Chapter 6: A Dangerous Game

The world woke up angry.

That was the first thought in my head when my phone would not stop buzzing. Messages. Alerts. Missed calls. My name is everywhere. My face is everywhere. That photo is everywhere.

I stared at the screen until the words blurred.

“They think they know me,” I whispered.

Alex was already awake. I could tell by the way he moved. Quiet. Controlled. Like someone trained to stay calm when things explode.

“Don’t read the comments,” he said.

“I need to,” I replied. “If I don’t see it, it feels worse.”

“You don’t owe strangers your pain,” he said.

I laughed softly. “I used to think love meant explaining yourself until people understood.”

His eyes softened. “And now?”

“Now I know that was survival,” I said. “Not love.”

He nodded once.

The news spun the story fast. Some called it romance. Some called it a scandal. Some called me names I refused to repeat in my head.

I put the phone down.

“What’s the plan?” I asked.

“We don’t hide,” Alex said. “Hiding looks like guilt.”

“And if they tear us apart?” I asked.

“They’ll try,” he replied. “But they won’t succeed.”

I wanted to believe that confidence could protect us.

It could not.

Maddie arrived an hour later, breathless and pale.

“It’s worse,” she said. “Sponsors are asking questions. The team wants answers.”

“About the photo?” I asked.

“About everything,” she replied. “About you. About Alex. About why this happened now.”

Alex stood. “I’ll handle it.”

“No,” Maddie said quickly. “Not alone.”

She looked at me. Careful. Measuring.

“They want her there too,” she added.

My chest tightened.

“Me?” I asked.

“They think she’s part of the narrative,” Maddie said. “They want to see her.”

Alex’s jaw hardened. “She’s not on trial.”

“They don’t see it that way,” Maddie replied.

I stood before either of them could argue.

“I’ll go,” I said.

Alex turned sharply. “Izzy”

“I won’t be quiet,” I said. “I won’t hide behind you. Not again.”

He studied my face. Long. Searching.

“Okay,” he said finally. “But we do this together.”

The meeting was tense. Questions came sharp and fast.

“When did this start?”

“Is this a distraction?”

“Is the relationship real?”

I answered calmly. Carefully.

“I won’t apologize for existing,” I said. “And I won’t be reduced to a rumor.”

Some shifted. Some nodded. Some judged anyway.

Alex spoke last.

“This ends here,” he said. “You hired me to play. I play. My personal life is not leveraged.”

Silence followed.

Then a woman walked in.

Vanessa.

I recognized her from pictures. From stories whispered with awe and envy. She moved like she belonged anywhere she stood.

Her eyes landed on me first.

So this is her, her look seemed to say.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said smoothly. “Traffic.”

Alex stiffened.

“Vanessa,” he said. Flat.

“I heard there was a crisis,” she replied. “I thought I could help.”

“No,” he said. “You couldn’t.”

She smiled at him. Sweet. Sharp.

“Still so protective,” she said. Then she turned to me. “You must be Izzy.”

“I am,” I replied.

She looked at me without shame.

“You look different from what I imagined,” she said.

“So do you,” I replied evenly.

A flicker crossed her face.

“I just want to make sure Alex isn’t making mistakes,” Vanessa continued. “He has a history of… intensity.”

“I’m not a phase,” I said quietly.

Her eyes narrowed. “Everyone thinks that at first.”

Alex stepped closer to me.

“This meeting is over,” he said.

Vanessa laughed lightly. “You’ve changed.”

“Yes,” he said. “I stopped explaining myself to you.”

She held his gaze. Something old and unresolved passed between them.

“I hope you know what you’re risking,” she said. “Because people like her come and go.”

Alex’s voice was cold.

“She stays.”

Vanessa’s smile faded.

After she left, Maddie swore under her breath.

“She’s trouble,” Maddie said. “She still has influence.”

“I noticed,” I replied.

We left together. Quiet. Heavy.

“Did you know she’d show up?” I asked Alex.

“No,” he said. “But I knew she was watching.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because she hates losing,” he replied.

That made two of us.

Later, Maddie pulled me aside.

“There’s something else,” she said.

My stomach sank. “What now?”

She lowered her voice. “I was checking the leak source. The photo didn’t come from fans.”

“Then from where?” I asked.

“From inside,” she said. “Someone connected to the team.”

I felt cold.

“Who?” I whispered.

“I don’t know yet,” she said. “But I found something else.”

She hesitated.

“Alex didn’t tell you about the sponsor, did he?” she asked.

I shook my head slowly.

“There’s a contract,” Maddie said. “A clause. If his image takes too much damage, they can pull funding.”

My heart dropped.

“So this could cost him everything,” I said.

“Yes,” she replied. “And he knows.”

Anger flared. Sharp. Fast.

“He should’ve told me,” I said.

“He didn’t want you to feel responsible,” Maddie replied.

That hurt worse.

When I confronted him, my voice shook.

“You knew,” I said. “You knew what this could cost.”

“Yes,” he admitted.

“And you still asked me to stay,” I said.

“I didn’t ask,” he said softly. “You chose.”

“That doesn’t make it fair,” I snapped.

“No,” he agreed. “But it makes it honest.”

I turned away, fighting tears.

“I won’t be another reason you lose,” I said.

“You’re not a reason,” he said. “You’re a risk I accepted.”

I faced him again.

“What if they force you to choose?” I asked.

He did not answer right away.

That silence told me everything.

His phone buzzed.

Once.

Twice.

He looked at the screen. His face changed.

“What?” I asked.

He read the message again, then lifted his eyes to mine.

“They know about us,” he said quietly.

My heart pounded.

“Who?” I asked.

He swallowed.

“The sponsor,” he said. “And now we’re in trouble.”