The Mistress Listed the $999 Item for $9.9
Oh, Mr. Forrester, please trust me! I promise I can handle it this time!
My husband, completely charmed, insisted on putting her in the control room to manage the central console.
Our team of seasoned hosts stood ready, their energy electric, each one poised to passionately pitch their products.
The clock struck 11:11 PM. On cue, every host across every channel shouted in unison, The deals are live!
A split second later, a product originally priced at $999 was listed at $9.99and sold out a million times over.
And just like that, I knew. My husband's company was finished.
1
The last time this happened, I fought tooth and nail to keep Tina out of the control room. I ignored my husband Benjamins repeated warnings and threats, physically blocking her from the console.
Our sales that night shattered records, topping a hundred million. But instead of celebrating, Benjamin furiously handed me divorce papers.
It was a perfect chance for a rookie to get some experience! Why did you have to stick your nose in it?
I tried to explain that Id personally seen Tina change the price tag to $9.99, but he just shoved me to the floor.
The companys veteran hosts stood up for me, presenting a mountain of evidence of Tinas past mistakeswrong products, incorrect prices, botched links. The board of directors saw the proof and ordered the legal department to recoup the three million dollars in potential losses she had almost caused.
Unable to pay it back, Tina leaped from the roof of the company building.
To avenge her, Benjamin locked me in the warehouses walk-in freezer and left me to die.
Alice! hed screamed, his voice echoing in the frigid darkness. It was only three million dollars! You used to burn through that much on fan giveaways without batting an eye, so why did you have to target her?
Since you care so much about this merchandise, you can be buried with it! Lets see who wants to buy products that have been sitting next to a corpse!
I froze to death in that dark, steel box, my body turning a bruised, ugly purple. My last breath was a vow: if I had another chance, I would never, ever stop Tina from changing that price.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back. It was the day of the Black Friday livestream.
Alice, one of my senior managers whispered, her face tight with worry. Mr. Forrester is insisting that Tina be on the console. Were talking about billions in potential traffic today. Maybe you should be the one to make the call and keep her out.
I glanced through the glass door of the control room. Tina was outside, peering in with wide, curious eyes. A tremor of ice-cold memory shot through me.
Our eyes met. She beamed and pushed the door open.
Alice, I knew you wouldnt defy Mr. Forrester! He said if I do a great job managing the console tonight, itll be amazing for my resume. A promotion and a raise could be right around the corner!
Before I could say a word, she held up her phone, which was on a video call. Mr. Forrester! See? I told you Alice wasn't as heartless as you said! I might be a little clumsy, but Ill try my absolute best!
My colleague beside me winced. Alice
But Tina was already turning the phone around, shoving Benjamins furious face into my view.
Alice, drop the act, he snarled through the speaker. Youre not getting credit for this one. The rookies deserve a shot on Black Friday, and thats final.
I stayed silent. Tina, however, leaned in close to the screen, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness. Mr. Forrester, youre so right! You have to give us newbies a chance to shine! I know Alice has a habit of holding new talent down, but with you in charge, Im sure she wont dare.
Even some of the new hosts waiting in the wings nodded in agreement. Yeah, Alice. Mr. Forrester said to give the new people a chance. Black Friday is the best time to rack up sales and build our careers. You cant just give all the opportunities to your veteran crew!
Tina shot a playful little tongue-stick-out at the screen, and at that exact moment, a notification buzzed on everyones phone.
It was a company-wide memo. Black Friday Livestream Host Changes.
Of the twenty-seven concurrent streams, only the five run by my veteran team remained untouched. All the others had been replaced.
The new hosts erupted in cheers. As they rushed to their respective studios, they shot Tina big, heart-shaped hand gestures.
Tina smugly squeezed past my colleague, shrugging her shoulders as she settled into the chair in front of the master control console.
My fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms. But I forced myself to swallow the rage, saying nothing.
I couldnt wait to see if their smiles would still be so bright when a hundred-million-dollar profit turned into a billion-dollar loss.
