The others could understand that and agreed to stop playing.“Would you like to stay here in the future?” Alex asked.He knew Leon Batton had a place to stay back home, but he had to ask anyway.“I’m not sure yet,” the teenager answered with a smile.For him, it would have been better if he stayed at home while he still had to go to school.However, he wasn’t against the idea of staying over during weekends if training sessions lasted much longer in the evenings.“In that case, I’ll take you to your room first,” Alex said before leading the group to a room they had prepared in advance.The room had a luxurious design that hinted at European royalty.A gentle breeze blew in through the French windows. The moist sea breeze had a salty tinge, and Leon detected the taste when it gently brushed against the loose strand of hair on his forehead.Leon closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the breeze caressing comfortingly against his face.“Of course, your room is the best room
The original Top Solo player, Jonathan, sighed as he played. “I guess the new generation is better than the previous one.“I guess I’m no longer the best now,” he added.Although he couldn't help but be envious of Leon Batton’s talent, he was only sighing out of frustration.Hearing his laments, Alex instantly approached him, gently patting him on the back. “Jonathan, don’t say that. It's only a phase. All professional gamers experience this.“I used to feel lost at times, too. I even doubted myself at one point,” he added.Right then, the team had just won the current match.Jonathan turned his head and peered at Alex excitedly. “How did you get back on track?”He had been trying to get back on track recently, but he could no longer return to his peak performance. He was beginning to doubt his capabilities. In fact, on some quiet nights, he would even think about quitting.Alex immediately thought back to the past, smiling at the memories.“It’s our boss, Xyla, who pulled m
“Coach, haven’t you considered leaving this club over the past few years?” Jonathan asked again.Alex shook his head without hesitation. “I haven’t.”“From what I heard, many people have offered you very high salaries. Haven’t your thoughts wavered?”Alex shook his head again.“What about you guys? Many people have been trying to poach you, too. Haven’t you thought of leaving?” he asked.Jonathan and the others quickly shook their heads.“It’s great here. Why would I leave? Compared to money, I value the team’s future and the team’s environment much more,” Jonathan said.“Exactly! I’d be crazy to leave this club,” Damien spoke up.The team’s ADC player, Jackey, also shared his thoughts. “Yeah, other clubs don’t allow players as much freedom as Team XS does. We are allowed to train however we like. Nobody cares. We can play whatever we want during matches and are given absolute freedom.”“Other clubs have targets on one’s rank increment each day. How exhausting is that?” he add
Team XS’s official account didn’t address any of the rumors spreading around in public.Leon Batton went about his day as usual by going to classes with Lynette Batton.He could hear people screaming as soon as his car stopped in front of the school, but he remained indifferent while his sister smiled sweetly.“You seem to be in a good mood today,” Leon couldn’t resist stating with his brows raised when he saw how jolly she appeared. “Not too bad. Same as usual,” she answered softly.“Why do you seem a little out of sorts today?”The smile on her face widened. “I browsed the internet to look for basic tips on behaving like an idol. I have to smile and maintain a positive image, so I thought I should start practicing.” Her hair danced to the breeze, her eyes glistening as she smiled. It was a breathtaking sight.“She’s so pretty!”“I’d like to be Lynette’s friend. Unfortunately, I'd never get the chance!”“Yeah, she’s way too pretty. If only I look half as good as she does.
Leon Batton coughed gently.“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Why won’t you admit it yet?” Lynette Batton asked.She knew her brother so well, so naturally, she wouldn’t believe his excuses.“There’s nothing to admit,” he insisted.“I don’t believe you. You’re just trying to hide it,” Lynette replied, looking adorable as she puffed her cheeks.“Can you not gossip about me every day?” he retorted helplessly, gently brushing her pert nose with his index finger.“How is this gossip? You obviously felt something the other day. Why don’t I help you by finding out news about that girl?” she asked with an eager smile while tugging at his sleeve.“All right, all right. Stop making a fuss,” Leon interjected.To him, relationships were all based on serendipity. It would last if it was meant to be. Love should never be forced but allowed to develop naturally. If they were fated to be together, it would happen sooner or later.“What do you mean by making a fuss? I’m trying to help you out, okay?” his sis
Lynette Batton wasn’t the kind of person who liked to show off her wealth, but she couldn’t stand the sales assistant’s arrogance and couldn't resist arguing back.“Are you kidding? How could two students afford a purse that costs several hundred thousand dollars? I have never met anyone like that while working here for years!” the staff scoffed.She had worked at the store for close to eight years, but she had never met any student who could afford such price tags.“That's not our problem. It doesn’t mean we can’t afford these purses,” Lynette declared while rolling her eyes.“Cut the crap," the staff snapped. "All right, stop standing around. You’re getting in the way of our business!”To her, the truly wealthy women should be old housewives, not a student.She also couldn’t be bothered to keep arguing with the young lady when she was adamant about kicking them out.Leon Batton’s facial expression changed at that point. Seemingly upset, he planted himself in front of his siste
