Key arrived back at the mansion just in time for dinner, she ate with them then they headed to rest.
However, in the middle of the night, a scandal broke out in the E-Sports Farm. It involved two imports from two teams participating in the International Qualifiers and the issue caught even more attention from the masses because it involved the well-known wildfire of the World Ranking.
Key woke up before everyone else because her phone was vibrating incessantly. She checked her social media after noticing that all of her notifications are from her social media accounts.
She was confused when a series of curses, words, and posts are condemning her to death and accusing her of enabling a cheater and for being a mistress.
While keeping her calm, she checked the hot searches and saw that the top hot searched topic is the topic of Benoit Moreau photographed overseas with a female who isn't his long-time girlfriend.
Key recognized the man in the picture as the man who returned her keychain yesterday, the man she ignored the whole trip from Menton to Chamonix.
She was in disbelief that a mere interaction sparked a scandal like this.
She contacted Coeus to arrange pieces of evidence to refute their claims and then she contacted the France-based older Troublemakers to collect evidence to file a lawsuit against those who had a hand in the issue.
She didn't care if they were mindless fans or publishing companies, she didn't want to drag the team's name and be banned or suspended for something she didn't even do.
"If it were him, maybe…" she shook her head at the thought of considering their allegations if it were Mykola.
Key stood up from her bed and just as she was stretching her body, her phone rang, Kitten's name is flashing on the screen so she picked it up and answered it.
[I didn't know you'd lowered your standards. He's not even a quarter as good as Mykola.] Kitten's tone was laced with a hint of ridicule as she spoke
"And you think I would have considered a guy like that?" Key retorted and walked to the bathroom
[Coeus informed me of your arrangements, I got to hand it to you for asking the Troublemakers from Yu's generation, Colie, they are the best when it comes to legal matters.] Kitten said and Key shook her head after hearing her real name
"How will this end, Khaalida?" she asked Kitten with her real name to return the favor
[I won't spoil it for you, but you better inform your team to narrow the mess I need to handle.] Kitten said and the call ended
Key placed her phone down on the sink then washed her face, she changed out of her sleepwear into a pair of comfortable workout clothes.
She went out of her room with her phone and a towel in hand and earphones on then headed to the gym of the manor, she started running on the treadmill while listening to music.
She placed the matter with the cheating scandal at the back of her mind, she doesn't need to dwell on it any further as hours from now, the legal team from her side will start stabilizing the situation.
She headed to the weights and started doing Russian twirls, then she went to the bar and started pulling herself up.
She looked at the door when she heard it opening; she saw Opal and El. El noticed her first and looked in her direction, which prompted Opal to do the same and see her sitting up the highest bar like it was some monkey bar in the playground.
"You're up early…" Opal seems stunned as he speaks
"I got woken up so I decided to work out," Key replied nonchalantly and jumped down the bar without a second thought
"You got a nice body, Key," El complimented and Key smiled
"Hmm, it's just a product of intense training," Key replied as he reached for her towel
"No wonder you had that stamina back then," Opal commented and nodded his head while Key merely shook her head
"I'll go ahead," Key said and went out of the gym
She headed to her room and hit the shower. Her mother used to scold her for showering after doing rigorous work, saying all the blood will go up her brain and she'll die but it never worked, not even once.
The cold water hit her skin and her whole body felt like it was burning up at first as the water made contact, but a little later, it started to feel cold and refreshing.
She stood under the shower for a few more minutes just letting the water flow down her skin before she decided to soap herself and wash her hair.
It didn't take her long before she washed up and headed out of her room while wearing a bathrobe, she opened the closet and wondered if she had outgrown the clothes piled up in the wardrobe as they were from her teenage years.
"Come in," she said while looking at the wardrobe after she heard a knock from outside
She heard the door open before it closed again and thought they had the wrong room before she realized that it can't be the case, the servants know that it was her room, they can't possibly mistake it for the others' room.
Despite the thought, she paid it no mind as she can defend herself very well, especially in her own territory.
She reached for the black-white cotton flannel shirt and started buttoning it after putting on a pair of undergarments, and then she reached for a pair of tight high-waist denim jeans from the stack of clothes.
"Huh, I guess I grew." Key commented after realizing that the once-fitted flannel shirt has become a crop top for her
"Well, it doesn't matter," she said and headed to the vanity mirror to dry her hair
She heard a knock on the door again so she walked up to it and opened the door.
Their captain is standing outside, he had an indifferent look on his face but Key could sense something off from his expression.
"Yes, Captain?" she asked while smiling sweetly
"Dewy called us to eat an hour ago." He said and Key looked at him confusedly
"Alright," she said and stepped out of her room without minding that her hair is still wet
She immediately felt the tense atmosphere as she arrived in the dining area.
