CHAPTER 44

Silently, Leo stood at the edge of the crowd, his arms crossed, and watched the end of the battle and the declaration of the winner. His gaze followed every movement of Maxine, each calculated gesture. A bitter smile curled on his lips, though his eyes remained cold.

"She did come back and change. just as I expected," he muttered, mostly to himself. The tightness of his jaw denied the casualness of his tone.

"Be ready, Maxine. You don't know what you hold." He sighed, his eyes already averting as he slipped out into the crowd and disappeared into darkness as the game came to a close.

The crowd was still energized, the competition tension slowly being released into a sated set of breaths caught. Maxine and Alph were standing side by side, their hands still tied from the final round. Beads of sweat glimmered in their foreheads, but Maxine's keen eyes cut through the crowd, her thoughts far from victory.

They were on their way off the field when Trevor came up to them with an easy grin.