Seven Years a Fool One Day a Queen (Kristine and Colton) novel Chapter 58

Eliza couldn’t help but feel speechless at this message.

It had been half a month already, and only now did he think of asking about it? But this also subtly confirmed that Calvin had seen her message a long time ago–he had just chosen to ignore it.

Perhaps the other messages that had sunk without a trace were the same.

Back then, she had been blinded by her own feelings, which made it hard for her to see the truth.

She looked at the message for a few seconds and then immediately removed him from her recent contacts.

Did he still expect her to act like before, always eager to please, replying to messages instantly, picking up calls the moment they came in, ready to :, drop everything at his beck and call?

Not anymore.

Once the page was turned, it was turned for good.

As for why she didn’t delete him from her friend list–well, only people who couldn’t move on, like elementary school kids, would do that.

The next day, Eliza went to Enzo’s studio. When she arrived, she found that there were fewer people than usual.

At first, she thought it was just because people hadn’t arrived yet, but when she left, she realized the positions were actually empty.

She quietly asked Enzo’s assistant about it.

At first, the assistant refused to say anything, but after Eliza pressed, he finally confessed.

Recently, to reduce costs and lighten Eliza’s burden, Enzo had let go of quite a few people. As for the work that had been assigned to them… Enzo had taken it all on himself.

Not only that, but he was also taking on freelance work in his spare time to help subsidize the studio’s expenses…

This had severely cut into his rest time.

The assistant, looking worried, said, “Enzo is only getting less than three hours of sleep every day. If this keeps up, his health will definitely start to deteriorate.”

Eliza left the studio with a heavy heart.

For projects like theirs, big companies didn’t care, and small companies couldn’t afford it.

It was truly a struggle to survive.

With no other choice, Eliza called Belle,

When the call went through, she wasn’t sure how to begin.

But Belle quickly took the lead, “Are you calling me for something?”

“Actually, it’s not really…”

“Cut the crap! Just say it already! I’m busy!”

Only then did Eliza speak up.

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Chapter 58

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner about your startup? You’ve been treating me like a stranger, huh? Do you think I won’t cut ties with you?”

“I just-”

“Enough, enough! No need to explain yourself. Write me a 10,000–word written apology and send it to me, then I’ll think about whether I’ll forgive you.”

Eliza knew by then that Belle wasn’t actually angry.

Belle had Eliza’s bank details, and within moments of hanging up, Eliza saw a transfer of 1,486,409 dollars in her account.

The numbers, a mix of zeroes and units, made her eyes well up.

She knew this was probably all the money Belle had.

4

Belle had spent five years in the modeling industry, starting from being an obscure model to becoming a third–tier one. Her income wasn’t high, and. she had saved up every penny through frugality.

This money, Eliza knew, had taken years of hard work.

So, she couldn’t let this money go to waste.

After receiving the money, Eliza immediately transferred it to the company’s account and instructed Enzo to hire more people. He couldn’t continue taking on all the work himself.

If he collapsed under the pressure, the entire project would come to a halt. The losses they would face then would be far greater than the money they saved, making it all not worth it.

At the same time, Eliza humbled herself, attending various industry gatherings and seizing every opportunity.

It felt like she was back in the early days when she started working on projects at Everest.

But back then, she had the backing of Everest, which made things a little easier.

Only a little.

Because even then, Calvin had been indifferent toward her.

ྂ Ë

He didn’t interfere, didn’t ask, and didn’t help.

In fact, there were many times when he would pour cold water on her efforts and deny the value of her work…

Eliza was never the type to give up easily.

The more he denied her, the more determined she became to prove herself to him.

So, the challenges she faced while starting her business now weren’t anything new,

It was all expected.

That night’s gathering had a lot of familiar faces.

She recognized Quinn, the CEO of Quinn Group, Vega, the CEO of Legacy, Tyler from Starlight Capital, and several other top investors.

This gathering had actually been arranged by Derek for Eliza. It seemed like he was trying to make up for breaking his word earlier.

Of course, these seasoned people had guessed that Eliza’s appearance was part of Derek’s doing, and they were criticizing him for not being loyal.

Eliza made herself take three shots as punishment, explaining that it was her own request for Derek to intervene.

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Chapter 58

Derek spoke up, “Gentlemen, starting a business isn’t easy. Let’s help out a little. If we have money, we can all make money together.”

Quinn, the smiling tiger, said, “Starting a business is never easy. We’ve all struggled through it. Don’t just look at us. President Young from Everest has been through it all too. Eliza should know that better than anyone.”

He leaned back with a sarcastic smile, “If Eliza can’t handle this hardship, maybe she should go back to being President Young’s chief secretary.”

His words were meant to get back at Eliza for turning him down before.

“Thank you, Mr. Quinn, for sharing your successful experience. I’ll work hard,” Eliza smiled calmly, unfazed by his mockery.

Someone else joked, “If you don’t want to go back to Everest, you could come work for me as a secretary. I’m just looking for someone capable and

beautiful.”

“Well, if it’s about being a secretary, I should get priority. I’ve already offered Eliza a chance,” another voice chimed in.

“By the way, I’ve never had the chance to drink a toast from Everest’s chief secretary. After all, our company was too small to even catch Eliza’s eye back then.”

The speaker was from a company that Eliza had rejected when she was working on projects at Everest.

It seemed like they had been holding onto this resentment all these years, which is why they were mocking her now.

“So, Eliza, do you think I’m worthy of drinking a toast from you now?”

Derek tried to intervene, but Eliza proactively took the cup, lowered her posture, and offered the toast, “You’re exaggerating. This is just a self–punishment.”

She downed the drink in one go, leaving the other person speechless. “To be toasted by Everest’s former chief secretary is indeed an honor.”

“Everyone still drinking? Are we late?”

Gideon’s appearance made Eliza’s eyebrows furrow.

“Oh, isn’t this Eliza? Long time no see, and now you’re the one serving drinks?”

His words were just as mean, if not worse, than before.

Eliza’s brow furrowed tightly, her expression cold. She didn’t say anything in front of the crowd, as Gideon, after all, had the Kallis family’s backing, and he was someone these people looked up to.

“Why aren’t you serving me a drink? Am I not worthy?” Gideon purposely made things difficult.

“What are you staring at? Pour the drink! Do you need me to teach you how to serve drinks? You’re so unprofessional!”

Gideon was clearly trying to humiliate Eliza, and no one else dared to speak up.

Eliza tightened her grip on her glass, struggling to control her emotions.

The atmosphere turned tense.

Just as Gideon was about to make another move, two figures appeared at the door.

One of them called out to him, “Gideon, stop causing trouble, Meden is feeling unwell after drinking too much.”

Eliza’s blood froze at the sound of that familiar voice.

Calvin didn’t even glance in her direction, but Eliza still felt uncomfortable.

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