Chapter 6
When Grandma saw me coming home late at night, she just froze for a moment, didn’t ask anything, and turned to the kitchen: “There’s soup simmering on the stove. Want me to make you some noodles?“[]
“Yeah.” I leaned against the kitchen door–frame, watching Grandma’s hunched but efficient figure, my nose stinging.[]
This was home–a place that didn’t ask questions, just offered a bowl of hot noodle soup.
“Mrs. Thompson.” I sniffled.[]
“Tomorrow, will you come with me?”
Grandma’s hand stirring the soup paused, but she didn’t turn around. “Where to?“]
“The place Mom left behind.” I said quietly.[]
That woman who’d been blinded by love, who’d abandoned little me and Grandma years ago to run off with some guy who just painted pretty pictures by the sea, saying they’d open a bed–and–breakfast “facing the ocean, with spring warmth and blooming flowers.”
The B&B barely survived, the guy took the money and ran, leaving her alone with the sea and a pile of debts until she died of heartbreak.
That rundown B&B became a thorn in Grandma’s heart that could never be removed, and my childhood cautionary tale against being
“love–struck.”
Grandma was silent for a long time, so long that the soup in the pot was about to boil over.[]
She turned off the heat and turned around]
“…Fine. Let’s go see what kind of mess that foolish girl left behind. Just how bad it really is.”
A few days later, Grandma and I stood in front of the B&B called “Catching Light.“[]
It stood alone on the edge of a sea cliff, salt–tinged ocean wind howling past, making the weathered sign creak and groan.[]
The exterior walls were peeling, the wooden railings on the terrace were rotting and broken, weeds had taken over the yard, and several broken beach chairs lay scattered in the corner, the whole place looking utterly desolate.[]
This was what “love” and “promises” ultimately looked like.
Grandma looked at it all, lips pressed tight, saying nothing as she pushed open the creaking gate.
No sighs, no complaints.
She put down her luggage, rolled up her sleeves, and started clearing the weeds from the yard. I joined in, pulling weeds, sweeping, fixing what furniture we could salvage.[]
Sweat mixed with sea spray stuck to our skin. My body was exhausted, but my mind felt calmer than it had in ages.
Here there was no Dylan, no Susan, no endless marketing tasks and emotional drain–just the sound of waves crashing against rocks and Grandma’s occasional grumbling.
We worked like two diligent ants, slowly deaning up the wreckage left by family
Grandma handled the repairs while I figured out how to make this dump at least livable–contacting workers to fix the root, replace rotting boards, paint the walls… Money flowed out like water. Grandma winced at every expense but didn’t stop me []
Maybe she was using this as her own way of making peace with the past, or maybe she just wanted to give this “me” a little dignity
Life became simple in the rhythm of the ocean waves[]
Work during the day, then sit with Grandma on the cleared little terrace in the evening, feeling the sea breeze, eating simple meals. watching the sunset turn the ocean into scattered gold.]
Grandma gradually started talking more, occasionally sharing embarrassing stories from Mom’s childhood, her tone no longer bitter bun filled with quiet nostalgia and regret
I listened, feeling that thorn in my heart about “mother” slowly softening in the sea breeze.]
Just when I thought life could finally slide peacefully onto a new track, my phone rang.]
I looked at Ms. Parker’s name on the screen, hesitated for a moment, then picked up.
Emma!” Ms. Parker’s voice carried rare panic, hitting me with, “Where are you? Dylan’s in serious trouble!“[]
I walked to the edge of the terrace, the sea wind immediately filling the receiver.]
“Ms. Parker, I already quit.” My voice was calm.]
Before coming here, I’d already made my decision.[]
“I know! But this isn’t the time for that!” Ms. Parker was frantic. “Dylan’s social media accounts–they’ve been managed by that Susan recently, right? She’s completely screwed up!“[]
“What happened?” I asked instinctively.[]
Then immediately felt stupid for asking.]
What did it matter to me?]
“She posted to the wrong account! She took content from Dylan’s private account–where he was bitching about the craft services being awful and complaining about the director being too demanding–and posted it to his official account! She deleted it right away, but screenshots went viral! There are three trending topics about it now! Everyone’s calling him a diva, unprofessional, saying his image is ruined!” Ms. Parker was talking a mile a minute. “And that’s not even the worst part!“]
“She used the official account to like several hit pieces targeting his co–stars, plus a bunch of obvious fan war posts! Now it’s all been exposed! Both rival fandoms and regular people are dragging him, saying his team is bottom–tier trash, saying he’s two–faced!“]
1 listened, easily picturing the chaos in my mind.[]
Susan’s petty schemes and shallow professional abilities couldn’t handle the minefield that was celebrity social media []
She only saw the surface glamour, not understanding that every seemingly casual post, every like required precise judgment and image management
“Ms. Parker, this should be a crisis PR situation for your team to handle.” I reminded her
“It is! We’re handling it! But the damage is too severe!” Ms. Parker’s voice was exhausted and angry
Chapter 6
“Dylan just closed a luxury brand deal, and they’re calling to ask about the situation–their tone is very telling! And there’s an S+ production male lead he was in talks for, now the producers are having second thoughts! He’s completely lost it! What’s worse is… he just found out you quit!”
Ms. Parker took a deep breath. [
“He’s going crazy looking for you! Your phone’s off, your apartment’s empty, he went to the studio… and found all your stuff cleared out! That’s when he panicked! He’s demanding to know why I didn’t tell him! Emma, he’s in terrible shape right now, locked himself in the studio smashing things, no one can calm him down! He… he seems to finally realize you’re gone, and at the worst possible time…“]]
“If he doesn’t cooperate with PR now, he’s finished.“[]
Before Ms. Parker could finish, the newly reinforced wooden door of the B&B behind me was suddenly slammed open with a loud
“BANG!”