Key masked her expression and acted nonchalant despite her displeasure at having her name dragged at something she didn't even do.
She could only wish she could use those methods they used to perform back in the old days, she wouldn't even blink as blood spilled.
"Key…" Quant called her with concern as she started eating
"Let's all discuss this later, let's eat first," Bright said and they started eating
Despite them trying to lift the mood, even the servants could feel the tense atmosphere from the members who are eating.
Amidst the heavy atmosphere, someone's phone started ringing and broke the unspoken rule of silence.
"Excuse me," Key said and picked up her phone
"Papa," Key said as she answered the call from Kendrick in front of the team
If he was in front of her or they were in a different situation, she would have referred to him professionally or with his first name, but in front of the team, she must keep up appearances.
[You won't survive in there.] An old man's stern and hoarse voice sounded from the other line
"I'm living pretty well until now, aren't I, old master?" Key replied indifferently realizing that the old master must've figured out that his calls would no longer go through
[You are better off inheriting the family business than these cowards, Chantel.] His grim tone almost made Key scoff if not for keeping up appearances
She had patently blocked his and his assistant's contact details from being able to contact her through any means for this reason.
She pushed them to the decision of calling Kendrick back to the old manor just to be able to contact her, or maybe the old master went to Kendrick directly to take his phone, either way, Key showed the old master that he must move if he wish to contact her.
"Didn't you say I should stop stirring up trouble and dragging your son's name? That is what I am doing, no longer dragging Papa's name." Key replied and continued eating
[I see no future in Kendrick, nor do I see any from the children his marriage bore, you should come back and inherit our legacy. Make yourself useful and fulfill your purpose.]
It was a statement laced with an overbearing and demanding attitude but Key paid it no mind because the old man of the Rotschilde household cannot compare to the haughtier and more taxing people she had negotiated with before.
[When that woman who looks like you came, she assured me that you will bring our legacy to greater heights, I don't see that.] The old master Rotschilde said in an austere manner
"And I did, the whole time I used your surname I graced your family name with glory. Instead of insulting the children you raised, why not reflect on what you did for them to disappoint you this much, grandfather." She said and without the need of using her right hand that's holding her phone, she continued eating
[You brat, you were raised by the glory of this family, you enjoyed our privileges! Do you want to anger me to death?! Come back home instead of wasting your time!] Key didn't want to deal with him any longer so she ended the call and turned her phone off before continuing her breakfast
Opal overheard their conversation, and so did El, as the two of them were seated next to Key on the table and they had conflicting expressions.
"Sorry about that," Key smiled after she finished chewing her food
They continued eating, and after they finished eating, they headed to the gaming area, the gaming man cave, as they will be discussing private matters and would need somewhere that is soundproof.
"First thing's first, I came to Menton to deal with some legal matters, not to date or anything of the sort," Key said as Dewy opened the topic
"Well, unless we know your complete itinerary in Menton… we don't know how to deal with this issue. The company hasn't released a statement either because that was a personal trip of yours, and you are given the right of having personal time offs during vacation." Dewy explained calmly
"Ah, that, wait, I think I have a record of that." Key said and turned her phone on
As soon as the phone finished loading, Key scrolled for a moment and tapped on the screen several times before their phones vibrated.
Key sent several photos to their group chat.
"What's this?" Rio asked and clicked on the pictures she sent
"Her travel and purchase record," Nicholas replied with his eyes on the pictures
"Wow, you have a copy of this?" Quant asked her and looked at Key after looking at the records she sent
"I have a record and receipt of each digitally since I'm using my phone to pay," Key replied with a smile
"We can use this to show that you paid your fare and didn't ride with anyone," Bright said and Dewy nodded his head
"We can send this to the company's legal team so they can make a statement," Dewy said and Key nodded but her phone continued to vibrate
Her phone is receiving notifications from social media sites, from both fans and anti-fans of the team.
She can't exactly differentiate which is a fan and which is an anti-fan as all the messages are cursing her and wishing for her to disappear.
[Now try and tell us she's not a bitch!]
[Get lost!]
[Mistresses have no place in the E-Sports community!]
[Cheater!]
[Bitch!]
[Die with that cheater!]
There were even several interviews posted by different broadcasting channels, they were interviewing people and Key decided to click some of these videos.
Much to her indifference, all of the people who were interviewed are displeased with her, cursing her, and scolding her.
Some people even claimed that if they could, they would send her dead animals because she's as rotten as their corpse.
"Wow… they have foul mouths…" Opal was in disbelief after hearing all the verbal curses and scolding Key received online