Chapter Four- Betrayal
1133 Words
The arena erupted with boos as the final buzzer sounded. The scoreboard glared at FLG’s players: a crushing loss.
Maya sat in the owner’s box, heart sinking as murmurs of discontent rippled through the investors in the seats below. Phones were out, calls being made, whispers of frustration carried up to the glass walls.
She exhaled slowly. “Another loss… How is this happening?”
Victor Dane, her legal advisor, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “We’ll need to call for a meeting immediately. Investors are calling, some are threatening to pull out unless we have answers.”
Cole appeared beside her, calm, composed, leaning against the railing. “ Hey, everything will be fine”. He said.
Maya nodded, but she felt unhappy. The team worked hard for this but…why the loss.
Victor’s phone buzzed. “They’re already gathering in the boardroom. Liam needs to be called in. Now.”
“Liam?” Maya blinked. Surprised, “Are you sure? “He's just an assistant skill Coach.”
Victor’s gaze was grave. “We have to go now, Maya”.
Minutes later, Liam entered the cold, glass-walled boardroom. Maya, Victor, Cole, and several other executives were already seated, tense expressions shadowing their faces. Investors murmured in the background, their dissatisfaction palpable.
“Liam,” Victor began, his voice clipped, “you’re here because we need clarity. The board has noticed unusual transactions, altered lineups, and several incidents that coincide with losses. Investors are losing confidence.”
Liam’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand… I haven’t done anything. I’m just trying to keep the team afloat, I swear.”
Cole’s voice cut in smoothly. “The numbers don’t lie. Contracts are being mismanaged. Funds diverted. Lineups sabotaged. Someone is undermining FLG.”
“Liam,” said one investor, leaning forward, fingers steepled. “This document shows that your name is all over everything . Are you sure there’s something you want to tell us?”
“I didn’t do it!” Liam insisted, voice rising. “You have to believe me! I love this team. I would never sabotage the empire!”
Maya’s chest ached. She wanted to step in, to defend him, but the room’s weight pressed her down. Each accusation, each pointed glance made her doubt.
Victor spoke up, calm but firm. “Liam, the board has been thorough. Evidence from multiple sources points to you. You can explain it, or you can face the consequences.”
“Consequences?!” Liam stammered, eyes wide, panic creeping into his voice. “I’m telling you, I’m innocent! This isn’t me!”
“Maya, Cole, you know me”.
But Maya stayed silent, torn inward, not knowing what to believe.
A board member chimed in, her tone icy. “Then how do you explain the lineups, the diverted funds, the reports filed in your name? We checked everything.”
Liam shook his head violently. “Someone is framing me! Someone wants me out, yes, but not me!”
Cole leaned back in his chair, hands folded, expression neutral. “That’s an interesting theory, Liam. But theory doesn’t help the team. Or the investors. Or Maya.”
The investors’ murmurs grew louder. “He’s guilty,” one said. “It’s obvious.”
Liam looked around desperately. Every face in the room was now against him. Every pair of eyes seemed to say the same thing: “He did it.”
Maya’s throat went dry. She wanted to call out. She wanted to defend him. But she remained frozen, torn between the evidence and the coach she had trusted.
“I’m… I’m innocent!” Liam finally gasped. His hands shook. “Please! You have to…”
Victor’s voice cut through the tension. “Security.”
Two men stepped forward. Liam’s eyes widened. “No! You can’t…”
But it was too late. They grabbed him by the arms, pulling him toward the door. Liam struggled, shouting, pleading his innocence, but the strength of the board’s certainty overpowered him.
Maya watched, heart breaking, as her best skill Coach was dragged from the room. Every step he took away from her felt like a stab through the heart.
Cole didn’t move. He didn’t flinch. He just sat back, calm, observing, untouched by the chaos.
The room fell silent once Liam was gone. Investors’ phones buzzed, whispers filled the corners.
Victor exhaled slowly. “Maya… this is worse than I thought. Several investors are leaving tonight, and more will follow if we don’t act fast. The empire is losing its footing.”
Maya leaned on the table, fingers gripping the edge. “I know. I can see it. But Liam, he’s innocent. I feel it. The sudden game losses, lawsuits, scandals. Something isn’t right, Victor.”
Victor’s gaze was serious. “We have to stabilize first. Focus on damage control, find solutions. That's just what the board wants”.
Maya nodded slowly, her mind racing.
“Yeah, we’ll figure something out, I just need to get some air”. She said
Victor nodded and walked away.
She stepped outside into the quiet evening, the city lights glittering below, trying to steady herself.
Her mind racing where and how it all went wrong.
The cold air brushed her face. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. The wind was a small relief from the suffocating tension inside.
And then… she saw them.
Cole. And a woman she had never seen before.
They were pressed close together, lips meeting. His hands held her in a way that made her stomach twist.
Though she knew Cole was cheating, just that she hasn't seen the lady with whom he's cheating on her with.
She didn’t know the woman’s name.
But the intimacy, the casual way Cole held her… it struck a cold, hard reality into her chest.
Cole’s head turned slightly, as if sensing someone nearby.
He saw her.
He didn’t flinch.
He didn’t pull away.
He just… held her. Calm. Untouched.
The woman smiled softly, brushing his chest lightly.
Maya’s legs weakened. She pressed a hand to her mouth, unable to scream, unable to move.
Her mind raced. Who is she?
She watched for a moment longer, every second burning into her memory, before the chill of the night snapped her out of her trance.
She backed away silently, heart pounding in her ears, mind spinning.
The game was lost. Liam was taken. The investors were restless. And now… this.
Maya’s life, her empire, and everything she thought she knew… was unraveling faster than she could comprehend.
And in the quiet city night, with Cole holding this unknown woman, she realized her world that seemed perfect from the beginning has finally crumbled.
But what she doesn't know yet, is that her life is about to change forever.
- Writer
