Chapter Four

A mocking glint flashed in Max's eyes as she thought, "Why was she not suitable for live streaming, but Karen was? She could clear her name and regain fans." Is that why everyone was fighting her so hard? They wanted to keep her in Karen's shadow. Sorry, she wasn't playing by their rules anymore.

In her past life, she was stupidly in love with Zac and thought he had her best interests at heart, but everything he did was for Karen. "Whether you think it's suitable or not, I'm the one who gets to decide my choices. I will be on the show, Zac. You aren't my father. Though at times, you seem to act like you are."

"Maybe I should call you Daddy Zac and let you punish me when I've been a bad girl. Is that what you want?" Max didn't care anymore about holding her tongue. She saw that Zac had a dark sex side in her previous life. He was into extreme BDSM, except it wasn't with women. While he was playing with Max's heart and doing Karen's bidding, he was fucking with Maxina's brothers. Let's say he was always the bottom.

Zac's tone turned colder as he thought about things he had done and continued to do. He doesn't regret it because it feels too good to stop. Max never gave it up and didn't want that from her. He enjoyed her company and the way she gave him her attention when they were together. "Theodore is doing this for your own good. Stop being so stubborn."

"I'm being stubborn because I don't want to give up something I earned. Is Karen your girlfriend, or am I? Because it seems like Karen, since you are trying to force me to give up my slot to her. Does anyone around her know what being shameless is?" Max checked her nails as she spoke to him, leaving him speechless because her tongue had grown sharper.

"I get you guys want to please Karen, but must you all sacrifice my interests for her?! I am a person with dreams and feelings, or have you forgotten that? You got used to all my love and attention. What will you do when you no longer have it?" Max really did spoil him with her attention and affection. She'll love to see what he does when he realizes that he no longer has it.

"What are you talking about, Maxi Bear?" Max rolled her eyes at that stupid nickname. It used to be cute when she was younger, when he still loved her. At least pretended to. She couldn't tell with him now, as she looked back at the past. Advice to self: never date an actor/actress.

"Zac, what I am talking about is my boyfriend sneaking around, having sexual interactions with Karen and two guys. What, you thought I didn't know? Thought I was in the dark?" Zac felt the breath leave his lungs as she said that because he thought everything was hidden well. They assured him that the cameras were off when they met up. So, how did Max know? He knew that she wasn't bluffing. She wasn't the type to.

In her past life, she had to be the biggest sucker alive because she let the McDonald family and Zac influence her into giving up her slot to Karen. After she participated in the show, Theodore and Jonah gave her a full range of marketing that made her shine brighter than their other stars.

Zac appeared on the show as a mysterious guest and was discreetly helping Karen. That's how Max discovered that they knew each other. So she decided to hack into the security cameras in places he visited often and found them having private interactions. Max knew that the 'Little Princess' wasn't as good as she pretended to be because, in most of their meetings, she was on her knees. Karen relied on the show to market her 'little princess' persona, which became an overnight sensation. Max wondered how her fans would react if they saw the real her.

Theodore bribed Max with a supporting role in a small production to keep her quiet about Karen. She had read the script and was looking forward to it. Theodore told her it was a good opportunity, and it really was, because it could become a big hit. The drama got buried because the lead actor had an accident, and the director didn't want to replace him. She always suspected that Karen or someone in the dark behind her had something to do with the accident, but the cops didn't find any foul play. Max could've looked into it herself, but that would've brought more chaos into the house.

She believed Karen was getting outside help because, while Karen was becoming more glamorous, her name and reputation were being dragged through the mud. It seemed like there was nothing she could do because no one was even trying to help her. They let her out, drowning in the hate by herself as they watched.

Later on, she managed to secure a lead role for a movie, using her own efforts, and had to go to a remote location in the Appalachian Mountains to shoot the film. It was more than half a year in seclusion, but family or friends could call or visit. During that time, the McDonald family didn't call or visit. Only Zac did, every month.

Every time he visited, he was attentive, but all she could think about was how he interacted with Karen during the variety show and off of it. Her stomach turned at the very thought, and his once-nice touch made her skin crawl, as though ants were under it.