“Leon, do you think I look good with this purse?” Lynette Batton approached Leon Batton, carrying the designer purse on her shoulder as she twirled in front of him.The aqua blue color symbolized purity and innocence. It was compatible with her personality. On top of that, it had a unique design that made it seem a rather playful choice.“Not bad. I think it looks good on you,” her brother replied approvingly.“I’m sure you’re right,” she responded with a chuckle. She trusted Leon's taste.“It’s not just because of the purse, though. It’s because you’re pretty, Lynette,” he said affectionately with a laugh.Everyone felt envious of her when they heard that.Lynette turned around and continued selecting purses, chatting briefly with her brother as her eyes swept across the displays with a purse in hand. She looked up at another purse with a marble pattern on it. “Please let me take a closer look at that purse.”She had good fashion sense despite her tender age.“About that…” T
“Now that I've explained every detail, was there any part you didn’t understand?” the store manager asked respectfully.After all, Lynette Batton and Leon Batton were going to rake in a lot of revenue for her.“No, I understood everything,” Lynette replied hastily with a wave of her hand.She was afraid she would pass out if the manager continued talking.“That’s great!”Nodding, she picked up the purse to study it carefully. It was definitely of superior quality in terms of design and material.“Indeed, it lives up to being the most valued treasure of this store,” she murmured. “Leon, I’ve made my choice, but I want two purses, is that okay? I really like both colors.”She held up two purses, one in each hand.One was the aqua blue purse with rippled patterns, while the other was the most expensive one in the store.“Sure, as long as you’re happy,” Leon answered casually, seemingly unbothered by the amount of money he was about to spend.His cavalier attitude sparked another
Xyla quickly reached for Hannah’s hand. “Is that right? Hannah, you’re amazing…! You’re practically on par with Leon!”Hannah laughed, slightly embarrassed. “Not at all.”“Oh, cut it out. If you hadn’t helped me, how could I have improved so quickly?” Leon chuckled.“I guess I’ve lived up to my promise.” Hannah giggled along.Back then, she had promised Leon that she would become someone deserving of him.She claimed that she would grow with Leon.Without a doubt, she had done it.Now, Hannah had become a successful woman many would often speak of. She earned her rightful seat next to Leon as the CEO of Dragon Group.Stanley also turned to look at Hannah. “Yes, Hannah’s very capable. She’s our family pride.”Hannah laughed. “I was lucky to be accepted by your family.”In fact, Hannah genuinely felt grateful toward the Batton family over the years she had spent with them.They had helped her through all the hardship she encountered when she was poor and down on her luck.Aft
“Hannah, I’ve taken the first step for you. Are you willing to walk by my side for the rest of our lives?” Leon asked, serious.“Yes, I am…” Hannah answered without missing a beat.“I’ll protect you. From now on, you don’t have to worry about a single thing.” With that, Leon placed both hands on Hannah’s face and kissed her on the lips.The moment their lips touched, everything felt surreal…Hannah could feel pink, light bubbles floating all around her. It felt as if all the flowers in the world were blossoming at once.In Hannah’s dark, depressing life, Leon was her only salvation.He was a ray of hope that led her out of hell, so she could see light once more.Hannah thought she would never have anything to do with Leon after she quit school.Even until now, she still remembered how sorrowful she was on her last day of school.But now… Not only did she get the opportunity to interact with him once more, but they also became a couple.Their driver sighed to himself while
Over time, Leon’s feelings for Hannah grew deeper, stronger, and more intense.He had grown used to having her with him all the time.Thus, he hoped she would stay by his side for the rest of his life.Upon hearing his words, Hannah’s mind went blank.What did her dream guy just say?Was she dreaming?Hannah quickly pinched her palm at the thought in an attempt to discern between dream and reality.Her palm hurt. That meant this wasn’t a dream. It was real!Hannah felt even more dumbfounded…This meant Leon actually liked her! He was confessing to her, wasn’t he?Did her dream guy actually reciprocate her feelings?Never in her wildest dreams did Hannah imagine she would go through such an experience.Excitement jammed her mind, so much that she was rendered speechless. There were many things she wanted to say, and yet, she couldn’t utter a single word.Her heartbeat increased rapidly, and her entire body began to shake. Sensing her trembling body, Leon tightened his e
