My Stand-In Groom Is A Secret Tycoon (Audrey) novel Chapter 40

Audessa: [Stop calling her that! She's my wife!]

[Haha, look at the top supporter getting jealous!]

[She's everyone's wife, but since you're putting in so much effort to help her with this live battle, we'll make you a "Queen" for now. You can have her one day first, and we'll have her the next!]

'Everyone's wife? I have her one day?' Alistair thought. His face darkened as he typed another response swiftly.

Audessa: [Audie is really my wife. If you keep calling her that, I'll have my lawyer send a cease-and-desist!]

[Top supporter is hilarious—"lawyer warning"!]

[Shut up! Nobody messes with our top fan's wife!]

Clearly, the fans didn't take Alistair's words seriously.

Even Audrey, reading the chat, just laughed it off. 'My sweet husband is working late in his study. He'd never waste thousands on gifts like this,' she thought.

Seeing that they didn't believe him, Alistair didn't press further. Threatening a lawyer was just talk anyway, not something he'd actually pursue.

Frustrated, Alistair decided to drown out the competing comments by flooding the chat with gift after gift. That way, the chat would be full of his support for Audrey, and they'd stop claiming her.

With that move, Audrey's battle score surged quickly, putting Eliza behind once again.

Watching Audrey's popularity soar on the screen, Eliza grew restless. Feeling the sting of jealousy, she turned to Fiona and said, "Maybe we should just give up, Mrs. Rhodes. That top supporter has too much money, and we can't keep up."

Eliza's voice wavered with emotion, her expression heartbreakingly pitiful.

Hearing this, Fiona felt her heartache. She thought, 'She's my daughter! How can I let her lose over something so trivial? Especially when she's had a lifetime of hardship, thanks to the Rhodes family. This little victory should be hers.'

Determined, Fiona opened her app to add more funds, but after she typed in her password, a "low balance" message popped up.

For a moment, Fiona's face froze in embarrassment. She'd never been short of money before, with Audrey always transferring funds for her living expenses on time every month.

Therefore, Fiona had grown so used to spending freely that her private savings had dwindled to the last 700 thousand dollars. And she'd just blown through in mere minutes.

In reality, Fiona had scoffed at people who poured money into online battles, but now? She was stunned by how the funds disappeared quickly, even compared to her own luxurious shopping trips.

"Eliza, I'm really sorry, I..." Fiona began, about to confess her empty account.

But Eliza interrupted her preemptively, putting on a brave face. "It's alright, Mrs. Rhodes. I'm used to people looking down on me by now. Let's just let it go; we don't need to spend more."

As soon as Fiona heard this, her heart sank, as if pierced by a dagger. Then she said quickly, "Absolutely not, Eliza. I'm going to make this right for you!"

'I don't have any more money herself, but Audrey certainly does. All I have to do is ask, and Audrey will surely help,' Fiona thought. Filled with resolve, she picked up her phone and dialed Audrey's number.

Audrey had been deep in thought about Fiona's recent spending when her phone started ringing. Seeing her mom's name on the screen, she froze for a moment.

Ever since Audrey had moved out, Fiona hadn't once reached out, not a single call or message. It was as though Fiona had forgotten about her entirely.

Now, with the phone lighting up with Fiona's call, a hopeful warmth spread through her as Audrey picked up. "Hi, Mom!"

Fiona's voice on the other end was brisk. "Audrey, can you transfer me some money? Quickly, please."

Audrey's hopeful smile vanished instantly. Fiona had just been throwing money at Eliza's livestream. That much was obvious. It wasn't hard to guess where this new "loan" would go.