Chapter 296
As she was heading to the party, Aubree left the golf course and went to a stylist in Kroit City for a complete makeover. It was midway through her styling that she received a message from Alvin.
In the last match, after Matilda made a critical mistake, Alvin returned to take charge and made an on-the-spot decision to bench her, sending in the assistant coach instead.
Alvin said, “Matilda hasn’t said a word. She just keeps asking me to fire her.
“I had someone look into Matilda’s family recently. Apparently, her brother, Drake Diaz, hasn’t been seen around much.
“It has been a while since the last match, and by now, we’ve pretty much uncovered everything there is to know about Matilda’s family.”
Alvin probably found it too tedious to explain everything piece by piece, so he simply sent Aubree a document to read for herself.
As Aubree read on, her heart sank. Her worst fears had come true.
Aubree thought, ‘Matilda’s brother, Drake, is such a disaster! Gamblers can never control themselves. If he had any self-control, he wouldn’t be in this mess now.’
After Matilda started earning money for her family, the Diaz family’s living conditions improved dramatically. Not only did they pay off all their debts, but they also upgraded to a bigger house and bought a new car. Their lives kept getting better and better.
However, it was where real trouble began. At first, the whole family put on a perfect act in front of Matilda. Truman and Shirley loved their daughter, but clearly favored their son. Just when Matilda thought Drake had changed, Shirley tricked Matilda into surrendering her payroll card under the pretense that she was “too young to handle so much money.”
Matilda felt she became a coach purely out of passion. Money was just for her family. So she handed over her salary card without a second thought.
The rest was predictable. With money in hand, Drake completely let loose. When the family was poor, he’d at least kept his vices in check. But now he sneaked off abroad behind his family’s back to gamble, only to be set up by people with ulterior motives. He was still stuck there.
Alvin hadn’t yet uncovered who was targeting Matilda, but one thing was certain: the Wilson family was involved.
Aubree wondered, ‘Carmen? Alice? Or someone else?’
Aubree’s styling was nearly complete. She texted Alvin back, “[Can you get Drake out of there?]
[I mean, ask Matilda, and find out who made her throw the match, then let her go…]”
Aubree thought, ‘None of this would have happened if not for me.
‘I should’ve realized that once I pushed the Wilson family too far, they’d inevitably look for any weakness to exploit. After Drake went missing, Truman and Shirley finally snapped out of their blind love for their son. But Drake had gambled away all the family’s money by then. Now, he is being held captive.’
‘The casino called with a threat: Pay up, or Drake would lose both his hands.
‘By the time Matilda found out, it was already too late. Her parents were on their knees, begging her to save Drake. She couldn’t bring herself to stand by and do nothing.
‘That’s what set everything in motion.’
Alvin replied promptly: “[Sure, but I can’t guarantee he’ll come out unscathed. I asked Mark to help.]”
Aubree Miller: “[So you’re not going to keep her?]”
Aubree Miller: “[I can’t keep her. She’s under fire from fans right now. If I let her stay, it would be hard to justify it to both the club and the fanbase.]
[Besides, maybe they’re just hoping I’ll keep Matilda around out of old feelings.]” Aubree thought, ‘Losing a few matches isn’t a big deal. What team hasn’t lost before?’
On this one, she fell short.
Aubree Miller: “[Find them. I’ll see who’s pulling the strings.]”
Kurtis’s car arrived punctually at the hotel where Aubree was staying to pick her up.
Kurtis grinned and said, “Darling, you look stunning.”
Aubree smiled. “You clean up nicely, you rogue.”