Chapter 180 The Art of Humility
As Luann Weaver stepped out of the bathroom with steaming water ready, she found Myron Curtis had already lain down.
Her fingers, slender as willow branches, disturbed the serene water, creating ripples.
A towel soaked in the warm vapor rested on Myron's skin, and despite the barrier, the heat seemed to ignite Luann's palm.
When she reached his flawless abs, her gaze lingered far too long, and she swallowed hard.
"There, done," she finally announced.
But Myron wasn't quite satisfied, an eyebrow arching up playfully, "That's only half the job. Aren't you going to finish the rest?"
Luann felt a helpless urge to cry.
"It's not like you haven't seen it or touched it before. What's there to be shy about?" Myron teased, adding fuel to the fire.
With a mix of resignation and determination, Luann yanked away the towel from around Myron's waist, shut her eyes, and wiped haphazardly.
By the time she finished, a fine sheen of sweat had formed on her own skin.
"That should do it."
Myron smiled softly, "Thanks, honey."
With a slight pout and a mumble, Luann retreated to the bathroom and did not emerge for a long time.
...
Online, the buzz around Juliet Weaver was fiercer by the minute.
For the first time, Juliet tasted what fame felt like.
Basking in the attention fed right into her vanity as she watched her followers soar, alongside the cascade of praises manufactured by her management.
With her legs crossed and propped up on the bed, she couldn't help but grin in delight.
As the trend intensified, Nicholas found himself bombarded with inquiries.
The moment he played the video, that familiar humming filled the room.
Jasmine looked at him, puzzled. "Nicholas, when did you record Luann singing? It's really lovely."
His face set in a hard line as he stared at the phone.
"What's wrong?"
Jasmine sensed something amiss and leaned in closer.
"Looks like someone's taking credit," Nicholas murmured, his finger aggressively swiping across James' avatar displayed on the screen.
Her expression shifted, a mix of disbelief and anger emerging.
"James? He was there with us? Damn it! How did I not notice?"
"That's clearly Luann's voice—why should he get all the recognition?"
"No, I have to set this straight for Luann!"
In a fit of rage, Jasmine whipped out her phone, fury-loaded words already typed out, ready to be launched.
"Are you trying to put Luann in the hot seat?" Jasmine asked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Look at this rant you’re typing... accusing someone of impersonation, siphoning off popularity, and even threatening legal action..." Nicholas shook his head helplessly, a tinge of melancholy in his gesture.
Jasmine, full of conviction, replied, "What's wrong? Isn't everything I said true?"
"You’re not wrong, but you're missing a crucial point," Nicholas said with a clear head. "James never specifically said who was singing. His post was merely praising the singer's voice."
"It’s the fans who assumed it was Juliet Weaver. If we push this too far and come to blows, James could easily shrug it off with 'I never named names,' and then turn the tables on us."
If James had outright stolen a song performed by Luann Weaver and credited it to Juliet, Jasmine's uproar wouldn't matter.
But the guy was playing dirty tricks.
If they stepped in to defend Luann now, they'd gain nothing and might even spoil Luann Weaver's public appeal.
Nicholas’s warning made Jasmine see the light.
"You might have a point..." she conceded.
Nicholas spread his hands, "I think I might be better suited as a manager."
Jasmine scratched her head sheepishly.
"So, what do we do about this? Should we tell Luann?"
Nicholas raised his index finger and gave it a little shake. "No need. If James has stepped forward, he must have a contingency plan."
"Besides, with Luann’s temperament, she wouldn't bother with such a joke."
"And most importantly, taking on James head-to-head doesn't seem like it'll end well for either of you."
Jasmine immediately bristled. "What are you implying? That I’m not a good enough manager?"
"Don’t you know the answer to that?" Without another word, Nicholas put on his headphones, cranked up the music, and drowned out Jasmine's indignant protests.
Just as Nicholas predicted, Luann Weaver glanced at the trending topic with utter calm, closed the app without a flicker of reaction.
This left James hesitant to proceed with his planned next move, given that Luann hadn't responded at all.
Luann, for her part, paid the matter no mind and went to work early the next morning.
As fate would have it, she ran into Joshua right at the company entrance.
Joshua frowned, looking down.
"Just my luck, running into someone I’d rather avoid first thing in the morning."
"Hey, you’re here early," he greeted.
Luann Weaver approached Joshua with a warmth that could melt the coldest of hearts.
Joshua tilted his head, an unreadable expression on his face.
"Have you forgotten who you have to thank for your return to the company?"
"Let's not brew a storm now, Josh. We'll be crossing paths every day from here on out," she said breezily.
"Assistant Joshua."
Those last two words pierced Joshua's pride like a knife through butter.
Forget it, he thought. He made a mental note to bide his time until he could catch Luann Weaver in a mistake at work. Then he'd report her to the old man, and his day of redemption would arrive.
With that thought, Joshua felt a newfound tolerance for the humiliation he was enduring. Casting Luann a fleeting glance, he strode towards the elevator.
But Luann stepped in, effectively halting Joshua's advance.
"Oops, Assistant Joshua, could you please look up? There's a sign that says 'Reserved for Luann Weaver'."
"You can use the regular elevator."
A muscle in Joshua's jaw twitched.
Perfect, he didn't want to take that cursed lift anyway! It was there he had his run-in with Myron Curtis.
"I thought they removed this thing?"
" Yes, we replaced it with a private one for my office floor," Luann responded, pressing the close door button abruptly.
Joshua rolled his eyes and headed for the standard elevator bank.
He reminisced about the past—when had he ever had to ride with the regular staff?
Full of impatience to get upstairs, Joshua discovered the lift was stopping on nearly every floor, excruciatingly slow.
After a ten-minute wait, he found himself among a crowd.
"Hey, isn't that Joshua?"
"Joshua? We no longer have someone by that name here."
"How'd he get back? Did the Curtis family pull strings to get him a spot again?"
"Who cares about the position. I'm had enough of him. After all the trust I put in him, his deceit is just unforgivable."
Joshua's face set in stone, as if he heard nothing.
