The livestream where I got the dead rat randomly went viral.
I gained a million followers in one day. All the comments said:
"This woman is so cool, I'm in love!"
"After reading Chase's essay, why do I feel like HE married up?"
"From today on, I'm your die-hard fan!"
There were also screenshots from different angles of me that went viral. People said my not being an actress was a huge loss for the industry.
Before I could process this, the streaming platform DMed me to invite me to an offline charity event.
Since it was for charity, I didn't want to waste the momentum and agreed.
The platform said each streamer could bring one guest for support.
Chase had a commercial shoot that day and wouldn't be back until after 10 PM. I thought about it and picked an artist from my company who had a free schedule.
Might as well get them some exposure.
On the event day, I arrived first and immediately spotted Sophie all dolled up in a backless dress, holding a wine glass and chatting up various investors.
When she saw me arrive alone, she smiled and walked over. "I thought Chase would definitely come with you today. What's wrong? Not getting along?"
I looked at her like she was stupid. "What's his status, and what's this event's status? Having him here would just be free publicity for the organizers."
Sophie was speechless. After a few awkward seconds, a handsome guy came over and put his arm around her. "Just finished my audition, babe. Am I late?"
Sophie immediately got her confidence back and lifted her chin at me. "Let me introduce you. This is my guest and boyfriend, Jake Miller. He's an actor who's even worked with Chase. Oh, and you know DreamWorks Entertainment, right? My boyfriend is the nephew of their CEO."
I sized up Jake and raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's nice."
Jake met my gaze and said smugly, "I actually ran into Chase in my company's elevator a while back. I heard he and our CEO—my aunt—have a pretty unusual relationship. I thought they were, you know, together. Didn't expect you to move faster, though."
Sophie looked at me with a gleeful expression, ready to watch drama unfold.
I just smiled silently.
My guest artist had just gotten out of his car. Jake glanced over and his face changed.
Sophie asked, "What's wrong?"
Jake turned his head and whispered, "That's Ryan Evans, a senior from my company. You don't know him?"
Sophie looked toward the curb and indeed saw an extremely handsome young man. Her eyes lit up. "It really is! You're at the same company—say hi."
Jake hadn't responded when I picked up the thread. "You're right. Introductions are important."
I waved at Ryan. "Over here."
Ryan strode over. Jake reluctantly greeted him. "Hey Ryan, why are you—"
But Ryan walked right past him and nodded at me. "Claire."
Sophie and Jake both froze.