Orson stumbled into work, groggy and bleary-eyed. Barely seated, Luna pounced with her phone, snapping away at his face, and posted the best shots on Facebook.

【Daily Dose of the Love Factory: Our studio's king of tardiness, Orson!】 Accompanied by a photo of Orson dozing off at his desk, the post instantly drew screams of "So handsome!" from adoring fans urging the studio to debut him. That afternoon, as the studio's financial backer, Adrian dropped by for a tour, looking every bit the magnate inspecting his domain. He casually left a bag of treats on Matilda's desk with a smile and walked out, while Hala and Luna peered after him, turning to Matilda with curiosity, "What's your deal with the Simpson family's golden boy?"

Matilda's smile was awkward, "Neighbor...?" "Neighbor?" Luna's jaw dropped, "I'm starting to think he moved near you just to chase after you." Matilda played it cool, "No biggie. Orson's crashing at my place, too."

No way! Yoshi slammed his hand on the desk, "You beast! Never judge a book by its cover!" Orson lifted his head from his slumber, "What's up?" "When did you and our goddess start an item? Living together?!" Yoshi's dinosaur hat, complete with a mouth that seemed ready to spew flames, added a comedic touch, "How could you! Can you include me?"

Matilda laughed, sharing the cheesecake with everyone, "He needed a place to stay, and mine was available." "Ah, serendipity," Hala said, biting into the tangy cheesecake, "Now I get why it's got a sour note; someone's sending jealous vibes."

Matilda couldn't help but picture Adrian jealous, though she doubted he even knew what it meant to care, flitting from one social event to another, never attached. Thanks to Matilda, the crew enjoyed an unexpected afternoon treat, with Luna patting her belly, "At this rate, I'll be plump from all the treats from Matilda's admirers."

Matilda looked up from her screen with a smile, "Please, I'm begging you, drop it. And for the record, there's nothing between me and Adrian." She knew he was too dangerous, not someone to rely on.