Chapter 16

Noelle noticed Lucas looking at her and frowned slightly. At that moment, her phone buzzed—a call from Frank.

“Noelle, you’re at the venue, right?”

An ominous feeling crept over her. She wanted to deny it, but the screams of the surrounding fans answered for her.

“Noelle, something urgent came up at the company. Blake and I can’t make it to the match. This competition is significant for Lucas. You should step in and join the team. Whatever issues you and Lucas had before, we need to stick together when facing challenges, right?”

Frank’s words silenced the screaming fans. It was a silence that spoke volumes.

Without a word, Noelle ended the call. She didn’t feel like explaining herself. She hadn’t come to compete; she was there to watch the drama unfold.

On stage, Lucas glanced at the audience, waiting. His irritation grew when Noelle remained seated.

“What’s Noelle’s deal? Does she expect me to go ask her personally?” he muttered, his jaw tightening.

A flicker of amusement crossed Xenia’s eyes. “Lucas, let me message Noelle. But honestly, seeing her sitting there, I guess she’s still upset. If she wasn’t, she’d be backstage by now.”

Lucas thought of Noelle’s past self. She’d always understood him without words. He’d grown used to her presence. Now, she seemed completely different.

His tone stiff, he said, “Call her. I’ll let bygones be bygones if she joins the match. I’ll treat her like a sister, like before.”

The memory of their school argument flickered in his mind. He’d been too impulsive. He’d let it go if Noelle did, too. They could return to how things used to be.

Xenia’s expression froze, but she quickly recovered. “Alright. I’ll call her now. I’m sure she’ll join for your sake.”

His frustration eased at her words.

Xenia stepped aside, pulling out her phone. Her gaze found Noelle, darkening.

Noelle saw the incoming call. She knew its purpose and Xenia’s message.

Without hesitation, Noelle declined, her expression cold and unwavering.

Xenia blinked, surprised. But a smug smile quickly replaced it.

She accepted the rejection. No need to waste her time anyway. Xenia hadn’t wanted Noelle to join; she didn’t want Noelle stealing her spotlight. She wanted Noelle to watch her and Lucas win without help!

Returning to Lucas, Xenia’s eyes were red, her expression pitifully remorseful. “Lucas, it’s my fault. I’m terrible with words, and Noelle probably hates me now. She didn’t answer my call. Should I talk to her in person?”

Lucas’s face darkened. “No need. Frank called her, and she hung up. Noelle never planned to join. Don’t bother.”

“We’re going to win this match. We’re not letting Noelle get what she wants.”

Without another glance at the audience, Lucas put on his headset.

A spark of satisfaction flickered in Xenia’s eyes. “Noelle, this time, I’m going to win again,” she thought.

Soon, the match between Team Luminark and Team Trailblaze began.

Noelle watched the live commentary on the massive screen. From the start, Lucas, playing the assassin, led his team into an ambush.

But the opposing team had studied Lucas’s tendencies and set a bait.

In her past life, Noelle had noticed the suspicious enemy positioning. She’d warned Lucas to be cautious, but he’d dismissed her and berated her. He’d ignored her and taken another player to scout ahead.

What followed was disastrous. Team Trailblaze executed a trap, ambushing Lucas’s team.

Back then, Noelle had rallied the remaining players, leading a daring counterattack. She’d turned the game around with a surprise strike. Now, she watched, wondering if Lucas had learned anything.

As expected, Lucas repeated his mistake, leading his team into the trap. A faint smile touched Noelle’s lips as the predictable disaster unfolded.

By the time Lucas realized, it was too late. His team’s rhythm shattered.

Xenia panicked, making critical mistakes.

Lucas ordered a retreat to a nearby building. His mounting frustration boiled over. “Xenia, where is your brain? I told everyone to fall back. What were you doing fighting? Are you trying to prove how great you are?”

Xenia’s composure cracked. “Lucas, I just couldn’t let it go. I thought I could take out that enemy with low health.”

“Take them out? You handed them a free kill! If you were so confident, you wouldn’t have gotten caught in their trap!” Lucas snapped.

Xenia’s face burned. Being scolded publicly was unbearable. She lashed out, “If you hadn’t fallen into their trap, none of this would’ve happened!”

Lucas’s anger flared. “You have the nerve to blame me! You’re useless! You’re holding the team back! After all this training, you haven’t improved!”

Xenia’s face turned red. Without a word, she stormed off stage.

The crowd erupted. A teammate leaving mid-match was catastrophic.

The big screen zoomed in on Lucas. His expression was livid.

Lucas called a timeout.

The opposing fans jeered. Lucas slammed his keyboard in frustration. Noelle would never have done this.

The stadium atmosphere was tense.

The opposing team mocked Lucas.

“Hey, Lucas! Why don’t you just forfeit? Save yourself the humiliation.”

Lucas stood. “I’m not forfeiting! If anyone’s scared, it’s you.”

“Come on, man. Anyone can see you’re going to lose. You even had a teammate walk out! And what’s this I hear about your ‘unbeatable family team’? What a joke!” another sneered.

“Family team, huh? They’re just a bunch of kids left behind when their parents died. What is so great about that? This isn’t a competition for who got dumped with the most kids,” another chimed in.

The words hit Lucas hard. He shouted, “You had better watch your damn mouth!”

“Oh, what? Did I say something wrong? Go ahead. Try to hit me, you worthless little orphan. I bet that if your parents were still alive, they’d die all over again from the embarrassment of watching you lose this match.”

From her seat, Noelle’s expression turned ice cold. How dare they insult her parents?

Without hesitation, Noelle stood and headed backstage.

On stage, Lucas’s teammate forced him back into his chair before he could escalate things. They knew a fight would make things worse.