Chapter 5

Their replies came back instantly, overflowing with excitement. They were practically waiting to get fired by Lucas so they could jump ship with severance packages.

As the studio's metrics plummeted, Chloe finally swallowed her pride and called me from an unknown number.

"Ethan, please stop being angry with me. Just come back."

"You can't have the Director title back, but I've saved a Senior Manager spot for you. Even though Lucas and I are married now, he's very generous. He won't hold a grudge against you."

Staring at the caller ID, I replied flatly:

"Are you finished? Because I'm blocking this number next."

Chloe’s voice flared with frantic rage: "Ethan Vance! Don't you dare act so high and mighty!"

"I'll have you know we're on the verge of closing a massive funding round with Apex Ventures—the biggest venture capital firm in the industry! Do you really think I can't survive without you?"

"What can that pathetic little garage studio of yours even accomplish? Just wait until you come crawling back to beg me for scraps!"

She slammed the phone down. I pulled the device away from my ear, staring at the screen with an amused smirk.

Apex Ventures?

Wasn't that the exact VC firm I was meeting this afternoon?

That afternoon, when I arrived at the convention center where the venture pitch was being held, I immediately spotted Chloe and Lucas lingering by the entrance, desperately buttering up Mark, the executive assistant to Apex Ventures’ managing director.

"Mr. Mark, our studio just won Game of the Year," Chloe pleaded, her face plastered with an eager smile. "If Apex chooses to invest in our next round, the returns will be astronomical!"

Lucas nodded rapidly beside her.

"Yes, exactly! Please, just give us five minutes to present our pitch to Mr. Harris directly!"

Mark’s face was etched with deep irritation; it was obvious they had been hounding him for an hour.

Then, his gaze drifted past them and landed on me. His eyes lit up instantly.

Chloe tracked his gaze, turning to see me. Her brow furrowed, and a sneer of utter contempt spread across her lips.

"Well, well. Regretting your choices already, Ethan? Coming here to beg for my help?"

"I must say, I'm impressed you managed to find out I was pitching to Apex today."

"If you apologize to Lucas right now, maybe once our funding clears, I'll be generous enough to hire you back as an unpaid intern!"

I let out a soft laugh and met her eyes.

"Why would I go back? What reason does anyone have to board a sinking ship on the brink of bankruptcy?"

Chloe’s expression turned venomous.

"Godslayer" is the top-rated action title on the market! Stop projecting your pathetic jealousy onto us!"

Instead of arguing, I gestured toward the massive digital display in the lobby.

The news anchor on the live broadcast was breaking down the day's trending tech headline:

"Breaking news this afternoon: The acclaimed title 'Godslayer' has been abruptly pulled from multiple digital storefronts following massive player backlash. A class-action complaint has been filed alleging consumer fraud and predatory deceptive practices, leaving the developer facing potentially devastating liabilities..."