Chapter 3

My dad said, "That guy had everything: car, house, and good prospects. You had to be picky, messing with his feelings.

"Now look at you. Someone messed with you. Is this what you wanted?"

He snatched a glass off the coffee table and hurled it to the floor, shards scattering everywhere.

My dad roared. "Messy private life! Acting all pure and always chasing after rich guys.

"You've ruined the Spielberg family's reputation. Get out of my sight!"

Then he marched straight to the front door, practically threw me out, and slammed it shut so hard I thought the hallway shook.

It was the first time in my whole life they'd ever yelled at me like that.

Those toxic rumors had ripped apart my entire world in less than a day.

Simon snapped just because I turned him down. He spun up this whole revenge fantasy, hell-bent on ruining me.

No time to mope or feel sorry for myself, I immediately called Laura Atherton, my closest friend, and rushed to her law firm.

First, we preserved all the evidence from the rating post. The number of shares was more than enough to meet the legal requirements for filing a case.

The photo of me jogging was taken at the streetlight outside the park, which meant he'd been stalking me, knew my running schedule and route.

First thing the next morning, I went to the property management office and pulled up the security footage from the main gate, which had a clear view of the park.

The footage showed that starting on the seventh day of the New Year, for five nights in a row, around eight or nine o'clock, a guy in a black hoodie and a mask stood by the roadside, smoking.

And guess what? That was exactly when I'd head out for my run at 8:40 p.m., and I'd be back around 9:20 p.m.

I asked the security guard to zoom in and pause the footage.

The guy was wearing a silver watch on his right wrist, the same one Simon had on when we met for the matchmaking.

That sent chills all over me. I saved a copy of the footage right away.

The next night, my mom called me, sounding a bit gentler than before.

She said, "Cosima, Simon just called me.

"He told me all that stuff online was just a big misunderstanding, and if you want, he can come forward and clear your name.

"Why don't you just try seeing him? I think that guy has feelings for you.

"I'm scared if this mess keeps dragging on, you might actually lose your job."

So that was his plan, waiting for me to hit rock bottom so he could swoop in.

He wanted to ruin me, back me into a corner, and then show up like some fake savior, expecting me to be grateful and accept him.

"Never!" I snapped, hanging up the phone. Then I opened up that familiar forum again.

The rating post was still up, and the drama was hotter than ever. I scrolled over to the poster's profile.

Their username was ValiantSpirit, no profile pic, zero followers, and not a single other post.

But just ten minutes ago, he must've accidentally liked a poster and hadn't managed to un-like it yet.

It was the official poster for the hottest workplace reality show right now, Career Call.

[Season 3 Finals are about to kick off! A million-dollar salary position is waiting for you to claim!]

And as luck would have it, my company was one of the co-recruiters for this season of Career Call.

As the director of operations, I'd been invited to attend as a corporate observer.

I called the show's contact person directly, and it rang for ages before someone finally picked up.

"Ms. Spielberg? It's pretty late..." James Engoron, the director, sounded tired.

I didn't beat around the bush. "Hi, Mr. Engoron. Is there a contestant named Simon Harris on the final interview list?"

There was a brief pause, then James sounded shocked. "How did you know? The list isn't supposed to be public for a few more days."

I was testing the waters, but I couldn't believe Simon actually made it.

"Because the same username that spread those dirty rumors about me just liked your official poster," I explained.

I sent the screenshot over right away, and James's voice shifted. Now he sounded fired up, with a sharp edge.

James pressed, "Ms. Spielberg, do you have any other evidence?

"And honestly, I'm not even sure if he's the one behind all the malicious rumors. There's a ton of negative buzz about you online right now, and I heard you've even been suspended from work?

"We only did a basic background check on Simon, and nothing came up, so we let him in. Honestly, I'm in a bind here..."

I replied calmly, "I understand.

"So, are you hoping I'll confront him live on the show and create a viral moment that'll blow up online?

"Or, would you rather I turn around and sell the evidence to a competing media outlet, let them run a headline like 'Hit Reality Show Hires a Defamer'?"

I could hear James breathing hard on the other end, tension thick in the air.

After about half a minute of silence, he finally spoke up: "Ms. Spielberg, let's talk face-to-face."

A week later, I was at the live taping of the Career Call's season finale.

The massive circular studio was awash in dazzling lights, every corner shining bright.

The live stream numbers were climbing fast: 500,000, 800,000, 1.2 million...

The hostess stood confidently in a sharp suit, his voice full of energy.

He announced, "Welcome, everyone, to the ultimate interview stage of Career Call Season 3.

"Tonight, eight top contestants will battle it out for seven-hundred-thousand-dollar salary offers!"