The biggest gaming centers were hosting the competitions. The huge crowds outside could testify that this was going to be massive. Lilian became so apprehensive, her hands were trembling from anxiety.
Then she felt his warm and gentle touch grazing her skin, just enough to get her attention. She turned to look at me. Lucas gave her a warm smile and held her palm softly with boldness, something he has been struggling to do for some time . His big palm covered hers and noticed that hers were softer and smaller.
"It's okay." He muttered silently and she chuckled, letting her smile out. Though she was still nervous.
"Mr Kings, Where should I park?" The driver asked.
"Over there." Lilian replied pointing to a vacant spot at the front.
"No. Drive to the back."Lucas commanded and the man nodded.
"But that is a good spot."Lilian suggested but he said nothing, leaving her confused. That was the entrance and it wasn't necessary to park somewhere else and strode to the front.
The driver drove to the back as instructed to see some people waiting for them by the back entrances. They seemed like the staff and the organiser of the event.
The car stopped in front of them and they helped to open the door, welcoming them as soon they stepped down.
"Welcome , Mr King. Welcome to the Feel Good Gaming Center. It is a pleasure to have you grace this event with your presence." The man welcomed him with a handshake. Lucas smiled and returned the gestures.
"Ah. Mrs.King. It is an honor to have you be our guest to test the new game. We will be glad if you enjoy our services. Please do well to come in. Your seat has been reserved." The man acknowledged and they walked inside. Lilian was in awe by the sudden surprise. A lot was going on that she didn't know of. The look she had on her face was mixed feelings and she nudged Lucas for an explanation. He gave her a cheeky smile and directed her to their seat.
They entered the stage to see a sophisticated arena filled with gaming gadgets. Some staff were setting the place up and it was obvious that they were the only guests inside the place.
Lilian was in awe as she sat down to watch the whole process. Lucas interrupted her with a question.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes. I do." She drooled excitedly as her eyes caught the VR equipment. It was sleek and user-friendly. He smiled deeply when he saw her satisfying looks.
"But if I may ask? How do you know them ? Like the director and stuff. How do they know that I am Mrs King? Did you source them out and make a dramatic entry because of me?" Lilian asked at once when she saw the preferential treatment being offered to them.
"One question at a time." He laughed softly. A staff came in with a golden tray filled with some goodies, supplements for energy and stamina. Lilian frowned from this overexcessive care towards her.
"As you wait for the event to kick off, you can relax with some of this. This is specifically prepared for our important guests."The woman in the black gown spoke with so much glee that Lilian found offensive.
"Thank you." Lucas muttered and the woman nodded slightly and walked away. He turned to face Lilian who was pissed by his gestures.
"What? Are you okay?" He asked, sensing her aura.
"Why are you doing all this? You are making me feel less of myself which I don't want to. I came here because I worked hard for it. I made sure that I was picked out due to my capabilities, not connection." She flared out.
"But I wanted you to be comfortable…" He tried to explain stuttering in the process. He hadn't seen her react this way to him. Everything he does for her is because he cares about her.
"I am comfortable. I wanted to express myself here because I feel free when I play video games. All these preferential services make me feel uncomfortable. I want to be seen by my worth. It is not that I am not grateful for your help. It is just that I want to be recognized by her work. Not by connection or self pity. You have to understand." Lilian explained deeply, as if something had happened to her like this.
"I didn't know. I wanted to make you happy and comfortable. If I have crossed my limit, I am sorry." Lucas apologised regretfully. The night was turning sour in his eyes. This wasn't what he had imagined.
"It is okay. I will be joining the other team downstairs." She mentioned sadly, avoiding his grey eyes which were glistened with sadness.
Just then, Lilian heard her name called by a familiar voice that made her blood boil and her body cringed from the tone of his voice. She slowly turned to look at a man smiling at her.
"Argh!!" She seethed. The man kept on urging her to come down.
"Who is he?" Lucas asked, pissed off by his audacious behaviour.
"My Ex." She replied dryly.
"Your Ex?" Lucas yelled , a bit high and he didn't know why.
"Yeah. We were a team. We played games together." She said to him and stood up waving at him with a stern face.
"Hey. Anthonio."
"Lilian Quest." He replied with a grin that made Lucas boil with anger. Lilian scoffed and walked down to meet him. Lucas was expecting her to introduce him to that annoying man but instead, they hugged and walked into a room.
