Page 98 of Stream Heat
I shoved my phone in his direction. "Victoria’s firing back. They’re accusing me of making up everything I said on the stream. Trying to frame it as me being dramatic."
He gave me a look I couldn’t read. "Are you lying?" he asked, voice low.
I was so offended my brain short-circuited for a second. "No. Of course not. I have everything documented, every text, every email she ever sent me about the suppressants, about NDAs, about all of it. I just... I’m guessing what you’re really asking is if I can prove it."
Reid nodded. "I’m asking if you’re ready for a legal war, Kara. Because that’s where this is going."
My phone rang before I could reply. Jennifer, my lawyer. She wasn’t the type to waste time on pleasantries.
"Kara, we need to talk," she said, skipping hello completely. "Victoria Smith’s legal team has already contacted us. They’re claiming defamation and threatening to sue unless you issue a public retraction."
I barked a humorless laugh. "A retraction of what? The truth?"
"They’re arguing you can’t prove that Victoria herself was at fault. And your posts have harmed her professional reputation. So, they want you to apologize and walk it back."
My stomach dropped. I risked a glance at Reid. "Can they actually do that?"
"They can try," Jennifer replied. "And they probably hope you’ll back down rather than fight. But if this goes to court, we’ll get discovery. They’ll have to turn over all their emails, all their DMs, everything. And that could get very messy for Victoria."
"So it’s a bluff," I said, half to myself.
"It’s a serious bluff," Jennifer corrected. "You don’t need to respond directly. Document everything, don’t make more statements about her specifically, and let me handle the rest. But be ready, it’ll get nasty. She’s going to use every tool she has to try and discredit you."
I hung up and just... sat there. "This is exactly what I was afraid of," I said. "Going up against people with more connections, more resources. She could bury me if she wanted."
Reid’s jaw worked as he read through my timeline. "She isn’t stronger than the truth," he said, but he didn’t sound as sure as he wanted to.
"The truth doesn’t matter if nobody believes it," I shot back, pulling up Twitter to see #KaraLies trending. "Look at this. She’s got all these bots, all these paid trolls already going after my credibility."
He just looked at me. Then, wordless, he pulled out his own phone and started typing.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
He didn’t look up. "Something I should’ve done as soon as we saw this shit. We’ve been letting you fight this alone for the most part. But that doesn’t mean we can’t speak up for you."
New notifications popped up on my phone, one after the other.
@DiesalWreck: I’ve worked with @QueenQuinnGaming for months. She’s honest, professional, and talented. Anyone questioning her integrity clearly hasn’t been paying attention. #TeamKara
The replies hit immediately, like he’d lobbed a grenade into the trending feed.
@RuinTheGame: What Reid said. Kara’s been nothing but real with her community. Some people can’t handle authentic women. #TeamKara
@MutePoint: Actions speak louder than words. Watch how @QueenQuinnGaming handles adversity. That’s character. #TeamKara
@GraveDigger: Built her a custom setup because she deserves the best tools to succeed. Still believe that. #TeamKara
@ZenMaster: Mental health professional here. @QueenQuinnGaming honesty about suppressant abuse will help other Omegas. That takes courage, not desperation. #TeamKara
I stared at my phone like it was a stranger. "You don’t have to do this, Reid. Any of you. If Victoria goes nuclear, it’ll splash on your reputations too."
"We’re not letting you get torn apart alone," Reid said simply, his eyes hard. "You’re pack. That makes your fight our fight."
Jace appeared in the kitchen next, his hair still a mess from sleep. "And if anyone has a problem with us backing you, they never cared about us in the first place."
My phone was going off again, this time because #TeamKara was skyrocketing. Other streamers picked it up, and suddenly my feed was flooded with support.
@CalliesCrossed: Hearing @QueenQuinnGaming’s courage last night was life changing. Some people attack what they can’t understand. Keep being authentic, Kara. #TeamKara
