Lucas joined the livestream, but he kept his camera off.
He had no intention of letting Gracie see his face yet. The less she knew, the better. He sat back on the couch, phone in hand, while Mia, Daisy, and Debbie leaned in from both sides, still watching the screen. The three of them stayed quiet, sensing he was about to make a move.
The moment his account entered the live, Gracie’s eyes flicked toward the new guest list. A Level 50 badge was rare enough to catch her attention immediately.
"Hey," Lucas said.
His voice came through clear and calm.
Gracie blinked.
She had been expecting the usual type ~ an older man with money, a tired voice, and the kind of eagerness that made them easy to handle. Instead, the voice that answered her was young, steady, and completely unimpressed.
She recovered quickly, putting the soft smile back on.
"Hey... hey," she said, dragging the word out a little as she tried to reset. "Wow, Level 50? That’s... unexpected."
Inside, she was already recalculating.
A high-level account with a young voice usually meant one of two things: a spoiled rich kid spending his father’s money, or someone who had gotten lucky with crypto and still didn’t know how to protect his wallet. Either way, she had handled both types before.
She tilted her head slightly, keeping her tone sweet.
"So... what’s up? You don’t talk much for someone with that kind of badge."
Her plan was simple. Get him talking, find the soft spot, then slowly turn the conversation toward support, stress, recovery, anything that made sending money feel natural. She had done it dozens of times.
Lucas already knew the method.
He had watched her do it with the previous guests. The soft voice. The careful pauses. The way she never asked directly but somehow always ended up with account details.
He had no intention of playing along.
"Just watching," he said. "Interesting stream."
Gracie’s smile stayed in place, but a small crease appeared between her brows. Most people jumped at the chance to talk once she gave them attention. This one didn’t.
"Interesting, huh?" she replied, still trying to steer. "It’s been a rough day. A lot of people have been... checking in. Offering support. It’s nice knowing some people still care."
She left the opening wide.
Lucas didn’t take it.
"Yeah," he said. "I saw."
The short answers were starting to bother her. She shifted slightly in her seat, adjusting her hair as if the movement would help her regain control of the pace.
"You sound young," she said with a light laugh. "Most Level 50s I meet are a lot older. You’re not one of those quiet rich kids, are you?"
Lucas almost smiled.
"Something like that."
Gracie waited for more.
Nothing came.
The silence stretched just long enough to become awkward. In the chat, people were already typing, wondering who the Level 50 was and why Gracie seemed slightly off her usual rhythm.
She tried again, softer this time.
"Well... if you ever feel like talking properly, I’m here. Days like this can be heavy. Sometimes it helps to have someone listen... or just support in whatever way they can."
There it was.
The same turn she always made.
Lucas leaned back against the couch, eyes on the screen, already several steps ahead of her.
Lucas watched her for a few more seconds, then made his decision.
She needed money. That much was obvious. And right now, a desperate Gracie could be useful. If playing along a little got him closer to what he actually wanted, then so be it.
"Alright," he said casually. "I’ll support you."
On the screen, Gracie’s whole posture changed.
She sat up straighter, eyes brightening for the first time since the stream started. The soft, wounded expression she had been wearing slipped for half a second before she forced it back into place. Inside, she was already celebrating. After fishing for so long with almost no bites, a Level 50 had finally taken the hook.
She immediately fell into her usual routine.
"Aww, really, you don’t have to," she said, voice sweet and reluctant. "I didn’t come live for that. I just... needed to talk, you know? Clear my head."
Behind the phone, Mia, Daisy, and Debbie all turned to look at Lucas at the same time. They knew exactly what he was doing. Daisy pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. Mia raised an eyebrow. Debbie just shook her head slowly, already entertained.
Lucas kept his tone light.
"Okay."
That single word landed harder than it should have.
Gracie froze for a moment.
"Em... no, no, that’s not what I mean," she said quickly, suddenly stumbling over her words. "I mean... if you want to support, of course you can. I just don’t want you to feel pressured or anything. Some people just like to help when someone’s going through something, and~"
She kept talking, trying to smooth it over, mixing denial with invitation so fast it started tripping over itself.
Lucas didn’t let her regain control.
"Okay," he said again, even calmer this time. "I’ll support you. However you want."
Daisy covered her mouth. Mia looked away, shoulders shaking slightly. Debbie muttered under her breath, "He’s playing with her."
On stream, Gracie’s smile tightened. If she could have seen the three girls reacting behind Lucas’s muted camera, she probably would have ended the live out of pure embarrassment. Instead, she pushed forward, determined to lock him in before he changed his mind.
"Okay... I really appreciate it," she said, forcing her voice back to soft and grateful. "I’ll just send it to your DM, alright?"
She didn’t wait for a long reply.
Within less than a second, the message appeared in Lucas’s inbox.
Account name.
Account number.
Bank details.
She had already typed it out and been ready to send the moment someone high-level showed interest.
Lucas stared at the message for a second, then leaned back against the couch with a small, unimpressed smile.
Gracie thought she had just secured a big fish.
She had no idea she was the one being reeled in.
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