24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Cattleya Cardona

T he last game in the playoffs, and it's a total nail-biter. I was restless the entire fucking game like someone was watching me, which is ridiculous since the stadium had at least 10,000 people—of course, there are lots of people watching me.

The game ends without either team scoring, which means we have to go to penalty kicks. I was expecting this type of outcome in the final, but not in the playoffs. Coach calls us for a quick pep talk, and we all form a circle around him.

"We've made it this far thanks to your sweat and tears. You deserve a spot in the final, and you're going to get it. Focus on the ball. Don't let their goalie or anyone else distract you. The win is yours for the taking." We clap and holler, getting pumped up for the penalties. "Noelia, you'll be the first one to shoot. Stefa, Emma, Sabrina, Cata: you're in charge of taking this team into the final. We believe in you."

I release a breath through my teeth; nothing like feeling the pressure to get laser focus on my objective. I know Mati is in the bleachers with my parents, Sofi, Franco, Dani, and Marco, but right now, I can't look at them. All my energy is focused on that ball.

The penalty kicks start, and Noelia scores. I want to scream and jump, but it's only the first one, so I restrain myself. I simply clap as hard as I can as I pace back and forth in the middle of the field, where I stand with the girls, waiting for my turn to shoot. Both teams keep scoring as they kick the penalties, and I'm growing anxious. It's Rosario's turn to kick, and the girl's shot is so powerful that the ball gains height and doesn't come back down; it ends up in the bleachers. I go on my knees, saying a silent thank you to the universe. It's my turn to kick the ball. I don't look at anyone, don't hear any screams. I'm locked in.

It's only the ball, the goal, and me.

The ref hands me the ball, and I turn it around in my hands as I bend down to place it on the white penalty spot. Twelve yards separate me and my team from playing the Argentinian Women's Soccer Final. I take three steps back, and one to the left. I only raise my gaze the moment the ref blows the whistle. We've played Rosario before—we've watched their games—so I know their goalie jumps eight times out of ten to the right, but I'm sure they've studied us too; I'm sure she knows I shoot to the left nine times out of ten. I start jogging toward the ball and get my left foot ready to shoot, but at the last moment, I decide to stop in my tracks and kick with my right foot instead. The goalie catches my move at the last minute and jumps toward the right, but she's a second too late. The ball crosses the goal line, and the goalie falls to the ground. A deafening roar explodes in the stadium, and I take off running to meet my teammates in the middle of the pitch.

"Who are we?" I shout as Stefa hugs me.

"Golden Warriors!" the entire team shouts back.

"I can't hear you. Who are we?" I shout louder this time, and the entire team replies, "The fucking Golden Warriors!"

I laugh as I start jumping up and down with the girls. We're enjoying this moment, letting the euphoria of making it to the finals run through my veins. We need to release the tension of the game, and tomorrow we'll focus on whomever won the other playoff match.

After a quick shower, I'm drying off in the locker room, and thinking about all the things I want Mati to do to me tonight when my phone pings with a notification. I bet it's Mati. I can't wait to jump his bones. I grab my phone and read what's on the screen.

Unknown

It's time to give up. You've made it to the final match. No one will blame you if your team loses. Do the opposite and we'll hurt what you love the most.

I read and reread the text. What the fuck is going on? It's like I'm suspended in time—I can't make sense of what I just read. When I look around the locker room, everyone has their phones in hand, the same aghast expression on their faces.

Noelia is the first one to speak. "You guys, I just got this text. "

My eyes grow impossibly big. "No fucking way, I just got a text, too." We all gather in the middle of the room. Passing our phones around, we find out we all got the same damn text.

"We need to call the police," I say as Stefa asks, "What do we do?" A nervous chuckle escapes me, and Noelia takes charge of the situation.

"We've never experienced this before but it isn't unheard of. Sadly, soccer betting moves tons of money. This must be an asshole who bet against us, even though we have the best track record this season."

Now I'm even more confused.

"So if we have the best track record, why would someone bet against us?"

"Because if we lose, the payout will be greater."

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. We are fucked.

"Okay well, I say we call the police, and we play our hearts out in that match. Why do we have to lose because an asshole decided to play God?" I say, and no one replies. No one agrees with me.

"What? What am I missing? You guys want to lose?" I press to get an answer because I need to understand where everyone's mind is at the moment.

