21
Perhaps it was Maya’s sharing.
That night, for the first time in a long time, I dreamt of Jax Ryder.
I dreamt of the night he won the championship.
After Alex and Chloe left, Jax Ryder pressed me against the back seat of the car.
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Tue, 26 Aug
His jacket bound my wrists, the fallen clothes half–draped over my arms.
I gasped, breathless: “Let’s go home… someone will find us here…”
“Shh-”
2%
He put his long index finger to my lips.
“If you’re scared of being found, Sister, then be careful not to make a sound.”
“Tonight, you’re my prize.”
The once spacious interior of the car felt increasingly confined in the rising heat, as if he
was expertly moving me, carrying me to a cloud–wrapped, misty peak.
I saw Jax Ryder a few days later at a team meeting.
When I entered, all the players stood up and greeted me, but he remained seated, his eyes indifferent.
Leo Martinez, the support player beside him, tugged his sleeve:
“Jax, the boss is here.”
Only then did his gaze drift towards me:
“Hello, Boss.”
Throughout the entire meeting, Jax Ryder and I had almost no direct interaction.
Young people’s temperaments change easily, I thought. He probably had moved on from our brief physical relationship.
That was for the best.
After the meeting, I lingered to tidy up some things. When I went out, I found Jax Ryder leaning against the corridor wall, looking down and playing on his NS.
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26 AU
2%
After a moment’s thought, I spoke in a gentle tone:
“I saw those trending topics too. It’s just a bunch of kids messing around, don’t take it too seriously.”
“The Spring Split starts in three days. I’ll have the PR department contact the media to gradually shift the public’s focus to the game.”
He paused, stopped his game, and looked up at me.
“You saw it?”
“I did.”
“Was it good?”
”
”
I was momentarily stunned, then realized. “It was… Maya who shared it. I didn’t look closely.”
“Just leave it. Don’t worry about public sentiment.”
He tilted his head slightly, speaking casually.
“The higher the popularity, the greater the commercial value of the team. You paid a huge transfer fee to buy me, Boss, I have to be worth something, right?”
