Chapter 16 She Is the Only Savior
Lily noticed Austin staring at her and frowned a bit.
Right then, her phone buzzed.
It was Michael.
"Lily, you at the venue?"
Lily felt a knot in her stomach. She wanted to lie, but the fans' cheers around her had already given her away.
"Listen, Lily, Peter and I got some urgent stuff at the office. We can't make it to the competition. Today's match is crucial for Austin. You gotta join the team. Whatever's going on between you two, we need to stick together when things get tough, right?"
Michael's words drowned out the noise for Lily.
Without a word, Lily hung up. She didn't want to talk.
She was here for the drama, not to play.
Austin, on stage, waited but didn't see Lily get up to head backstage. His patience started to wear thin.
"What's up with Lily? Does she expect me to go down there and beg her?" He snapped.
Sophie's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Austin, let me text her. But since she's in the crowd, she's probably still mad. Otherwise, she'd be backstage by now, like always."
Austin thought about the old Lily. She used to always know what he needed without him saying a word.
He'd gotten used to her always being there.
But now, Lily had changed.
"If she comes to the match, I'll forget everything from before. I'll treat her like a sister again," Austin said stiffly.
That incident at school had been his fault for acting on impulse. If Lily was willing to let it go, he would too.
Sophie's expression tightened for a second, but she forced a smile. "Alright, I'll call her now. I'm sure she'll come for you."
Austin's face softened a bit.
Sophie stepped aside to make the call, her eyes dark as she watched Lily in the crowd.
Lily glanced at her phone, seeing Sophie on stage.
She didn't need to guess what Sophie was gonna say.
She rejected the call and stared at the stage, expressionless.
Sophie was surprised when Lily hung up, but quickly covered it with a smug smile.
She thought, 'Good, no need to waste my time.'
Sophie didn't want Lily to join the match and steal her thunder. She wanted Lily to see that she and Austin could win without her.
Sophie returned to Austin, her eyes red with fake tears. "Austin, I think Lily hates me. She didn't answer my call. Should I go talk to her in person?"
Austin's expression darkened with anger. "No need. Michael told me he tried reaching her, too, and she hung up on him. She has no intention of joining the team for the match. Forget it."
"Austin, I don't think Lily's that kind of person. She wouldn't come just to watch us fail."
"We'll win this match and prove her wrong," Austin said, putting on his headphones and tuning out the crowd.
Sophie smiled with satisfaction and thought, 'Lily, I've got this one in the bag.'
The match started soon after.
Titan Team vs. Mountain Team.
Lily watched the big screen as the commentators kicked off the match.
Austin, playing as an assassin, led his team into an ambush.
The opposing team had clearly studied Austin's tactics and set up a bait strategy.
In her previous life, Lily had sensed something was off and warned Austin to be cautious.
But Austin had berated her harshly.
He had charged in with one other person to check, only to fall into Mountain Team's trap.
Lily had led the remaining team members to rescue them and turn the tide.
This time, she was curious to see what Austin would do without her warning.
As expected, Austin made the same decision, leading his entire team into the enemy's trap.
Seeing the predictable outcome, Lily smirked.
Sure enough!
Austin soon realized they were trapped, but it was too late.
The team's coordination fell apart, and Sophie panicked, making several mistakes that nearly got her teammates killed.
Austin led everyone to retreat into a building.
He couldn't hold back his anger. "Sophie, where's your brain? I told you to retreat, and you went in to fight? Trying to show off?"
Sophie was equally frustrated. "Austin, I couldn't stand it. I saw a low-health enemy and wanted to finish them off."
"Finish them off? More like you got us killed! If you were so confident in your skills, you wouldn't have been trapped and gotten us all attacked."
Sophie's face turned red with embarrassment. "If you hadn't fallen into the trap and gotten us surrounded, we wouldn't be in this mess."
Austin's anger flared. "You're blaming me? You're the weak link here, dragging us all down. All that training, and you've learned nothing!"
Sophie stormed off, leaving her seat.
The audience gasped in shock.
Leaving during a match was a big deal.
The big screen focused on Titan Team, showing Austin's furious expression.
Austin had no choice but to pause the match.
Each team had one chance to pause per match.
The opposing team's fans started to murmur, already celebrating their impending victory.
Austin slammed his keyboard in frustration.
He hadn't expected Sophie to throw a tantrum and leave.
If it were Lily, no matter how much he yelled at her, she wouldn't act like this!
The atmosphere grew tense.
The opposing team stood up to taunt him. "Hey, Austin, why don't you just forfeit? Save yourself the embarrassment of getting crushed. Just give up and keep some dignity."
Austin stood up, furious. "I'm not giving up！ You're the ones who are scared of losing!"
"Austin, everyone can see you're going to lose. One of your teammates even walked out. Didn't you say your team would never lose? What kind of team is it anyway? Just a bunch of orphans left behind. Playing games isn't about who has more kids!"
Austin's temper flared. "Watch your mouth!"
"Oh, did I hit a nerve? If your parents were still alive, they'd be ashamed to see you now!"
Lily's face grew cold with anger. How dare they insult her parents?
She headed backstage.
Austin's teammates pulled him back, preventing a physical fight in front of the audience, which would only make things worse.