"I say we play the worst game of the season, and let this fly by. I'd rather not get in trouble," Emma chirps in, and I look around to see how everyone feels about that. All I find is confused, sad faces. Fuck, we went from almost touching heaven to being in hell in the blink of an eye.

"We need to be smart about this. I say we sleep on it tonight, and we'll take a vote on what to do on Tuesday after practice," Noelia says. Since she's the captain, everyone agrees and gets ready to leave .

Noelia looks at me as she releases a breath. "I know this is not what you want to hear, Cata. I get it, but we need to be smart here. If we call the police right away, this is going to be all over the news, and we will be in more danger. This wasn't sent by an ordinary person. This must be someone with a lot of power." She pauses for a second before she gives me a tired smile and continues. "Go find your man, and we'll talk on Tuesday."

She puts her right fist in front of me, and I pump mine with hers. Making my way out of the locker room, I see Romina talking with Mati, and I freeze. Can this evening get any worse? I fast-walk toward where they are standing, and I can tell Mati is upset, his voice raised in frustration.

"All I ask is that you be a decent human being, and respect my girlfriend's right to privacy. You're welcome to write all that you want about the game, stats, and performance, but what Cattleya does off the pitch is none of your business," he says in a stern tone. If I didn't love him as much as I do, I swear my heart would explode right now from hearing him defend me so fiercely.

"That's all very pretty talking, but as a journalist, I can write anything that I think the fans need to know. Since Cardona is the golden child this season, it's what sells. So, I'm sorry, but I have to keep writing about her and her escapades." Romina blows Matías a kiss as she leaves, and I see red.

I jog her way, and I'm about to yank her back by her hair when two very strong arms wrap around my middle, holding me in place. I jump up, kicking my feet, ready to fight him and go tell that woman to not mess with what's mine, but I feel Matías' chest shaking with silent laughter. I can't help but join him.

"Matías, seriously. Let me go. I need to have a few colorful words with that woman. You won't believe what I found out when I did a little digging."

He turns me around and holds me tight against him. "What do you mean you did some digging?"

I take a deep breath, ready to spill the beans on the info Oscar, the private investigator the Bianchi family has on retainer, has found out. "Well, it just so happens that Romina was one of the founding members of all the media platforms to cover women's soccer here in Argentina. She basically has all access to anything and everything she wants. The clubs pay her to feature them on her pages, and when a team refuses or she finds someone who pays better, she writes lies and twists the reality to her advantage. From what the PI told me, she's in deep with the mafia. Basically, they are the ones orchestrating everything behind the scenes in the league. Whatever they do or say goes." Mati is looking at me with a stunned expression. I should have warned him about all this before just spilling it out.

" Mi angel , you say you found this out by yourself? These people are dangerous." He looks so worried. I hate that I'm adding to his stress and anxiety.

"Don't worry, bae. The PI has worked for Luca's family for years; he's a professional. And I'm not going to out her. I know it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do. Romina even blackmailed Melissa, the team's PR girl. That's why she wasn't willing to help me out when I reached out to her. For all that I know, the police might even be on their payroll."

Mati releases a deep breath, raising his gaze to the sky. Like he's trying to look for an answer to how to deal with all this mess. After a couple of seconds where all I do is enjoy his warmth and being held by his strong arms, Mati's gaze falls on me, and a beautiful lopsided smile forms on his lips.

"As much as all this sucks, we still need to find a way to deal with it. I don't want to let it take away from the fact that you were fucking incredible out there, mi ángel ," he says against my ear, and my mind goes to touching him, being with him, getting stretched by him.

"You're not playing fair, bae." My voice sounds breathy. Instead of replying, he grabs my earlobe, biting me gently. A shot of desire runs through me, straight to my core.

"I can't wait to see how wet you are."

I'm about to tell him that he can find out right now when I hear my mom's voice.

" Mija , what a game. I'm so happy we were able to cheer you on tonight. I can't wait for the final."

Mati releases me with a peck on my lips, and I go to where my parents are standing, waiting for us. I need to tell them what went down in the locker room, but first, we have to go grab a bite—I'm starving.

