Chapter 2

2

The ground was muddy from the rain. I managed to call a car and got home looking like a mess.

Perhaps Clarissa realized my reaction was unusual this time.

She sent a few texts to apologize. "I'm sorry, Lukas. I was too impulsive on the road earlier."

"Don't be mad. I'll cook something special for you tonight, okay?"

I sneered and typed back a few words.

"I assume Asher is coming over tonight, right?"

I knew Clarissa's routine for 'making it up to me' by heart.

She would cook a few dishes after a fight to appease me.

But the moment I started to feel hopeful about her gesture, Asher would always show up.

I doubted this time would be any different.

Clarissa didn't reply to my text. I didn't care enough to check again.

After a quick cleanup, I went to my room to lie down.

As soon as I opened my phone, a notification for a livestream by Clarissa and Asher popped up.

I clicked on it and saw them sitting together on a hospital bed.

They were leaning into each other, reading comments from their fans.

Asher happened to read a comment asking if they ever got bored of each other after being together so long.

He looked at Clarissa with a soft, lingering smile.

Clarissa immediately spoke up. "When you truly love someone, you never get bored of them."

They locked eyes, their hands gripping each other tightly as the tension between them thickened.

Even Clarissa's breathing seemed to grow heavier.

I laughed mockingly as I watched their performance on the screen.

Since Clarissa asked me to manage her social media career, I had endured their lack of boundaries.

Every time I confronted her about it, she would look at me as if I were the crazy one.

"He's just my business partner. Why can't you trust me?" she would say.

"Besides, we're only doing this for the engagement and the money. It's all fake."

I used to be silenced by those words.

As her manager, I knew better than anyone that drama sold.

So I stayed quiet and swallowed my pride. That's how they achieved the success they had today.

The comments in the livestream were getting more aggressive. Some people even started attacking me.

"When is Clarissa finally going to fire that creepy manager? What if he harasses her again?"

After that comment appeared, the rest of the viewers joined in the insults.

I froze, staring at the screen in disbelief.

They told me recently that their traffic was dipping and they needed to use my reputation for a 'stunt.'

I didn't realize the stunt was painting me as a stalker who harassed Clarissa.

I was so angry I started laughing. I couldn't help but post a comment.

"Word on the street is Clarissa has been married to a private citizen for seven years. Is that true or false?"

I watched Clarissa's calm, sweet face instantly shift.

Her expression turned bizarre the moment she saw my comment.

She whispered something to Asher and abruptly ended the stream.

I smirked and exited the app, then clicked on a specific profile.

The day before I left Paris, a local who had saved me from my medical emergency learned about my professional background.

He offered me a job.

He was a famous vlogger named George, and he wanted me to manage his international accounts.

He had given me a week to think about it.

I realized later that he was actually the food vlogger I had admired for a long time.

I was going to wait until the fifth day to reply, but now there was no need to wait.

I sent him a message saying I would be in Paris to start next week.

He sent back several voice notes, sounding thrilled to have me on board.

For the first time in a long while, my mood actually lifted.