2
When she noticed my silence, Tina pouted. You know, Alice, you used to be so against me being in the control room. Every time I came near, youd start shrieking like a banshee. Its almost weird without the noise today.
She propped her face in her hands, her elbow accidentally pressing the all-channel broadcast button. In the monitors, I could see hosts struggling to suppress their smirks on camera.
But Tina, oblivious, just kept talking, her voice now piped into every hosts earpiece and broadcast live to millions.
I heard you got your start as a streamer, Alice! Mr. Forrester told me you used to do anything to go viral like eating that cow-dung hotpot, and washing it down with surstr?mming soup!
She giggled. Your mouth must have smelled like a sewer! I bet when you came home at night, Mr. Forrester slept on the other side of a king-sized bed, like, a mile away! Hahahaha!
No wonder they say CEOs need huge beds! It was probably to get away from the stench of crap on you! But I guess you dont have to worry about that anymore, right? I mean, Mr. Forrester hasnt been home in, what, six months?
She feigned a look of innocent realization, but on the monitors, a few of the rookie hosts were now openly howling with laughter in front of their live audiences.
Benjamin hadnt been home in six months. Tina had been hired six months ago. I had seen them flirting around the office, but Id always bitten my tongue for the sake of the companys reputation. I never imagined that the sacrifices Id madeplaying the clown to build this company from the ground uphad become nothing more than a punchline he shared with his new pet.
The laughter from the earpiece grew louder. Tina finally noticed and jerked her arm off the console.
Oh, my gosh! Was that broadcasting to all channels? she gasped with fake horror. Im so, so sorry! Its just my first time handling a huge event like Black Friday!
My face was a mask of ice. I refused to give her the satisfaction of a response.
A timer on the desk beeped, signaling the official start of the broadcast. Without a word of warning to the hosts, Tina slammed the master Go Live switch.
My veteran hosts, though startled, scrambled to adjust and were professional within seconds. The rest of the newbies, however, continued to goof off, laughing and making silly faces at the camera before realizing they were live.
I pulled out my phone. Staring at Benjamins staff reassignment memo, my fingers moved swiftly. I went into the HR portal and marked myself, and every single one of my veteran hosts, as On Leave.
A moment later, a notification popped up. Benjamin had approved all the requests instantly. Then, in a final act of petty revenge, he changed my status from On Leave to Absent, screenshotted it, and posted it in the company-wide group chat.
His message followed: Behavior like Alicesthrowing tantrums, shirking responsibility, and suppressing new talentwill be dealt with harshly. For the remainder of the Black Friday event, all control room decisions will be made by the acting director, Tina Vance.
Bestowed with this new power, Tina replied in the chat with a cloying, high-pitched tone. Thank you for your trust, Mr. Forrester! I wont let you down! Ill do everything in my power to make lots and lots of money for you!
A wave of nausea washed over me. I glanced at my "Absent" status on my phone, then settled back into a chair in the corner of the control room. A slow, satisfied smile spread across my face.
The veteran hosts, now officially on leave, wasted no time. They walked out of their studios, their faces a mixture of relief and disbelief.
Alice, youre a lifesaver! one of them whispered as they gathered around me. I dont even care about missing the commission. If this night turns into a total train wreck, I cant imagine how much wed have to pay in damages!
I looked at the monitors, now filled exclusively with the new, inexperienced crew. A smirk played on my lips.
Last time, my intervention prevented a three-million-dollar disaster. This time, without me in the way, Tina was on track to create a catastrophe worth billions.
And I was dying to find out if Benjamins affection for her was strong enough to survive a billion-dollar debt.
3
As the minutes ticked by, the broadcast devolved into chaos. A product that was supposed to have a five-minute feature was still being stammered through fifteen minutes later. Meanwhile, a high-end item from a brand that had paid a fortune for a primetime slot was glossed over in a few mumbled sentences because the new host couldnt remember the talking points.
The viewer count in our main channel, once pre-hyped to over a hundred thousand, plummeted to less than ten thousand.
The comment sections were a bloodbath.
LOL, hes promoting paper towels by talking about how ancient paper was made from rotten fishing nets? Does this guy have a brain?
