Chapter 4

"You must be joking, Gabriel. I know you're using your real Facebook account. So if this is a prank, it's not a good one. Bye." Lily frowned as she typed the message, her fingers lingering over the keyboard for a moment before hitting send.

She leaned back in her chair, staring at the screen. Curiosity got the better of her, and she clicked on Gabriel's profile, scrolling through his posts and photos. It didn't take long for her to discover that he also attended Granite Peak University.

A deep sigh escaped her lips. She glanced at his profile picture—a grinning face that seemed all too familiar in the sea of university students. It was clear he was not involved in campus activities, with no photos of him at various university events nor was he surrounded by friends.

It was a typical loner loser who would go on to life and drown in absolute mediocrity.

Lily shook her head, feeling a mixture of irritation and resignation. It wasn't the first time she had been the target of some attention-seeking stunt. She could almost hear her friends' voices in her head, telling her to ignore it, to not let it get to her. But it was hard to shake off the feeling of being singled out.

She took a deep breath, deciding not to dwell on it any longer. Gabriel was probably just another one of those boys at uni, she thought, one of the many who thrived on playing pranks and grabbing attention in any way they could. She hoped this would be the end of it, and turned her focus back to her assignments, trying to push the whole interaction out of her mind.

* * *

Unbeknownst to her, Gabriel was already jumping for joy, tears of happiness streaming down his otherwise ordinary-looking face. His heart pounded with excitement, and he could hardly contain himself as he paced back and forth in his small dorm room. The thrill of success coursed through him, making every nerve in his body tingle.

"So it really works! Hahaha!" Gabriel laughed heartily, his voice echoing off the walls. He could hardly believe his luck as he looked at the three choices that had appeared before his eyes, each one glowing faintly in the dim light of his laptop screen. 

The choices hovered in mid-air, projected by the augmented reality interface he had meticulously crafted. Each option represented a different path, a different set of possibilities that could shape his future in ways he had only dared to dream about.

Gabriel wiped the tears from his cheeks, his fingers trembling with anticipation. This was the moment he had been waiting for, the culmination of all his hard work and luck. He had done it. He had finally done it.

Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself and reached out towards the choices, his mind racing with possibilities. Whatever path he chose, he knew that his life was about to change forever. And for the first time in a long while, Gabriel felt truly in control of his destiny.

1. "I really do have the images with me. I could show them to you in person and hopefully delete them before any other eyes could see them." +1 Love

2. "You ugly, bitch. Give me 50 grand to redeem these photos." +1 Hate

3."I'll send you some of the images I have as proof. You really have such a fresh pink pussy on you. I can't wait to lick them good when we meet." +1 Lust

It was, of course, easy to make a choice among the three options. Although lust had its allure, love was undoubtedly better. Maybe someday he would explore the path of lust, but today was definitely not that day. He made his choice and the message was instantly sent to the chat.

"I really do have the images with me. I could show them to you in person and hopefully delete them before any other eyes could see them," Gabriel wrote.

Lily Adams read the message and couldn't help but think that Gabriel might not be such a bad guy after all. Still, she was baffled by how nude pictures of her had somehow leaked since she was always paranoid about her security.

"Okay, I'll choose to believe you, Gabriel. Set the time and date, and I'll be there," Lily replied, massaging her temples to alleviate the sudden headache. She really did not want to deal with such a mess, especially now that her final exams in accounting were approaching. Still, she knew she had to do what was necessary.

The set date arrived, and they met in a public park. Lily showed up in jeans, rubber shoes, and a cap to hide her identity, but her efforts were undone by the two burly bodyguards flanking her position. This was the norm in her life as the daughter of a successful politician; she couldn't remember ever being alone. Tight security had always been her constant companion.

As she approached the meeting spot, Lily scanned the area, her eyes landing on Gabriel. He was sitting on a bench, looking both nervous and determined. Clutching a small envelope in his hand, he stood up as she neared.

"Lily," he greeted her, his voice steady but laced with concern. "Thank you for coming."

She nodded, trying to maintain a calm exterior despite the storm of emotions swirling inside her. "Let's get this over with. Show me the images."

Gabriel handed her the envelope, and she opened it with trembling hands. Inside, there were several printed photos. Her heart sank as she recognized herself in them, her privacy brutally invaded.

"How did you get these?" she demanded, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I found them on a USB drive at a party," Gabriel explained. "I don't know who put them there, but I recognized you and thought you should know. I didn't want them falling into the wrong hands."

Lily studied his face, searching for any sign of deceit. He seemed genuine, his concern for her evident in his eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "Thank you for bringing these to me. I appreciate it."

Gabriel nodded. "It's what is right for me to do," he said, almost turning red with a blush as he remembered how many times he had come because of the nude images in just the span of one week alone. Lily Adams was simply a living fantasy for any man of the right age.

Lily smiled and looked at Gabriel's rather ordinary face. Perhaps his only redeeming factor was that he was two inches taller than her. Lily, at five foot three inches, was pure beauty.

"Can I do something for you in return?" Lily asked after a few moments.

"Nope, I'm good. Take care, Lily." Gabriel smiled and left the park thereafter. That was, of course, not the last time their paths would cross in this life. Far from it, in fact.