FLASH MARRIAGE; CHARMED BY THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE CEO - Chapter 135

Chapter 135: Unofficial Announcement

“She didn’t just say that.”

Amelia gnashed her teeth in rage, the turmoil in her heart taking a dangerous turn as she observed Pamela’s alarmed reaction from the corner of her eyes.

“Are you trying to say this mysterious bride stole Mr handsome from some other lady?” Pamela lowered her voice even further leaning towards Joanna.

“You will be surprised at the extent some selfish people would go to claim other’s possession.” Joanna sneered as she tilted her head briefly to look in Amelia’s direction before facing forward.

Pamela also followed Joanna’s stare, realization slowly dawning on her. She had been wanting to find out from Joanna why the latter had been hostile to her former best friend. It was unlike the pair who had been inseparable for years. She also remembered a friend telling her that Amelia had remarried after divorcing her scum of a husband and this marriage happened recently.

‘Could it be that Joanna was indirectly talking about Amelia or someone close to her?’ Pamela pondered excitedly. ‘This is going to make one hot gist for my fans.’ She bubbles within redirecting her attention back to Joanna.

“Women can indeed be cruel to themselves.” Pamela shook her head in fake sympathy, hoping to spur Joanna into revealing more information. “I can’t imagine someone doing that to a fellow sister. That is completely heartless. If I were the other lady, I would be completely shattered and heartbroken.”

“Tell me about it.” Joanna released a deep suppressed sigh.

“I wonder…” Pamela paused as the event host called on Mr Anderson to give his input on the topic and share his insight on innovation and how it has helped in the beauty and business world.

A hush fell in the room as everyone was eager to capture every word that came out of his mouth.

Amelia felt her tense muscles slowly relax as Blaze’s deep and gentle voice caressed her wounded heart, erasing the anger burning in her soul. She closed her eyes temporarily to push out Joanna and Pamela’s insightful words, focusing solely on her husband’s pleasant voice. And like magic, it worked.

Opening her eyes, Amelia was stunned to see Blaze staring directly at her as if trying to reassure her that everything was okay. She smiled and he smiled back at her before turning his face away.

“Innovation is critical to the heartbeat of any successful corporation in the industrialized world especially in the beauty industries.” Blaze continued speaking, wowing the audience with his rich baritone voice.

“The beauty industry has always been at the forefront of innovation, constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs and desires of consumers. From groundbreaking product formulations to cutting-edge technologies, innovation plays a pivotal role in shaping business, scaling impossible margins and redefining the essence of beauty.”

“Through data-driven insights and advanced technologies, we can now customize product recommendations, develop tailored skincare regimens, and provide personalized consultations. These, not only create a deeper connection between consumers and brands, but it also fosters loyalty and customer satisfaction. Take, for example, a new and revolutionary brand like LiLa Savvy…”

“What!” Amelia’s jaw dropped as the spotlight shifted from Blaze to her, capturing her bewildered expression.

Wild gasps erupted from every corner of the room as every pair of eyes turned to stare at her, wondering why the handsome Blaze Anderson was referring to a new cosmetic brand with a few years of experience and exposure when compared to other big names in the room.

While muffled discussion ensued, Blaze dropped the second bombshell that left even the event host’s jaws dropping to the floor.

“…owned and managed by one of the industry’s most intelligent, smart, tenacious and innovative woman I have ever met. Someone I am proud to call my beautiful wife, Mrs Amelia Anderson.” Blaze said gesturing towards Amelia.

“Your wife?” The event host, unintentionally blurted out, her gaze darting between Blaze and the beautiful young lady seated in the front row at the left wing.

Amelia felt her heartbeat stop as she locked her gaze with her husband, her eyes widened like a saucer and her cheeks slowly turned beet red.

“Miss Amelia Anderson, can you please stand up for recognition.” The event host stated after apologizing off the microphone to Blaze.

“So shameless.”Joanna hissed under her breath, her voice barely above a whisper. She instantly regretted informing Tina that Blaze was on air at a beauty conference, knowing the latter would be heartbroken by this announcement.

Amelia could feel her body trembling as she slowly rose to her feet. She felt the heat and cold waves travel up and down her spine, her knee threatening to give way, as she raised her right hand and waved politely to the right and left before taking her seat, amid wild cheers and applause.

