Chapter 1

I lay on the stretcher with my eyes closed, pretending to be weak from the allergic reaction while my heart hammered inside my chest.

The prosthetic acne, swelling, and redness I'd applied to my face were convincing enough to pass for the real thing.

The paramedics had already radioed ahead and told the hospital they were bringing in a patient with a suspected severe allergic reaction.

Just then, another string of comments appeared before my eyes.

"Ha! Tasha's getting ready to take over the stream. Victor looks like he's about to lose his mind."

"The livestreaming contract is tied specifically to Lindsay and her bank account."

"If Tasha hosts the stream, the money trail won't match, and they won't be able to move the funds through her stream. Victor is freaking out!"

My heart thudded before a rush of exhilaration swept through me.

The contract was tied to my identity and bank account. If I weren't the one hosting the stream, the transactions wouldn't line up.

In other words, Victor Vaughn wasn't laundering his 50 million dollars tonight.

My phone suddenly started vibrating in my pocket. When I pulled it out, Victor's name was flashing across the screen.

The moment I answered, he exploded.

"What the hell are you doing, Lindsay? You were supposed to go live at 8:00 pm. Where are you?" he snarled through gritted teeth.

"I'm having an allergic reaction," I explained. "My face is swollen, and I'm on my way to the hospital."

I coughed weakly for good measure.

"An allergic reaction? You're telling me you're missing tonight's stream because of an allergic reaction?"

Victor lowered his voice. He was furious, but beneath the fury was a trace of panic I'd never heard from him before.

"We can't cancel the stream. I don't care how bad your face looks. You're getting in front of that camera," he demanded.

"Mr. Vaughn, the paramedics are sitting right next to me.

I deliberately hesitated before adding, "Why don't you let Tasha cover for me tonight? She's always wanted the prime-time slot."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. I could practically picture Victor grinding his teeth on the other end.

"You'd better hope you're actually having an allergic reaction."

With that, he hung up.

Another comment appeared before me.

"Victor just got torn apart by the loan sharks. He's furious and looking for someone to take it out on."

I settled back against the stretcher, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

That "beauty tonic" really did me a favor. If Tasha hadn't given me the idea, I never would've come up with such a perfect excuse to get out of tonight's stream.

As the company's biggest livestream host, I was locked into a contract with a 20-million-dollar termination penalty.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't even have dared bring up quitting.

Now, I didn't have to.

Someone else was practically volunteering to step into the trap for me.

Once we arrived at the hospital, the doctor examined my "symptoms" and reached for an alcohol swab, apparently intending to clean one of the swollen areas.

I smiled at her and said, "Doctor, you don't need to do that. I'm fine."

"You're Lambie, aren't you?" she asked. "I've tuned into your streams. Your face looks alarming, but this is makeup, isn't it?"

I immediately raised a finger to my lips.

"Shh. Please keep this between us. Someone set me up. If I hadn't found a way to hide out in the hospital, I might've ended up in real danger."

The doctor sighed sympathetically, then picked up my chart.

"Alright. I'll document it as a severe allergic reaction of unknown origin. Get some rest."

Meanwhile, my phone kept lighting up with messages from coworkers.

"Are you okay, Lindsay? How did your face get that bad?"

"I heard it was pretty serious. Take care of yourself and get some rest."

Even Tasha had sent me a text.

Accompanied by three heart emojis, the text read, "Don't worry about work, Lindsay! Just focus on getting better. I'll cover tonight's stream for you, so leave everything to me!"

I didn't bother replying as more comments started popping up.

"Leave everything to her, my ass. She's probably praying Linday's face stays ruined so she'll retire for good."

"Tasha's already dropping hints during the stream that the prime-time slot is basically hers from now on."

Meanwhile, Victor was pacing back and forth in the control room.

After a while, he turned to his assistant, Gavin Carson, and instructed, "Get Bruce from the legal department. I want him in my office."