Chapter 687: Cursing Them All the Way Out
Chapter 687: Chapter 687: Cursing Them All the Way Out
Wren Hollis seethed, "What do you mean you’re not interested in the money? I think you’re just scared! Scared you won’t be able to sell a thing!"
"Renee, what are you afraid of? We’re all family. Even if you can’t sell anything, no one’s going to laugh at you. There’s nothing to be scared of," Josie Warren chimed in. "This is a great opportunity. Don’t be a fool. Listen to your grandaunt and give working with Yates a try."
Jacob Warren said earnestly, "Renee, don’t worry about any pressure. The company will give you a commission no matter how much you sell."
Renee: "..."
’At first, I thought Wren Hollis was using reverse psychology,’ she mused. ’But listening to all of this... are they actually being serious?’
She chuckled. "Let me say it again. I’m not interested in your pathetic little pile of cash."
"Not interested?" Wren Hollis sneered. "Who doesn’t love money? Stop putting on an act."
Renee raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Do you have any idea how much companies offer to work with me?"
"How much?" Jacob Warren asked nervously.
Renee replied, "Six hundred thousand for a single post with pictures, eight hundred thousand for a video."
"Six hundred thousand? Eight hundred thousand?" Josie Warren’s eyes flew wide in astonishment. "That much money? For real?"
Wren Hollis scoffed. "That’s got to be a lie. She doesn’t even bother making it sound believable!"
Eugene Warren, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up. "So you made enough money from those ads to buy this huge villa?"
"What’s it to you?" Renee shot back, her face a mask of disdain.
"If being an influencer is so profitable, then our whole family should start streaming," Eugene Warren said to Renee. "And you can teach us how."
’Then we’ll be able to live in a huge villa like this, too.’
"Teach you?" Rhea Dempsey was rendered speechless. "In your dreams! Now get out of here, as far as you can! It’s the New Year, don’t make me get a broom!"
"How can you say something so nasty?" Josie Warren glared. "So rude."
Jacob Warren knew that becoming a content creator wasn’t simple, so he had no plans to dive in and become an influencer himself. For now, he just wanted to leverage Renee’s influence in the pet community to make a name for their brand and increase its recognition.
"Renee," he said seriously, "are you unhappy with the five-percent commission? We can negotiate the financials."
His company had tried contacting other influencers on pet-centric channels before, but their asking prices were far too high for their budget.
They had come to Renee today hoping to use their family ties to get the lowest possible price.
"Stop daydreaming," Renee said coolly. "I turned down offers of six hundred and eight hundred thousand. I’m certainly not interested in your small change."
"You turned them down?" Eugene Warren was even more surprised. "Then how can you afford a villa this nice?"
"None of your damn business!" Renee had lost her patience with these people. ’So infuriating, and during the New Year of all times.’
She pursed her lips and called out softly, "Blueberry."
Receiving the command, Blueberry immediately let out a series of meows. "Brothers and sisters, charge! Drive these wretched humans out!"
In the next instant, all the furry residents of the villa began converging on the living room.
Drake, the most formidable-looking of the pack with his brindle coat, was the first to let out a warning. "WOOF WOOF WOOF! Filthy humans, get out!"
The other dogs joined in, barking excitedly. Boo leaped directly onto the sofa and started yapping right in Eugene Warren’s ear.
Eggy even jumped onto Wren Hollis’s lap. He had seen it clearly—this was the woman who had been the rudest to Renee.
Wren Hollis’s face went white with terror. She shrieked in panic, "What is it doing? Get off! Get off me!"
Eggy barked right back at her. "WOOF! You get lost!"
Hayden Warren was startled too and quickly tried to shoo Eggy away. "Go on, get! Get down!"
Eggy then leaped onto the nearby Jacob Warren. "WOOF WOOF WOOF! You wretched human! You dared to wrong Renee in the past! Get lost!"
Eugene Warren and Josie Warren were too frightened to remain seated. Their faces pale, they scrambled back a few steps.
"Are these little beasts blind?!" Eugene Warren roared in fury.
"You’ve got that wrong. You’re the ones who are blind," Renee said nonchalantly. "This is not a place you should have come. Now get out."
"What is this attitude?" Wren Hollis was trembling with rage. "Don’t think you’re all that just because you live in a big villa!"
Renee gestured toward the exit. "The door is right there. Scram."
Eugene Warren, panting heavily, huffed in anger. "You really think you’re something special? Let me tell you, what goes around comes around. Your luck is going to run out sooner or later!"
"Pah!" Rhea Dempsey shouted, chasing them out. "You’re the ones who are going to have bad luck! Your whole family is cursed! I hope you’re so poor you can never afford a five-course meal! You want to make pet food? Pet food my ass! You should just go bankrupt now!"
Rhea Dempsey hurled insults at them all the way to the villa’s front gate, with the pets providing enthusiastic backup.
"I have never seen such shameless people!" Rhea Dempsey fumed, hands on her hips, as she watched their car drive away.
Back in the living room, Dalton Jenson said nervously, "Renee, if your mom gets angry with me later, make sure you put in a good word for me. I wanted to stop them, I really did, but I couldn’t do it alone. They just forced the door open and pushed their way in..."
Renee’s lips curved into a slight smile. "Don’t worry, Dad."
When Rhea Dempsey returned, she didn’t scold Dalton Jenson. Instead, she walked straight to the kitchen, muttering, "How annoying. They kept me from making my egg tarts."
Willow had already cracked six eggs and was waiting obediently nearby.
"The eggs are all cracked." Rhea Dempsey, who had no intention of separating the yolks and whites, said with a smile, "Just whisk them together with chopsticks."
"Okay, Aunt Rae." Willow picked up two chopsticks and began to deftly whisk the eggs.
Rhea Dempsey’s first attempt at making egg tarts was a success. A rich, sweet, and creamy aroma filled the entire house.
Renee even took a few photos and posted them to her social media feed.
Michelle Fuller drooled with envy in the comments: [Anything made by Aunt Rae is a masterpiece! Are there any left???]
Rhea Dempsey replied to her: [There’s always some for you if you want to eat them, Michelle!]
And so, on the third day of the Lunar New Year, Michelle Fuller showed up with gifts and red envelopes to pay a visit.
She started handing out red envelopes the moment she walked in the door, making sure everyone got one.
After she had given out all her red envelopes, Rhea Dempsey, Dalton Jenson, and Diana Jennings each gave her one in return.
Michelle Fuller accepted them with a broad smile. "Thank you, Aunt Rae, Uncle Dalton, and Sister Bella! I wish you all a smooth and happy New Year! Love you guys!"
Rhea Dempsey was all smiles. "Michelle, have a seat. I’ll go bake some egg tarts for you right now."
"Aunt Rae, please don’t go to any trouble! I was just joking!" Michelle Fuller said, quickly grabbing her hand.
"It’s no trouble at all. They’re super simple, it’ll be done in a jiffy!"
"Really? Are they that easy to make?"
"Absolutely. I’m not kidding."
"In that case, I have to learn how!" Michelle Fuller stood up and affectionately linked her arm through Rhea’s. "I’ll make them for everyone next time."
"You’re so clever, you’ll pick it up just by watching once," Rhea Dempsey said, leading her by the hand toward the kitchen.
Renee watched the two of them head off, an amused smile on her face.
Half an hour later, Renee was scrolling through her feed and saw a new post from Michelle Fuller.
She had already edited a video, documenting the process from the very first step of making the tarts to the moment they came out of the oven.
Just as Renee finished liking the post, she got a call from Sylvia Brooks.