Dumped Then Claimed By A Billionaire (Nerissa and Owen) novel Chapter 39

Chapter 39 Reality Shatters

Yale just stared at Owen for a long moment.

Finally, he spoke up, “Owen, you’ve got it wrong. I waited for her all night, and Nerissa never showed up.”

Owen’s mind reeled. ‘She didn’t show up? Nerissa actually stood me up?’

Owen froze, wondering if he’d heard wrong. “You must be confused. There’s no way Nerissa wouldn’t come.”

“She really didn’t show up, Owen.”

The words hit Owen like a punch, and his head started throbbing. Then something occurred to him, and he blurted out,” She got in an accident. Nerissa must’ve been rushing to see me and got into a car accident on the way.”

‘That’s got to be it,’ he thought. ‘That’s the only explanation.’

“Owen, she didn’t get in any accident. Stop lying to yourself.”

“How would you know she didn’t? You’re not her.”

Yale pressed on. “Because I called her from the coffee shop.”

He pulled out his phone. “I recorded it. Listen for yourself.”

As Owen’s friend and business partner, Yale needed him to face reality and deal with the crisis the Calloway Group was facing. That was the only way they’d have a shot at winning the Celestial Dome Awards.

Yale tapped the recording and hit play.

Soon enough, Nerissa’s voice cut through the air, sharp and irritated.

“I already said everything I needed to say, so please stop calling me from different numbers. I’m not interested in fighting Audrey over a piece of trash, and you can tell Owen to look in a mirror and get over himself.”

The recording went dead, and Owen immediately hurled a vase across the room. It shattered against the wall in an explosion of glass and water.

‘She’s lost her mind, he thought, his chest heaving. ‘Is Nerissa actually insane? Is she saying this shit just to piss me off?’

Yale sighed and shook his head. “Owen, I think Nerissa really has moved on, so asking her to help us acquire Kinsbeat Game isn’t gonna work anymore.”

“That’s impossible.” Owen grabbed Yale by the collar like a madman, his eyes bloodshot and wild. “Do you have any idea how much she loved me? You don’t. She loved me enough to die for me. You get that? You don’t understand a damn thing.”

“But love fades, Owen. When she loved you, she would’ve sacrificed everything for you without asking for anything back, but you never appreciated it. She doesn’t have feelings for you anymore. You need to face reality.”

The words were harsh, but Yale knew they had to be said.

He needed Owen to understand that Nerissa was no longer an option.

Owen refused to believe it. ‘Stop loving me? How could Nerissa possibly stop loving me?’ he thought desperately. ‘I was her first love. Nerissa loves me the same way I love Audrey-no matter what happens, I’ll always love Audrey forever. So Nerissa will always love me too.’

“That’s bullshit.” Owen shoved Yale away and snapped, “You’re talking complete nonsense. Nerissa still loves me, just wait and see. She’ll come crawling back any minute now with the Kinsbeat Game files, begging for my attention.”

Yale frowned but didn’t bother arguing anymore. “Owen, just take some time to cool off.”

He turned and walked out.

Owen slammed his fist on the desk, veins bulging on his face, but then something seemed to click in his mind, and a cold smile crept across his lips.

He pulled out his phone and made a call. “Hey, have PR prep an announcement. Tomorrow we’re going public that Audrey and I are getting engaged next week.”

‘Let’s see if Nerissa can stay calm when she hears I’m marrying Audrey,’ he thought.

*****

Meanwhile, at Jamison Manor, Nerissa sat in her bedroom at the computer, and her fingers flew across the keyboard in a blur. The rapid clicking filled the quiet room.

The screen flashed ‘Complete.’

Successfully unlocked!

She clicked save and then opened WhatsApp to message Clive. [Game development is 80% complete. Let PR know they

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Chapter 39 Reality Shatters

can start releasing gameplay videos on the official site over the next few days to build hype for launch.]

She sent the message and then attached a compressed file containing all the high-intensity gameplay clips she’d captured over the past few days.

She figured Clive would be asleep by now, but his reply came back instantly. [Got it, Ms. Jamison. I’ll get that rolling right away.]

The next day, Kinsbeat Game’s official Twitter video shot straight to the top of the trending.

The comments section exploded. [Holy shit. Did Kinsbeat Game just level up overnight? They actually pulled off AAA-level tech that only the top companies can do.]

[Looks like this year’s Celestial Dome Award has Kinsbeat Game’s name written all over it.]

[Wow, slow down there. It’s just one edited video clip, and the actual game hasn’t even dropped yet. It could be all smoke and mirrors for all we know.]

[Exactly. Game companies pull this crap all the time. We won’t know if it’s legit until we actually play it ourselves.]

[I’m calling it now. Kinsbeat Game is just like those other scammy companies, manufacturing hype to get attention. You don’t just make AAA games overnight. Only a handful of top-tier companies can even do that.]

