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Dylan, the idiot, just waved his hand dismissively. “Yes, but we both know that doesn’t really matter. Sponsoring DeathsHead will be an amazing partnership, one I’m looking forward to cultivating. Already, we’ve broken several Esports streaming records. Millions of people have been watching the tournament. Even more are already logged on and waiting for this final round. We’ve made history here.” Dylan rubbed his hands together like the cartoon supervillain he was, and Hayden knew he was going to lose it.

Hayden wanted to punch something, wanted to scream at this asshat so loud the walls shook, but he forced himself to breathe and think. In the quiet, his mind made connections and put facts and events together that hadn’t been clear before. Suddenly, Hayden was seeing the situation from higher ground and realized the problem was even bigger than he thought. When the truth hit him, it felt like a physical blow.

“You did it. You took the pictures. Or you bought them and had them leaked anonymously. You set us up.”

Dylan shook his head, denying it even while smiling, the bastard.

“No way, man.”

But Hayden knew he was full of shit. “Those photos that came out today were from the first meeting. You’re the only ones who knew that we were both going to be there, that I was going to be there making a personal appearance. You had a photographer ready.”

Dylan, starting to realize how intensely pissed Hayden was, began backing away slowly, which is when Hayden realized he had been stalking closer, towering over the weasel.

“Hey, no, man, seriously, that wasn’t us. The company wouldn’t do that.”

Hayden was dismayed to find that Dylan wasn’t even that good of a liar. Somehow that made it all worse.

“The company wouldn’t, but some asshole looking for a promotion or a big payday streaming event would.”

With Dylan’s face turning red, he started scrambling for anything that would get him out of this situation, as if he finally realized how truly pissed off Hayden was. And Hayden was glad, glad to have his anger and betrayal acknowledged because he was desperately fighting to keep himself as calm as possible.

“Hey, wait, no,” Dylan tried to spin, all blood draining from his face in a way that Hayden found immensely satisfying. “I was just… that’s not what this is. The company is extremely interested in sponsoring you as DeathsHead, was all I was saying. You’re a big deal, and we’re excited that a partnership appears to be on the horizon.”

Hayden ignored his words. They didn’t matter, anyway. “The company, including you, signed several NDAs saying you would not reveal my identity. Which you should’ve thought about before you had those photos plastered all over the internet. Let me guess, you thought you would just blame it on Min’s asshole ex who leaked the last ones?” Hayden was officially squared up, in Dylan’s space, in his face, using his height to intimidate in a way he usually hated. But this guy, this shitstain of a human being, deserved it and more.

Dylan sputtered, not a good look for him, but it told Hayden everything he needed to know.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Hayden told him softly. “We’re going to play out this tournament. Whoever wins, wins, and gets all the prizes they’re due. And then my lawyers are going to draft a breach of contract suit so airtight that I will basically own you and the company you work for because of all this bullshit you pulled. Now get the fuck out of my room.”

Dylan was gone before Hayden finished his sentence, and Hayden slammed the door behind him. He felt like such an asshole for not seeing the truth about Dylan, about the tournament.

About Min.

Min had been hurt so many times. By her ex, by Dylan. And what Hayden found was making him crawl out of his skin was knowing he had been the one to hurt her the most. His initial reaction when she had shown him the photo leak had been to retreat, to hide, to run to his brother and lawyer up and figure out how to make his privacy wall stronger. But all of that pushed Min away and left her alone. Vulnerable. The exact opposite of how Hayden wanted her feeling when they were together.

Fuck, he was an idiot. He’d let down Min. He’d fucked up the tenuous relationship they had been building, a relationship that even he had to admit had started the first time they had streamed together and she had called him obscenities when he’d blown up her avatar with a proximity mine. And now they were barreling toward this tournament and he didn’t have time to find her beforehand, to apologize and tell her the truth about Dylan. About the bullshit he was trying to pull.

Even if Dylan didn’t want it, even if the company didn’t want it, Hayden knew Min wanted this win. Hell, at this point Hayden was ready to throw in the towel and let her have it. He could work for a few more years to earn the money he needed to complete the game. He and Theo could wait.

But Hayden also knew Min would hate being handed a win. She wanted to fight for it, wanted to earn it, not only for herself but for every troll on the internet that had attacked her after the first photo leak. She had to prove she was more than what they called her, even though Hayden already knew that better than most.

But it was what Min wanted. Which meant it was what Hayden wanted.

He had to be prepared to give it his all. Because if he did anything that made her feel he wasn’t trying his hardest to defeat her, she would be so fucking pissed. More so than she probably was right now.

Hayden straightened his shoulders and settled into his streaming bay, pulling his headset on and his microphone closer. If Min wanted a fight, and he knew deep down she did, then he was certainly going to give her one.

CHAPTER20

MIN

Min finished the last swipe of her lipstick and stood back, checking herself over to make sure she didn’t miss anything. She had taken her time getting ready, making sure her outfit was perfect, her makeup perfect, her wig well placed. Making sure FlameThrower was in her element, the persona worn like armor for what Min knew was going to be a fight in more ways than one. The crowd outside the convention center made it clear that she would have no fans in the audience to cheer her on. The comments online in response to the latest pictures were full of false accusations and hate that would follow her forever. This may very well be the last time FlameThrower ever made an appearance, so Min wanted to savor it. Savor this person she had created so she could do what she loved and share it with the world.

Knowing this was probably goodbye meant that Min was even more determined to go out on a win. The Bleeding Sword guy had thrown her, had tried to intimidate her and scare her into backing down. But once she put on her wig, her corset, her ridiculous fake lashes, Min knew she wasn’t going to be giving up like they wanted. She was going to win. And then she’d deal with the fallout.

She caught sight of her own eyes in the mirror and knew she was full of shit. The morning with Hayden, the perfect morning after the absolute perfect night with him, was there under the surface, breaking her heart when she remembered how shell-shocked he had been when she showed him the new pictures. She knew his story now, knew how used and vulnerable he would feel, and she hated it, hated that she was involved in making him feel that way, even if she wasn’t the one who took the pictures.

But she also felt a spark inside her, one that was burning with indignation. Hayden knew her, knew how hurt she had been, what she had gone through since the first photo leak. She thought he knew her enough to know she would never do something like this to him, but she had seen the look on his face. Whether or not she took the pictures, he blamed her. And she couldn’t stop herself from hating him a little bit for not trusting her. For not being there for her. With her. She knew she deserved better than this. And she was done accepting worse.

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