Chapter 278   - Fake Beard Or Other Strategies

"It's my girlfriend's bed. Let me rest a bit. I drove for so long." He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath.

Katherine looked at his leisurely form and cleared her throat. She had gotten dazzled for a second.

"Lazy," Anna commented from the side. As Katherine rushed to the washroom to change, Cage knocked on the door and called for her.

"We'll head back and unpack in our room. See you at the venue," he called She replied loud enough that he could hear and then went back to washing her hair. She heard the entrance door click and felt her heart burst from her chest.

At first, it was only fun. The championship would mean she could get exposure but now she had to do well to prove herself. For Cage and for herself. There was the added pressure of Cage's parents watching as well.

- - -

Cage had started to get nervous about what might happen at the championship. If it were done outside, he would have worn a hat and sunglasses to conceal himself but it was being held in an auditorium. Wearing a 'disguise' would only call more attention onto him.

"We need a strategy," Henrick spoke up suddenly.

"Strategy?" Anna asked, looking confused.

"Yeah, Cage is going out in public. As you can imagine, people will notice, so we need to plan in advance. He can't shave his head or wear a fake beard, so there is no option but to get noticed." His father shrugged. Cage sighed.

"Why can't you wear a fake beard?" Anna asked, sounding beyond disappointed.

"They make my skin break out!" Cage protested. They were in the parking area of the auditorium facility and had been for some time as they figured out how to enter without being noticed.

"You can't even sacrifice your skin for your girlfriend?" Anna teased. His father joined into the snickering while he rolled his eyes and stayed put.

"What other ideas do you have?" he asked.

"Well, we can just pretend to be rooting for someone else. Out on a family vacation and dropped by to see someone you admired." Henrick paused and looked at his son. "Of course, it shouldn't be Katherine… or any other female. Let's settle for a nondescript looking guy who plays videogames well." Henrick nodded sagely, making Anna guffaw.

"Yes, we don't want people spreading rumors," Cage sighed. His father's idea wasn't terrible. And it sounded perfectly reasonable. "I also want to cheer for Katherine, though."

"People are going to notice you no matter what, so just act normal. You're here to watch the championship with your family. If someone calls you up, confidently say that is the case. We'll just have to make sure no one writes about it," Anna shrugged.

She was always the optimist.

"Some people might approach me, I'll let you guys slip away and secure whatever comes next," Cage informed. As they slid out of the car, no one seemed to notice. Not many people were at the venue yet, considering that they couldn't enter beforehand. Thank god for having inside connections… he could enter earlier.

"Let's go get some good seats!" Anna suggested. Henrick chuckled as he patted Cage on the shoulder.

"Are you ready?" Anna asked, watching Cage nervously. They had entered the auditorium and there didn't seem to be anyone at the venue yet… at least the audience. Members of the staff and some of the players loitered around on stage, checking equipment. They wore their uniforms and didn't look up at them when they arrived.

That was a good thing.

Cage had slipped out of the hotel in the wee hours of the morning and stayed elsewhere so that the paparazzi couldn't catch wind of him leaving. He just had to worry about civilians today, but they could be worse. One minute he could be cheering and in the next, his pictures would be plastered all over social media for the world to see. Paparazzi people at least didn't spill information until they got a hefty sum of money for their pictures.

Cage hung his head for most of the part. But when people started filtering in, he could feel the eyes on him. The first gasp came and them excited whispering followed. Thankfully, most people here would be more interested in the game than in him. Henrick had straightened up, ready to interfere if the situation needed it.

Cage patted his knee to call him off and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Will you be seeing Jake today?" Anna asked, looking at her phone. Cage turned to her with raised brows. Her voice had been really high so everyone around them could hear. He peered at her phone to see that she had pulled up a list of competitors and chosen one randomly.

It was in that moment he heard someone squeal his name. A boy, maybe fifteen, was standing with his parents, pointing his phone at Cage. Cage tried to look away with Henrick springing to action as he tried to block the camera. It was to no avail.

Cage sighed as he stood up and walked over to the boy. "Do you mind not posting the picture?" he asked sweetly. "I'm out on vacation with my family. I can sign something for you if you want," he engaged slowly. The teenager looked stunned for a moment before nodding vigorously.

His parents, though, seemed beyond embarrassed. They apologized profusely for encroaching on his private time with his family and quickly tugged the boy away after receiving the autograph. Cage was pleased that some parents still had the decency to understand. The other audience members seemed to follow suit and didn't pull any attention towards him henceforth.

For the most part, he acted like he didn't hear anything. One could say he was acting like a douche, but his family was forever accommodating.

He fished out his phone from his pocket when it buzzed and saw a message from Katherine waiting to be read. His smile dropped when he read her words.