Immediately after, the men in black pulled out guns from their pockets, which they aimed at Raymond’s head.Raymond panicked instantly, going pale.He subconsciously retreated a step back. “Who are you? Don’t you know what you’re doing is illegal?”Leon sneered. “You don’t deserve to know my name. In this city, I am the law.”Leon’s domineering words made him seem even more imposing.At this moment, Hannah felt as if he was a guardian angel sent from Heaven to protect her.Something about him seemed oddly sacred and heavenly.“Mr. Batton, do I shoot him in the head?” One of the men dressed in black asked.“Mr. Batton? Are you Stanley Batton’s son?!” Fear was beginning to spread through Raymond. For one to have Batton as his surname and act this arrogantly in Atlantis, he could be none other than a member of the renowned Batton family.“How dare you address our president by name?!” Another man in black leveled Raymond with a chilling glare.Suffice to say, Raymond was terrif
Terrible pain ached at every part of Hannah’s body as she collided with the cold, hard ground.The pain was such that all her bones felt close to breaking. Everywhere hurt badly.At that moment, Hannah felt like a fragile doll made of clay that had been forcefully slammed hard against the ground until it broke into small pieces.Her mind went blank from the stinging agony.She braced herself and looked at the cold eyes staring back at her, filled with terror. Stammering, she asked, “Mr. Gray… What is the meaning of this?” “What’s the meaning of this? Ha! Don’t you know what’s good for you? You dumb b*tch… You’re lucky that I set my sights on you!”“How dare you refuse my feelings! Not just that, but you even made up a story to deceive me!”“Even when you saw me, you tried to trick me again!”“Do you think I’m stupid? That I can’t think? Do you honestly think I’d fall for your lies again and again?” Raymond went, his tone steadily rising into a furious roar.He then got on o
Although the sun had long sunk beneath the horizons and darkness had set in, the lively city wasn’t about to be silent anytime soon. Hannah felt deeply unsettled, so much that she didn’t leave right away.Instead, she waited in front of the bar, filled with hesitance and anxiety.Should she really leave?Would Rihanna truly be able to sort things out?The man was Raymond Gray… Neither Rihanna nor the bar could afford to upset him, lest they face terrible repercussions.Hannah remained standing on the same spot, uncertain. She really didn’t know what to do.Finally, she came to a decision. She took out her phone and tapped open a ride-hailing application on her phone.Yet just as she did that, she instantly closed it. Afterwards, she began pacing back and forth in worried circles, going to and fro aimlessly. Right as she was trapped in her worried musings, a group of people exited the bar. Raymond Gray, dressed in black, sporty attire, led all of them in a flamboyant manner.
A handsome waiter quickly walked in and looked at Rihanna. “Ms. Jensen, Mr. Gray out there insists that Hannah should get on stage to sing another song. I told him that Hannah would only sing three songs today…”“He lost his temper and claimed he’d destroy our bar if Hannah refuses to sing another song…” The waiter added. He was visibly trembling by the end of the sentence.Hannah figured Mr. Gray was probably the only son of the new mayor of Atlantis there weren’t many people with Gray as their surname in Atlantis. There were even less people who were arrogant like him. He was the only one.Hannah had heard about how terrible this person could be. He was known to be a womanizer too.Due to his powerful background, he looked down on everyone else. He didn’t respect women at all… Moreover, he had a relatively cruel personality. One could almost describe him as being a pervert.There was once when an owner of a bar offended a female internet celebrity he was dating. He directly hired
Hannah Roland smiled politely at Lina Cohen. “Nice to meet you… Thank you in advance!”“No problem… Do let me know if there’s anything you don’t like about your makeup too,” Lina said.Hannah nodded. “Okay, sure…”“By the way… Do all the signers here get such good treatment? I’m surprised we’re even assigned our own makeup artists,” Hannah asked carefully as she wasn’t aware about things like these..However, Lina smiled without answering Hannah’s question directly. She held Hannah’s hand casually the next second, “Come here. I’ll start doing your makeup now…”Hannah nodded…Lina was a very professional makeup artist. She took an hour to finish Hannah’s makeup.An hour later, Hannah’s appearance transformed completely.Lina permed Hannah’s long, black hair into natural-looking curls.Hannah had intricate peach-colored makeup on her face which made her appear lively and youthful.Once Lina was done with Hannah’s makeup, she happily retrieved a long, white dress from a clothes
Hannah Roland smiled without saying anything.***Hannah arrived at the bar where she worked at seven o’clock the next evening and walked into Rihanna Jensen’s office.Rihanna was going through paperwork in her office. When she saw Hannah, she immediately stood up and smiled at her. “Hannah, you’re here…”“Here’s the contract…” Rihanna said before pushing a thick stack of paper to the center of the table.Hannah quickly stepped forward and skimmed through the document. She then picked up a pen and signed it…Rihanna smiled upon seeing this. “Okay… I’ll transfer the money into your account tonight… I’ve told our big boss about your situation. He’s fine with my decision to pay your salary in advance. In fact, he even told me I did a good job…”“He said you can sing without worrying about a single thing… If you need any help in the future, do let us know…” Rihanna added.Hannah felt glad when she heard this, and became teary-eyed. “Thank you… Please thank our big boss for me too.