Chapter 14 Phoenix Unmasked Chapter 14 Phoenix Unmasked +10 Free Coins A sleek Rolls - Royce came to a smooth stop before a hillside villa . The villa was located far from the city center , nestled in a quiet and elegant setting . The overall style mirrored Hubert himself ; on the surface , it was all elegant pavilions and flowing water , but it was cold and unapproachable beneath it . " All the household staff hired for Ashbourne live in the secondary building . They won't usually come over to the main house unless needed , " Hubert explained to Azalea as he gave her a quick rundown of the estate . As he spoke , he pointed toward a middle - aged couple waiting respectfully at the door , having heard their employer was coming home . " This is Langdon and Carla . They're married . Unlike the rest of the hired staff , they're considered part of the Lennox . Langdon is the butler , and Carla cares for everything in the main house ." Azalea nodded , indicating that she understood . Clearly , Hubert had already explained everything to them beforehand . Neither of the two seemed surprised to see her ; they simply greeted her politely as " Ms. Yarrow . " It was pretty standard for rich families , they tended to trust only the people they had raised themselves . In Draywick , any notable family did the same . The Larks , for instance , their butler and the housekeeper who managed the owner's affairs , were also ' insiders , ' handpicked and trained by the family . Azalea had also heard that these families kept their own ' private guards ' too , nominally from security companies , but in reality , those companies existed only to serve one client . Are the two bodyguards always at Hubert's side ? Probably part of that exact setup . " If you need anything , just go to Carla . " Hubert looked down at her , smiling with a faint curve of his brow . Noticing she was zoning out , he reached out and gave her already messy hair a proper tousle , making it look even more tragic before chuckling , " Alright then , good night . " 1 Her first night in the Ashbourne Villa was surprisingly peaceful . Everything she needed was ready and waiting , and Carla only showed up when needed - never nosy , never intrusive . Crestmere Estate . Fresh from a meeting with his team , Wylie had just gotten home when he heard that Hubert was staying at his place that night . The only thing that crossed his mind was . This old man has seriously lost it . Especially after he had overheard the conversation happening inside the study . " William's tight - lipped . Couldn't get anything out of him . I restored the data on his phone and found only this chat history , " said Hex . Hex was one of the nine people working under Hubert . All of them were handpicked by Hubert and were ranked from one to nine by number . Standing outside the door with one hand in his pocket , Wylie leaned against the wall and listened quietly , gradually piecing the situation together . The cheating incident with Azalea had caused quite a stir at school . He'd heard about it too . But he ||| O 1/4 ( per 1a Phoenix Unmuted couldn't wisp his twad sround the swild he wwle , who was appasser o be out of town of a beniss tip drop everything and inch turk just because of the girls And that wasn't even the mind of it . Thi he even have Hex mess with a high orhird student ? Purring everything together , Wylie reached a single conclusion . Hubert's finally lost it in the creepiest way possible . The moment Hex left . Wylie strolled into the study with his usual bored expression . " Hubert , just a heade up . Azalea isn't even 18 yet . " Hubert looked at Wylie in confusion . " What ? * " She's a minor That's illegal , " Wylie deadpanned . Hubert finally got what Wylie was implying , and his expression instantly darkened with a long , frustrated sigh . " Wylie , I never imagined you'd think I'm that kind of monster . " Wylie looked unconvinced . " You're not exactly innocent either . " While at the Ashbourne Villa , Azalea was driven to and from school daily by a designated driver arranged by Langdon . Back at the Larks , Cassius was still waiting for Azalea to come crawling back . Bastian wanted to see her in person , but the fall championship finals were right around the corner , and their opponent was no joke . With team matters keeping him busy , all he could do for now was have his assistant try to contact Azalea. Things were peaceful for a few days ; soon , it was the weekend . " Azalea , why not sleep in a bit on the weekend ? " Carla asked cheerfully as she saw Azalea coming downstairs . By now , after getting familiar with Langdon and Carla , Azalea had asked them to just call her by name . " Got plans today , " she replied . Even though they didn't know whether she'd be up early or not , breakfast was already prepared , just in case . The mushroom soup was thick and creamy , and the bread tasted good . After eating her fill , Azalea touched her now visibly rounder face and sighed . Carla's cooking was dangerously addictive . She wondered if she got rich one day and asked Hubert to ' loan her ' Carla . Would he agree ? By the time Azalea arrived at Crestere Estate , it was just about