She was going to break up with him, but he always had a busy schedule. She would've broken up with him through text, but that would've been fucked-up and so much could go wrong. Technology wasn't reliable. After filming was finished, she returned to the McDonald's household. Surprisingly, when her new film was released, it became an explosive hit. Her acting in it had earned her a nomination for Best Actress.

She had a very high chance of winning it if she hadn't been kidnapped before the film festival's award ceremony even began. This was the same time that Karen was kidnapped. The McDonald family and Zac found them within ten minutes of the kidnapping. The kidnappers told them that they could only release one person first, as the other one had to stay as a hostage. Without hesitation, the McDonald family chose Karen.

Max wasn't surprised by their choice. She looked at Zac and watched as he raised his hand for Karen. Her heart broke, but deep down, she suspected he would choose her as well, especially after all the blowjobs he got from her. Men really do think with their appendage. She looked into his eyes, seeing the concern and heartache as he looked at Karen. Max went numb as she stared at them. She couldn't even cry because of this. She brought it on herself. She should've left them when she had the chance.

When Karen was being taken away, her only thought was that if she got out of this, she had to draw a line in the sand between her and those who had hurt her. It was the only way to find herself again. As she stared at their backs walking away from her, she was trying to free herself. The kidnappers were already on edge, but one of them shot her without hesitation. Straight to the head.

The kidnappers took off running, and as she fell into the pool of her blood, she could hear Zac and the McDonald family shouting her name. She felt her body being lifted as warm liquid hit her cheek. Someone was holding her, crying as she exhaled her last breath. She resented them more than anything, but most of the blame was on her shoulders because she could''ve left. With the redo of her life in this lifetime, she severed ties with the McDonald family at the first opportunity, and her last victim called willingly to her.

On the other end of the line, panic sent shock into his body, and his blood froze. What could he say to that? He had no defense. For once, he was at a total loss. This definitely wasn't the same Maxina. His mouth was opening and closing, but no words or sound were coming out. Max continued talking despite his not replying, as she was done with him. She was about to do what she should've done in her previous life.

"Let's break up, Zac. This farce of a relationship has gone on long enough. If you liked Karen or the two guys before I asked you to be my boyfriend, you should've told me. I wouldn't have been mad. I would've wished you happiness." Max said with a bored expression on her face as she heard him suck in air.

Zac's heart was beating fast as he knew he was losing her because he refused to believe that he had lost her already. She pursued him for so long and finally asked him to be her boyfriend. She loves him. He knew that. He couldn't accept that she didn't love him anymore. That wasn't possible to him. Everyone knew that Maxina lived for Zac. NO! She didn't get to leave. "Maxina! There are limits to this stubbornness of yours. I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that, and you will apologize to me."

"I don't care if you hear me or not; I'm informing you of my decision, as I don't want to be with you anymore. There's no need for me to apologize to you. From now on, we have no relationship. If we see each other, we should act like strangers and not acknowledge each other. Her decision was final. If he wanted to continue the relationship, then he could do so without her in it. He needed to learn to love himself anyway.

Zac's eyes went dark as the dark side he kept hidden was coming out. The two guys he messed around with knew about it because their sessions helped keep it buried. He wanted to tie her up and keep him locked in his home forever. She would get used to it. She was his! She doesn't get to leave him. This wasn't hers to end, since he wanted her from the very beginning. Did he love her? He didn't understand what that was. He wanted to possess her like a sick little doll for his fun. Just like Karen was. Just a doll for his entertainment.

"Don't ever contact me again." Max hung up, saving the recording before she proceeded to block and delete all of Zac's contact information. She wanted to start over completely. Maybe as she gained popularity, she could find someone to trust with her heart again. She wanted to find her forever person like everyone else.

With the phone still up to his ear and nothing but silence on the other end, Zac was still trapped in his thoughts. This was so sudden, but he should've expected it because she did cut ties with her family. His dark obsession forced him to call her back until he realized that he was blocked. Fuck! He texted the guys for a session if they were available before he did something stupid like call Karen. He knew she couldn't handle him like this. She would probably end up seriously hurt, and then they would be mad at him.

