Revenge is best served cold

The drama premiered a week later. As I had predicted, it was an instant hit. The entire cast skyrocketed in popularity. Even the director, Ned, became one of the industry's hottest names overnight.noveldrama

When I opened the drama's official social media account, the comments were overflowing with praise.

"It's been so long since I've seen such a well-made drama! There's no excessive forced rivalry between female characters. It's so refreshing!"

"I love how the female lead actually lets the supporting actress look stunning too. That's rare! I'm going to hype this show up endlessly!"

"OMG, they finally got a good script! They deserve this! I'll love them forever!"

According to Heather, major brands were already reaching out, eager to secure product placement deals. We had already raked in ten million dollars by the end of the first week.

Since I had hit my target ahead of schedule, the board wasted no time and approved my promotion to vice president after some discussion.

The day my appointment was officially announced, Jack was noticeably absent from the office. Of course, that didn't mean I was going to let him off the hook.

Dad arranged a family dinner to celebrate my promotion, inviting Eric and me to attend. The moment I stepped into the house, Jack's expression turned dark. He immediately looked away, refusing to acknowledge me.

Meanwhile, Elsa approached me with an obedient, sweet smile. "Jane, congratulations on becoming vice president!"

Her face was full of admiration. "You're amazing! I hope I can be like you one day."

I smiled lightly. "Well, you can keep hoping."

The moment I said that, Jack shot up from his seat, glaring at me. "What's that supposed to mean? Elsa didn't do anything to you!"

Right on cue, Elsa put on an aggrieved expression as if I had actually bullied her.

I looked at them both innocently. "What did I say? She said she wanted to be like me, and I simply told her to keep dreaming. What else was I supposed to do? Make her me?"

Jack parted his lips but had no comeback. As he was about to say something else, Eric stepped before me, his voice calm but cutting. "Some people really are fragile, huh? Just one little comment and they're fed up."

Eric turned to me and said with a soft chuckle, "Jae, good thing you're nothing like them."

Jack's brows instantly knitted together. He locked eyes with Eric and demanded, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Eric simply smiled and said nothing. But in this case, silence spoke louder than words.

During dinner, Jack brought up the topic again. He wanted Elsa to work for the company.

"Dad, Elsa has mostly recovered now. Since Jane just got promoted to vice president, doesn't that leave the position of director of business vacant?"

I let out a short laugh and set my cutlery down. "Jack, you really are bold. You wanted to get Elsa into the company before, and that's fine. But now, you're aiming straight for a director-level position? Who gave you the confidence?"

Jack's face twisted with anger. "Jane, don't push it!"

Elsa looked at me with a face full of grievance as if I had just committed some unforgivable crime.

"Jane..." She lowered her gaze and sniffled. "What did I do wrong? Why do you have to treat me like this?"

Then, she turned to Dad, her voice trembling with innocence. "Dad, I never wanted to be in management. I just want to work in our company. That's all."

I let out a cold chuckle. "Alright, since you say you don't care about titles, I actually have the perfect job for you."

Elsa's eyes lit up. She probably thought I was about to compromise. "What position?"

"The front desk receptionist at one of our branch offices. Are you interested?" Her face stiffened. She instinctively blurted out, "But... the location is too remote."

The second the words left her mouth, she scrambled to fix it. "That's not what I meant. I just..... I... I just want to be closer to our family. I'll feel so isolated on my own..."

Eric chuckled and smoothly delivered the finishing blow. "If that's the case, you don't need a job at all. All you have to do is follow Jack around every day. No one at the company will stop you. You wouldn't even have to work. How comfortable would that be?"