Chapter 236
Charles clasped his hands together, a glint of anticipation in his eyes.
At last, the chance to bring Vivian down was within reach.
Her recent antics had left him irritated.
As for Oakley, all they needed was that last bit of proof.
Very soon, everything would line up perfectly.
Both of them kept going over the finer points as the hours crept by.
By afternoon, Vivian moved on to the next stage of her promotions.
Across towering billboards, new clips from Love of
Vivian flashed brightly, each one tagged with the announcement that the premiere was only a week away.
Ordinarily, locking in a movie's schedule meant lengthy negotiations, but Vivian had leaned directly on Brandon's network.
Prime advertising slots were usually claimed months in advance and someone might have booked them already, yet somehow, every major billboard now carried Love of Vivian's banners.
The sudden takeover sent the Internet into a frenzy.
Watson.Group headquarters, top floor, CEO's office.
Brandon stood by the massive floor-to-ceiling window, his eyes on the endless traffic far below.
The click of high heels drew closer, and Vivian stopped beside him.
"Thanks, Brandon." She smiled warmly.
Though the Watson Group had stepped back from Love of Vivian, she was now relying on Brandon's personal influence, something that was proving incredibly effective.
She even intended, once Love of Vivian premiered, to push for all Watson Group employees to buy a ticket,presenting it as a company benefit.
Brandon didn't glance her way. For the past few days, he had been this way, no longer quick-tempered, but calm and silent.
He said nothing to her, watching the clouds drift past, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.
Vivian studied the sharp lines of his face, a trace of irritation tugging at her expression before she smoothed it away.
Why bother with his coldness? A month from now,he would still end up marrying her.
The thought drew another smile from her.
Everything was right where she wanted it.
That evening, Vivian went live on her streaming channel.
With the heavy wave of promotion behind her, the moment her stream began, viewers flooded in by the thousands.
She leaned closer to the camera, smiling.
"Hello, everyone," she said warmly. "I've seen your messages. Yes, Love of Vivian hits theaters in just one week. I've planned something simple for tonight's stream. We'll keep it relaxed, just talking about things connected to Love of Vivian."
Vivian then began telling the story behind the song Glimmer of Love, a tale she had touched on before during Heavenly Melody.
A number of her fans had been with her since her illness, and hearing this again stirred up old memories.
"This song reflects what I went through back then-
the pain, the despair of hearing I had little time left,the fight to keep going, and the choice to use what time I had to help others facing the same fate..."
Vivian spoke quietly, and then began to hum Glimmer of Love into the microphone.
The stream itself was short, and once it ended, she immediately uploaded a new video.
"With only four months left, I'm stepping into the spotlight for my very first film production."
The video leaned heavily on her looming death, tying it to the original reason she wrote Glimmer of Love. It touched on her love, her grief, the hopelessness she once felt, and the empathy she gained in those moments, along with her determination to give strength to others in similar situations.
It connected Love of Vivian to Glimmer of Love so tightly.
Within hours, the video shot to the top of the trending list.
#VivianSimpsonLoveofVivian
The hashtag dominated the number one spot, with comments flooding in beneath it.
Vivian watched it all unfold, knowing it was only part of theplan. She sent a quick message to Johnny.
He understood immediately, instructing his team to move fast.
Not long after, another post surfaced online,one that laid out the things Vivian had done since learning her time was short.
Her live streams chronicled life with a terminal illness and were meant to give strength to fellow patients.
Her participation in Heavenly Melody proved that even with death on the horizon, life could still have a meaning.
Her appearances at the charity gala raised awareness for sick children, showing her generosity and compassion.
The video went further, listing other moments from her journey, each paired with clips and emphasized by the gentle notes of Glimmer of Love. It left countless viewers in tears.
"She's incredible. In her place, I would've thrown in the towel... maybe even given up on life."
"I saw her collapse more than once because of her condition."
"Still, that doesn't make up for how she treated Millie. That live stream at Serenity Villa was downright vile!"
"Hey, Vivian already apologized and even canceled the luxury villa floral design project. What else do you want? Want her dead?"
"Exactly! That was an accident. A pipe burst at the original location. Sure, she didn't handle it well, but she's apologized sincerely! She knows she messed up and has taken responsibility!"
The arguments online raged on, but most of the
noise was carefully steered by Johnny's team.
With Vivian having apologized and dropped the project, any critic was quickly silenced with the talk of Vivian's apology.
She had already said she was sorry; what more could anyone demand? Did they want her gone entirely?
That refrain echoed across the Internet.
The debates fizzled out as most people lost interest,leaving paid trolls to flood nearly every post.
Charles scrolled through the chaos, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Honestly, Vivian's a genius at spinning publicity," he remarked, throwing a glance at Millie, who was in the middle of discussing countermeasures with Seville.
Seville looked up. "How about giving me some credit,boss? I've been the one keeping her off balance."
And it was true. Seville had been crafting the perfect illusion for Vivian-the constant opposition that never
managed to beat her.
Even the so-called disruption to Love of Vivian's release was part of the ruse.
It was all worked out after Millie sat down with them.
"If we just sit on our hands, she'll start wondering what we're up to. So we make a little noise, enough to look weak, while letting her believe she's in control. People who think they hold all the cards tend to miss the traps right in front of them."
That was Millie's strategy.
As timing was everything, they needed to control it.
This was, in truth, the last chance Millie was willing to give Vivian.
While Charles and Seville exchanged jabs, Millie's phone buzzed.
She checked the screen, it was a call to Eva's number.
Stepping away from the table, Millie answered the
call, her voice low and rough. "Who's this?"
"You know exactly who's calling." It was Vivian's voice. "I want to talk. Tell me where you are."
Millie checked the time. It was 7:30 in the evening.
"Evans Entertainment," she said.