the time she and Wylie had agreed on . She had just exited the car when her phone buzzed with his messages . Cerberus wrote , " Where are we meeting ? " You're not bailing , are you ? " The messages came one after another . Clearly , he was anxious . And no wonder the finals were next Saturday . If she didn't sign with GOD in time , Wylie's team might be 2/4 ||| O Chapter 14 Phoenix Unmasked unable to play . +10 Fine Coins In her previous life , she remembered Wylie starting this esports team . The Lennox didn't object to it , but they sure didn't help either . Even the so - called GOD ' base ' was just one of Wylie's villas that had been renovated . If it weren't for Wylie being a rich second - gen , the team probably wouldn't have gotten off the ground . Azalea arched an eyebrow but didn't reply . She walked straight into the house and spotted Wylie on the sofa , frowning at his phone . " I don't need tutoring . You'll still get paid as agreed . As for what you do while you're here , do whatever , " he muttered without looking up . Azalea let out a soft chuckle and walked up to him . Wylie , already irritated from Phoenix ghosting his messages , looked up and was annoyed . " Didn't we say … He didn't finish the sentence . Azalea held up her phone and waved it in front of his face . " We're meeting right here , Dog God . " Wylie's usual poker face cracked . He stared Azalea up and down , completely dumbfounded . There was no way this frail - looking girl was the same Phoenix who pulled off those flashy , god - tier plays . More accurately , he had assumed Phoenix was a guy from the start . It's not his fault , though ; the esports world was still a boys ' club . " You're really Phoenix ? " " Wanna test it ? " One sentence was all it took to light a fire in Wylie's eyes . " Let's go . Gaming room's on the second floor . " Wylie's setup put most gaming cafés to shame . Once inside , Azalea pulled him into a 3v3 map . " I usually play jungle . You'll be at a disadvantage on this map . " " No worries . If you can get the upper hand , you deserve it ." " First blood wins ? " Once in the game , Azalea locked in Chronomind , a mobile mage with high burst potential . As one of the fastest jungle - clearers among mid - laners , his multiple dash skills made him a strong pick on the 3v3 map . Letting jungle resources go uncontested wasn't an option . It would only leave the team vulnerable . It wasn't that she couldn't play jungler . But if she was serious about going pro as a mid - laner , now was the time to prove it . Wylie wasn't surprised by her pick . The match started out normally , with both sides clearing jungle camps and minion waves . After the first , first 3/4 ||| O ୮ 44 $ 1 Bal 9 Aug Chapter 14 Phoenix Unmasked wave . Wylie dropped a lake ward and ducked into a bush +18 Fras Cause This nickname wasn't for nothing . In tournaments , he was known for striking from the shadows , always appearing from unexpected angles , and catching enemies completely off guard . Azalea spotted it A slight smirk tugged at her lips . She mentally measured the distance to the brush Wylie was likely hiding in and slowly edged her hero toward it . Wylie , thinking the timing was perfect , made his move . A flash of gold burst from the bushes , shattering the silence with a crisp glass - breaking sound as his hero langed straight at Azalea . She didn't panic . A quick sidestep with her second skill , clean dodge . Perfect read . Wylie's combo landed in the air . The hem of Azalea's hero's cloak fluttered , untouched . Her timing and positioning ? Flawless . Still thinking it was a lucky dodge , Wylie didn't overthink it . But after taking a chunk of damage in return . and burning a cooldown to retreat , his confidence wavered . And it didn't stop there . Every clash went the same way , always evading his ambushes by a hair's breadth . A flicker of déjà vu hit Wylie , reminding him of their last match . This wasn't luck . She was doing it on purpose . How the hell was she pulling this off ? He'd watched her highlight reels a dozen times . The last - minute escapes . The insane turnarounds with 1 HP . He used to think it was just raw mechanics . He'd always chalked it up to her raw skills . But what if every move was premeditated ? Cold , calculated precision ? The thought alone sent a chill down his spine . The more he thought about it , the more insane it sounded . No way a normal person could pull that off . Wylie clenched his jaw as his screen dimmed once more , and the scoreboard showed a brutal gold gap . One kill , that's all she had over him . And yet , the gold gap was massive . In a 3v3 map ? That shouldn't be possible . " You dodged every one of my setups ," he muttered . " How are you even doing that ? " Azalea tilted her head with a grin . " Easy . I just know your range . " Wylie's throat tightened . There's no way he would've struck unless he was sure Azalea was in range . This was a game map , for crying out loud - how could she read distances so perfectly ? Was she an AI or something ? He took a deep breath , eyes burning as he stared at Azalea . " Come with me . 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