Zoey Parker gaped at her phone in WindyPeak's Seattle conference room, rereading Gus Harper's X post about Vampire Survivor's v1.1 update. Her jaw dropped.
"Gus… you arranged this?" she asked, flashing the screen at him.
Gus grinned, scratching his head. "Yeah, meant to post before launch, but forgot. My bad. We held back content from v1.0—small game, free-to-play during the expo, so players might get bored. This update, with new maps, characters, weapons, and a superweapon upgrade, drops with the full release to keep the hype alive."
Gus, a gaming vet, knew the playbook. He'd worked at global studios, seen marketing done right. This was a cheap, effective trick to boost sales, perfectly timed for IndieVibe's expo.
He winked at Zoey. "Surprise! Bet you're thrilled I'm your director."
Zoey's heart flatlined. Gus, you monster! His smug grin and that update were a dagger. She glanced at X, then the sales screen, her mind screaming: I'm done for!
The sales curve, steady at 100 copies a minute, shot upward like a rocket. Gus, oblivious to her despair, nodded at the screen. "Not too late! Streamers must've seen my post. Peak Twitch hours help."
Gus's X account, with over a million followers after the voting scandal, was a megaphone. Streamers like Jada, SlickRick, and big names followed him. Plus, IndieVibe's game page blasted detailed update notes. The hype spread like wildfire.
Sales surged: 300 copies… 500… 1,000… 5,000…
Chloe Quinn, Luke Bennett, and Jake Rivers cheered. "It's spiking!" "Ten thousand in an hour?!" "We're breaking IndieVibe's record!" "Gus, you genius! And Zoey's vision!"
Zoey, however, was a corpse with a pulse. Who am I? Where am I? Can I ever lose money again?
She wanted to fire Gus on the spot. Stop torturing me! But the rebate system bound him as manager—ditching him would kill her cash cow. She had to baby this game-killing demon.
The curve broke 10,000 and kept climbing. At 8:00 p.m., the alarm blared. Chloe whooped: "First hour's done! We sold 13,333 copies—$26,666 total!"
Zoey's Investment Rebate needed a loss on the $200,000 budget. At $2 per copy, 13,333 sales meant a $4 loss. Tenfold rebate: $40.
Her phone pinged: Your account ending in 1118 received $40 on August 3, 2025. Balance: $13,775.23.
Zoey stared, lifeless. Woo, I lost money… $40. She'd have to host a seafood feast, smile through gritted teeth, and toast her "success" with Gus, the harbinger of her doom.
"Ms. Parker, say something!" Chloe beamed.
Zoey raised limp hands. "…Eat and drink well tonight." She waved them off to the restaurant, slumping alone. Tired. Done. Burn it all.
The $40 rebate proved the system worked, but four bucks lost on a $200,000 investment? She'd frame that dollar amount as a grim trophy.
As she stood, Gus returned with hot water. "You look pale. Drink this."
Zoey stared. This man's my curse.