Chapter 2

“Hello? Liam, my ticket was...”

“Lily, I’m about to go on for the match. The signal backstage is terrible. After the game, I’ll take you to the celebration party!”

From the other end of the line came the coach’s voice urging them to get on the field.

Before I could finish speaking, the call was hurriedly ended.

I stood there frozen, holding my phone.

In my hand, I was still carrying the two bottles of iced Coke I had just bought.

Water droplets slid down the bottles and dripped onto my shoes.

Above me was ninety-eight-degree heat, and the brutal sun was baking the asphalt until it almost seemed ready to melt.

“Ma’am, if you don’t have a ticket, don’t block the ticket-checking lane. Go wait in the plaza over there!”

A security guard came over and waved me away impatiently.

I could only carry the Cokes and retreat to the edge of the plaza, where there was no shade at all.

Sweat ran down my forehead and into my eyes, and the sting made me squint.

I took out my phone, wanting to ask Zach how long exactly he expected me to wait.

The moment I opened Ins, the first post was one Zach had just uploaded.

The photo was of the soccer field from a VIP front-row angle.

On the right side of the image, there was clearly a girl’s slender wrist.

On that wrist was the Cartier bracelet I had spent twenty thousand dollars on for Zach last month.

The caption read, “Watching the match with someone who truly gets it. This is what the World Cup is all about.”

I was shaking with anger, and I called Zach directly.

It rang for a long time before he finally picked up.

“What now? Are you ever going to stop?” Zach’s voice was full of extreme impatience.

Deafening cheers came from the background.

It seemed someone had scored a goal.

“What’s with the Ins post? You gave my ticket to someone else, and now you let her wear my bracelet?” I questioned him through clenched teeth.

Zach scoffed on the other end.

“Lily, why are you so materialistic?”

“Maya didn’t wear any accessories today. I thought the bracelet matched her outfit, so what’s wrong with letting her borrow it?”

“You can’t even tell Cristiano from Neymar, and you think you understand soccer?”

I took a deep breath and tried to keep my voice from trembling.

“I don’t understand soccer, but I understand basic manners! That was my ticket. What gave you the right to make that decision without my permission?”

“Do you know how hot it is outside? You’re making me stand out here for hours?”

Zach’s tone became even more self-righteous.

“I already told you, Maya is an intern, and her monthly salary is only three thousand dollars.”

“She can’t even afford official merch. You carry bags worth tens of thousands, so what’s wrong with letting her have the ticket?”

“You always act so superior at the office, and now you’re nitpicking over one ticket. Are you jealous that Maya understands soccer better than you?”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

He was being generous with someone else’s things and still made it sound so noble.

Just then, a sweet, delicate female voice came from the other end of the phone.

“Zach, is Lily mad?”

“Why don’t I go outside instead? I really want to watch Liam play, but I don’t want to affect your relationship.”

Maya’s voice sounded incredibly wronged.

Zach immediately lowered his voice to comfort her.

“Don’t mind her. She’s just being dramatic. Stay right here. No one is kicking you out today.”

Then he turned back to the phone, and his voice suddenly rose.

“Lily, I’m warning you. Don’t embarrass me out there by acting crazy.”

“It wasn’t easy for Maya to come here. If you dare come in and cause a scene today, we’re done!”