Chapter 2

To scrape together more cash as quickly as possible, I brought out a private collection of fine wines my father had kept before his death.

Among them was a rare bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, worth a small fortune.

I contacted the manager of an exclusive underground auction house, hoping it would fetch a high price.

The auction was hosted inside a discreet private club—dimly lit, heavy with tension and opulence.

Dressed in a plain T-shirt and washed-out jeans, I sat among the glittering, impeccably dressed elites, sticking out like a sore thumb.

When my bottle of wine was brought onto the stage, my palms broke out in a cold sweat.

This was likely the last high-value asset I could liquidate.

Just then, a young man wearing an oversized hoodie, a baseball cap, and a black face mask slid into the seat right beside me.

He kept his face largely hidden in the shadows, revealing only a pair of defiant, untamed eyes.

He smelled faintly of expensive liquor and an earthy hint of tobacco.

"Hey," he suddenly spoke up, his voice slightly raspy yet unmistakably youthful. "You here to sell stuff too?"

I ignored him.

He kept rambling on his own. "I just had a massive blowout with my family and walked out. They're dead set on forcing me to take over the family business. It’s suffocating. Tell me, why can't people just do what they actually love?"

I remained silent.

My own life was drowning in chaos; I had no energy to entertain the complaints of a spoiled, rebellious rich kid.

He didn't seem to need a response anyway. He kept muttering under his breath, jumping from pro gaming tournaments to his tyrannical older brother, and then to his pet cat.

He only stopped when the bidding on my wine began.

The numbers climbed steadily, and my heart jumped into my throat with every bid.

Eventually, the hammer fell on a number that exceeded my expectations. I let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief.

The guy beside me suddenly scoffed, "Boring."

With that, he stood up and strode away.

By the time I finished the paperwork, collected the check, and exited the auction house, it was already late into the night.

As soon as I reached the entrance, I saw the hooded guy swarmed by a pack of paparazzi and entertainment reporters.

"Jax! Did you skip the championship finals today because of a feud with team management?"

"Jax, there are rumors that you're announcing your retirement. Is that true?"

"Jax, please comment—"

Trapped in the middle, he waved his arms in irritation. "Stop flashing your cameras! Back off!"

It was only then that I realized this loud, insolent boy was Jax—the legendary esports prodigy known across the country for both his god-tier gaming skills and his explosive temper.

Suddenly, his eyes caught mine. His gaze lit up. Before I could react, he reached out, yanked me toward him, threw an arm over my shoulder, and declared loudly to the press, "Leave me alone! Can't you see I'm out on a date with my girlfriend?"

I froze completely.

A storm of camera flashes blinded us instantly.

Jax leaned down, his lips brushing my ear as he whispered, "Do me a solid here. You're strapped for cash, right? I'll pay you handsomely for this."

Before I could protest, he kept his arm clamped around me, shoved his way through the stunned reporters, and hauled me into a flashy sports car parked by the curb.

The car roared into the night. Watching the bewildered crowd shrink in the rearview mirror, my mind went completely blank.

"Thanks a million, gorgeous." Jax pulled off his mask, revealing an extraordinarily handsome face. His skin was fair, and the corners of his eyes tilted slightly upward, brimming with effortless, roguish charm. "What's your name? Let me get your SnapChat, I'll transfer the fee."

"No need," I said coldly. "Pull over. I want out."

He raised an eyebrow. "Feisty, aren't we? Fine, guess I owe you one."

He pulled over to the curb. Without looking back, I pushed the door open and walked away into the dark.

I thought it was just a bizarre, one-off encounter.

Little did I know that by the very next morning, the headline "Esports God Jax's Secret Girlfriend" had blown up the internet, trending at number one across every platform.