Jonah texted him. "I'm on my way. It's just us tonight, little one. Get prepared. This one will be rougher than all the other sessions." Zac was ready because he needed it just as much as he did. Zac got ready in what Jonah liked the most. Naked, because there were no boundaries. As Zac was waiting for Jonah, Max wasn't dwelling on the matter and instantly put it out of her mind.

She busied herself with her own matters as she pulled out her adoption papers. Maxina Heart. She named herself Maxina, but her master gave her his last name. People called him a Wiccan, a modernized witch, as he used tarot cards, talismans, and other magical items.

He did a reading for her once, but never told her what the cards had told him. She wondered if the cards showed him her death and rebirth. When she went to live with the McDonald family, they never mentioned changing her last name, and that should've been a fucking clue for her, but she was grateful they didn't. It would be awkward later when revealed who she truly was. She couldn't wait until that time.

She looked at the time and saw that it was only 7 P.M. She had enough time for a few matches on stream. Max turned her laptop off and placed it on charge as she headed to her gaming room, where her supercomputer and consoles were. It was the ultimate gamer room, complete with walls of games for each console. She could stream on the console and her computer, but she preferred to do it on her pc. It was simpler for her because she had two monitors. She could keep up with the chat on one and play on the other.

She signed in to Twitch, and as soon as she did, she saw a message from an old friend. They didn't exchange real names, but she knew it was a guy. Unlike her, he didn't use a voice changer. She never showed her real self on stream either. Only a little Hello Kitty wearing a Ghostface costume was her little avatar that would appear in the bottom right corner of the screen. The message was dated 5 months ago. "Hope you come back soon."

She smiled because she remembered how they became friends. They were on opposite teams in Overwatch. She was one of the supports for her team, and he was a damage or DPS. Mercy versus Cassidy. He would always try to sneak past the team, setting up for his ultimate in the back. She would sneak up behind him and shoot Mercy's little pew pew straight to the back of his melon, killing him before he could react, before she flew back to her team. Something we would always laugh about. She messaged back, not knowing if he was on or not. "I'm back, RiseOfDaViking."

She started her stream, titling it: I'm back, My Dolls. She pulled up Dead by Daylight because she felt in the mood for some horror. By the time she got into the game, all of her followers had joined, including Viking. The chat started going crazy, and she turned on her voice changer as she started to reply to everyone. Viking joined her in her game lobby as he texted in the chat, "I know you weren't about to play without me."

"Never, Viking! I need my sacrifice." She laughed softly as she joked, and everyone knew it, as they were used to them joking around like this. They played for a couple of matches as she talked to him and the followers watching. She had gained more, too, but her dragon tattoo stayed the same. Maybe it's only involving her connection to the entertainment industry, as that was the one she had a bad rep for. When she got off, she headed to bed and had the best night of sleep she'd ever had.

In the days following, she was busy looking for a location for her studio, and she had the signing of the contract for the variety show. After she signed the contract, she stayed and talked with the director and his husband, the same one who almost drowned. She was glad to hear that they were both getting swimming lessons. At least they learned from their mistakes.

As soon as she walked out, she ran into three idiots. Theodore, Fred, and Karen. They were laughing and talking as they headed to the area from which she came. She wasn't bothered by seeing them like this, as they weren't her family. They never were. They weren't truly Maxina's either. They gave that up when they replaced her. She walked past them without hesitation or acknowledging them.

Max knew the moment they saw her because the laughing and talking stopped. She kept walking until that dumb bitch, Karen, called out to her. "Maxina! Are you here to sign a contract too?" Too, she says. Interesting. Max stopped and turned to look at her, smiling softly.

Karen wanted to flaunt her relationship with the brothers, but noticed that Max didn't even care. She looked bored. "I already signed my contract, Karen. I'm guessing that since you are here means that you have a contract as well? That means you all bullied me for no reason. Tsk tsk." Max's voice was so sugary sweet that Karen could feel a toothache coming, and that was the one thing she hated. Max was a better actress than her.