“So you are that mysterious wife and you have been pretending all this while, acting as though you weren’t eavesdropping on my conversation?” Pamela poked Amelia on the arm. “Tell me, how did you get him from….you know…” She winked.

“Touch me, one more time and I will make sure you never use those hands again,” Amelia said in a repressed voice, her lethal gaze shooting laser at Pamela, causing the latter to flinch.

“Sorry, I was just joking.” Pamela smiled feverishly, turning her face to look at Joanna who was also stunned by Amelia’s vicious reaction.

“Now she thinks she’s untouchable.” Joanna scoffed in heart, looking elsewhere as more gossip filtered in the air.

“Mr Anderson is married! Unbelievable! When did this happen and how come no one knows about it?”

“It’s probably one of those secret marriages. Moreover, he rarely talks about his private life except business.”

“How was she able to get close to him? Didn’t she recently divorce her husband who was caught sleeping with her younger sister? When did they date so quickly that they were already married? Isn’t it suspicious that she remarried less than a month after her divorce?

“I don’t care how she did it. What irks me is the fact that she gets to marry my secret crush. It’s so unfair.”

“Well, I think she deserves to be happy after what her cheating ex did to her.”

Amelia paid less attention to the gossiping and focused on her husband who had resumed speaking. Although she had been dreaming of what it would be like for him to publicly introduce her as his wife, she didn’t expect he would make this revelation so soon and at such a public gathering that was being live-streamed in six different countries.

“Permit me to be blunt at this point. What makes LiLa Savvy unique and stand out as one of the most competitive growing brands in this country is the way it has revolutionized two major business concepts. One is the direct-to-consumer business idea and the other is research and development strategies at improving products and services.”

A hush fell in the room as Blaze explained further, impressing everyone especially his wife, who had no clue that her husband had been researching her company all this while.

“By leveraging e-commerce platforms, social media, and influencer marketing, this ingenious brand has been able to bypass intermediaries and establish direct connections with her target audience. This direct relationship not only enables her to attain real-time feedback, but it enhances swift product interactions, and the ability to cater to specific niche markets.”

Other speakers nodded in agreement with the relevance of customer-product interaction.

“Also, while some brands may think investing massively in research and development might be a waste of time and resources, it is crucial for driving innovation in every beauty industry. Exploring new ingredients, conducting clinical studies, and pioneering groundbreaking technologies is something LiLa Savvy does best. That is why, tomorrow, at the official unveiling of her newly improved skincare line, Andex Group international alongside some leading industries in the country and beyond will be partnering with this reputable brand to take her to the next level of innovation.”

“Ah!”

Wild gasps, followed by thunderous cheering erupted in the room as everyone except for a jealous few cheered Amelia, whose bewildered expression was a beauty to behold.

“Thank you.” Amelia’s voice trembled with excitement. Blaze had not only helped with creating awareness for her new cosmetic line that was set to be unveiled the next day, but he had also succeeded in making her the envy of every other brand seated in the room. Her name and brand seemed to be the only topic of discussion on everyone’s lips, as she caught so many brand owners stealing furtive glances at her every now and then.

She could feel her phone which was on silent mode buzzing continuously, but she didn’t bother checking on any of her messages. She could see some people texting on their phones and she didn’t need anyone to tell her that the announcement had gone viral. Hopefully, all those young ladies trying to aim their hooks for her husband would now back off or answer directly to her.

The rest of the topic discussions, questions and answer sessions went by in a blur as Amelia could barely contain her excitement. All the demeaning murmurs and gossiping didn’t affect her one bit as she kept her head held high, smiling all through the rest of the program. She didn’t even notice when Joanna stood up and left the conference room until something made her turn to the right.

As the conference meeting finally came to a close, Amelia and a few notable brand owners were invited up the stage to take pictures with the speakers. She proudly took her position on her husband’s left-hand side smiling into the camera, as Blaze tenderly wrapped one arm around his waist and the other he kept to his side.

Afterwards, Blaze left with his beautiful wife, holding hands, amid flashing camera lights and questions being thrown at them from a large number of reporters gathered outside the venue.