Chapter 3: A Million-Dollar Joke

3

Ethan Hayes went silent. All you could hear was the faint sound of skin against sheets.

Any second now, he’s going to roast me.

But after a low, mocking laugh, he just hung up—decisive and clean. The busy tone was drowned out by the noise in the studio.

The host tried to smooth things over with an awkward smile.

"Looks like Mr. Hayes really is tired after working all night."

The chat blew up again.

[Live Chat: See? He doesn’t even want to talk to you, Rachel. Take the hint.]

[Live Chat: So much chemistry, Ethan really is asleep—maybe two hours ago Jenna was in bed with him, sob sob sob.]

[Live Chat: Rachel, get lost. You know you’re the third wheel, and we even stood up for you before. Backstabbers never end well.]

I was about to cry. Normally, Ethan Hayes’s mouth is so sharp he gives himself a headache for three days.

Why is he so unreliable when I actually need him for something?

The camera kept zooming in on my phone.

I frowned, trying to exit the Instagram DM screen, when a text notification popped up at the top.

[Your Chase card ending in 8975 received a real-time transfer of $1,000,000.00 at 08:13 AM on September 11...]

...

A million dollars? For a dumb joke? My brain short-circuited. Was this how rich people flirt?

The whole studio erupted. Everyone gasped, staring at that row of zeroes, totally stunned.

The host blurted out,

"Did Mr. Hayes really just transfer that to you?"

"No, no, no, maybe it’s the studio paying her appearance fee..."

Before he could finish the word 'fee,' messages from Ethan Hayes started popping up in the chat window, one after another.

[Little bit of cash is yours.]

[I really am not wearing any clothes.]

[If you’ve got the guts, answer the video call.]

The next second, the FaceTime ringtone echoed through the entire studio...

I stared at the phone, heartbeat thudding, the blue glow from the FaceTime button painting my hand in light. Half the crew held their breath. Jenna’s eyes widened, lips parting in shock, and for just a second, I could swear the whole world was waiting to see what I’d do next. My finger hovered over the answer. If I picked up, my whole life might go viral in ten seconds flat.