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Chapter 56
~Valeri’s POV~
The crowd murmured. I just rolled my shoulders and got ready. She passed the ball to this ti.
My turn.
I dribbled once and twice, shifted left, and feinted right. She bit on the fake, and I cut in and launched myself toward the net.
I jump and then shoot.
Swish.
1–1.
Titania narrowed her eyes. Good. This ti she wasn’t smiling.
We kept going.
She faked a spin, slipped past and scored again. 2–1.
I bit the inside of my cheek. Her style was different. It was almost like she was dancing. And I could feel sothing brushing against my skin each ti she moved.
It felt like wind, but it wasn’t nor was it any pressure.
Magic.
Titania was using cheap tricks but I wasn’t backing down. As that only ant that she was scared of losing to . I was a threat she could not explain.
I caught the ball next, ignored the weird static in the air, and moved. She tried to throw off—maybe with a glamour, maybe with her voice—but I didn’t look at her. I focused.
One pivot. One fake. I ducked under her arm, twisted, and leapt.
The ball sank in.
2–2.
Now the court was quiet. More girls had stopped practising and were watching. Even the coach had folded her arms, nodding slowly as her eyes tracked every movent.
Titania didn’t like that.
"You’re not bad," she said, walking toward .
"Neither are you," I replied and went straight to dribbling.
"But let’s see how long you keep up without your little rage boost from earlier."
I didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, I dribbled and passed her easily. When I was in range, I jumped and took my shot.
3–2.
Her jaw clenched. She was getting sloppy.
Her next move ca harder. She practically floated across the court, cutting angles like she had invisible wings. She jumped, flipped, spun—ridiculous, really—and dunked the ball.
3–3.
I stepped back, breathing steadily. Titania was quick. But she was overdoing it. Trying too hard to show off just like Ash.
I could use that. She gave the ball again and kept her smile back in place.
"I could have taken your place, you know," she said.
I blinked.
"Your place as an interest of the heirs," she went on in a whisper. "But they picked you. Why, I wonder?"
"You talk too much," I muttered and I was getting bored. My eyes narrowed on the goal.
Titania was expecting to dribble as befor,e but then I feigned a jump and imdiately moved back before I jumped.
She had moved, thinking I was dribbling, but when she caught n, it was too late. Titania jumped with all her strength; however, before ehr hands could reach mine, I threw the ball, aiming for a 3.
It went straight to the net.
4–3.
The crowd let out a loud ooooh, and I didn’t even smile.
I just turned and waited for her to get the ball and waited. Seeing as I got close already, Titania did not fake anything this ti.
She just ran and then slamd the ball into the net like she had sothing to prove.
Right then, we were focused on how many shots in and not the points exactly.
9–8 match point but we both had 4 balls inside our nets.
My hands were sweating. Not from nerves, but from how much I wanted to win.
Titania’s aura grew thicker. Fae glamour was humming in the air now, obvious to even the untrained eye.
She was done pretending to play fair.
My head pulsed for a second, like sothing brushing against my mind. Whispering doubt.
"You’re going to miss. You’re tired. You’re not good enough."
Fae trick.
I clenched my jaw as Astra stirred in my head.
"Focus."
I did.
The coach gave the final toss. Ball in the air. My fingers caught it first.
Titania surged forward but I blocked.
She went left—I mirrored. She threw out a hand like she was trying to reach my shoulder—or distract .
But I’d had enough distractions this week. I ducked under her reach, spun with the ball, and ran fast, heading straight to the basket.
TItania tried to catch , but I leapt.
Ti seed to have slowed. The lights above blurred and only the rim ca into focus.
I extended my arm and released.
Swosh. Basket!
5–4.
The silence cracked into claps, cheers, and a few stunned gasps.
I stepped back, breathing hard. Titania stood frozen, her hands curled into fists, her lips twitching like she wanted to say sothing but couldn’t find the words.
I walked past her, calm, steady, no smile.
But I stopped just as I passed her shoulder and whispered, "Consider your words swallowed."
Then I kept walking.
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~Monts Later~
"Valerie," the coach called after as I was about to leave the court.
I turned just in ti to look at her. She gave a nod. "You’re in."
I smiled a little but it was all real.
Behind , Titania’s shadow still lingered as she stood there in court, stewing in her own defeat. But it didn’t matter because I’d won.
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~Dristan’s POV~
By the ti I reached the lower parking lot, the courtyard was quiet. Only the sound of my boots echoed across the pavent, and the cold evening air curled around the collar of my coat.
I had been inford my father was in the city and wanted to see . Still, I wasn’t in a rush.
Not until I saw Brielle.
Standing just at the edge of the stone path, head turned as if she were trying to avoid , but too late. She’d seen .
And I saw her—saw the look on her face.
Was it... It was fear. Real fear.
It cracked her perfect expression in half.
For a second, she froze, eyes wide, lips slightly parted like she’d seen a ghost. Then, like sothing clicked, she imdiately dropped her head, her shoulders hunching as if my gaze burned her.
I slowed.
Not because I planned to, but because her reaction was too... familiar. It reminded of when I t them at the clothing store the other day. She had said sothing that day that caught my attention.
She was scared of , good but why?
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