Spoiled by the Silver Fox

"Alright, I'm going then."

Stephanie had had more than her fill of dealing with Zola and her clan. They were the epitome of opportunists, always the first to jump at any chance to grab a freebie.

The way she saw it, if people like them ended up doing well, it was all on their own merits. And if they didn't, well, they had only themselves to blame.

She had done all she could to shield her mom from being constantly hassled.

"Steph, you haven't parked properly yet!"

Suddenly, a handsome young guy approached her and offered, "If you don't mind, I can park it for you."

Stephanie blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of the guy and responded, "Hank?"

"Stephanie, it's nice you remember me."

She snorted with laughter, "How could I forget? But Hank, what are you doing with them? Aren't you working at the bar anymore?"

Hank gave a wry smile, "Ran into some trouble at home. needed cash urgently. The boss of this company spotted me at the bar, thought I had the makings of an social media influencer. so he poached me, signed me on for a ten-year stint and gave me an advance on the pay."

To Stephanie, life was as unpredictable as ever.

She hadn't seen them for merely half a year, yet the people around her had changed dramatically.

He used to be just a bartender in uniform, handsome for sure, but not particularly noticeable. Now, with a bit of grooming and a new haircut, he was almost unrecognizable - a tall drink of water, pushing six feet.

Only eighteen, Hank probably still had some growing to do.

She looked at him thoughtfully and asked, "Hank, can I ask you a serious question?"

"What is it?" he asked, perplexed.

"Do you actually like being a social media influencer?"

Hank's smile was tinged with bitterness, "I don't have much of a choice." "So, you don't like it?"

"I'm not cut out for it. I don't know

what to say to people when I'm in live streaming. The company gave me training, but I still haven't got used to it."

Hank had a rough start in life, dropping out of school young to work at the bar. He carried a sense of inferiority within him. Despite his good looks, he lacked confidence. Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

In a crowd, he was the least noticeable, always walking with his head down.

Otherwise, Stephanie wouldn't have failed to recognize him immediately.

She sighed inwardly and said, "Hank, help me park the car, then come with me."

"Steph, you two know each other?" Zola was curious.

"Yeah, we used to work together."

"Oh." Zola glanced at Hank, then whispered to Stephanie, "He's not good news. When I first joined the studio, there were rumors about him stealing. If it weren't for his

Lelkim

long-term contract, he would have

been kicked out of the company by

now."

Stephanie's brow furrowed slightly.

"I'll be careful."

"I've warned you, just watch out for yourself. I'm heading out with some colleagues, the company has an event planned."

"Bye."

Once Zola returned to the group, she was bombarded with questions.

With an air of pride, Zola declared, "That's my very own cousin, the future Mrs. CEO of Skyline Corporation! She's been all the rage online recently." The crowd gasped in awe, "She's your cousin?"

"Yep! My mom and her mom are sisters."

The crowd was visibly skeptical.

After all, could two cousins really be that different?