Chapter 2

"I didn't think Joel would take it the wrong way and turn it into this whole thing," Lewis said, playing the reasonable guy caught in someone else's drama.

Fiona softened in his arms.

My phone was still out. With footage this good unfolding right in front of me, there was no way I could pass it up. I started filming from every angle, making sure I caught it all.

"There you go. A little closer. Come on, put your arms around her. That's it. Hold her tight. Hell, why stop there? Give her a kiss."

Fiona finally seemed to remember I was there and pulled away from Lewis.

"Joel, what is your problem? Delete that video. Now!"

I snorted and pocketed my phone. "Not a chance. Let's see what everyone online has to say. Am I imagining things, or do you two just have no shame?"

Fiona struggled for a response before finally settling on a threat. "Post that video, and I promise you'll regret it."

After three wish-fulfillment novels, it would take more than an empty threat to rattle me.

Besides, this was just the beginning.

Now that I was in this story, I intended to have a say in how it ended. This miserable tragedy was about to get an ending where I came out on top.

-

I expected Fiona and Lewis to keep their heads down for a while. Instead, at 3 a.m., a barrage of notifications woke me from a perfectly good night's sleep.

I reached for my phone and squinted at the screen, still half asleep. Every notification seemed to link to Lewis's livestream, so I tapped one.

Lewis stood at the edge of the rooftop, his jaw tight and his voice strained as he accused me of driving him to suicide.

"Nothing happened between Fiona and me. I told Joel that, but apparently, my word means nothing. He'd rather drag my name through the mud.

"I worked my ass off to get here, and now he's tearing it all down. If he gets his way, I'll have nothing left. What the hell am I supposed to live for then?"

The comments flooded in, and viewers wasted no time tearing into me.

[Lewis gives people way too much credit. He has no idea how nasty they can be. Joel's just a gold digger trying to lock Fiona down!]

[Lewis and Fiona would be perfect together. Why can't Joel just drop dead?]

[Lewis, don't throw your life away over that loser. Joel's the one who should jump!]

[Seriously, what does Fiona even see in Joel? Why would she agree to marry him?]

I gave a low whistle. Internet trolls were the same everywhere: all opinions, no brain cells.

Someone else appeared on-screen.

Fiona rushed toward him, pale with fear, her voice catching. "Lewis, please step away from the edge! This is my fault. I should've protected you. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you again..."

Quite a show.

It wasn't hard to guess where this little drama was headed. The powerful CEO and the man everyone misunderstood would confess their feelings and fall into each other's arms.

True love would win, and everyone would live happily ever after. Everyone except Joel, who got to walk away heartbroken and humiliated.

Unfortunately for them, I wasn't the pushover they were used to. And I did enjoy making trouble.

I went straight to the livestream chat and started typing.

[Here's an idea, Fiona. You can jump with your precious Lewis. Then you can be together forever and prove your innocence. If neither of you jumps, I'll take that as confirmation you're both full of it.]

Satisfied with my contribution, I left the livestream, turned off my phone, and slept like a baby until morning.

The next day, my adoring fans started sending gifts. Such thoughtful people.

Funeral wreaths showed up at my door. Someone splashed paint across my property, and others smashed the windows.

Fiona even bankrupted a small business my family owned—the one Joel had passed off as their sole source of income.

I turned my phone back on. Sure enough, my name was still all over the trending lists, with hundreds of thousands of comments tearing me apart.

Things were just getting started.

As far as I was concerned, the bigger the scandal got, the better.