Jill Kensington nodded and took another look at the profile. Then she asked, "So what does he look like?"
Hazel Sinclair tried to recall, but since she’d never met him, she had no idea if he was handsome or not.
She only knew he’d just graduated this year because she’d seen it on his feed.
This Mr. Holloway had posted a graduation celebration: a photo of him clinking glasses with people at a bar, with the caption, "Your boy’s college days are finally over!"
"Should we check his feed?" Hazel Sinclair asked, but her hand was already tapping it open.
She happened upon a nine-photo grid he’d posted three days ago. In the pictures, a young man stood on a beach, shirtless, hitting a volleyball over the net.
He looked ridiculously handsome in every single shot.
"Alright, he’s the one," Jill Kensington said the moment she saw his face.
A classic ’little wolfdog’—exactly her type.
"What’s his name?" Jill Kensington asked, already sending him a friend request.
"Cillian Holloway."
Hearing the name, Jill Kensington giggled. "What a nice name."
Hazel Sinclair offered a friendly reminder, "The guy hangs out in bars all the time. He’s probably a major player."
"We’re here to make money, that’s it. Don’t get emotionally invested unless it’s absolutely crucial. And even then, weigh the pros and cons first."
Hearing this, Jill Kensington scoffed. "You think I’m a lovesick fool like you?"
Hearing the term "lovesick fool," Hazel Sinclair couldn’t help but ask in confusion, "How am I a lovesick fool?"
"If you weren’t a lovesick fool, you wouldn’t have walked away from the prestigious Sinclair family to stick with a bankrupt Leon Sterling," Jill Kensington retorted.
Just then, Chloe’s voice came from outside the breakroom. "Ms. Kensington, what are you two talking about? The livestream has started and there’s no one running the board!"
Hearing this, Jill Kensington immediately snapped back to business. She glanced at Hazel Sinclair and said, "You’re all banged up today, so you can’t be on camera. Stay by my side and learn how to work the control station."
With that, she flipped her hair and strode out of the breakroom.
So Hazel Sinclair sat beside Jill Kensington today, watching how she operated everything. Once she seemed to have gotten the hang of it, Jill let her try it for herself.
And Hazel proved to be a remarkably fast learner. She was soon able to handle things on her own without a single mistake, just like a seasoned pro.
Seeing this, Jill Kensington couldn’t help but tease, "Anyone who didn’t know better would think you’re an old hand at this."
’When it comes to livestreaming sales, I *am* an old hand.’
When it was time to get off work, Hazel Sinclair went downstairs, unlocked a shared bike, and pedaled leisurely back home.
The moment she stepped through the door, Leon Sterling’s plaintive voice called out.
"Hazel, when are you going to quit that job?"
After a long day of work, she came home not to a single word of concern, but to a demand that she quit her job. Hazel Sinclair’s expression instantly darkened.
"Leon Sterling, what is that supposed to mean?" Hazel Sinclair demanded, walking over to him after changing her shoes.
"Am I embarrassing you by getting a job?"
"Or do you just want to lock me up in here forever, so I can’t have a life of my own?"
As much as Hazel Sinclair hated working, she hated the idea of not being able to find her own sense of purpose and self-worth even more.
Even if she didn’t have a job, Hazel Sinclair couldn’t just stay at home for the rest of her life.
There were so many things she wanted to do, like charity work, planting trees in the desert, rescuing wild animals...
Hearing her words, Leon Sterling knew Hazel Sinclair had misunderstood him.
He began to explain, "That’s not what I meant. I want you to spend your time and energy on the things you love, not waste it working for someone else."
"Don’t worry about money. I can earn it, I *will* earn it. I just want to see you shining on a stage," Leon Sterling said, stepping in front of her, his expression incredibly earnest.
He had seen Hazel Sinclair sitting center stage, playing the piano. He had seen her standing with an orchestra, playing the violin in harmony with the ensemble.
The smile on Hazel Sinclair’s face back then was real, a smile that came from the heart.
She enjoyed the stage, loved being on it, and Leon Sterling could feel her passion for the piano and the violin.
Leon Sterling didn’t want to see a brilliant pearl gather dust and lose its shine.
Hearing this, Hazel Sinclair felt a surge of irritation. ’I can’t play the piano or the violin! Those were the original owner’s skills!’
’All I know is video editing, livestream sales, dancing in a girl group, and playing a dead body on a film set!’
’Those are my skills, the tools I use to make a living. I can’t get up on stage and perform a piano piece like the original Hazel could!’
Left with no choice, Hazel Sinclair had to find an excuse to shut him up.
"You tell me to do what I love, but we don’t have a piano, and we don’t have a violin. What am I supposed to play at home? The air?"
"The piano I used to play costs two million, minimum. Can you afford that right now?"
The more Hazel spoke, the angrier she got. She smacked her shoulder, her tone sharp. "You can’t afford it! You can’t afford a Steinway piano, and you can’t afford to buy me a violin with a beautiful tone!"
"I’ll go crazy if I’m stuck at home all day! Are you trying to drive me insane?"
’Actually, I probably wouldn’t go crazy. There are so many handsome guys and beautiful girls online. I could watch them all day and never get tired of it.’
When she said, "Are you trying to drive me insane?" Leon Sterling froze completely.
He lowered his gaze to Hazel Sinclair, his lips moving silently for a long moment before he finally spoke. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to... to pressure you like that."
"I just... I don’t want to see you suffer and struggle."
He’d worked for other people before. Pulling all-nighters and working overtime was the norm, and on top of that, he was constantly given a hard time and berated.
He didn’t want Hazel Sinclair to go through that kind of hell.
Hazel Sinclair was stunned, too. ’Maybe I took that too far,’ she thought.
She pressed her lips together and lowered her head, then said woodenly, "I know you mean well."
"Thank you."
Finally, it was Hazel Sinclair who looked away and spoke slowly. "What are you planning to make for dinner tonight?"
"I’m hungry."
The moment Leon Sterling heard she was hungry, he immediately said, "We have a lot of vegetables left over from yesterday that I haven’t cooked. Evelyn Kendrick is coming over for dinner today, so I bought some seafood and meat."
With that, he headed straight for the kitchen, put on an apron, and got busy.
Watching his retreating figure, Hazel Sinclair sighed, then thought of a way to smooth things over.
She turned and went back to her room to find a pen and paper, then sat down at her vanity and began to write.
Halfway through her writing, she got a call from Evelyn Kendrick.
"Did you get home safe?" Evelyn Kendrick asked.
"Yeah, I’m home safe. When are you coming over for dinner?" Hazel replied.
"On my way now." Evelyn Kendrick was waiting at a red light. It was the evening rush hour, and the traffic was annoyingly jammed.
"Alright. Leon Sterling is busy in the kitchen, so everything should be about ready by the time you get here," Hazel Sinclair said with a smile.
"Okay."
After a brief exchange, they hung up.
Hazel Sinclair tossed her phone aside and finished writing.