Previously concerning personal issues, a new one has arisen concerning his best friend in the gaming world. His right hand clenched tightly and he slammed the table violently, refusing to accept the news that was going viral on social media about his best friend's affair. After all, his best friend had always told him about her sweet love life. However, his friend's sudden betrayal made him want to kill the perpetrator who framed her.
If he were in the game world, he would kill the two criminals with any weapon he pleased. In the real world, all he could do now was comfort his friend who was crying at home. Watching the news live, his friend crying while being interviewed by reporters, he wanted to save her. But how?
Reading the absurd news made him feel like going crazy. He screamed and threw his phone on the sofa, startling his assistant.
"Flint, what's wrong with you really?"
"That woman… I have to save her."
"What woman?" His eyes widened as he realized what the CEO was referring to. "Could it be the woman you talk about when you play games!"
"She is Ellen."
"What? Ellen, who's always sexy in action dramas?"
Hearing the forbidden word uttered by his assistant made his eyes narrow. "What did you say?"
"I admit she's really sexy when she fights. But how did she get into a scandal now? Wasn't she single all along? So she really stole that actor from her best friend?"
Flint shook his head slowly. "No. She wouldn't do that."
It's unusual for a cold-hearted CEO to trust others so easily, so Alfonso was a bit surprised to hear this. "Why are you suddenly so trusting? Isn't it your principle not to trust people?"
"But Ellen's case is different. I'm sure she was framed all along." For a moment, his gaze focused on the video still playing on social media. Seeing the familiar interior, his eyes widened. "Isn't this my parents' hotel?"
"Yes, Ellen happens to be trapped in the Grand Palace Hotel."
"Then, we can look for evidence that Ellen was actually framed."
"This won't be easy, Flint. Even though your parents owned the hotel, all the evidence has been destroyed."
Hearing the bad news from his assistant, Flint slammed his fist on the table again. "I don't care. I have to find that evidence until I find it."
Alfonso laughed awkwardly at the CEO's desire to do something trivial. Normally, the CEO wouldn't want to do anything so troublesome, but now he was actually getting involved in this incident. What was he thinking?
"Flint, do you like Ellen?"
His eyes widened as he heard his assistant's question. "What do you mean?"
"A sign of a man's affection for a woman is his willingness to do anything, even if it's extremely dangerous and inconvenient. Your actions now fit the bill."
"Ellen has helped me a lot, indirectly. You can't feel what I feel. That's why I have to help her now. I don't want her to have any trouble."
"Flint, you've been changing ever since you started playing with Ellen. Only she can change your personality." A weak sigh escaped his lips. "Speaking of which, how long are you going to keep hiding your identity as the CEO of Fantasia Star Studio?"
"I don't want everyone to know I'm a CEO, including Ellen. I want to always be known as her playmate." Flint immediately opened his game app to wait for his best friend. "How stupid of me not to ask for her number. I have to wait for her in the game world again."
*****
Ellen was still crying loudly at home after seeing her social media flooded with malicious criticism from her fans. While her fans usually praised her, they were now slandering her to the point of wishing her death. Her heart shattered as she read all the cruel comments. Many also said she was the most dangerous woman in the world, because of her hypocrisy. She appeared very kind on the outside, but on the inside, she was actually evil.
Seeing everyone hating her because of this stupid news, she stared around blankly. Contemplating herself, did she really deserve to live in this cruel world? Why didn't everyone want to defend her except Penelope? She also didn't want Penelope to get dragged into her troubles. Should she fire Penelope as her manager so that Penelope could be free from this problem? However, if there was no Penelope in her life, who else could she rely on? Surely her friends in the gaming world would also leave her after reading this news.
"Why… does everyone hate me? I'm not a bad person."
At the same time, Penelope ran into the condominium and approached the actress, who was still crying in resignation. She immediately hugged her friend and patted her back rhythmically.
"Penelope, why do you still want to be with me when everyone hates me and insults me?"
"Because I'm your best friend. I don't want to leave you alone."
"But, I don't want you to–"
"Actually, I have some bad news for you." Penelope broke the hug for a moment and let out a heavy sigh. "I also couldn't find any CCTV footage in this condominium because it's reset every two days."
Her forehead furrowed. "What?"
"They don't keep backup files either. I already checked that earlier."
Now Ellen wants to go crazy because no one wants to defend her. She tries to enter online games to find fans who might still want to play with her.
*****
-Shadowhall-
The mission in the Shadowhall region remains unfinished, even though she and Flint have been playing there for a month. Because each region requires completing 20 missions in each story. Now she wants to reach out to her fans gathered in the game lobby. Initially, she hoped at least a few would still defend her, but instead, her fans were deliberately waiting for her just to trap her.
"Get out of here, you bitch!"
"You snake woman! You don't deserve to be in this game!"
"You'd better die!"
"Don't tell me you're playing games to find another man!"
Hearing her fans' constant insults, her headache intensified, almost to the point of unconsciousness. However, someone suddenly grabbed her hand as she was being insulted. Her eyes widened as she stared at her handsome friend, who was still on her side.