[It’s obvious what’s happening here. Kinsbeat Game knows they can’t compete with Calloway Group, so they created a fake video and claimed to have achieved the AAA dream.]

[Right? They know they’re gonna lose to Calloway Group, so they’re pulling desperate stunts.]

[Lmao.]

“Mr. Calloway!” Wade burst into Owen’s office, practically stumbling over his own feet.

Owen pressed his fingers against his temples. “What’s wrong?”

“Have you seen Twitter? Kinsbeat Game just dropped a gameplay video, and it looks like they actually completed their first AAA game.” Wade shoved his phone toward Owen, his hand trembling slightly.

When Wade first saw the trending topic, his vision went dark for a moment.

He never thought it was possible. Without him, Kinsbeat Game had somehow managed to complete AAA-level technology.

Owen took the phone and glanced at the trending topic, and a mocking smile curved his lips. “If they actually had AAA-level tech, they wouldn’t be making such a spectacle on Twitter.”

People were all the same-the more they lacked something, the more they flaunted it.

Clearly, Kinsbeat Game was trying to generate buzz before the official game release, because otherwise, nobody would bother downloading their low-quality game.

But Kinsbeat Game seemed to forget that hype alone wasn’t enough. They needed actual skill to back it up. Without that skill, launch day would just turn them into everyone’s laughingstock.

Besides, there was no way Kinsbeat Game could pull off an AAA game. The idea of Nerissa, that small-town nobody, actually accomplishing it was downright laughable.

“Just wait,” Owen continued. “Their embarrassing moment is still coming.”

Owen’s words gradually calmed Wade down. Owen was right-AAA game development wasn’t some simple technique.

Even Wade himself could only manage entry-level work, and Kinsbeat Game was currently a disorganized mess of people. There was no way they could complete an AAA game so easily.

“Anything else?” Owen turned back to look at Wade.

“No, that’s all.” Wade was about to leave, but then he paused like something had just occurred to him. “Mr. Calloway, I heard you’re getting engaged to Ms. Pierce soon. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. Make sure you’re there on time for the engagement party with Audrey and me.”

“Will do, Mr. Calloway.”

*****

At Stratford Group, Luke rushed into Lennox’s office, practically bouncing with excitement as he shoved his phone toward him. “Lennox, check this out. It’s the latest video from Kinsbeat Game. Everyone in the comments is saying it’s fake, but what do you think? Real or fake?”

Lennox took the phone and studied the screen, his voice dropping to a low tone. “Doesn’t look like CGI to me.”

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Chapter 39 Reality Shatters

Lennox might’ve been a major player in investment banking, but he was seriously into gaming too, and he was damn good at it. The globally popular shooter game “Last Bullet Standing” was actually made by KIMI Games, one of Stratford Group’s subsidiaries.

But since Stratford Group and KIMI Games operated in completely different industries, hardly anyone knew that KIMI Games was actually owned by Stratford Group.

Luke got even more excited when he heard Lennox’s assessment. “So you’re saying Kinsbeat Garne might actually pull off Cilowesad’s first AAA game? That’s insane!

“Do you think this game was made by that new shareholder, Ms. Jamison, or is it someone else? If it really is that mysterious Ms. Jamison again, she’s gotta be some kind of genius, right?”

Lennox’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘I’m just as curious about who’s really behind this game, he thought.

Luke continued, “But here’s the thing-whether it’s here or overseas, game developers are mostly men. You barely see any women in the industry, and we’re talking about a AAA-level game here. I’d say there’s maybe a 30% chance this mysterious Ms. Jamison is actually real.”

Deep down, Luke figured anyone capable of creating games like this had to be a man as skilled as Lennox.

He grinned and added, “Lennox, you used to be the undisputed king of domestic gaming, but looks like you’ve finally met your match.”

Lennox stood at the peak where no one else could reach. For the second time since Nerissa, he felt an intense curiosity about someone. He turned toward the window, his eyes so deep they seemed bottomless.

The media had dubbed Owen a once-in-a-decade prodigy in the finance world, so he already had massive public attention. And Audrey’s reputation as the city’s top talent, plus Calloway Group’s PR team working overtime, and the engagement announcement shot straight to the top of trending topics.

The topic read: [Calloway Group CEO Confirms Wedding Date with City’s Top Talent.]

The internet was buzzing with comments and speculation. [Congrats to Mr. Calloway for finally getting rid of that clingy country bumpkin.]

[A once-in-a-decade finance genius marrying the city’s number one talent? This is what you call a power couple. Congratulations!]

[Mr. Calloway divorced that country girl, but according to insiders, she’s still obsessing over him. That’s probably why he’s announcing his engagement date so publicly-to make it crystal clear.]

[That country bumpkin’s gonna lose it when she sees this trending topic.]

[Betting a million bucks that shameless country girl shows up to crash the wedding.]

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