Page 92 of Auctioned to the Billionaire Stalker

I rolled my eyes skyward. “I’m about done with the mock-ups you asked for of the new character,” I said to Laura.

Everyone nodded. They knew how I worked.

“Good,” she sighed with relief. “I booked Salazar Nights months ago for the hype party next week. I was starting to worry you wouldn’t come through for me.”

“And look,” I said smugly, sitting up straighter in my chair and pushing some glossy photos her way, “I came through bigger than you could have hoped for. Instead of just me standingup at the podium and talking about the timeline forCaveSphere 4’s release, I’ll have something of actual substance to say.”

Laura smiled. “Good, that’s great…” she paused and looked up at me after flipping through the images.

“What? You don’t like the character?”

“No, I do. It’s just,” she held them up for everyone to see, and I heard several sharp intakes of breath around the table, “does Daisy know you basically created her?”

I stared at the photos, only just now seeing it. “Jesus,” I said, rubbing a hand over my jaw. “I did, didn’t I?”

“One hundred percent,” my dad said, and everyone else nodded.

“Huh. I intended to base it on her… but I never meant for the character to be her twin.” I stood up, put my hands on my hips, and looked out the back windows of the conference room. For a moment I wished I was bobbing around out in the waves far below like some of the happy tourists I could see dotting the surf. I gathered my thoughts before turning back around.

“So, is the resemblance enough that I need…”

“To warn her before the character unveiling at the hype party?” Grandma asked. “Yes, Jack. You can’t just spring it on her there in front of West Bay’s elite.”

I glanced around, saw that everyone agreed with her, and nodded.

“And have you told Daisy about the event? Sheisgoing to be your date, right?” Laura asked.

“Um… no and yes.”

My mom motioned with her hands for me to keep talking.

“No, I haven’t told her about the event, and yes, she is going to be my date.”

A look passed between Laura and Mom. “She needs a very special dress, Jack. She can’t just show up wearing a normal cocktail gown. You have to let her know so she can shop and a seamstress can make any alterations quickly.”

I waved my hand. “That’s nothing. I’ll just pay extra.”

“Son, you can’t just throw money at all ofyour problems and expect them to go away. Not to spout a cliché, but money doesn’t buy everything.” Dad frowned at me.

I knew that was true. If it did, I could buy myself some sort of cure for my anxieties. But even medicine didn’t seem to help me. Not completely.

Though, I thought to myself, my anxiety had seemed less pronounced since I’d been with Daisy.

“I’ll tell her tonight,” I assured them. “About the dress.”

“And that you copied her likeness for the newCaveSpherecharacter,” Laura prodded.

“Right,” I said, even though I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to give her a heads up about that. I’d gotten to know Daisy over the past weeks and months, and I knew she would try to make me change the character if she knew it was based on her. She wouldn’t want the attention. But if I unveiled it to her at the hype party? She wouldn’t have a chance to change it. Media coverage would’ve already blasted the new character’s likeness far and wide.

I liked that idea better. Because I wasn’t changing the character. I wanted it to look just like Daisy, so super hot, and I’d given her strength, humor, and intelligence, too. I’d actually made her a good match for the main male character in the game. Instead of just the physical beauty that Seraphina had, Flora, the name of the new character, had it all. Beauty, a great body, kindness, intelligence, fortitude… everything a great character needed to become a game favorite.

***

I stopped off at the Estates at South house to pick something up and stopped by my camera room to see if Daisy was home from classes yet.

I dropped the binder in my hand when I saw the same mysterious character hanging around outside her condo as before. It was weeks since he’d been there, but I’d recognize him anywhere. Again, he looked up at the camera, his face blocked by his hat. Whereas before he’d seemed cocky, as if he had something over on me, which spoiler alert—he had, this time he wasagitated.

He paced back and forth in front of her door. He stopped to knock now and then, but there was no answer. My eyes flicked to a different screen, and I was horrified to see that Daisywasat home. She was leaned against a wall, sitting on the floor, her head in her hands and her shoulders shaking. She was crying.