Chapter 209 Shut Down Over One Comment
Xena had been running around all day, trying to cover the Sackler Group's losses with that fifty million dollars. She finally got a chance to check her phone and, to her shock, saw that Raymond and Paige were trending.
Xena was livid. She snatched her phone and went to Margaret.
Margaret was floored when she saw the news. She said, "Oh no, how could he be with Paige so soon? Is he trying to ruin the Sackler family?"
After her initial jealousy, Xena calmed down a bit. "Grandma, it's not over yet. Don't worry. Look at how many people are talking about them online. We can use this to our advantage. Let's spread rumors that the guy is already married. We can hire some trolls, get their wedding photos, and steer public opinion. They'll be so busy dealing with that, they won't have time to focus on us."
Margaret thought Xena had a point. But she was still worried. "What if this backfires on us? It could be a disaster if they trace it back to us."
Xena reassured her, "Don't worry, Grandma. Elijah's got his own people who won't rat us out." Margaret felt better hearing it was Elijah's people.
Meanwhile, Pearl had been keeping an eye on the online buzz and noticed something weird that evening. "Why are there negative comments now?"
Everything had been going smoothly online, with a positive trend. Suddenly, there was a bunch of negative stuff.
There wasn't any specific news out yet because Hawke Corporation was still working on their second draft of the news release. The Universe Group's statement hadn't been released, and Paige hadn't had time to review it.
"It's crazy. Everyone online seems to have an opinion. If they can't find a problem, they'll just make one up. I've never seen anything like this." Pearl complained, and Raymond asked, "What's wrong?"
Pearl showed him a screenshot. Raymond said, "They must be targeting me since I'm the one who got the money."
Pearl was confused. "What money?"
Paige sensed something was off. Raymond had been a bit reckless lately, speaking without thinking. He might spill the beans if she didn't stop him.
Paige pretended to cough twice. "Mr. Carnegie, watch what you say." It wasn't appropriate to discuss private jokes with others.
But Raymond didn't care much about the negative comments online. He turned and called Charles. "Yeah, shut down those negative accounts for good." Paige and Pearl were scratching their heads over Raymond's actions.
Xena, who was supposed to be relaxing in the evening, had to pull an all-nighter because of the trending topic about Paige and Raymond. "Accounts shut down? What did you guys do? How did they get shut down so fast, just for saying something? How could one comment lead to a shutdown?"
Elijah quickly realized something was off. "It looks like Paige's side has already caught on. Shutting down accounts like this means they've jumped ahead on the PR issue."
Xena was losing her cool. "What if they don't make any announcements? I can't wait around!" She wanted to keep them so busy with online drama that Raymond and Paige wouldn't have time to think about her and the fifty million dollars. The last thing she needed was Paige finding out.
She thought this was the perfect time since they were already divorced. But she never imagined they were still together. Just yesterday, she saw other friends at Raymond and Lily's wedding. But she hadn't figured out if the wedding actually happened until now.
If everything went smoothly, Raymond should be with Lily the day after the wedding. But it was weird that Raymond was with Paige, not Lily. And the guy who had been in a wheelchair for years was now standing.
Xena couldn't waste any more time. She looked at Elijah with a sad expression.
Elijah had grown up with Xena and always had a thing for her. So he couldn't say no to her sad eyes. "I don't think there's any rush. You want to stir up trouble to keep them busy, but they might already be swamped. Look at the online comments; they're everywhere. Raymond is a big deal in the Carnegie family, and there are tons of people online wondering if Paige is tied to the Universe Group.‘’
Elijah continued, ''Even if the Carnegie family stays quiet, the Universe Group won't just sit back. They'll step in to clear things up and say Paige has nothing to do with them."
Hearing Elijah's words, Xena's face got even darker. Elijah asked, "Did I say something wrong?"
Xena snapped, "The whole Universe Group belongs to Paige. How could they distance themselves? Once they speak out, public opinion will shift in another direction!" Xena knew the situation all too well.
When Xena said this, Elijah was stunned. "What? You mean, the Universe Group belongs to Paige?"
