Back to the Past: Breaking the Love Spell ( Carlisle Zahn ) Novel
Chapter 640

Chapter 640

"Hello..." Selena greeted Wendell.

Her warm smile revealed her dimples. Although she exuded an air of mature charm, she appeared somewhat playful and cute then.

"Hi... Hello..."

Wendell tensed up, and his heart rate increased noticeably.

"I'm Mr. Zahn's secretary, Selena. I'm here to report on the work progress."

Selena had reviewed the security department's staff records and noted that Wendell, who had never worked at Aurora Holdings, was appointed security manager. He was likely Carlisle's personal bodyguard.

Wendell nervously stepped aside, allowing her entry.

"P-please come in..."

Wearing a gentle smile, Selena stepped into the living room. Wendell took a deep breath, savoring the lingering scent of her perfume.

"Wendell's such a creep..."

"I think so too, but Ms. Johansen is really beautiful. She'd make a great sister-in-law..." Kevin and Zack whispered to each other.

Just then, Francis walked in with a grave expression.

"All of you, step out. Don't disturb the boss' work."

Wendell noticed Francis' serious expression and understood that something was up. The group followed Francis to the staircase.

"What's going on?" Wendell asked in a low voice.

"The convenience store and fruit stand outside have been replaced. From their behavior, they seem to be underground figures!"

Francis' face grew more solemn. Wendell frowned.

"Does the boss have any enemies?"

Francis pulled out a cigarette and lit it nonchalantly.

"Jalen and Titan have had conflicts with the boss before. I suspect Jalen sent these guys."

Given the time that had passed, Jalen should have figured out who had abducted his daughter.

Wendell took a cigarette from Francis' pack, lit it, and asked, "What are you planning to do? Are we really going to get involved in this underground conflict?"

Francis took the unlit cigarette from Wendell's mouth and said flatly, "Leave now if you don't want to be involved. No one will stop you."

"Protecting the boss' safety is our duty!" Wendell stated firmly.

Francis stuffed the cigarette back into Wendell's mouth and lit it.

"We just need to ensure the boss' safety. How he handles Jalen and his gang is his business."

Meanwhile, in the living room, Selena updated Carlisle on the company's status. "Alumni Network's registered users have surpassed seven million. We've secured six brand ads, and the revenue from these ads over the past 12 days is approximately 1.95 million dollars."

With six ads and 12 days of revenue totaling only 1.95 million, the earnings were modest. At a rate of ten cents per click, Alumni Network could earn 350 thousand per ad if half of the users clicked.

"Can we increase the ad rate?" Carlisle asked.

"Currently, the cost-per-click rates for Wikipedia, EA, Ubisoft, and The Sun are all 20 cents. Although Alumni Network is new, it's growing rapidly, so raising the ad rate to 20 cents shouldn't be a problem," Selena replied.

"Also, have Sean add a feature on Alumni Network where users earn five cents per ad viewed.

Carlisle remembered that in his previous life, many apps allowed users to earn money by watching ads. That strategy could boost user engagement.

Watching one ad earned five cents, two ads earned ten cents, and if Alumni Network ran 20 ads a month and users watched all of them, they could earn one dollar. Although it might seem small, in a time when many families were still struggling, every penny counted.

The period from 1994 to 2000 was a phase of national poverty alleviation. During these six years, many impoverished areas had only managed to secure basic needs.

With only four years having passed since then, while these areas might have enough to eat, living conditions were still challenging, and wages were low. Carlisle believed most users would be inclined to watch ads for extra income.

Selena's clear eyes sparkled with insight.

"This idea is indeed good... If Alumni Network has 50% of users who dislike ads, this method could engage at least half of that 50%. That's 1.75 million users. Each user clicking on one ad would generate 175 thousand dollars, and with 20 ads, the total would be 3.5 million dollars. And that's just a rough estimate based on the previous rate."