Lucas felt lonely and constantly looked through the door hoping they would come out but not a sight of anyone entering or leaving.
"What are they doing in there?" He pondered hard. Soon, the huge clamoring crowd filled the hall. The noises and chattering filled his ears and he was distracted. He growled in anger and no smile was seen on his lips.
The Event started immediately and the host introduced the game'The Ultimate Destroyer.' and the mastermind behind it. It was a middle aged man who talked about what inspired him to make this game. The crowds were thrilled and screamed his name as he left the podium.
The host came in and started the main event. He introduced the players by their names, ranks and their highest record.
Lucas was anticipant when he heard her name. Lilian stepped out in grace and style as her name screamed loudly. It was obvious that she was very popular in the gaming world and he was proud of her. Her beauty radiated everywhere with her aura of boldness and dominance.
Then, Anthiono was called. The whole crowd jubilated,screaming his name. Girls fell flat on the floor worshipping him because of his charms. It was truly evident that he was really handsome and had cool vibes that can swoon any ladies to become his.
Anthiono came out with styles doing some moves that got even the men screaming his name. Lucas found this unnecessary and Lilian wasn't helping him at all as they hugged each other. Anger and jealousy filled him greatly. He wanted to leave but he remembered that he came with her.
Suddenly he heard a conversation behind that prickled his ears. The two young girls talked about them.
"Awwn. Finally, I got to meet these couples today." The first one blushed as she saw them hugging.
"Yeah , me too. I heard that they are dating." The second replied with a smirk that tells the rumor is true. Lucas listened with rapt attention as his jealousy grew.
Another man from the line heard their conversation between the girls and spoke immediately.
"They broke up , months ago. She is single."
"Really?" The first girl asked, astonished by the information.
"I think that is a rumor because I saw them frolicking around each other at the back. It seems they are back." The second said with conviction.
"Woow. I need to update my fan page. I am a die hard fan of these two." He squealed in excitement and brought out his phone, typing raptly.
Lucas felt the rope snapped into two inside of him. His rage grew and exploded right before his eyes. Lucas got scared from the information. Everything they have said might be true. So many questions ran through his mind.
He was no longer comfortable. Lucas wanted to leave but the game had started. Lilian looked through the crowd for him but saw him staring at her with no emotions. This made her nervous. She wondered if he was still mad at her earlier but the host urged her to get into the game.
There were five players chosen and it was three rounds. Antonio signalled to Lilian who ignored him. The timer started counting and the crowds cheered them on as they started playing. Lilian was focused and determined to win. Her hands moved effortlessly on the keypad. Her eyes glued to the screen.
Lucas decided to stay and support her. He was devastated and watched with sadness. Suddenly, he felt his heart tightened. He tried to breathe and drank some water which relieved a bit. The woman who served them earlier, noticed his discomfort went to his side but he kindly turned down her help. She returned back to her position feeling disturbed by his behaviour.
Lucas was sweating hard and was looking so pale, his breath was unsteady and erratic . He couldn't concentrate but had to pull himself towards it. This made him regret why he didn't take the full complete medication.
He was able to scale through the two rounds of the game and Lilan was the top 2 and Antonio was the first. Lilian frowned and showed a resilient face that got the crowd tense and suspenseful. The timer started and both started playing. This time, Lilian had the upper hand and before they could realize, she won that round and the whole crowd screamed her victory.
Lucas was happy for her and Lilian couldn't contain her joy. She scanned through the crowd for him but the huge crowd hid his face. Lilian became distracted for a seconds when ,Antiono pulled her for a hug and pecked her on her cheek. The crowd grew wild from this.
Lilian pulled off and was embarrassed by these gestures. Her cheek went flushed and the media didn't do justice to help her but replay the video several times. People took pictures of them and before she knew, Lilian was trending and old pictures started circulating of them.
Lilian was stunned and tried to walk out from the podium, even abandoning her award when they heard someone scream for help in the crowds.
"Help. Someone just collapsed!"
Lilian went shocked and ran out of the stage. Fear written all over her face. She pushed through the crowd as the cameras went in her direction. She saw Lucas on the ground, almost lifeless. Lilian screamed for help and ran to his side.
She raised his head, shaking him to respond. The media portrayed the scene on the big screen for viewing. The medical team arrived and started CPR and was wheeled out from the place with Lilian tagging along.
News got to the King's Group and several measures were taken immediately. Lilian got arrested at the hospital and Fiona King took charge of the media.