Chapter 34: The Captain Returns

The club announced that Alexander Hayes will be returning as the Westbridge captain for the next home game.

They praised Alexander for his good behaviour, helping the investigation and continuing to contribute.

Many fans applauded the announcement.

However, there were still some people who weren't happy with how the club handled the situation.

Alexander didn't really celebrate.

He just stood there in the changing rooms looking at the captain's armband that the manager had pinned to his locker.

"Go on," said Daniel Brooks as he walked up to him.

"What?" asked Alexander.

"Put it on. You've been staring at it for five minutes."

"I don't want people to think I'm forgiving everything," Alexander replied as he picked the armband up.

"If you don't say they're forgiven, then it's fine. You're ready to lead differently."

Alexander slid the armband on his wrist.

It felt natural.

But it didn't mean the same thing anymore.

"Guys!" he said as he called everyone together before the game.

Everyone fell silent.

"For a long time I thought being the captain was about protecting the club from any bad things, but I was wrong. We should be protecting the people who wear this shirt. The academy players. The fans. We should be listening to anyone who has any concerns. If we get anything wrong, we should address it, and if we make any mistakes, we should take responsibility."

He looked around at everyone.

"I can't change what's already happened, but I can promise we won't make the same mistakes again."

Daniel Brooks nodded.

The others did too.

Alexander stepped out onto the pitch as the crowd went wild.

The noise was incredible, but Alexander didn't get carried away. He knew that the crowd could change their minds very quickly.

Westbridge played very determinedly.

Alexander led the defence and was encouraging the younger players. He didn't let himself get frustrated when the opposition scored first.

They equalised in the second half.

Ten minutes into the second half, Alexander intercepted a pass. He ran forward, luring a defender to follow. He passed to his right winger.

Daniel Brooks headed the cross in!

The crowd went wild.

Westbridge won 2-1.

Alexander threw his arms up as the final whistle blew. His teammates surrounded him as they shouted and laughed.

For the first time in weeks, Alexander was celebrating simply.

Isabella was watching from the stands with tears in her eyes.

She had seen Alexander play throughout the years. Seen him score goals, lead his team, and cope with the pressure of the crowd.

But this was different.

He wasn't trying to prove to anyone that he couldn't fail.

He was giving it his best shot and acknowledging he was human.

After the match, Alexander found Isabella waiting near the players' entrance.

He was still in his kit, and his hair was sweaty.

"You came."

"Of course I came."

He smiled.

"Did you see me score?"

"I saw Daniel score."

"It was I who passed it."

"Do you want me to congratulate you individually?"

"Yes, please."

She laughed as she pulled him into a hug.

"I'm proud of you."

Alexander hugged her tightly.

"Thank you."

They stood there for a second.

"I want to ask you something," he whispered.

Her heart raced.

"What?"

Alexander reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a little folded piece of paper.

"Another secret document?" Isabella asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No, it's my booking confirmation," Alexander said, laughing.

Isabella unfolded the paper.

Two train tickets to the Lake District, a booking for a small hotel and a handwritten note.

Three days. No football. No investigations. Just us.

"Did you actually plan a holiday?" she asked.

"I asked an expert."

"Who?"

"Daniel. He said, " Take you somewhere calm before you burn yourself out."

"You asked Daniel Brooks for relationship advice?"

"He's very unpredictable."

She laughed. She carefully folded up the paper.

"When are we going?"

"Friday."

"I have work," Alexander replied.

"You have three days of holiday left."

"How do you know?"

"I asked when we were talking about deadlines."

"Of course."

He smiled.

"So?"

"Okay," she pretended to think. "But if you check a football score whilst we're having dinner, I'm leaving you at the hotel."

"Okay."

"I'm picking the restaurant."

"Of course."

"And you can't say it's a tactical decision."

He laughed and kissed her.

"Okay."

Later that evening, Isabella got a message from Margaret.

The investigation had gained access to the private storage unit, which was linked to Richard Vale's company. Inside, there were multiple boxes of financial documents, and it was believed that some of those documents were linked to the Meridian payments.

They found the original ledgers.

They are currently looking through the documents to see if they are genuine and to track down where the payments came from. No definite conclusions have been made about everyone involved; however, they have the best evidence they have so far.

Isabella read the message twice.

She called Daniel Mercer.

"They found the ledgers!"

There was a long pause.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. They've confirmed they have records linked to the academy accounts. They're still confirming everything."

Daniel let out a shaky breath.

"After all this time."

"I know."

He paused.

"I used to think if I could just prove what happened, then everything would feel right."

"Does it?"

"Not yet, but it feels like someone has finally listened."

She closed her eyes.

"It does."

They decided to talk again once Daniel had finished his official statement.

Alexander stood next to her as she finished the call.

"Good news?"

She nodded.

"They found the original ledgers."

He took her hand.

"Maybe we can finally move on."

"Maybe." She looked at him.

This time it didn't sound unsure.

It sounded hopeful.