Wow. Hes selling soda and then sneering that fat people should drink less. Hey buddy, its our fat money paying your salary, you dont get to lecture us!
I sat back and watched as Tina frantically tried to manage the disaster from the console. Her phone began ringing off the hookfurious calls from brand representatives. In a desperate bid to stabilize the viewership numbers, I watched her dump the entire promotional ad budget into the lowest-performing channels, a move akin to setting a pile of cash on fire.
Benjamin tried calling her, but her line was busy. So he called me. Remembering his decree to give the rookies space to learn, I simply turned my phone off.
Only after the viewer numbers had temporarily stabilized did Tina dare to pick up her phone. Faced with a screaming brand manager, she didnt apologize or try to fix the situation. Instead, she burst into tears.
Its not my fault! she wailed into the phone. Im new at this! Cant you people have a little more compassion for a rookie?
The manager on the other end exploded. We spent tens of millions on this Black Friday campaign! We give you compassion, who gives us our money back? Are you going to cover our losses?
Offended by his tone, Tina simply hung up on him.
She then tried to call Benjamin, but for some reason, her calls wouldnt go through. Defeated, she slumped over the console and began to sob.
Just then, one of my colleagues gasped. Theyre pulling out! Alice, brands are pulling their products! All the low-margin, high-volume items that were supposed to draw traffic theyre all gone!
Shes right, another added, her face pale. Alice, you should probably turn your phone on. Mr. Forrester is hes losing it in the group chat.
My team exchanged grim looks, but I just waved a dismissive hand. I didnt care how vile Benjamins messages were. Id heard far worse from him the last time, when Id dared to save his company from Tina.
I wrapped an arm around my veteran hosts shoulders, completely ignoring the sound of Tinas escalating sobs. Well, since our all-nighter just turned into a holiday, what do you say I treat you all to some coffee?
Our cheerful departure was a stark contrast to the misery in the control room. It was only after we were settled in a nearby caf, bored, that I finally switched my phone back on.
Benjamin had created a new group chat with all the brand representatives. Tina wasnt in it.
His first message was an @ to me. Alice! As the head of the livestreaming department, you bear undeniable responsibility for this disaster! You need to give our brand partners a viable solution. Now!
4
The brands, not caring about the internal politics, immediately piled on, all of them tagging me.
Youre the head of the department? Do you have any idea how important Black Friday is for us? You put a bunch of incompetent fools on screen who cant even read a damn script. What did you do with our hundred-thousand-dollar placement fee, use it to pay for your staffs lobotomies?
One particularly enraged manager sent a 60-second voice memo, his voice screaming through the phones tiny speaker. What the hell is wrong with your company? Your host tells customers my $89 eyeliner isnt expensive and then dares them to buy it if they can afford it! Are you people blind? Are you actively trying to sabotage us just to ruin our sales?!
Facing the barrage of messages, I, as a group administrator, simply enabled Mute All. Then, I posted the screenshot of Benjamins earlier announcementthe one where hed stripped me of my authority.
My apologies, I typed. I actually have no idea whats happening in the control room. Mr. Forrester, you personally put someone else in charge of tonights event. You cant just shift the blame to me when things go wrong.
I paused, then added one more message.
And by the way, Benjamin, I dont care if you want to burn down your own company for Tina. But the divorce papers are on your desk. I suggest you sign them.
I unmuted the chat.
The group chat fell into a dead silence.
Benjamins call came faster than I expected. I answered and immediately held the phone an arms length away from my ear.
ALICE! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND? he roared. I just wanted you to cover for Tina for a bit! Youre the head of the department, shes just a rookie! Are you telling me you have zero responsibility here?
And what the hell is this about a divorce? Youre bringing this up now, in a chat full of our biggest partners? Are you trying to ruin me?
I waited until hed sputtered to a stop before bringing the phone back to my ear. Benjamin, I suggest you sign it. The terms are very favorable to you. All I want is the house in Aspen Hills. Sign it now, before I start revealing things that will make you wish this was all you had to worry about.
First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "277252" to read the entire book.
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