The Inescapable Celibate Heir Chapter 66: The Match

Everyone shook their heads, indicating they had no idea. Sophie glanced at Willow, remembering how the cheerleaders had said they were going to teach Victoria a lesson that afternoon. 

Could they have gone through with it? None of them were present now.

A group of them headed to the grove behind the hotel and found Victoria slapping a girl's face, smiling as she asked, "Want to keep going?"

The girl, blood at the corner of her mouth, shook her head frantically, pleading, "No, please, let us go!"

Others were sprawled on the ground or leaning against trees. When they saw the newcomers, one of them, looking relieved, shouted, "Sophie!" 

They had fought many times at Brightlight University, always having the upper hand due to their physical advantage. Who would have thought they'd lose to a seemingly frail Victoria?

Dennis, seeing that Victoria had no visible injuries, sighed in relief but still angrily grabbed Francis by the collar. "Aren't all of these people from your school? And you said you didn't know?"

Francis shrugged off his hand. "Just a bunch of girls messing around. What does it have to do with me? Dennis, you're so worked up over her, I'm starting to get curious."

Dennis shot him a fierce glare and walked over to Victoria, his tone gentle. "Victoria, are you okay?"

Mira quickly ran over, checking Victoria's hands for any injuries. Victoria waved her off, laughing softly. "No, the injuries are all on them."

Sophie, looking furious, scolded the cheerleaders. "What were you doing? A whole group of you couldn't take on one person? Useless and always causing trouble!"

"Sophie, we were just trying to stand up for you. She..."

"Stop it!" Sophie cut her off, turning to Victoria. "Victoria, even if you don't believe me, I have to say I didn't order this. I'll beat you fair and square in the finals. I don't need underhanded tactics!"

Victoria smiled faintly. "It's fine. I'm not the one who got hurt. See you at the match tomorrow." 

Seeing Sophie's anger, she believed it wasn't her doing. It was probably Ella, hiding behind the door, who had stirred things up. Otherwise, why would the Brightlight University girls, who had just met her, be so hostile?

Ella, hiding behind the door, quickly ducked out of sight when Victoria's gaze swept over. 

She hurried back to her room, wondering how surprising it was that the Brightlight University girls, who seemed tough, couldn't even stand up to Victoria. They fought for so long, but Victoria wasn't hurt at all. They were too weak!

The next day at the competition, Mira, fueled by anger over Victoria being bullied, played exceptionally well and narrowly defeated Willow. 

Sophie, perhaps too eager to win and prove herself, made more mistakes and was relentlessly pursued by Victoria, ultimately losing without any suspense.

After the match, Victoria went to shake hands with Sophie.

Sophie quickly shook her hand and pulled away, turning her face in defiance. "I lost because I didn't play my best."

Victoria replied, "I know what happened yesterday wasn't your doing. Don't worry about it. I hope next time we can have a fair match without any distractions."

"I'll beat you next time!" Sophie said fiercely, biting her lip and staring at Victoria for a moment before hesitantly adding, "I'm sorry. I apologize on their behalf. They're usually my followers."

"Alright, I accept." Victoria's tone was calm. Sophie was never her enemy, and she had no interest in Francis.

The women's team won 2-1. The men's team was tied 1-1, with only Dennis and Francis's match left. 

Soon, Dennis won by a small margin. They were the champions!

A group of young men and women cheered and hugged in the snooker arena. Victoria let Mira hug her, finding the embrace a bit intimate but tolerable because of the girl's soft and sweet nature.

Dennis wiped the sweat from his forehead, exhaling deeply as he looked at Victoria from the sidelines. They exchanged smiles. 

He and Francis were evenly matched, each winning and losses in past games. Determined not to embarrass himself in front of Victoria, he pushed himself to win.

On the way back, the bus was lively. Dennis offered to treat everyone to a celebratory dinner. After some debate, he generously took them to a lavish buffet.

Ella, feeling ignored as everyone praised Victoria and Mira for their victory, quietly excused herself, claiming she felt unwell, and left early. But no one paid much attention to a support staff member.

They sat around a large table, enjoying food and drinks. Though it was just a league victory, for these young people, the collective honor was thrilling. Perhaps only in school could they enjoy such pure joy.

Victoria sipped sparkling water, savoring the lighthearted and joyful atmosphere. It had been a long time since she felt such youthful enthusiasm. 

In her previous life, she had always struggled alone, never experiencing this kind of vibrant energy after turning eighteen. This felt great. 

She looked around at her companions, feeling a bit sentimental, and suddenly met Dennis's gentle gaze. 

They made eye contact for a moment, and he smiled, raising his glass to her.

Victoria suppressed a slight flutter in her heart and smiled back, raising her glass. At least for this moment, as teammates, he was a trustworthy partner.

Putting down her glass, Mira brought over a large plate of greens. "These veggies are so fresh, Victoria. Want some?"

Victoria pointed to her plate. "Sure, add a bit."

Mira then turned to Dennis with enthusiasm. "Dennis, want some?"

Dennis politely declined.

Victoria glanced at Dennis. She knew he didn't like vegetables. In her previous life, she had secretly liked Dennis and memorized his preferences. Even though they never had the chance to go out on a date or share a meal, she had rehearsed it countless times in her mind.

Dennis felt her gaze and couldn't help but smile. 'She is secretly paying attention to me.'