Jonas flew into a rage when he saw the pictures. He threw his phone that hit the wall and smashed to the ground. William was trembling with fear. He hadn't seen Jonas lose his cool like this before.
"Ask the PR department to deal with it. I don't want to see this happen on Weibo again."
Jonas took deep breaths and tried to calm down. He had been telling himself that they were helping each other only for personal gains. Jonas knew that the pictures were fake and someone had photoshopped them.
Although Jonas was aware of what had happened, he couldn't shake the images from his mind. He was feeling uncomfortable.
Jonas didn't doubt the potential of the PR department of Soaring Group. They had taken advanced measures to salvage the situation. They published the news as soon as they got the orders from Jonas. The news became popular and there were many positive comments on Weibo.
The paid posters faded in comparison with the news published by Soaring Group. Some people had hired netizens to slander Melinda and had morphed her pictures but Jonas had proved Melinda's innocence.
The situation had taken a dramatic turn and Melinda became the victim. She had won the hearts of people.
Yulia had been blatantly cursing Melinda in her WeChat moments. The truth had come to light now and it was like a tight slap on her face. She posted another piece of gossip on her WeChat moments.
Yulia's phone chimed with a message. "Yulia, do you want to be an agent like me?"
The message was from the friend she had slapped in the face the other day. Their meeting was quite unpleasant and Yulia was hesitant in the beginning.
But her friend continued to lure her by stating the benefits of doing the job. She evasively stated that Yulia needed to invest a substantial amount of cash in the beginning. They were catering to the needs of a high-end market that required sizeable investments.
"Are you sure it's profitable?"
Yulia asked. Her heart was bubbling with excitement. She wouldn't have to depend on her grandfather for money if she could earn it on her own.
"I made more than one hundred thousand dollar last month and I'm just a fresher. I'll make more money in the future,"
Yulia's friend said. She also sent screenshots of her payment. Yulia tried resisting the urge but she felt that it was a great opportunity and didn't want to miss it.
She decided to take a leap of faith and invested all her money in the agency. Days passed by, but she hadn't seen any products so far. Yulia finally understood that she was scammed when she lost all contact with her friend.
Her friend had blocked her in WeChat. She seemed to abandon her. They had been hanging out with her only for the money. Yulia had lost all her money and her friends seemed to leave one after the other. They were not there for Yulia when she needed them.
Yulia finally understood the harsh reality of life. She couldn't stand the betrayal. She didn't have anyone who genuinely cared for her.
Besides, she was going through a tough phase in the Gu family and had no one to talk to. She was all alone and the loneliness was driving her insane.
The nights were quiet and gloomy after ten o'clock but there was one street that was brimming with a raucous crowd.
Yulia was looking ostentatious in her flashy dress and heavy makeup. She completed her look with a silver bag that was dazzling under the night lights.
Yulia was beautiful and some men whistled in appreciation.
In a bar, she was sitting all by herself in her VIP seat and spoke with everyone who came to hit on her, even though she was depressed.
The blaring music was deafening but Yulia was enjoying every moment of the hilarity. She felt as if she had escaped into a new world that was devoid of troubles and worries.
The party became boisterous at eleven at night. Yulia was almost drunk.
"Do you want to have fun, sweetie?" the man who had been accompanying Yulia asked, sweeping his tongue across his lips.
Yulia squinted at him. Her vision was gloomy. She wrapped her arms across his neck and her face broke into a lopsided grin. "Let's go," she slurred.
It was dark and no one seemed to care about what the others were doing. The people in the bar were also like Yulia, who sought solace in the darkness. They drowned their sorrows in their drink and indulged in debauchery. Yulia soon became addicted to this lifestyle. She didn't feel lonely anymore.
She would go to the bar every night and get completely drunk. She had been seeing the man for the last few days and seemed to get along with him.
When Yulia walked in the bar again, the man waved at her. She smiled and walked to him. She placed her bag on the table and downed a glass of wine.
"You are early today," she said.
"I've been waiting for you," the man flirted.
Although the man wasn't handsome, his seductive eyes seemed to trap her. Yulia's heart was drumming in her chest.
"Isn't it boring to drink wine with green tea every day? Do you want to try something stronger?" the man asked, arching an eyebrow.
Yulia was aware of the tricky games. She bit her lip and looked at him skeptically.
"Come on guys."
The man raised his hand and motioned the people in the next table to join them. He added a little green tea to the wine and gave it to Yulia. The smell of alcohol made Yulia sick but she drank it anyway.
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