All Chapters of Goal! The Manchester United Captains: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

The headline hit like a slap.“The Golden Boy’s New Love?”The words were bold, cruel — designed to sting. Underneath, a photo: Leo and Isabella Rossi, sitting close together at a charity gala, eyes locked in a way that looked intimate. Except it wasn’t. Maya knew that smile — polite, tired, diplomatic. But to the public, it was something else. Something dangerous.It was a perfect shot, doctored just enough to twist truth into poison. And whoever planned it knew exactly what they were doing.When Maya saw it, her chest tightened. Not from disbelief — she knew Leo. But from exhaustion. From the endless war of headlines and whispers.“Of course it’s her,” Maya muttered, tossing the tablet onto the couch. “Julian’s playing dirtier now.”Leo ran a hand through his hair, eyes dark with frustration. “He’s getting desperate. That’s what this is.”Maya folded her arms, staring at the image again. “Desperate or smart. He knows what buttons to push.”Leo moved closer, gently tilting her chin u

The night hummed with low light and static. Every sound — the soft clack of keys, the faint buzz of a nearby speaker — felt like part of a living pulse. Somewhere miles away, a man watched over them.David Evans — the “digital ghost.”He wasn’t just a hacker or strategist. He was the unseen nerve of their mission, a man moving through lines of code like a ghost in the dark. He had lost too much — a wife, a child, a life that used to make sense. But here, buried in circuits and screens, he’d found purpose again.“Feed coming in clean,” David’s voice crackled softly through Leo’s earpiece. “Audio stable. You’ve got fifteen minutes before Marcus starts asking questions. Keep him talking.”Leo adjusted his jacket, hiding the small mic pinned near his collar. Across the table, Maya gave a faint nod — calm, confident, every inch the perfect half of their public image.Marcus Vance — Julian’s nephew, their target — sat opposite them, smiling behind a glass of expensive wine. He looked young,

The door slid open with a quiet hiss. Cold air swept over them — the kind of chill that came from machines breathing.Rows of silver towers stretched from wall to wall, their soft lights blinking like stars in the dark. It was beautiful and terrifying — the digital spine of an empire built on lies.Leah walked in first. “This is it.”Jason followed, setting the extractor down. “Let’s plug in before someone gets curious.”Marcus stood back, hands on his knees, eyes scanning every shadow. His nerves showed in the small tremor at his jaw.Leah connected the drive. A soft beep echoed. Lines of code began to crawl across the screen.Jason leaned over her shoulder. “Is it working?”“Yeah. It’s pulling from the core mirror,” Leah said, her voice low. “Emails, contracts, shell companies, black payments — it’s all here.”Marcus let out a slow breath. “You’re looking at the truth, Jason. Everything my brother built. Every life he bought, every law he bent.”Jason’s eyes darkened. “He’s been pla

The field was empty.Dead quiet.No crowd. No chants. Just air. Thick and cold.Leo kicked at the grass, hands shoved deep in his jacket pockets. “Crazy, huh?”Maya’s laugh came out small. “Yeah. It’s… weird. Too quiet.”He nodded once. “After all that noise…”“After everything.”They stood there for a bit. The lights buzzed overhead, flickering like they were tired too.Maya rubbed her arms. “You feel it?”Leo glanced at her. “Feel what?”“This… I don’t know. Like it’s over but not over. Like the world’s waiting for us to mess up again.”He smiled, but it didn’t stick. “Yeah. Feels like that.”She let out a shaky breath. “I thought I’d be happy tonight. I thought it would feel… I don’t know. Clean.”“It never is,” he muttered.She gave him a look. “Do you ever stop being dramatic?”He cracked a small grin. “Nope.”Her smile faded fast. “Leo… do you think we did the right thing?”He turned his head toward her, eyes steady. “We told the truth.”“That’s not what I asked.”“Yeah, it is.”

The first time Maya saw Sir Reginald Sterling up close, she understood what real danger looked like when it wore a smile.He was smooth, polished, and magnetic—the kind of man who made people feel smaller just by being in the room. His handshake was firm, his voice calm, his eyes sharp enough to slice through lies. But behind all that charm, Maya felt it—something cold. Something hungry.Julian Vance had been a villain you could see coming—a brute hiding in shadows, his corruption loud and ugly. But Sir Reginald? He didn’t need to hide. He was the kind of man who could destroy you while shaking your hand.And now, he’d decided that Maya and Leo were his next problem to fix.“Lovely couple,” Sterling said, smiling at them across the pressroom. His words were honey, but his tone carried a quiet warning. “You two make such good headlines. Hope you realize how valuable that is.”Leo shifted beside her. “We’re not here for headlines,” he said evenly. “We’re here for football.”“Of course,