Dating and Dumping the Esports Goddess I Bankrolled

I have been secretly dating Abigail Zimmerman, a female esports player, for three years. During a match, she openly flirts with an esports commentator named Nolan Carter. On my birthday, she shows up with her arm around him and asks to break up. She says, "How could a loser like you, who can't even play games, possibly understand my inner world?" I try to change her mind, but she mocks me mercilessly. "You can't hold a candle to even a strand of Nolan's hair. Get lost!" she barks. I am disappointed and give up on her completely. Right away, I remove her from the club. Abigail has no idea that I am the one who invests in the club she plays for. Chapter 1 When my girlfriend, Abigail Zimmerman, traveled overseas for an esports tournament, she flirted with commentator Nolan Carter. Before long, the clips were trending online. I called to confront Abigail, but all I got was an annoyed reply. "Why are you being so lame? It was all just for show. You don't know a thing about it!" Not long afterward, someone sent me a video. The moment I opened it, I saw Abigail sitting at the head of the table with her arm draped around Nolan. She clung to him as if she wanted everyone to know he was hers. Laughter and teasing filled the room. "Congrats, Abby. You finally got your hands on one of the hottest commentators in esports, and now you can't even keep your hands off him during dinner," someone commented. Nolan broke into a grin and said, "You think she's clingy here? But in bed, she's even—" Before he could finish, everyone around the table erupted into laughter. Abigail never denied any of it. She simply gazed at Nolan with unmistakable fondness. Then, someone brought me up. "So, Abby, what about your boyfriend back home?" In an instant, the smile vanished from Abigail's face, and disgust flashed across her eyes. "I just needed a live-in helper back then. Otherwise, why would I have dated him? If he hadn't been doing everything for me—including washing my underwear—I would've dumped him ages ago!" she spat. A buzz filled my head, and my mind went completely blank. … On my birthday, Abigail flew home and asked me to meet her downstairs. But from my window, I saw her with both arms locked around Nolan's waist as they kissed passionately. It was as if no one else in the world existed. Only after I came downstairs and she noticed me out of the corner of her eye did she reluctantly pull away from him. With a fond smile, she told Nolan, "Babe, wait for me in the car." And the moment she turned to me, her expression instantly went cold. "Benjamin, you saw it, didn't you?" I couldn't help but find the whole thing ridiculous. Over three years of being together, Abigail had never once called me anything affectionate. She had always addressed me by name and barked orders at me. I'd always assumed that pet names simply weren't her thing, so I never took it personally. But now, I realized she'd never seen me as anything more than a live-in helper. There wasn't an ounce of compassion in her voice as she added, "Then there's nothing left to say. Let's break up. Someone like you, who can't even play video games, is never good enough for me. You'll never be part of my world!" Then, she turned to look at Nolan in the car, and her expression softened. "It's different with Nolan. He and I are soulmates." Seeing the affection in her eyes filled me with bitterness. It wasn't that she didn't know how to love someone. She'd just never wanted to treat me like that. "But Abigail, it's my birthday. Did you really have to choose today to break up with me?" I asked. She looked at me with disgust and replied, "If I kept dragging this out with you, all I'd do is hurt Nolan." After three years together, it felt as though I was only seeing her true colors for the first time. I calmly nodded. "Okay." I agreed so quickly that Abigail froze. A moment later, she asked, "You're just going to accept it?" "Don't worry. I won't get in your way." I let out a bitter laugh. "Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness." With that, I turned away and called Troy Miller, the manager who had been running my esports organization in my absence. "I want Abigail fired." Chapter 2 Abigail scoffed when she heard that. "Benjamin, who are you trying to fool? You think you can fire me? You're not worthy!" With that, she got into her car, slammed the gas, and sped off. At the same time, Troy's voice came through the receiver. "Mr. Lamber, it's not that I don't want to fire her, but she just renewed her contract for another five years. "Whoever breaches it would owe 30 million dollars in damages. Even if the two of you have broken up, we can't let the