Chapter 739

Chapter 739:

A murmur rippled through the crowd, the whispers now filled with disbelief and suspicion toward Neal. The atmosphere had shifted dramatically.

The triumph Neal had earned through his game, the victory he had secured for his team, and the reputation he had painstakingly built over years of streaming—everything crumbled the instant he held up that trophy, tainted by his bloodline’s appearance.

The championship’s glory had dimmed. All anyone could talk about now was the fact that he was the son of a criminal.

Outside, the rain had transformed from a light drizzle to a torrential downpour. The once-gray sky had turned into a relentless storm. The city lights flickered and warped in the rain, casting the world into a distorted, dreamlike haze that was impossible to pierce.

Bonita stood in the midst of it all, her gaze unfocused, searching for Neal, but he was nowhere to be found.

As the crowd began to file out of the venue, they stepped into the pouring rain, each person’s hurried movements lost in the storm. Bonita stood frozen, her mind racing as time seemed to stretch on. After what felt like an eternity, she fumbled through her bag, her hand trembling uncontrollably as she pulled out her phone. With difficulty, she unlocked it, her fingers shaking with each failed attempt, finally managing to open the screen after several tries.

The first app she opened was WhatsApp, and there, she clicked on the lone conversation that appeared in her chat list.

Her lips pressed tightly together, and she hesitated for a long moment, the weight of her thoughts anchoring her in place. In the end, she could only type three simple words: “Where are you?” A long silence followed. No reply came.

The constant sound of the rain pounded in her ears, its relentless noise intensifying the ache in her head. However, amidst the chaos of the storm, one image remained vivid—Neal, frozen on stage, an empty shell of the confident person she knew.

The shock of it still lingered in her mind—Neal, caught like a deer in headlights, paralyzed, consumed by fear and confusion. It was nothing like the fearless, unstoppable person she had always known.

In Bonita’s memories, Neal had always been a bright force, optimistic and unshaken. Even when life knocked him down, he would smile and assure her.

𝙁𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢: g⍺𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⫶ⅽ𝗼𝗺

But that person—the one who had always seemed invincible—had crumbled before her eyes.

It was as if he had plummeted from the highest peak, crashing into the deepest abyss.

Now, his triumph was tainted forever, his name forever linked to the shame of his father’s crime.

Bonita couldn’t bear to let her thoughts go any further. The weight of it all threatened to crush her, and she knew if she lingered too long on the thought, the pain would tear through her.

Her hand instinctively pressed against her chest, the emptiness within her growing. She stared at the phone screen, the absence of messages mocking her.

Without thinking, she dialed his number. It had been ages since she’d called him—this felt different from the usual text.

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