Chapter 2
Emily didn't answer Simon's question. Instead, she flashed her first smile of the night at the camera. It was subtle, but genuine..
"Thanks, guys. Made my two grand for today, so that's it for tonight. Ending the stream," she said.
With that, she didn't even hesitate; she hit the end stream button right away.
The screen instantly went dark.
In the stream, hundreds of thousands of viewers, and even Simon, the top whale, were all left stunned.
She just ended the stream like that?'
She doesn't care about the extra nine hundred bucks or even the whale's question?'
What is this woman really up to?'
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the glittering office tower, Simon stared at his phone's now-black screen, his expression as dark as thunder.
Behind him, his assistant was practically shaking, not daring to make a sound.
"Did you find anything?" Simon's voice was icy.
"Y-yes, Mr. Reed," the assistant stammered, quickly handing over a file. "Her name is Emily Lowell. She's twenty-three and graduated from the Bayview Conservatory Vocal Department.
"Her mother has severe kidney failure and is in the special care ward at Central City Hospital. The daily costs are sky-high."
Simon's eyes lingered on "Bayview Conservatory Vocal Department," his gaze suddenly sharpening.
That school again,' Simon thought.
"Go on," he said.
The assistant said, "She's been job hunting lately, but nothing's worked out.
"Three days ago, she made an account on this platform and used a profile picture that looked a lot like Miss Jennings from the side, which sparked some discussion. Today was her first stream."
Simon's long fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk, a habit he had whenever he was thinking.
A top student from Bayview Conservatory, forced to lower herself and copy a streamer who got famous for suggestive content and auto-tuned vocals only to cover her mom's medical bills.
The story in itself was downright ironic.
"She's really strapped for cash," Simon concluded.
"Yes, Mr. Reed. The hospital's been pushing her hard for payment," the assistant replied.
"She needs money, but after I sent her a gift, she hit her target and ended the stream without hesitation," Simon said, a cold smirk curling at his lips.
"Interesting. She's not just in it for the money. She's showing me she's not like those other streamers."
The assistant didn't dare respond.
"Tell the platform to change tonight's live battle lineup," Simon said, standing up and walking over to the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing down at the city lights below. "Replace Miss Jennings's opponent with Emily Lowell."
The assistant was stunned. "Mr. Reed, that's against the rules. Emily's just a newbie with less than ten thousand followers, while Miss Jennings is a superstar streamer with millions of fans. They're not even in the same league..."
"Rules?" Simon turned back, his eyes sharp. "On this platform, my word is the rule. I want that overly clever woman to know there's some hype she has no business chasing. I want her crushed in front of millions, left with nothing."
He was going to personally stomp out this wild weed that didn't know its place and had dared to sprout.
Emily had no idea she'd landed on the radar of a true powerhouse.
Right after ending the stream, she withdrew the 1,000 dollars she'd made today. After the platform took its cut, she was left with a bit over 460 dollars.
She transferred the money to a specific bank account, and as she watched the numbers tick up, the weight on her chest lightened a bit.
But it still wasn't enough, not even close.