Suddenly the internet was speculating about whether I was Chase's sugar mama.
Looking at these articles, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
I wanted to share the joke with Chase, but he'd been in the bathroom for a really long time.
I glanced toward the bathroom, suspicious. Could Chase actually care about this stuff?
And why was it so quiet in there? No water running...
I tiptoed to the bathroom door and pressed my ear against it. Suddenly the door swung open and I stumbled forward, falling right into Chase's arms.
He'd just showered. Steam still clung to him. He was shirtless, wearing only a towel around his waist.
We were so close I could smell his body wash.
His teasing voice came from above. "Couldn't wait?"
...
What the hell!
I was about to push away and stand up when Chase suddenly lifted me and tossed me onto the bed. The next second, he was on top of me.
After a moment of dizziness, I pressed against his chest. "What are you doing?"
Chase smirked and bit my earlobe. "Making sure my sugar mama is satisfied, obviously."
...
I knew it.
Not only did Chase not care—he was actively playing into the sugar mama narrative.
On his birthday, I gave him a luxury designer coat. He wore it to an event, which led to this exchange:
Reporter: "Chase, did you dress up especially for today's event?"
Chase: "Yeah, my wife gave me this coat."
Reporter: "It looks great. Congratulations on your nomination today."
Chase: "Thanks. My wife congratulated me the same way yesterday on my birthday."
Reporter: "..."
When internet users saw that Chase had zero reaction to the sugar mama rumors, they knew something was up.
If it seems too weird, it's probably fake.
Contrarian netizens immediately decided Chase definitely wasn't being kept, and with zero PR effort, he actually gained followers.
He was fine, but my company took some heat.
I hired a lawyer to formally sue the media outlets that started the rumors. Since my compensation demands were pretty harsh, they lawyered up too.
The day of negotiations, I didn't need to be there, but I was bored so I went to make my presence known.
I never expected the opposing lawyer to be Ethan White.
A high school classmate I hadn't seen in ten years.