organization go under." When I first met Abigail, she had been nothing more than an ordinary esports streamer. Back then, I had secretly invested in this struggling esports organization to support her dream. I had gotten them to sign her, helped build a team around her, and sent her competing in tournaments worldwide. Later, Abigail became a world champion, just as she had always wanted. I'd thought we would get married. But now, everything changed. I'd devoted three years of my life to her. Yet, in her eyes, I had been nothing more than a worthless live-in helper. I let out a sigh and told Troy to forget it. Trying to fire Abigail had only been my way of proving I still mattered. Now that I didn't even love her anymore, whether she stayed in my organization no longer meant anything to me. Then, I went upstairs, packed everything I owned, and moved out that very night, checking into a hotel. The house belonged to Abigail, so there was no reason for me to stay. … The moment the clock struck midnight, Abigail announced her relationship with Nolan on social media. The photo showed them kissing beneath a fireworks-lit sky, completely lost in each other. In no time, the comment section was flooded with congratulations. One wrote, "Way to go, Abby! You actually landed the hottest esports commentator around!" "I honestly don't know who's luckier. Is it too late to start life over?" "Finally, a gorgeous couple! The world is healing!" I let out a cold laugh. No wonder Abigail had been in such a hurry to end things with me. She'd been eager to go public with her new boyfriend. Just then, my parents sent me birthday wishes and some money, right on time. Only then did I remember it was my birthday. I had almost forgotten after everything that had happened. I quickly ordered a cake online and posted it on social media, wishing myself a happy birthday. By pure coincidence, my post appeared right after Abigail made it official with Nolan. Less than a minute later, she called me. As soon as I answered, she launched into a tirade. "Benjamin Lambert! Are you out of your mind? You just had to post about your birthday right now? "Everyone knows we used to date. If you post something like that, what will people think of Nolan? Delete it right now!" I rolled my eyes and shot back, "Who do you think you are? What other people think about the two of you has nothing to do with me. "If your relationship is so fragile that my birthday post can affect it, then you two must have done something you're ashamed of." Abigail froze for a moment, then hissed through clenched teeth, "Say that again!" I couldn't be bothered to listen anymore and hung up. By then, she had shattered the last illusion I still had about her. My post was flooded with likes. After all, everyone on my feed knew about our history and was just waiting to watch the drama unfold. Only one person commented, "Happy birthday." I stared at the name in surprise. A beat later, I realized it was my old high school classmate, Savannah Clark. After graduation, we barely stayed in touch. She probably didn't know what had happened between Abigail and me, which was why she left that comment. So, I replied with a simple thank-you. … Once my birthday had passed, I started making plans for myself. My parents had always wanted me to go to grad school so I could take over the family business. However, I had given all of it up and spent three years acting as Abigail's live-in helper. Looking back, it hadn't been worth it. But it was time I started thinking about myself. I researched programs until late into the night when, out of nowhere, Abigail called. Her voice was slurred as she said, "Honey, I've had too much to drink. Will you come pick me up?" At that, I frowned in confusion. "You've got the wrong person. Your boyfriend is Nolan, not me." "Of course, I know my boyfriend is. It's you, Benjamin. Please… Come get me," she whined in a syrupy voice. Even then, I hung up. I had intended to ignore her, but she kept calling. "If you don't come, I'm going to end up sleeping on the sidewalk!" I didn't have Nolan's contact information. So, after a moment's thought, I went to the place Abigail had told me. She was still the star player of my organization, and I couldn't risk damaging its reputation. … I arrived at the karaoke bar Abigail had mentioned and found the private room she was in. But the moment I pushed the door open, a burst of laughter greeted me. "I won! See? I told you Benjamin would show up!" Chapter 3 The couches in the private room were filled with people, all of them staring at me as though I were the night's entertainment. Right in the middle sat Abigail and Nolan. That was when I realized I had been made a fool of. If I'd