Apex Squad’s loss was bound to happen. Except for the one round God’s Fury purposely threw, almost every match ended the same way—their Nexus got smashed after the ten-minute dragon fight.

By now, no one dared to talk trash about Aubree being a girl. Anyone who knew anything about the game could see she was just as good as Alvin—maybe even better. Not even Killian could keep up with her.

“Phoenix! Phoenix! Phoenix!” The whole arena roared with the chant.

Onstage, the five players stood at the center, facing the crowd. Gold confetti poured down on them, shining like the moment belonged to them. They were the night’s real champions—even without the crown.

Bowen stared at Aubree as she stood in the spotlight, confident and glowing. He didn’t even realize how long he’d been watching her.

Ollie caught the look and couldn’t help but grin. ‘Bowen, you don’t know how much you care about this girl, do you?’ he thought, amused.

For someone like Bowen—always cold and detached—caring this much was way out of character.

Meanwhile, Carmen sat offstage in Apex Squad’s prep area, watching Aubree soak up the crowd’s cheers. Her face twisted with rage.

‘That should be me. The fans, the glory, even Alvin’s attention—it should’ve all been mine. Why did Aubree have to come back and take it all? Why is she always stealing from me?’ she thought bitterly.

Jealousy and hate wrapped around her heart like thorns. She couldn’t hide the look on her face anymore. Her expression turned bitter and almost twisted, her eyes locked on Aubree like knives.

Suddenly, she jumped up and stormed off toward the back. If she stayed any longer, she was afraid she’d lose it and charge onto the stage.

As she walked, her eyes turned cold. Aubree got kicked out of the Wilson family and still made a comeback, even getting Bryan and Emery on her side.

Taking a shaky breath, Carmen made up her mind—she couldn’t let this keep happening. If Aubree kept rising, she might be the one the family tossed next.

In the stands, Daxton had been watching Carmen ever since she left the stage. When he saw her walk off alone, he didn’t hesitate to follow.

He’d seen Carmen practicing with Emery’s team these past few days. Even though her health wasn’t great, she’d been trying hard. Daxton knew tonight’s loss had to hit her hard.

‘Aubree just went too far,’ he thought angrily. ‘Even if she wanted to win, was it really so hard to let Carmen take one game? Just one? Would that have killed her? What a bitter, spiteful brat.’

The more he thought about it, the more his anger spread, now aimed at Emery as well. ‘How could Emery let this happen? How could he not even know Aubree was playing? If he had, maybe they could’ve helped Carmen prepare and saved her this humiliation,’ he thought.

And when Daxton found Carmen crying alone in the stairwell, he lost it.

“Carmen, don’t cry. It kills me to see you like this,” he said, pulling her into a hug.

“Daxton, I’m sorry. I lost. I embarrassed you,” Carmen cried, tears pouring down her face.

Daxton’s heart ached just hearing her. He held her tighter. His anger toward Aubree burned even hotter. “It’s not your fault,” he said softly. “This is all Aubree’s bad.”

Wanting to cheer her up, he lowered his voice. “Carmen, do you want to be a champion?”

Carmen looked up, eyes red and swollen. “I do,” she choked out. “If I won, Emery would be proud. My teammates might be happy. But I didn’t win. Aubree did, I’ll be happy for her.”

Daxton’s chest tightened as he thought, ‘Carmen is too good. Even after everything, she still thinks of Emery, those ungrateful teammates, and even Aubree. That bitch stole her moment, and Carmen still wishes her well!’

All Daxton wanted was to protect Carmen, to shield her from everything.

He gently wiped her tears. “You’ve had a rough day. Go get some rest. I’ll take care of everything.”

He had brought bodyguards, but they were waiting in the car outside the venue.

Carmen still had to leave with Apex Squad. She had already thrown a tantrum during the match. If she walked out alone now, she’d just get dragged even harder online.

After seeing Carmen off, Daxton took his bodyguards and headed to the parking garage to find Aubree.

At the same time, Aubree had just finished her interview. She and her teammates were heading to the underground garage through a back security exit.

As they entered, a group of men stepped out from the shadows—Daxton was leading them. “Grab her,” he said.

God’s Fury members didn’t know who Daxton was, but it was pretty obvious he was there for Aubree. All four of them, plus Matilda, quickly moved in front of Aubree, forming a wall. “Who are you? What do you want?”

Daxton flicked away his cigarette, clearly out of patience. “Do it. I don’t care if she ends up hurt or dead. I’ll take the blame.”

These bodyguards were from the Wilson family, the same as Chris and the other men of Bowen.

The moment Daxton gave the order, the bodyguards attacked. Only Alvin had any training in self-defense, but he couldn’t match up against trained bodyguards.

Still, none of them backed down. The four teammates did everything they could to protect Aubree.

In the chaos, Aubree got knocked down more than once. As she watched them throw themselves in front of her again and again, her heart ached.

They’d only known her for a couple of weeks, but they treated her like family they had to protect. And yet, her own brother was standing there, telling men to beat her like she didn’t matter.

“Tell them to stop,” Aubree said, stepping forward. She couldn’t let them get hurt because of her. A hand injury could end an esports player’s whole career.

But Daxton wasn’t stopping. Carmen’s loss had pushed him over the edge. Right now, he didn’t care what happened to Aubree. He stormed up, grabbed her by the neck, and slammed her against a concrete pillar.

“Aubree!” her teammates shouted, trying to help her, but the bodyguards held them back.

Then, the bodyguards snatched their phones and smashed them.

The pain in Aubree’s back was sharp and deep. It felt like something had cracked. She collapsed to the ground. Still, she looked up and said, “Daxton, if you’re gonna hurt someone, hurt me.”

Daxton looked down at her, full of disgust. “Go to the organizers and admit you cheated. Post a statement that you’re quitting esports for good.” And he would take care of the rest.

“I’m not doing that,” Aubree said, her voice hoarse but steady. This win didn’t just belong to her. Even if it did, she wasn’t about to give it up to Daxton’s threats.

“I’m not asking,” Daxton said coldly. “I’m telling you.”

Then he waved his hand, and Hector’s scream rang out.

Aubree turned and saw one of the bodyguards twisting Hector’s right hand.

“If you don’t do that,” Daxton said, “I’ll make sure all three of them lose both hands. I can’t touch Alvin yet, but I’ll ruin the rest without banking—”

A cold chill ran through Aubree. She believed him. Of the four Wilson brothers, Bryan acted the most cold-blooded, but Daxton was worse.

Living in the lab for years had taken something out of him. He didn’t feel things the way other people did. He barely treated his family like people, except for Carmen.

Right now, Aubree didn’t know what to do. She felt completely helpless, and she hated it.

Meanwhile, Emery kept glancing at Carmen in the car. Something felt off. He wondered why Daxton hadn’t come back yet.

Carmen shifted nervously under his stare.

Emery’s stomach dropped. He quickly told the driver to turn around.

Outside the arena, Bowen was still waiting for God’s Fury’s car. But something didn’t sit right.

“Chris, get your team over to the stadium right now,” he said. “Ollie, come with me—we’re going to the underground garage.”

After the call, he gave Ollie a look, then took off running, full speed toward the garage.