Chapter 33

The stadium started filling up. Most of the banners were for Apex Squad, even in areas meant for God’s Fury fans.

Soon, the teams came out. Since God’s Fury had made it to the finals through the winner’s bracket, they entered first, just like always.

“That’s gotta be Phoenix. She’s even prettier in person than in the promo pics. What a waste,” someone muttered sarcastically.

Some people even brought banners that said stuff like “Phoenix, get out of God’s Fury.”

“They dropped Killian for a girl in the finals, huh? I’m just here to watch them crash and burn,” another person scoffed.

Killian was second only to Alvin when it came to popularity in God’s Fury. So when he got pulled right before the finals, fans were pissed.

“All-Star must’ve lost his mind letting Phoenix on the team.”

“Phoenix? That’s a joke. She doesn’t deserve that name.”

A few fans tried to stay positive. “Whatever, let’s just hope they can win.”

While the crowd was trash-talking, the comments online were even worse. People had been tearing Aubree apart ever since the official team post went live, and it hadn’t stopped–not even as the match was about to start.

Aubree could hear the insults being thrown at her from the crowd, but her face didn’t change. In esports, if one couldn’t play, one didn’t belong. She didn’t blame them for being mad. Nobody wanted to see their team lose because of some new, untested player in the finals.

Not long after, Apex Squad’s players came out. To everyone’s surprise, the midsolo wasn’t Carmen but Killian.

Carmen was only listed as a sub and didn’t come out for the opening ceremony.

As soon as fans saw Killian, they relaxed.

“Apex Squad only lost to God’s Fury last time because their mid was weak. Now God’s Fury’s tossing us the win with that dumb move,” someone said.

“Let’s crush that Phoenix girl so bad she never shows her face again,” another shouted.

Apex Squad’s fans were fired up.

In the stands, Emery and Daxton, who had come to see Carmen, turned their attention to Aubree.

Daxton leaned toward Emery and said, “This is the sister you’re sticking your neck out for. She’d rather join your enemy’s team than help you.”

On stage, Aubree stood in her God’s Fury uniform, her hair tied back in a clean ponytail.

Emery let out a weak smile. Unlike the others, he actually knew how good she was. But Aubree had never told him she could play this well.

Daxton’s words hit a nerve. Emery thought, ‘Is Aubree trying to go pro in esports? But why didn’t she come to me? Why go to a rival team instead of coming home?’

“As long as she’s happy. I’ve let her down. If this match doesn’t go their way, I’ll try to get her to join us. I’ll make her a starter,” Emery said.

Daxton snorted, “You serious? Carmen’s on your team, and she’s stuck as a sub. And you want to give Aubree the starter spot, huh? Are you nuts? Do you really think she’s some innocent little angel that needs your help? She’s way smarter than that!”

He let it all out, convinced he was right. His eyes locked on Aubree with disgust. “She acts all high and mighty, pretending she doesn’t care about you or Bryan, but she keeps messing with Carmen and trying to get our attention.”

Emery frowned. From what he remembered, Aubree joined God’s Fury before Carmen even got involved. If anyone had gone chasing after someone, it was Carmen chasing Aubree.

“This match-up between them is just a coincidence,” Emery said.

“Coincidence?” Daxton scoffed. “You think Aubree doesn’t know you run Apex Squad, huh? Please. I’ve been too busy to deal with her before, but now that she’s finally in front of me, I’ll make sure she learns a lesson after this match.”

Emery gave him a sharp look. “What are you planning to do?”

“That’s none of your business,” Daxton said flatly.

Ollie stared at the stage, feeling more and more confused. That girl looked familiar.

He turned to Bowen with a suspicious look. “Isn’t that the girl you used to sponsor from the orphanage? Wow, Bowen, raising a future wife, huh? Even now that she’s found her birth family, you’re still keeping an eye on her.”

He rubbed his chin, his shock turning into a teasing grin.

When Bowen first started sponsoring her, the guys had all made fun of him. At first, Bowen just brushed it off. But if they pushed too far, he’d snap, and eventually, everyone dropped it.

Now, Ollie felt like he had finally figured out what was really going on.

Bowen frowned, giving him a cold glance. “Don’t be gross.”

Ollie blinked, surprised to be called out like that.

Bowen added, “She’s been through a lot.”

Ollie dropped the joke and got serious. “So? What’s that got to do with you? You’ve already helped her for years. Don’t tell me you plan to take care of her forever.”

“I just want to give her a hand,” Bowen said, his eyes fixed on Aubree as she adjusted her gear onstage. Under the lights, she looked strong and confident, like she belonged there. She had that fire in her eyes–like she came to win.

“Man, what’s up with you? Are you addicted to saving people? What’s next–picking out a husband for her?” Ollie said, arms crossed.

“No need,” Bowen said calmly. “She’ll figure it out on her own soon.”

He believed the Aubree he’d put his faith in would grow up fast.

Not wanting to keep talking about her, Bowen changed the subject. “Didn’t you just get a nice green diamond?”

“Yeah, I was gonna use it in the new collection,” Ollie said. He worked in the jewelry business.

“Sell it to me. Name your price. I want it cut into a leaf shape,” Bowen said.

Ollie gave a sarcastic hum but didn’t argue.

Bowen didn’t push. He turned back to the stage.

God’s Fury was already lined up, but what shocked the crowd was that Apex Squad’s midsolo wasn’t Killian; it was a new girl.

“Who the heck is Wolfshade? No Killian? They’re putting her in instead, huh?” someone shouted.

“The Autumn Finals are getting wild,” another said.

The crowd booed. Onstage, Aubree was just as surprised to see Carmen instead of Killian.

Before the timeline reset, Carmen had only joined the esports scene after Aubree became famous.

Carmen smiled at her and said softly, “My dear sister, I never thought we’d end up facing each other.”

That one line shocked both teams. The Apex Squad members, who’d only heard from Killian that Aubree got on the team thanks to her connection with Alvin, didn’t expect this family link.

They understood. Wolfshade’s sister was also the daughter of the Wilson family.

Apex Squad’s tone with Aubree instantly changed. “Oh, come on. You are Wolfshade’s sister, huh? We’ll take it easy on you during the match.”

That was a big shift from how they’d treated her before.

God’s Fury had no clue about Carmen’s background. They just looked over in surprise, shocked that Phoenix’s whole family was stacked with gaming talent.

Hearing the comments, they immediately spoke up for Aubree. “Who asked you to go easy? Are you afraid to play for real now?”

Aubree answered coldly, “Go easy? You mean I should go easy on you this time, huh?”

That hit hard. The Apex Squad guys clearly remembered how Aubree wiped the floor with them during practice. Their smiles dropped fast.

Then, the first match started. Some God’s Fury fans noticed the midsolo was new, and even the coach was changed to a woman. The crowd buzzed, thinking the match might already be a loss.

But when God’s Fury locked in their last pick, even the commentators were impressed. “Looks like this new coach knows what she’s doing,” one of them said. “That final pick really puts Apex Squad in a tough spot.”

“Time!” The other commentator chimed in, “God’s Fury’s new mid, Phoenix, is still a mystery. She’s gone with Anivia, which works great with their comp. On the other side, Apex Squad’s mid, Wolfshade, picked Annie. Let’s see how these two new faces do. And now–it’s game time!”

The cameras zoomed in on the players.

Aubree said into her mic, “Alvin, Hector, come mid lane at the start. Let’s keep it dark.”