Chapter 317: Sarah Parker [1] As for David, a frown formed on his face as he processed Sarah’s words defending the other streamer. His casual entertainment was being interrupted by what he perceived as unnecessary virtue signaling, and it forced him to recalculate his approach to the situation. The fact that she was defending that girl meant one of two things in his mind. Either Sarah was genuinely such a principled person, which would mean that she would not easily yield to his manipulations and would prove very difficult to corrupt. Someone with authentic moral convictions would require a much slower, more careful approach that might take perhaps weeks of gradual boundary erosion. Alternatively, she could be a two-faced woman who performed kindness for public approval while being privately willing to compromise her stated values for the right incentives. In his experience, people who made grand gestures of virtue often had hidden hypocrisies that could be exploited more easily than genuine moral consistency. "Interesting," David muttered to himself as he watched Sarah’s chat respond positively to her defence of the other streamer. Carla noticed his changed expression and leaned closer. "Not going according to plan?" "Just need to adjust the strategy," David replied, his fingers drumming thoughtfully on his expensive desk. "She’s either going to be more challenging than I anticipated, or she’s performing goodness for her audience while being privately more flexible. Either way, this tells me I need to be more patient with this one." He couldn’t wait to speak to Sarah privately to find out which category Sarah fell into, curious whether her principles would hold up under sustained pressure or crumble when faced with real financial temptation over time. The challenge of potentially corrupting someone with genuine moral convictions actually made the game more interesting to him, though he was prepared to move on to easier targets if she proved too difficult to manipulate effectively. Sarah glanced at the clock and realised how much longer she had streamed than originally planned. Her posture straightened slightly as she prepared to wrap up what had unexpectedly become one of her most successful streaming sessions ever. "Alright, everyone, I think it’s time for me to call it a night," she announced, her voice carrying a mixture of exhaustion and lingering excitement. Her eyes were bright but showed the fatigue of someone who had been performing and engaging for hours longer than anticipated. A genuine smile spread across her face as she looked at the viewer count one more time, still hardly believing the transformation her stream had undergone. Her hands gestured expressively as she spoke, fueled by the energy of connecting with so many new people. "I want to thank all the new viewers who followed me tonight," Sarah said warmly, her facial expression radiating authentic gratitude. "Seriously, this has been incredible. I’ve been streaming for years, and I’ve never had an experience like this. You’ve all been so welcoming and supportive. I would like to extend a special thanks to Davi79, who made this possible. Thank you!" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦 Her body language remained open and inviting even as she prepared to end the stream, leaning forward toward her camera to create a sense of intimacy with her audience. There was a slight tremor of emotion in her voice as she continued. The chat erupted with supportive messages from both her regular viewers and the newcomers: TechNerd42: See you soon Sarah! Great stream tonight! GoodGirl29: Thank you again for being so kind. Can’t wait for your next stream! RegularViewer22: This was amazing Sarah, you deserve all this success StreamFan99: Same time tomorrow? This was the best stream I’ve watched in months Viewer47: Just followed! Looking forward to more content Sarah’s eyes scanned through the messages, her expression softening with each kind comment. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear—a nervous habit that showed despite her confidence, she was still processing the overwhelming positive response. "I’ll definitely be streaming again soon," she promised, her voice carrying renewed determination. "Thank you all for making this night so special. Take care of yourselves, and I’ll see you next time!" As for Davi79, he had already quietly left the stream without fanfare. His username no longer appeared in the viewer list, having slipped away unnoticed during Sarah’s closing remarks. David had accomplished exactly what he intended—he had planted the seed of dependency and expectation, and he simply needed time for it to ripen. Like a predator who understood patience, he knew that feeding it too much attention too quickly would make his target suspicious and cause his carefully laid plans to wilt before they could bear fruit. So he simply moved on to the next victim who was currently texting him, already planning his approach for someone else who was easier to manipulate, while Sarah processed tonight’s unexpected windfall and began anticipating future streams with new hope and dangerous expectations. After closing her stream, the artificial brightness that Sarah had maintained for her audience immediately faded. Her eyes returned to their naturally gloomy state that nobody in her chat had ever seen. Clearly, carrying burdens far heavier than a simple struggling streaming career. The transformation was stark and immediate. Without the camera’s watchful presence and the need to perform enthusiasm for her viewers, Sarah’s shoulders sagged with the weight of responsibilities that extended far beyond herself. The excitement from tonight’s unexpected success felt distant and fragile against the harsh reality waiting beyond her basic streaming setup. She walked outside of her cramped bedroom that doubled as her streaming space, making her way to another small room beside hers. The house was painfully small and cramped, barely fitting the people inside with any semblance of comfort or privacy. Every inch of space was utilized out of necessity rather than design. "Big sis!" A small boy and a small girl both jumped excitedly from their makeshift playing area in the tiny living room, rushing to hug her with the boundless energy that only children could maintain despite their circumstances. "We are hungry! Is there any food left?" they announced in unison, their innocent voices carrying the matter-of-fact tone of children who had learned that meals weren’t guaranteed.