Chapter 79 Witnessing Austin's Elimination and Breakdown
Dennis stood in the dimly lit study, his silhouette blending into the shadows.
He knew what Lily had been through, and anger flared up instantly inside him.
Someone had the nerve to mess with the one person he had always protected.
The middle-aged man finally grasped the seriousness of the situation and started begging, "I was just being an idiot. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
Who would've thought these two young guys had such serious connections?
Judging by the way they handled things, they were definitely not ordinary people.
The watch this young man wore had been discontinued ages ago and was impossible to buy now, no matter how much money you had.
The middle-aged man deeply regretted going out that night.
Dennis stood up, a sneer on his face. "If saying sorry fixed everything, we wouldn't need the police, would we?"
"How about I apologize to her in person?"
Dennis scoffed, "With your slimy attitude, you're not even close to being worthy of facing her. You have one option: turn yourself in to the police. Trust me, that's the easiest path for you."
With that, Dennis turned and left the study.
Still fuming, he headed back to the living room downstairs.
After washing the blood off his hands, he quietly opened the master bedroom door and walked in instinctively.
But he stopped after a few steps.
His rage was still too intense; he didn't want to get too close to her.
Dennis stood at a distance, watching the sleeping Lily. After a moment, his anger began to ease.
He turned away and quietly left the room.
The next morning, Lily woke up with a yawn. She had slept well the previous night.
After changing out of her pajamas, she walked out of the bedroom and noticed a blanket on the sofa, but Dennis was nowhere to be seen.
"You're up?"
Dennis emerged from the study, his gaze intense.
Lily coughed lightly, "Yeah, you probably didn't sleep well last night, did you?"
The sofa was quite short, and given his height, it must have been uncomfortable.
"Didn't sleep much."
Dennis, now dressed in white, spoke up, "That guy from last night has been caught."
"Really?"
Lily found it hard to believe, "So quickly? Didn't they say the surveillance in that area had blind spots?"
She looked at Dennis, wondering if he had done something last night.
Dennis noticed her gaze and turned his head. "The guy was just unlucky this time and left some clues."
Lily sighed in relief, "It's good that he's caught. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare stay in the neighborhood at night anymore."
She wasn't the only victim; there must have been others in the neighborhood before her.
With that scumbag caught, the neighborhood would be much safer.
Just then, Lily's phone rang, "Ms. Roberts, today's the national competition finals. Crayfish Live has a guest event. Do you have time to attend?"
"Attend in person?"
"Yes, I'll send the electronic ticket to your phone. If you're free, you should come."
Lily hung up the phone and looked at Dennis, "Crayfish Live sent me a ticket and asked if I wanted to watch today's competition."
"Do you want to go?"
Lily smiled, "Of course, why not!"
She was a special guest, after all.
Dennis saw the smile on her face and was relieved that last night's incident hadn't affected her.
Lily glanced at him, "Are you going?"
"I have some things to take care of, so I won't be going this time. Are you going alone?"
Lily lowered her eyes, "No, I invited a friend. I'll be heading out now."
Lily entered the elevator, adjusted her mood, and left the apartment building.
As she stepped outside, she overheard a group of people talking, "That scumbag finally got caught. I heard he was beaten up pretty badly."
"Serves him right. If I'd been there, I'd have kicked him, too. He harassed my granddaughter once."
Hearing this, Lily felt even better and took a cab to the competition venue.
When she arrived, she saw the area outside the venue was packed with cars, and there were way more fans than in the previous rounds.
She noticed the emblems of various teams and the captains' photos displayed on posters.
Lily saw the captain of the Bubble Buddies Team, Mark. In her previous life, this man had suddenly withdrawn from the finals, denying her the chance to face him.
Lily still felt a bit regretful about that.
She believed that if Mark hadn't withdrawn, the Titan Team wouldn't have had a chance to win the championship.
No matter how skilled she was, she couldn't single-handedly defeat a top-tier team.
"Lily, I thought you wouldn't come to watch this match."
Violet, wearing a Bubble Buddies Team T-shirt, made it clear she was a fan of the team.
Lily smiled, "I wasn't planning to, but Crayfish Live invited me as a special guest with a prime seat, so why not?"
Crayfish Live had given her two tickets, so she invited Violet to join her.
Violet laughed, "Without you playing for the Titan Team, they're bound to lose today."
Everyone knew that the Titan Team's comeback in the previous round was thanks to Lily.
Violet couldn't understand why the Roberts family treated Lily poorly while favoring Sophie. In competitions, sympathy wouldn't make the opponents concede.
Just then, fans' screams erupted from the roadside.
Lily looked up and saw the Titan Team's bus arriving.
Fans swarmed around it.
Lily saw Austin leading the way and even spotted Sophie in the team.
It seemed Austin couldn't find anyone else and had to make Sophie a substitute.
Lily was actually looking forward to seeing Sophie's performance in the match.
Sophie, enjoying the attention from the fans, had a smug expression on her face.
She received gifts from fans, feeling very pleased.
This was what she deserved, not Lily.
"Mr. Roberts, is it true that Lily won't be participating in today's match?"
"Without Lily in the team, how confident are you about today's match?"
Austin's expression darkened at the mention of Lily.
He wanted to show Lily that they could win without her.
He coolly responded, "Personnel adjustments are normal. Our team members will give their best in this match. As for the gunner position, I believe Sophie is fully capable. After all, it's not just about skill but also family synergy."
A journalist pressed further, "Mr. Roberts, but Sophie is known for her poor performance. Why do you keep her on the team?"
"Yeah, she threw a tantrum and quit mid-match last time. She should've been kicked out."
Sophie, standing beside him, smiled, "I've learned from my mistakes. I've trained hard, and I'll give my best this time."
She would take this competition seriously.
"Lily's here."
Someone shouted, and the journalists and fans surrounding Austin quickly moved to the other side.
Austin's area suddenly became deserted.
A fan approached Sophie, "Sorry, this gift was meant for Lily. I gave it to the wrong person."
Furious, Sophie threw the gift back. She didn't want it anyway.
Not far away, Lily hadn't expected to be cornered by journalists. She didn't want to be interviewed at the entrance, especially with the match about to start.
But now, she couldn't escape.
"Ms. Roberts, are you really not participating in this match?"
"Without you as the gunner, what are Titan Team's chances of winning?"
Lily glanced at Austin and Sophie across from her and calmly said, "I think their chances are zero."