Chapter 2

My initial shock quickly turned into cold suspicion. I kept my face neutral, my gaze flicking from his grinning face to the camera lens, then back again. This wasn't about my safety. This was about his content.

"No, thank you," I said, my voice firm and clear.

While he was busy mugging for his camera, I discreetly angled my phone screen away from him. My fingers flew across the keyboard, typing another message into the family group chat.

"Some weirdo influencer is bothering me in the lobby. Still at the main entrance. Hurry."

Chad' s smile faltered for a fraction of a second. He clearly wasn't used to being rejected.

"Oh, a bit shy, are we?" he cooed, stepping closer. The smell of his cologne hit me like a wall. It was a cheap, cloying scent that was trying too hard, just like him. "Don't worry. This will be fun. My followers are going to love you."

He crouched down, bringing his face uncomfortably close to mine. The smell was stronger now, a sweet, musky odor that made me feel a little nauseous.

"I don't want to be on your channel," I said, leaning back as far as I could into the couch. "Please leave me alone."

"Come on, don't be like that," he said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "We're going to get so many views. Think of the exposure!"

He reached out and, to my horror, he playfully flicked my nose with his finger.

"There, that's better," he said, as if he'd just granted me a huge favor. "A pretty girl like you shouldn't be frowning."

A jolt of pure rage shot through me. I jerked my head back, my eyes blazing.

"Don't touch me," I snapped.

I stood up abruptly, putting the couch between us. I wiped my nose with the back of my hand, a frantic, scrubbing motion, as if I could erase his touch. The lingering scent of his cologne on my skin made my stomach turn.

As if on cue, I imagined the comments scrolling across his live feed.

"Ooh, she's playing hard to get!"

"Classic move. She totally wants him."

"He's so charming, how could she say no?"

"She's just putting on a show for the camera."

I suddenly understood. This guy wasn't just an influencer, he was living out some kind of fantasy. He saw himself as the irresistible male lead in a cheap romance novel, the kind where the woman's 'no' is just a prelude to a 'yes'. He thought he was playing a part, and he had already cast me as his reluctant, but ultimately willing, love interest.

He truly believed he was the hero of this story. And that made him infinitely more dangerous.