Rebecca spoke with a gentle lilt, "Don't be so hard on her, guys. I'm sure she didn't mean to reject me. Maybe she's just tied up."
As the words left her lips, Rebecca added, "Besides, I've heard the new girl's quite the whiz at chess. She might even be better than me!"
[Rebecca, you're too modest!]
[Griffin's chess game isn't even a patch on yours, Rebecca. You're giving her too much credit!]
[Griffin is so shameless! She definitely snubbed you on purpose!]
Rebecca did a great job hiding the smug look that flickered across her eyes, continuing in her soft voice, "Don't say that, guys. It's normal if Miss Griffin has a better game than me. After all, there's always new blood rising to the top, a new wave pushing out the old. "
As soon as Rebecca finished, the chat exploded with vitriol. They were all slamming Anthea for being delusional, a rookie thinking she could vie for the title of chess queen against Rebecca!
The nerve!
Anthea was about to start a gaming session when she noticed a slew of hostile comments on her screen.
[Our Becca challenged you to a match and you chickened out?]
[Shameless! Pretending to be innocent!]
[Do you dare accept our challenge?]
[Trash, you think you can compete with our Becca?]
Anthea arched an eyebrow, "Becca? Do I know her?"
Her fans explained.
[Ann, Becca's a grandmaster-level influencer. She just sent you a match invite, but you declined.]
[Clean up your act! We're here to watch Ann play, not deal with you lot!]
[What kind of nonsense? Did our Ann ever bother you?]
Realizing this Becca was trouble, Anthea decided to forego the game, asking, "Babes, do you want me to go head-to-head with her?"
[We do!]
[Ann, Becca's fans have been sour for days, claiming you used underhanded tactics to beat Mr. A. I've been itching to set them straight for so long!]
[Yes, Ann, show 'em what's what!]
"Alright, I'll accept her challenge. After all, I'm all about pampering my fans!" Anthea said, sending a match invite Becca's way.
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