Chapter 60: Meet me-Chickpea
"This is way harder than running behind Madam!" Benny cried, furiously smashing buttons on the controller.
His character took one heroic step forward... and immediately fell into a pit.
Silence.
"I hate this game," he whispered, deeply offended.
Percy, on the other hand, sat up straight, eyes narrowed in determination. "No. I’ve figured it out," he declared confidently. "It’s all about timing."
He moved his character forward with great precision...
Only to get smacked by an enemy within two seconds.
"WUAAHHH! WHY IS THIS HARDER THAN REAL-LIFE COMBAT?!" he screamed.
Nico flinched so hard he nearly dropped his controller.
"Geez! Don’t yell like that, you idiot! I’m trying to concentrate!" Nico snapped, shoving Percy slightly to the side before focusing back on his own game.
Three seconds later, his character walked straight into danger and got eliminated.
"...I hate this game too," he muttered.
Meanwhile, Teddy sat calmly, studying the controller like it was a classified weapon system.
"Hm... so this is how it works," he murmured, pressing a button with calculated precision.
His character dodged an attack.
Everyone froze.
"...Did he just—"
The next second, Teddy confidently walked his character forward—
—and straight off a ledge.
"...Understood," he said, nodding seriously. "There are still flaws in the system."
"GUYS, YOU ARE NOT HELPING!" Ivy shouted from the other side.
All four of them jumped in shock, nearly throwing their controllers.
"She’s acting like a pro," Benny scoffed, glaring at Ivy. "She died more times than all of us combined before even climbing the first level."
"I CAN HEAR YOU!" Ivy snapped without looking at him, aggressively pressing buttons like she was trying to break the controller.
It had been over an hour.
Not one of them had won a single match.
Not one.
And yet, their Madam—who had started out as the worst player—refused to give up.
Because this was no longer just a game.
This was war.
I need to master this game, Ivy told herself for the hundredth time. Or that idiot will keep controlling me like a puppet.
Her eyes narrowed.
Her fingers tightened.
This time... she focused.
Her character moved.
Jump.
Dodge.
Attack.
Everyone slowly leaned forward.
"Wait... wait..." Percy whispered.
"Is she actually doing it?" Nico added, eyes wide.
Benny clutched his imaginary pearls. "No... this can’t be happening..."
Teddy remained silent, watching carefully.
Ivy’s character took down one enemy.
Then another.
Then another.
"OH MY GOD," Benny breathed.
"THIS IS NOT REAL," Percy added.
"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MADAM?" Nico demanded.
Ivy didn’t respond.
She was locked in.
Final enemy.
Her fingers moved with surprising confidence.
One wrong move—and it was over.
The room fell silent.
Even Teddy leaned forward slightly.
Three seconds.
Two.
One—
ATTACK.
Victory.
The screen flashed.
She had won.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then—
"I WON!" Ivy shot up from her seat, raising the controller like a trophy. "I WON! DID YOU SEE THAT?!"
The four guards stared at her like they had just witnessed a miracle.
"...We trained her," Benny said weakly.
"No, we suffered," Nico corrected.
Percy wiped imaginary tears. "She has surpassed the masters."
Teddy gave a small nod. "She adapted quickly."
Ivy turned toward them, flipping her hair dramatically.
"Of course I did," she said smugly. "I don’t lose."
Benny looked at the others and whispered, "She lost 47 times."
"48," Nico corrected.
"Silence," Percy added. "Let her have this moment."
Ivy placed the controller down with satisfaction, a victorious smile on her face.
Finally, now she could deal with Aaron.
Ivy was still grinning like she had just conquered the world when her phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket.
She pulled it out casually...and froze. For a split second, everything on her face stilled. Then, just as quickly, her smile vanished, replaced by something darker.
"Don’t leave the room until you master the game," she announced abruptly.
Before anyone could react, she dashed out of Leo’s room only to return again and warn.
"If you don’t want me to inform Xander about your plans then play" her words were sharp and deadly that made the men glue in their seats with their eyes fixed on the screen and their fingers moving incoherently on the controller
Bang!
The door slammed shut and second later—
Click.
"...Did she just lock us in?" Benny asked, blinking in disbelief.
Nico, who had been trying very hard to maintain his dignity all this time, finally broke.
"I can’t do this anymore!" he cried, clutching his controller like it had personally betrayed him. "I didn’t sign up for this torture!"
Percy sighed deeply, staring at the screen like a soldier who had accepted his fate.
"We must endure or else no drinks for life"
Teddy crossed his arms, calm as ever. "Complete the mission."
"I don’t even know what the mission is anymore!" Nico wailed.
Benny suddenly gasped, as if struck by lightning.
"My beer..." he whispered, his voice trembling. "My beautiful, cold, waiting-for-me beer..."
He dropped to his knees dramatically. "...gone."
"Focus," Teddy said flatly.
"This is my focus!" Benny cried. "My entire life was leading up to tonight!"
"Now your life is leading to Level 2," Percy patted his shoulder.
"I hate all of you," Benny muttered, picking up the controller again like a man forced into battle.
***
Meanwhile, Ivy had already slipped into her room.
Within minutes, she changed into something more practical, moving with quiet urgency. She made sure no one noticed her as she carefully exited the house.
A moment later, she was in a cab, leaving the Emerson estate behind, while her eyes remained fixed on her phone.
The message glowed on the screen.
[Meet me — Chickpea]
She had read it multiple times now.
Sal had reached out to her. But not from his usual number. And that... was wrong.
"Chickpea..." she murmured under her breath.
It was a name she gave him. And despite hating it every time he used it, she knew something was wrong.
Her grip on the phone tightened.
Something is not right. She could feel it. Deep in her gut. And now... she wasn’t just concerned. She was curious. And that curiosity? It was about to lead her straight into truth she didn’t know.
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