Chapter 40: The Aftermath of the Showdown

Ethan leaned back in his chair, watching the final messages flood the chat. The battle between him and YoungMasterK had been one-sided. The guy thought dropping twenty grand in gifts would prove something, but Ethan had shut him down with fifty grand like it was nothing. The entire stream had gone silent for a moment, and then the chat had exploded.

"Holy sh*t, FleetingFable is on another level!"

"50 grand?? Bro, are you Jeff Bezos' lost son?!"

"LMAO YoungMasterK just got humbled. RIP."

"Who even is this guy??"

Ethan exhaled, shutting off the app. His username, FleetingFable, had caused chaos again.

And that was exactly how he liked it.

No one knew who he was. No one needed to.

His phone buzzed.

[Jordan]: Bro, did you see that stream tonight?? Some lunatic dropped 50 grand on Mia's live! Everyone's losing their minds.

Ethan smirked slightly but typed back lazily.

[Ethan]: Yeah? Must be nice to have that kind of money.

[Jordan]: For real. That's a different level of rich. Everyone's guessing it's some billionaire's son flexing. YoungMasterK got humbled, though. Serves him right.

Ethan chuckled to himself. Jordan had no idea.

And that's how it would stay.

His entire goal was to stay under the radar. The last thing he needed was people questioning how a guy living in a shabby apartment could casually burn fifty grand in minutes. He had worked too hard to build this quiet, unassuming life. No one—not Jordan, not his classmates, no one—could know.

But just as he was about to put his phone away, another notification popped up.

[Mia]: FleetingFable, thanks for the support tonight! That was insane. You really didn't have to, but I appreciate it a lot. Hope you had fun. :)

Ethan stared at the message for a second.

Mia—the top-tier streamer with millions of fans—had personally DM'd him.

He considered replying. But that would lead to a conversation. Then maybe more questions. Maybe she'd even want to meet him.

Too risky.

Instead, he shut his phone off and went to bed.

---

The Next Morning

Ethan arrived at school like any other day—hoodie up, hands stuffed in his pockets. His posture was relaxed, his expression unreadable.

But something was different.

The second he stepped into the hallway, whispers exploded around him.

"Did you see Mia's stream last night?"

"Yeah! Some guy named FleetingFable dropped fifty grand like it was pocket change!"

"Who even has that kind of money?"

"People are saying he might be from our school."

"No way. It's definitely Lucas, right? His family is loaded."

Ethan kept walking, unbothered.

They were all assuming it was Lucas. Perfect. That meant no one even considered the possibility that the so-called "broke" Ethan could be the real FleetingFable.

But then he heard something that made him pause.

"Maybe it's Ethan."

He turned his head slightly. A group of students stood near the lockers, whispering.

"Are you dumb?" one of them laughed. "That dude can barely afford lunch. You really think he has fifty grand to just throw away?"

"Yeah, but think about it," another said. "Ever since that class dinner, something feels off. Ethan's been acting way too calm. What if he actually did win the lottery?"

Ethan smirked.

Winning the lottery? That's what they thought?

He could use that.

---

A Familiar Face

As he moved toward his locker, footsteps hurried toward him.

"Ethan!"

A sickeningly sweet voice rang out.

Ethan turned his head slightly, only to see Sophia striding toward him, her long hair bouncing, a bright smile on her face.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. Oh?

The same Sophia who dumped him. The same Sophia who mocked him in front of the class. The same Sophia who, just days ago, looked at him like he was worthless.

Now? She was all smiles.

She stopped in front of him, tilting her head slightly. "Morning," she chirped, voice dripping with fake sweetness.

Ethan leaned against his locker, his expression unreadable. "Why do you care?"

Sophia giggled, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Just curious. You seem… different lately."

Ethan smirked slightly.

Ah. So this was her first attempt.

After treating him like garbage for years, now she was interested?

Interesting.

"Maybe I won the lottery," he said lazily.

Sophia's eyes gleamed. "Really? That's amazing!"

Ethan chuckled. Hook, line, and sinker.

"Yeah," he continued, stretching his arms. "Money comes, money goes."

Sophia playfully nudged him. "Well, maybe you should take me out sometime."

Ethan pretended to think about it.

"Hmm… I'll consider it."

Sophia beamed, convinced she had him wrapped around her finger.

But in Ethan's mind, the game had just begun.