known, I would've stopped worrying about the organization's reputation and gone straight to bed. Abigail looked at me with smug satisfaction. "Who are you trying to fool, Benjamin? You were really heartbroken after I dumped you, huh? The second I called, you came running." Nolan slipped an arm around Abigail and chuckled. Then, he shot me a taunting look. "Don't get the wrong idea, Benjamin. I was the one who insisted she call you over. "After seeing your social media post yesterday, people jumped to conclusions and started calling me the other man. I need you to clear that up." I let out a bitter laugh, finding the whole thing ridiculous. I met Nolan's gaze and shot back, "Isn't that exactly what you are? "Honestly, I'm curious. What kind of parents raised someone like you? Didn't they teach you any better than to wreck other people's relationships?" Nolan's expression darkened instantly, and he glared at me. "Who are you talking about?" he hissed through clenched teeth. I said nothing, but Abigail was already on her feet, ready to defend him. "Benjamin, apologize to Nolan! You have no right to talk about him like that!" "Was I wrong?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Aren't you two just a cheating loser and a homewrecker who found each other?" "If you don't want people talking, then learn to keep it in your pants instead of throwing yourselves at every member of the opposite sex you see." Having said that, I headed for the door, intending to leave. But before I could reach the door, Nolan stepped forward and grabbed my arm. "Stop right there! Who said you could leave? Apologize!" I sneered. "Don't touch me. You're disgusting." Nolan's expression turned thunderous instantly. Before I had time to react, he raised his hand and swung it at me. At that exact moment, another hand shot out from behind me and caught his wrist. "A whole group ganging up on one person, huh? Real classy." Startled, I turned around. It was Savannah. She shoved Nolan back so hard that he stumbled and would have fallen if Abigail hadn't caught him. "What are you doing here?" I asked. Savannah smiled at me. "I saw you come in earlier. I wanted to say hi, but I didn't want to intrude. Then I walked past and heard you arguing. I was worried you might get hurt, so I waited outside." Hearing that, I nodded and thanked her. The moment Abigail noticed Savannah standing behind me, she frowned and demanded, "Who is this woman? "Benjamin, we just broke up, and you couldn't wait to find another woman? Who's the one who can't keep it in their pants?" She crossed her arms and glared at Savannah and me. "Maybe you've wanted to break up with me for a long time so you could be with her instead. When I ended things, I gave you exactly what you wanted, didn't I?" I rolled my eyes again. "Just because you cheated, you assume everyone else cheats too? Sorry, but I was raised better than that. I have standards, and I don't do the kind of sleazy things you two do." "You…" Abigail was left speechless and could only glare at me with resentment. "Who knows whether you're telling the truth?" Savannah frowned. Without missing a beat, she pulled a business card from her pocket and said, "I'm an attorney. What you're doing right now constitutes defamation. If you keep this up, I won't hesitate to pursue legal action." I glanced at the title on her business card. Damn. She had really made something of herself. She was actually a partner at one of the country's top law firms. Abigail, on the other hand, gritted her teeth but said nothing. I looked at her, and for some reason, all I felt was disgust. A moment later, I gave Savannah's hand a light tug. "Don't waste your time arguing with her. Let's go." But the instant Abigail saw me holding Savannah's hand, she completely lost it. She stormed over and yanked me toward her. "Benjamin, how pathetic can you get? Have you never seen a woman before? You'll go after any woman, won't you?" The sudden yank nearly sent me sprawling. Fortunately, Savannah caught hold of my hand and steadied me. Irritated, I scowled at Abigail. "Are you out of your mind? Who I hold hands with has absolutely nothing to do with you!" Beside her, Nolan shot me a glare, jealousy flashing in his eyes. "Abby, just let them go. There's no point letting them spoil our evening," he said as he tugged gently at Abigail's hand. However, she jerked her hand free without even looking at him. Nolan stared at Abigail in disbelief, yet she fixed her gaze on me. "I may not want you anymore, but that doesn't give you the right to go fooling around. "If I ever catch you with another woman and it ends up tarnishing my reputation, I'll make every single one of them regret crossing my path."