Chapter 133: The Viral Scheme (2/2)
”Alton and the others are just fine. They just need to recover, and they'll be back to their old selves. They always seem to be getting themselves badly injured after a big fight. It is not good for bones.” Iris chuckled, making Alice confused. ”Did Alice say something funny?”
”You do say some strange things, Alice… I'm happy to hear they are fine. If I was there, I would have kicked Monty's ass into second gear! Ow!” She yelped, whacking her hand on the table, knocking over her glass of water. ”Damn it who put that there…”
”Iris… You wanted to join Rhapsody if the Alice remembered correctly.” Iris remained silent as she gave a small nod of acknowledgement. ”Why didn't you say anything to them or me?”
”We made it our dream to be streaming together. I didn't want to change that besides pointless now I can't even see let alone fight with them… All of this bloody suck.”
”There's my number one streamer!” Hans yells waltzing in hugging Alice. ”I saw everything and even though you didn't actually win this will defiantly boost your numbers. It will be any day now until m- I mean our dream of becoming the number one streamer is realized. You should be very proud of yourself, Alice.”
”Yay…” Alice said in the most robotic tone. ”Father the Alice has been thinking, she wants to take a break from streaming for a while. Just for a month so she can help Iris get back on her feet. I want to be there for her.”
Hans took a moment to take in the concept as his smile turned into a scowl. ”Oh, a month off? Alice… Do you know how much I've sacrificed?!” The two girls looked on in shock as he calmed himself down. ”Alice, can I talk to you outside?” Alice didn't retaliate as she left the room, her father looking stressed. ”Alice, we are this close, this close to becoming number one! Vanguard has been gone for nearly six months, and that spot is still open. V.I.R.A.L are about to present the next number one streamer all signs are pointed to you so we cannot falter. We have to work twice as hard. Distractions like Iris will be the icing on the cake in victory or loss. We've been fighting your whole life for this don't throw it away at the last moment.”
”But father. She is my sister she needs me.”
Hans kneeled to her level, placing a hand on her shoulder. ”And I need you to work with me. This is all your mother, and I wanted. Do you want to take away that dream from her?”
”No… The Alice believes you are correct, Hans.”
”Good. I'm glad we are on the same page. I've booked a Q and A on the V.I.R.A.L Podcast for tomorrow as well as a joint stream with Revert. Finally, you will be doing a charity stream this weekend to raise money for homeless children. That should do it for this week. I'll try and squeeze in more if I can.”
”Thank you, Hans…”
Alice was about to return to her sister when her father stopped her for a moment. ”And remember Alice, we must make our dream come true.”
Alice stared blankly at her father before she smiled nodding. ”Yes.”
As Alice went back in, Hans rubbed his face sighing. He was on edge and stressed unsure if he could count on his daughter anymore for the task ahead. Storming down the hallway in a hurry he made it to his office where he sat in his desk staring at the photo of him and his daughters. Taking the picture out, he tore it in half, pushing a button in the frame. His desk opened up as he ventured down into a hidden room. The area was dark, with a small number of lights emitting around the room. On each side, there were large test tubes with purple liquid engulfed. Due to the room being too dark, it was hard to tell what or who was in the pipes. Hans walked up to the final tube, looking down in defeat. ”I'm afraid my hard work is almost for nothing. I'm so close now. I can't fail when the finish line is in reach.” From the test tube, a hand emerged pressing against the glass. Hans looked up with a bold smile. ”If they will fail me, I know you won't. We will get to number one no matter what daughter.”