Free Web NovelChapter 47: Chapter 47: Trouble at the House
Though Sonia Quincy had been posting on Spudster for many days, this was the first time she had received so many notifications.
There were so many messages that she only gave them a cursory glance before tapping into her account’s homepage to check her follower count.
"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands! Over twelve hundred followers!" Seeing the number, Sonia Quincy almost screamed out loud.
Her follower count on the platform was just over three hundred yesterday, but in a single night, it had skyrocketed to over twelve hundred!
An increase of over nine hundred might be nothing to a major influencer, but for a newcomer to the platform like Sonia Quincy, it was a remarkable achievement.
Sonia Quincy wanted to laugh, but she was afraid of waking Felix Preston, so she could only cover her mouth and celebrate silently.
"What’s so funny?" Felix Preston had woken up at some point, and his sudden voice made Sonia Quincy’s heart skip a beat.
Sonia Quincy immediately locked her phone and quickly came up with a lie. "Nothing. I just... I saw a funny post online. You’re awake. Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
Felix Preston shook his head. "No, I’m up. Things are busy at the studio today, so I have to get there early."
Sonia Quincy threw back the covers and got out of bed. "I’ll go make breakfast, then."
Felix Preston’s gaze followed her retreating figure. "Thank you."
Sonia Quincy: "Not at all!"
Felix Preston had a lot on his plate today and was in a rush. He hadn’t even finished his breakfast when Evan Yates called to hurry him out the door.
He quickly finished the last few mouthfuls of his congee, took a moment to say goodbye to Sonia Quincy, and then rushed off.
Sonia Quincy was home alone again.
After finishing breakfast and clearing the dishes, she sat down at her desk and opened the Spudster app.
The number of likes and comments on yesterday’s post was still climbing. As Sonia Quincy watched the numbers on her dashboard steadily increase, an idea popped into her head—
’Since people like this quirky, abstract style, why not lean into it and build a following?’
’Before she transmigrated, she had managed to gain over a million followers across all platforms, but that was purely through her body of work. That kind of growth was slow and difficult to monetize.’
’Back then, she was on her own and could support herself just by drawing, so she didn’t care about how many followers she had or if her accounts were popular. But things were different now.’
’Now that she was determined to make money online, she couldn’t be as passive and go-with-the-flow as before. She had to pinpoint her style and build a sizable following in the shortest time possible. That way, she could not only sell her designs but also take on ads and collaborations.’
’Influencers make good money. If she could get a piece of that pie, would she have to worry about supporting her child and husband?’
With a clear direction in mind, Sonia Quincy was eager to take action.
But before she could do that, she had to finish revising the design draft.
"Sigh... So much talent, if only I could clone myself!" she lamented with a sigh.
Once her moment of self-pity was over, she picked up her tablet and dutifully went back to revising the design.
It was almost noon when Lynn Preston called. Sonia Quincy rubbed the sore spot between her eyebrows and slowly picked up her phone from the desk.
Today was Lynn Preston’s second day at Apex Design, so when Sonia Quincy saw her name on the caller ID, she assumed Lynn had discovered something.
"Lynn? Gathered any intel?"
"Sonia, something’s happened!" Lynn Preston had no time for pleasantries, her words tumbling out in a panic. "The agent Mom hired brought a couple to see the house today, but somehow, the man fell and broke his arm inside!"
"His wife is making a huge scene at the house right now, screaming for Mom to compensate them. Mom can’t handle her on her own, you have to go check on her!"
"I’m on my way!" Sonia Quincy didn’t dare waste a second. She shot up from her chair, grabbed her bag, and ran for the door, only to double back halfway to grab her tablet.
"What about you, Lynn? Can you come over?"
Lynn Preston: "I just asked my supervisor for time off, but he wouldn’t approve it, so I probably can’t make it back. Sonia, I’ll have to trouble you to head over first. I’ll call my brother right now!"
Sonia Quincy: "Okay!"
Mrs. Preston’s house was quite a distance from her own place; it would take nearly an hour to get there, even by cab.
There were still a few finishing touches left on the design draft. During the cab ride, she worked frantically on her tablet, managing to send the draft to Mina Jennings just as she was getting out of the car.
"Pay up! You’re going to pay up today! You’re asking for over three million for this dump, and you can’t even bother to make the floors non-slip?"
"My husband and I came here today, all excited to see the house. We were planning on getting married as soon as we found a place! But now, thanks to you, my husband is in the hospital, and my wedding has to be postponed. You have to compensate me for this!"
"Miss, please, calm down. Just listen to me..."
"Listen to you my ass! What is there to say? You just don’t want to pay, do you? Let me tell you, you are paying today! Not only are you going to pay my husband’s medical bills, but you’re also going to compensate us for the costs of postponing our wedding..."
Sonia Quincy had just reached the building when she heard a woman’s shrill voice shouting nonstop, interspersed with Mrs. Preston’s helpless attempts at placation.
Sonia Quincy quickened her pace, almost breaking into a run as she rushed into the elevator and headed upstairs.
DING. The elevator doors opened. Sonia Quincy strode out, and as she turned the corner, she saw Mrs. Preston standing at the apartment doorway, in a strained negotiation with another woman.
"Mom," Sonia Quincy called out, rushing over to pull Mrs. Preston behind her protectively.
"...Sonia?" Mrs. Preston stared at Sonia Quincy, still processing. "What are you doing here?"
Sonia Quincy held her arm, shielding her from the shouting woman. "Lynn called me," she said in a low, steady voice. "She said you’d run into some trouble and that I should come check, so I grabbed a cab right away."
"That girl..." Mrs. Preston frowned, looking troubled. "I told her not to bother you. Why did she call you anyway?"
"Sonia, dear, don’t worry about this. You go inside and rest. Just leave it to me."
"Rest? What’s there to rest about?" Seeing Sonia Quincy, the woman instantly redirected her tirade. "Finally, someone who can make a decision shows up. Why are you trying to hide her in the house?"
"You must be this old hag’s daughter, right? Don’t you go anywhere. I’ve got a bone to pick with you."
"Fine." Sonia Quincy agreed readily. She pulled her phone from her bag and started a voice recording, adding a warning for the woman, "We can talk this out, but before we do, I should let you know that I’m pregnant. So you’d best watch your tone. If you upset me and something happens, you’ll be the one paying compensation."
"P-Pregnant?" The woman froze, her eyes instinctively dropping to Sonia Quincy’s stomach. Sonia was over four months along, and her baby bump was clearly visible. One glance was all it took for the woman to know she wasn’t lying.
Pregnant women have a natural "do not provoke" buff. Facing Sonia Quincy, the woman’s arrogant demeanor instantly lost a third of its intensity.
