"Thanks, Claire!"
Yolande looked ready to tackle Claire with a massive kiss.
Claire anticipated the move and smoothly blocked her.
"Yolande, I appreciate the gratitude, but we can skip the kisses."
If Yolande had a thought bubble over her head, it would read: Claire has rejected your affection!
"Come on, my lips are super soft. Are you sure you don't want to try?"
Seeing Claire's utter refusal, Yolande playfully teased her.
"Absolutely not!" Claire quickly crossed her arms defensively.
Owen listened to the exchange, goosebumps rising on his arms.
"Knock it off, you're going to be a terrible influence on Claire!" Owen shot her a look of pure disgust.
He hadn't expected his cousin to be quite so bold.
"I was just joking. Why are you guys taking it so seriously?"
Yolande pouted, looking thoroughly bored.
Claire stared at her vibrant red lips. "Yolande, what brand of lipstick is that? Is it toxic?"
Yolande scoffed. "... You really know how to ruin a mood!"
She then shot a glance at Owen. Didn't he know better than anyone?
Out of all their cousins, he definitely had the most dating experience.
"How am I ruining the mood?" Claire threw her hands up defensively. "It's a valid question. If Owen's company ever launches a lipstick line, we absolutely have to ensure it's non-toxic!"
Owen nodded in agreement. "I've already decided on a name for our brand. Luminate. What do you think?"
It was a clever nod to her aesthetic and the radiant results they promised.
"Do we really have to name it after me?" Claire felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of embarrassment.
But then she remembered that another brand had already been built around her persona. Whatever, as long as they liked it!
Claire dropped the subject. The next major step was the official launch of the Luminate Scar Recovery Gel.
The internet was buzzing with hype, mostly because Sienna Darwin and Oakley had both heavily promoted it on their main social media accounts.
They had even posted personal photos to back up their recommendations.
The fact that their scars had healed so flawlessly after using the gel was the ultimate proof.
The fans were absolutely stunned.
[I can't believe it. Even A-list stars are selling out for cash grabs these days.]
[I could understand Sienna doing it She's practically disabled now. Pivoting to livestream sales and playing the resilient survivor card makes sense.]
[But Oakley? He's the biggest actor in the industry right now!]
[He just got into a car accident; his career isn't over.]
[Why is he stooping to this kind of cheap promotion?]
[This Luminate Scar Recovery Gel is new, and the company
just founded. They must home
serious financial backing.
[I bet their manager, Karla, forced them to do this. Why else would they both
promote it at the exact same time?]
[Why don't you just say Karla owns the company while you're at it?]
The fans simply refused to believe that two top-tier actors would resort to a cheap cash grab.
People were half-joking that Oakley and Sienna had been held hostage and forced to post the ads.
Especially Oakley. His career was peaking, and he absolutely didn't need the money.
Internet sleuths dug desperately to
uncover the company's mysterious, boss, but they only found a legal representative with the last name Churchill.
It was a name nobody in the industry had ever heard of.
It didn't sound like a powerful tycoon. Could the real boss be hiding in the shadows, using a young lover as a frontman?
[Owen Churchill. Anyone know who this guy is?]
[Never heard of Owen Churchill, but I do have an advanced math professor named Norris Churchill. The names are super similar.]
[You're from The Cabinda University, right? One of Professor Norris's students?] [Don't know Owen Churchill, but my CEO's name is Phil Churchill.]
[Wait, are they three brothers?]
[Churchill... Have any of you heard of a billionaire named Padgett Churchill? The Churchill Family?]
[I'm way more interested in Professor Norris. He is insanely hot. [Image attached]. He's absolutely magnetic when he lectures.]