I decided not to tell my family about the text; I knew my dad would immediately have gone to the police, and I couldn't do that to my teammates. This is a team decision, and as much as I want to deal with it immediately, the entire team has to decide. Today is my day off, and Mati is dreading having to attend another meeting in which he has to deal with Luciano's silent threats. At least he can't hold our relationship over Mati, but he still wants him to cooperate in the money scam. I really hope my dad can do something to help us out. The last thing I want is for Mati to lose his job for being an honest man, or worse, go to jail because he agreed to help his boss.

I decide to ask my mom to join me for lunch, so instead of going out, I invite her to my place.

" Mija, thank you for inviting me over. I'm so glad we get to spend this time alone," my beautiful mama says as she enters my apartment.

" Ay Mami , you guys are still paying the rent for this place even though I make enough to pay my own bills. The least I could do is have you over and chat all afternoon with you. I miss our time together." My mom's eyes immediately well with unshed tears, and I can't hold back my own.

"Ugh, we're going to start crying, and we haven't even started chatting. I miss you so much, mija . But I know you're an adult, and your life is here now."

I wipe my eyes as I go to the kitchen, not looking at my mom. She stayed home with us, and now she's an empty nester. I know that's the way it's supposed to be, but I just feel for her. Especially with the both of us living so far away from them. I prepared a simple lunch—lentil soup, rice, steak, and salad.

"Smells delicious," my mom says as she serves her plate, and takes a seat at the dining table.

"Don't be fooled, Mami . Matías and I are terrible cooks, so we got a food service that brings us pre-prepared meals every week."

My mom barks out a laugh. "Ay, Cattleya. Well, at least it was something you both agreed on."

I know she's dying to know the details about how I ended up with Mati, so I don't make her wait.

"Yeah, Ma. It was magical. You know I've had a crush on him since Playa Blanca, but you know we never spoke after that. Recently, I learned his guilt came from the night Sofi got kidnapped. I was chatting with him at the time, and he was upset that I was with him instead of with all of you looking for Sofi. So he thought I'd blamed him for it, and never spoke to me again out of shame."

My mom's in shock. "Seriously, mija ?" It's all she says, and I look at her intently for her to elaborate. "Well, he's a sensitive man. But the fact that he just basically stopped talking with you? I don't know, mi amor . I mean, how can you trust someone who doesn't communicate? Someone who, instead of expressing their feelings, simply buries them? No sé, Cata. (I don't know, Cata)." I scoop a spoonful of my soup, buying some time while I decide how much to share with my mom. Mati hasn't told me his visits to the therapist are a secret, but I understand that this part of his life is private.

"Yeah, Mami . I know he didn't handle things in the best way four years ago, but he has grown up, and so have I. He's been working at getting better about expressing his feelings and so far, we've had very good communication." My mom smiles at me as she takes another bite of food, not really agreeing or disagreeing with what I just shared. I know the more she gets to know him, the more she'll see how great Mati is.

"You want to tell again how you two were only chatting?" My mom makes a tsk sound, and I laugh nervously. " No, mi amor . I wasn't born yesterday. I'm glad all that is in the past and you were able to talk to him, and give him a chance at something I knew you deeply wanted."

I squeeze her hand. I love how easy it is to speak with her. Never judgment, only love and understanding.

"So you think this is it? Are you staying in Argentina for good?" I decide to eat a huge bite of salad instead of immediately replying. " Oh, oh. What is it?" my mom asks, a mix of worry and excitement in her voice.

"Well, funny you should ask, Mom. This morning, Santiago, my manager, remember him? He called me. He said there's a team in Spain that's interested in me." My mom simply stares at me, waiting for me to continue. "Yeah, he said they've seen my performance here this season, plus they really like the fact that I was called for the two upcoming friendly matches with the Colombian national soccer team." I shrug like it's no big deal when I know deep down it is.

"Have you told Matías?"

I close my eyes and shake my head no. "He left for work by the time Santiago called." Her eyebrows furrow, and I mimicked her expression.

"Are you guys living together?" Oh, I guess I hadn't shared that detail with her, either.

"We kinda are. He came home with me one night and hasn't left since."

My mom chuckles. "Then you really have to tell him. I can't imagine what he'll do if you leave without warning."

I quickly dismiss her worry. "No way I'm going to leave without telling him. I just wish he would come with me. But it's a big ask after only a couple of months of dating."

My mom takes another bite of food instead of replying, and I know I'm right. I think Mati will stay if I get traded to Spain.