Chapter 240 The New Book Becomes a Hit
The dishes were served quickly.
During the meal, Tobias's phone almost never stopped ringing, all about business matters.
Finally, when he had a moment of peace, he looked apologetically at Camilla. "I was so busy at Grandma's birthday party yesterday that I didn't get a chance to greet you."
Camilla replied, "No problem."
Tobias was the only boy of this generation in the Learmond family, so socializing was inevitable.
He said, "I heard you're now doing graduate studies at Harmony College? I'm also in Imperial City, so if you need any help, just let me know. My phone number hasn't changed; you still have it, right?"
"Yes, I do," Camilla nodded quickly. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. In the past, you seldom thanked me." Tobias said.
Camilla retorted, "I've become more courteous, I guess."
Tobias chuckled.
Camilla asked, "Tobias, what kind of work are you doing in Imperial City?"
Tobias took a bite of food. "I co-founded a smart home renovation company with a friend. We do whole-house automation, which you can think of as using modern high-tech to renovate homes, like robot commands, whole-house temperature control, automation..."
In recent years, with the rise of artificial intelligence, the home renovation industry had also started to undergo changes.
However, for now, traditional renovations still dominated the market, and smart home renovations were not widely accepted.
Tobias majored in computer AI in college, so starting a smart home renovation business was a good fit for his expertise.
Afraid that Camilla wouldn't understand, he didn't go into too much detail.
Camilla didn't ask for technical details, only about how his business was doing.
Tobias smiled wryly. "In the renovation industry, you only realize how competitive it is once you're in it. Plus, smart home renovation is a new thing, so the early stages are tough. I can't say it's good or bad; it's just barely getting by."
Tobias's vague words made Camilla think his company was indeed struggling but still operational.
However, when she came back from the restroom and passed by the small terrace, she overheard Tobias on the phone.
He said, "We've worked together more than once, right? You know me. What's yours, even if I don't make a profit, I won't shortchange you a penny!"
Tobias paused, then said, "We're a small company, and starting up isn't easy. This time, it's because we haven't received the final payment from the last job, so cash flow is tight. Please bear with us. But by the day after tomorrow at the latest, I guarantee the money will be in your account, not a penny less."
As Tobias spoke, his back unconsciously hunched. "Yes, yes, thank you for understanding. Rest assured, definitely..."
It gave the impression of a young man bent by hardships but still stubbornly holding on.
Camilla took in the scene, realizing Tobias's situation was worse than she had imagined.
When Tobias returned from his call, Camilla was already back at her seat.
She didn't mention what she had overheard.
After they had almost finished eating, he got up to pay the bill. "Let's go, Camilla. I drove, so I'll take you home."
"Okay, thank you."
Tobias dropped Camilla off at her doorstep, saying he had more work to do and left.
Alistair heard the engine and came out to take a look. "It looks like Tobias's car. Did you two run into each other today?"
Camilla took his arm and walked inside. "Yes, we even had a meal together."
"Tobias has been in Imperial City for the past few years. He often sends things, but rarely comes back. This time, at your grandma's birthday party, he did a great job welcoming and entertaining the relatives. He's becoming more like his dad," Alistair couldn't help but remark.
Camilla changed into slippers and walked inside.
Everything was clean and tidy, and the messy living room was back to normal.
She sat on the sofa, stretched out her arms, and leaned back, sighing comfortably. "It's so nice; it feels like home again."
"Of course it does," Alistair laughed. "Three housekeepers, upstairs and downstairs, worked for three hours. Your mom supervised personally, not missing a single corner."
Speaking of Bella.
"Where's Mom?" Camilla looked around.
"She was just here watching TV. Where did she go?"
At that moment, Bella came running out of the study with her phone.
Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and her eyes were sparkling. "It's a hit!"
Camilla asked, "What's a hit?"
Alistair and Camilla looked puzzled.
Bella took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "The new book! My new book!"
Elmer had acted quickly.
Since their meeting in Imperial City, he had been busy arranging the publication.
First came the early publicity: Suspense master Bella returns with a new work after twelve years, following 'The Secret Key' and 'Campus Conspiracy.'
The hype was strong, but the response was not great.
For one, Bella had been away from the suspense genre for years. Though her name still carried weight, it was a past glory, and most readers were not interested.
Secondly, current authors were starting to market themselves like pop stars, building a following through social media and other means.
Bella had been offline for years and didn't even have a public social media account, so where would she get "fans" to do this for her?
As a result, the pre-release buzz for the new book was not good.
Bella was down for two days after hearing this, but Elmer remained calm, reassuring her that in the end, it was the quality of the content that mattered.
With Elmer's push, Bella's new book, "Seven Days' Discourse," was officially published a month ago.
The original title was "Crimson Shadows," but the marketing team thought it was too plain and suggested a change.
After discussing with Elmer, they settled on the new title but still noted the original title in small print on the cover.
A compromise of sorts.
On the day of the official release, the book sold only 72 copies nationwide, a dismal performance.
Among all the books Elmer had published over the years, "Seven Days' Discourse" set a new low for sales.
Bella was very unstable during that time.
She sat in front of her computer every day, anxious and unable to write, feeling unprecedented guilt and remorse towards Elmer.
Elmer had given her the greatest trust, the best resources, and a million-dollar signing bonus, but she had repaid him with such poor sales.
Bella even began to doubt herself, wondering if she was still fit to continue writing.
Did anyone even read her books?
If her work went unread, could she still be called an author?
Bella fell into a spiral of self-doubt.
Alistair saw this and was deeply worried.
But he was an outsider when it came to writing and couldn't help, only worry.
Until Elmer called. "Bella, do you know what the daily sales of 'Seven Days' Discourse' are now?"
Bella's heart trembled. "I'm sorry, I think I might..."