Chapter 2

The chat blew up.

[If I remember right, wasn't it Vivian's account King Rafe used for the game ad last time? Damn, that's basically an official announcement of their relationship. I'm shipping them so hard.]

I felt complicated.

I needed a moment to process this.

But Rafe kept sending me messages.

Rafe: [You're playing mid and I'm going jungle? Aren't you worried people will figure out you're having someone play for you?]

Rafe: [Whatever, I've always been playing on your account anyway. So, are we using your main or your alt?]

With those two lines, Rafe totally put Vivian on the spot.

In the chat, my haters started flaming me and even bringing my family into it.

Vivian forced an awkward smile, trying to play it cool. "It's only been a short while since Laura and Rafe broke up, so missing his ex is pretty normal. Rafe is such a softie."

The next second, Rafe texted: [Where are you? Are you not gaming? Don't tell me you're here to beg for a second chance with me?]

Rafe: [Seriously, have you looked in the mirror lately? Who's desperate enough to want you?]

Rafe: [Hate to break it to you, but I'm taken. My girlfriend's in showbiz too.]

Rafe: [Check out how stunning my girlfriend is.]

The chat exploded.

[Oh my god. He must be referring to Vivian.]

[I'm sobbing. He's head over heels for Vivian.]

Vivian straightened up, a smile spreading across her face.

The production crew was practically rubbing their hands together in excitement.

Official relationship reveals always blew up online, and they were about to cash in big time.

But I had a weird feeling that Rafe was about to pull some wild stunt.

A second later, he dropped a photo of me in the chat, then instantly deleted it.

Everyone was floored, and I was just as shell-shocked.

Vivian almost lost control of her expression and nearly burst into tears.

Rafe, the troublemaker behind all this, had no idea what kind of chaos he was causing.

Rafe typed: [See that? Don't get jealous now.]

Rafe: [My girlfriend's totally obsessed with me. She's so clingy.]

I was so embarrassed I wished for death. I couldn't believe what Rafe was doing.

Awkward silence filled the air.

I shot a quick look at Vivian, only to see her giving me a death stare, like she was ready to rip me to shreds.

The comments just froze.

I figured everyone was too shocked to say anything, but the director said the comment system crashed.

Honestly, I bet the comment system wished it never existed.

Rafe was totally clueless.

He wrote: [Come on, say something.]

Rafe: [Fine, I miss you. I messed up. Just give me another shot, okay?]

Rafe: [Laura, why are you ignoring me? Did you find another guy?]

Rafe: [No way. Whoever he is, he isn't gonna make you happy.]

Rafe: [You've got me totally trained. Just a little gesture and I know exactly what you're thinking.]

What the hell was he going on about.

I desperately shook my head, turning to the audience and saying, "It's not what you think."

But they didn't even give me a mic, so no one could hear me.

And then Rafe hit me with the killer line. [Come on, mistress, have a little pity on your loyal pup.]

Everyone's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

I squeezed my eyes shut in despair, screaming inwardly.

I couldn't believe he had said that, and while we were live too.

All eyes were suddenly on me.

Rafe really lived up to his reputation. With one move, he almost killed me.

The production team quickly swapped in a new chat system.

The chat was absolutely flooded with question marks.

[Holy crap, did he just go that hard?]

[So what does that make Vivian now?]

My fans started parroting Vivian's fans from before: [He's so into her! I'm crying!]

[Is King Rafe really this wild off-camera?]

I took a deep breath.

I could already picture the trending topics blowing up online, like "Icy King Rafe Sucks Up to Washed-up Celeb", "Vivian Woods Won the Game but Lost in Love", and "Rafe's Sex Kinks Revealed".

Here I was, trying to play wingman for a superstar, only to end up embarrassing her in front of everyone.

My future in showbiz was totally toast now.

I cried, wondering if I should just announce my retirement from showbiz right now.

At least then I could go home, freeload off my folks, and eat well for a change.

But the chat totally misread my expression, thinking I was crying tears of joy.

Suddenly, Rafe's video call popped up.

The host was eating up the drama, loving every second of it.

The shills in the audience joined in, chanting, "Answer the call."

Surely a washed-up celeb like me deserved a little sympathy too.

But no, nobodies didn't have any rights.

My hands were shaking as I hit the answer button.

In a flash, Rafe's drop-dead gorgeous face and his ripped chest took over the whole screen.

I freaked out and slapped my hand over the screen.

But I totally forgot that the production team had just synced up my phone to the projector.

There was no way I could cover up the giant screen behind me.

The whole place went wild.

The chat was blowing up.

[My King!]

[I'm drooling!]

[Finally, all my good deeds paid off. This is what I deserve to see.]

[Forget all the poetry I've ever learned, I'm just losing it right now.]

[Please, Rafe, quit gaming and become a star already. I'll hype you up forever.]

I'd officially lost all my dignity today.