Meanwhile, the mood at Neverfall Navigators was grim. For reasons unknown,


    every member of the team looked dejected, and a heavy silence hung over their headquarters.


    Across town, Ferdinand Malone was still smarting from the humiliation he''d suffered at the semi-finals in front of his ssmates and Ynda. To reim his pride, he was determined to secure the central seats in the front row of the VIP section for the finals, no matter the cost.


    So what if Juniper had her big-shot actor brother to throw money around for her? He had plenty of cash, too.


    "What? They''re all reserved?" Ferdinand asked into his phone, incredulous. "What about the second row?"


    If he couldn''t get the first, the second would have to do.


    "I''m sorry, sir. To ensure the best viewing experience for our front-row guests, the second row is not for sale," the staff member exined patiently.


    "I''ll pay more," Ferdinand insisted, his tone arrogant. "I''ll pay ten times the price."


    "My apologies," the staff member repeated with a politeugh, "but the front-row seats were reserved directly by the event organizers. They were never on sale to begin with."


    Not for sale? Who had enough clout to have the organizers personally reserve not just the first, but the first two rows of VIP seats? Ferdinand waspletely floored. Juniper''s words echoed in his mind: "We''ll see if you can even get into the finals." Could it be...


    "Were those seats reserved for Juniper?" Ferdinand asked, his fists clenching.


    "Yes, that''s right." Since it wasn''t a secret, the staff member confirmed it freely. "The entire front row was reserved for the students of the freshmanputer science ss at Era University."


    Ferdinand was speechless. After hanging up, he called his father for help.


    "The event organizers?" Cassidy''s expression turned grim. The powerhouse behind thispetition was the Schwartz Group. Could Juniper be connected to them?


    "Forget about the seats," Cassidy said, his eyes narrowing as he gave his son a stern warning. "And remember this: do not provoke Juniper again.”


    "What?" Ferdinand exploded, his spoiled-brat temper ring. “Dad, have you forgotten how she humiliated me?"


    "You''ll do as say!" Cassidy snapped. If Juniper really had ties to the Schwartz Group, then offending her was the same as offending the


    Schwartz family, Could the


    Malone


    family even survive in Era City after that?


    Ferdinand gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with hatred. He wouldn''t let some girl walk all over him time and time again. He would find a way to make her pay!


    Late that night, at Era City International Airport, a ne from across the ocean touched down smoothly.


    The cabin door opened, and a woman in her fifties, impably maintained and exuding elegance, walked out on the arm of a distinguished, gentle-looking man of a simr age.


    "You must be tired," Hayden


    Schwartz said softly, taking off his


    jacket and draping it over his wife''s shoulders. "It''s just an esports tournament, yet you''re acting like it''s the end of the world. Rushing back. like this, we haven''t prepared


    anything, we haven''t even told our son."


    "He''s used to it, it''s fine," Miranda retorted, shooting her muttering husband an annoyed look. "And what do you mean just an esports


    nament? My hero''s team, the


    Neverfall Navigators, is ying. And you know who my hero is, don''t you? Say it!"


    "Ouch!" Hayden winced as she pinched his side, forcing the name out through


    gritted teeth. "Demon! It''s Demon!"