[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603220ECDF1-565":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},565,7,"Chapter 7: Counting the Zeros on the Price Tag","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The intern arrived on time the next morning.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She was young, vibrant, and possessed the kind of wide-eyed curiosity that hadn't yet learned to mask itself. She stared at Violette Ellis for a long beat, lost in thought, before realizing she was being unprofessional. She scratched the back of her head, trying to smooth things over. \"Ms. Ellis, your skin is just perfect.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Flattery is the universal currency of entry-level employees.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette hadn't intended to pull a power trip anyway, so she cut straight to the chase. \"Did you review the materials from yesterday?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I did,\" the intern said. \"I’ve practically memorized them.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Do you have a draft of the interview questions?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"…Uh, I have some rough notes.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That was a polite way of saying no.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette turned her laptop around to face her. \"These are some of my past interview scripts. Use them as a reference. Researching a subject’s background is standard, but you have to add depth based on the latest developments—especially with post-match interviews. A lot of the best questions come from reacting to the live action. Study the logic behind these lines.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I understand.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The intern squinted at the screen, deep in thought. After a moment, she asked, \"So... if I draft the questions, does that mean I’m the one on camera?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette nodded. \"You write it, you own it. That’s how this works.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The intern looked stunned, as if she hadn't expected to be handed the reins so soon after walking through the front door. \"I... I can do that?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette gave her shoulder a firm pat. \"Just stay as confident as you were when you said you’d 'memorized it.'\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bolstered by the pep talk, the intern straightened her posture and hurried off. Violette watched her go and exhaled. Young people were so easy to motivate.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">***\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The intern’s draft was excellent.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette reviewed it and took it to Arthur Campbell. As she was leaving, she added nonchalantly, \"Emma Fox has a solid handle on the narrative. If you don’t have any objections, I’d like to have her conduct the on-camera interview this time.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Arthur looked at her, clearly hesitant. After a long silence, he relented. \"Everyone has their first time, but you’re the pro here. See that she doesn’t trip.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Understood.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette finally allowed herself a sigh of relief. She tracked down Emma to deliver the news. The intern immediately reverted to the jittery, nervous wreck she’d been on day one.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mentor, I’m so nervous.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Over the past few days, Emma had latched onto the title \"Mentor,\" despite Violette’s repeated requests to just use her name. Emma ignored the suggestion, repeating the title so often that Violette had eventually stopped trying to correct her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette encouraged her. \"What are you nervous about? Do you plan on never stepping in front of a camera again?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"But the other interns who started when I did are still stuck fetching coffee and filing papers! They haven't even written a single paragraph of copy.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It was an unspoken rule in the industry: rookies were expected to play the role of glorified servants, catering to the veterans' every whim. Violette hated it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She shot the girl a sharp look. \"Did I hire you to be a barista?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Emma grinned, knowing she’d landed with a good mentor. But the nerves remained. It was her first time on camera, after all; it required a certain sense of occasion.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mentor, let me take you to dinner tonight? Could you walk me through the details? What should I wear? Should I smile, or keep it professional? What if I miss a question? What if I stutter? Oh god, I feel like I’m going to forget the whole script!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette messaged Roman Griffin to let him know she’d be out with a colleague. He replied: *Fine by me. I have a dinner meeting too.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">They went to a new Cantonese-style bistro near the station. Away from the office, Emma was much more talkative. She rattled off all her questions, and once she was satisfied with the answers, the conversation drifted into the personal.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mentor, are you really married?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette didn’t answer with words; she simply held up her left hand to show the ring on her finger. It was a simple rose-gold band, a delicate Möbius strip.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Emma had noticed the ring at the station, but she’d assumed it was just a piece of jewelry. The gossip had been that Violette married some mega-wealthy mogul. Surely, the wife of such a man would be sporting a diamond the size of a pigeon egg, right?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Emma stared at the ring for a long time.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Huh?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What's with the 'huh'?\" Violette asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It’s just... unexpected,\" Emma said. \"Mentor, is this really all he bought you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette suddenly felt a strange urge to defend Roman’s reputation. She offered a bit of sagely, worldly advice: \"Flashy displays aren't going to put food on the table.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Uh... sure...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*But cheap jewelry doesn't buy you wealth either!* Emma thought, though she kept it to herself. She couldn't help but think of the rumors that had swirled before she even joined the team.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Back then, the internet had been obsessed with the \"shipping\" of Violette and Blake Pierce. He was the sunny, brilliant puppy; she was the intelligent, gentle older woman. Every frame of them together was treated like a sacred image for their fan base. They’d never officially confirmed anything, but the public knew. The tension between them was palpable.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Fans would obsess over the smallest details—him glancing at her, her smiling when she turned away, a womanly charm on his backpack, identical water bottles, matching locations in their photos. It drove the internet mad. Truth be told, Emma had been one of those people. Her phone was still full of fan fiction about them.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The news of Violette’s sudden marriage to someone other than Blake had left Emma with a lingering sense of disappointment. When she’d found out she was assigned to Violette and would be covering the tennis tour, her secret thought had been: *I’m here to infiltrate the inner circle.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Now, this cheap band on Violette's finger reignited her fighting spirit. *If it were Blake, he’d never let Violette settle for something like this!*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Emma ducked her head and pulled out her phone under the table, searching for the ring. A picture popped up, followed by the retail price. She started counting the zeros. One, two, three, four, five, six...\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Right. Her fighting spirit evaporated instantly.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272917036]