Close Second

Chapter 2

CLOSE SECOND

Chapter 2 — Number Two

Everest's POV

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the number two.

Not literally.

But it might as well have been painted across my ceiling.

Two.

Second.

Runner-up.

Almost.

Close.

I groaned and buried my face beneath the pillow.

This was ridiculous.

I had spent the previous night replaying the match in my head.

Every mistake.

Every movement.

Every second.

Especially the final 0.8 seconds.

I had been faster than him.

I knew I had.

But Kai had been smarter.

That was the problem.

He always was.

My phone buzzed somewhere beside my bed.

I reached for it without opening my eyes.

The screen immediately assaulted me with notifications.

ASHFALL GLOBAL RANKINGS UPDATED

I stared at the notification.

I already knew what it said.

Still, I opened it.

GLOBAL RANKINGS

1. KAI — 9,842 points

2. ASHEN — 9,811 points

I stared at the numbers.

Thirty-one points.

Only thirty-one.

My lips pressed into a thin line.

"You're kidding me."

I threw the phone onto the mattress.

A second later, it buzzed again.

Then again.

And again.

I reluctantly picked it up.

Thousands of messages had flooded my gaming account overnight.

Some congratulated me.

Some mocked me.

Others were already speculating about when Kai and Ashen would face each other again.

One message stood out.

Unknown: You'll never beat Kai.

I deleted it.

Another appeared.

Unknown: Second place suits you.

Deleted.

Another.

Unknown: Just accept that Kai is better.

Deleted.

I tossed the phone aside.

People could say whatever they wanted.

They didn't know me.

They didn't know how hard I'd worked.

They didn't know how many nights I'd stayed awake practicing the same combinations until my fingers hurt.

They didn't know that when I started playing Ashfall, I wasn't even good enough to qualify for regional competitions.

I had climbed from thousands of players to the top two.

I hadn't gotten this far by accepting second place.

I got out of bed.

Today was Monday.

Which meant university.

And unfortunately, real life had decided to continue even though I'd just lost the most important match of my week.

I showered, dressed and stood in front of my mirror.

Dark-brown hair falling over my shoulders.

Hazel eyes.

Warm brown skin.

I looked composed.

Elegant.

Like the kind of girl who belonged in expensive clothes and family photographs.

Nothing about my reflection suggested that I'd spent half the night obsessing over a virtual battlefield.

Good.

That was exactly how I wanted it.

My phone buzzed.

This time, it was Priya.

PRIYA: Are you alive?

I smiled.

ME: Unfortunately.

Her reply came instantly.

PRIYA: Good. Pick me up.

I frowned.

ME: You have your own car.

PRIYA: And you have a driver.

ME: So?

PRIYA: So I'm choosing luxury.

I laughed.

Typical Priya.

I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs.

---

The Calloway dining room looked like it belonged in a magazine.

A long table.

Fresh flowers.

Crystal glasses.

Silverware arranged perfectly.

And my parents sitting at opposite ends.

My father was already reading something on his tablet.

My mother was sipping coffee.

I slowed as I entered.

Neither looked up immediately.

"Good morning."

My mother smiled.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

My father lowered the tablet.

"You're late."

I glanced at the clock.

"By three minutes."

"Three minutes can matter."

I resisted the urge to tell him that I'd just lost a match by less than one second.

Instead, I sat down.

"Why did you want me home early?"

My father exchanged a glance with my mother.

There it was again.

That look.

Something was wrong.

My mother set down her cup.

"We have something important to discuss with you."

My stomach tightened.

"What?"

My father leaned back.

"It's about your future."

I nearly sighed.

Of course.

"My future is fine."

"You're twenty-one."

"I'm aware."

"You'll be graduating in the next year or two."

"I know."

"You'll eventually have responsibilities within the Calloway Group."

I picked up my fork.

"I know that too."

My father studied me.

"Do you?"

I looked up.

"Yes."

He seemed dissatisfied with my answer.

Before he could continue, my mother intervened.

"We simply want you to start thinking seriously about what comes next."

"I am."

"What are you thinking about?"

I hesitated.

Gaming.

But there was no way I was telling them that.

"I'm focused on my degree."

My mother smiled softly.

"That's good."

My father's expression remained unreadable.

"Finish breakfast. We'll discuss it tonight."

I frowned.

"Tonight?"

"Yes."

"What is this about?"

"You'll know soon enough."

I hated that answer.

But I knew my father.

When Richard Calloway decided something, arguing rarely changed his mind.

I continued eating.

But my mind wasn't on breakfast anymore.

It was on the conversation waiting for me that evening.

And somehow, I had a feeling my life was about to become considerably more complicated.

---

Westbridge International University

By the time I arrived on campus, I'd almost managed to forget about the strange conversation.

Almost.

Priya was waiting near the main entrance.

The moment she saw me, she grinned.

"You look miserable."

"I'm fine."

"You're lying."

"I'm always fine."

"You're also always lying."

I rolled my eyes.

She hooked her arm through mine.

"Come on. We're going to be late."

Westbridge was one of those universities where everything looked unnecessarily expensive.

Modern glass buildings.

Beautiful gardens.

Huge lecture halls.

Students carrying laptops that cost more than some people's cars.

Most people here came from wealthy families.

Some came from powerful ones.

And then there were people like me.

People whose family names already had buildings named after them.

I hated how easily people recognized me.

We were halfway across the courtyard when whispers began.

"Isn't that Everest Calloway?"

"Yeah."

"She's the Calloway heiress."

"She's in MIS, right?"

I ignored them.

Priya leaned closer.

"You're famous."

"I'd rather be anonymous."

"You chose the wrong family."

I laughed.

Then I stopped.

Someone was walking toward us.

Tall.

Broad shoulders.

Black hair slightly tousled.

Gray eyes.

Perfectly pressed dark shirt.

He moved through the crowd with the kind of confidence that suggested he was accustomed to people making room for him.

I knew him.

Everyone did.

Kaelan Voss.

The heir to Voss Corp.

Our families had crossed paths more times than I could remember.

But we'd never actually spoken.

Until now.

His eyes met mine.

For a second, neither of us looked away.

Something about his expression was unreadable.

Calm.

Controlled.

Almost intimidating.

Then he walked past.

I watched him disappear into the crowd.

Priya looked at me.

"What?"

"You stared."

"I did not."

"You absolutely did."

"I was looking at the building behind him."

She laughed.

"Sure."

I ignored her.

But as we continued walking, something bothered me.

There had been something strangely familiar about his eyes.

Not the color.

The way he looked at me.

As though he were studying me.

As though he'd seen me before.

Which was impossible.

I shook the thought away.

"Come on," I said.

"We're going to class."

I didn't notice the man we'd just passed glance back at me.

And I certainly didn't see the faint smile that appeared on his face.

Because somewhere behind those calm gray eyes was another identity.

One I knew very well.

Kai.

And neither of us knew yet just how close our worlds were about to become.