Chapter 95

The phone screen lit up with a bank notification displaying a six-figure royalty payment.

Emily Smith stared at the numbers. The gloom that had weighed her down for days instantly lifted.

This was the proudest moment of her twenty-two years.

Money earned through her own efforts felt more satisfying than anything else.

Near noon, Mia Harris's call brought another pleasant surprise.

Mia sounded mysterious on the phone, only saying she was waiting downstairs at the company to have lunch together.

When they met at the restaurant, Emily learned Mia had just finished an interview at BestTech Group.

"When did you apply?" Emily set down her chopsticks in surprise. "You kept it from me?"

Mia winked. "Why tell you? So you could ask Vice President Johnson for favors?"

Emily shook her head. "I don’t have that kind of influence."

"Relax." Mia pinched her cheek. "The HR director is my mom’s best friend. Besides—" She flipped her long hair. "With my qualifications, landing an HR specialist position is a piece of cake."

"You’ve always been outstanding," Emily said sincerely.

"Exactly!" Mia raised her juice glass. "Now we’ll be colleagues and besties. Cheers!"

Their glasses clinked with a crisp sound.

Soon, it was the eve of their graduation ceremony on Friday.

Emily finished her recording work early for once but tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

Thinking about seeing her classmates after months apart, she grabbed her phone.

The university group chat was flooded with unread messages. She scrolled quickly but found no mention of herself, then exited to browse social media.

Among the posts, one photo uploaded half an hour ago stood out painfully.

Though the poster’s profile picture was unfamiliar, the people in the photo were all too recognizable.

The first image showed a lavish banquet hall, crystal chandeliers glinting above clinking glasses.

The second was a group photo—William Johnson stood at the center with Olivia Davis in his arms, his lips curved in a careless smile, eyes gleaming.

In the corner, George Taylor and two others stood in tailored suits, raising their glasses in celebration.