All Chapters of Reborn as the villain's obsession [MM romance]: Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

187 Chapters

Match Point — Chapter 1: New Signing

The ball hit the crossbar with a sound like a gunshot, and Adrian swore under his breath, jogging back to retrieve it as laughter echoed from the sidelines."Nervous?" The voice belonged to Cassian Steele, team captain, standing with his arms crossed near the goal, watching Adrian's first training session with an expression that gave away absolutely nothing."Just warming up," Adrian said, retrieving the ball and setting it down again, refusing to let the embarrassment show on his face."You were signed for eight million," Cassian said, not unkindly, but with a precision that cut anyway. "The club expects results from minute one, not warm-up excuses."Adrian's jaw tightened. He'd heard about Cassian Steele before ever joining this club — the captain who never missed training, never gave interviews beyond the required minimum, never let anyone close enough to know what actually lived behind those sharp gray eyes."I'll be ready by Saturday," Adrian said, striking the ball again. This t

Match Point — Chapter 2: Damage Control

The photos filled the tablet screen — Cassian's arm around Adrian in celebration, their faces close, caught in a moment that looked far more intimate than a simple goal celebration warranted. Adrian's stomach dropped."It's nothing," Adrian said quickly. "A celebration hug. Every player does that.""Not every player gets three separate tabloids asking if the captain has a new 'favorite,'" the media manager said grimly, scrolling through headlines already forming online. "Sponsors are asking questions. The club needs a statement by morning."Cassian's expression had gone perfectly, dangerously blank. "Draft something neutral. Teammates, celebration, nothing more. I won't have this become a distraction.""That's exactly what I'm worried about," the manager said. "This kind of speculation follows players for entire careers if it's not handled correctly."After she left, silence stretched heavy between them, the earlier warmth of the locker room replaced by something colder, more careful.

Match Point — Chapter 3: The Offer

Adrian stared at the message, his stomach twisting into knots. Triple his salary. A rival club, one of the biggest in the league, ready to make him their marquee signing."What is it?" Cassian asked, noticing his frozen expression."Nothing important," Adrian said, pocketing the phone, though the lie tasted bitter in his mouth."You're a terrible liar," Cassian said, studying him carefully. "Tell me."Adrian hesitated, then handed over the phone, watching Cassian's face carefully as he read the message. Something shuttered behind Cassian's eyes, quick and final. "Take it," he said flatly."What?""Triple your salary, a bigger club, better exposure," Cassian said, handing the phone back, his voice carefully devoid of emotion. "There's no reasonable argument against it.""That's not what I asked you," Adrian said, frustration creeping into his voice. "I asked what you think, not what makes financial sense.""It doesn't matter what I think," Cassian said, turning back to his rehabilitati

Match Point — Chapter 4: Old Ghosts

"That's him," Cassian said again, quieter this time, his eyes fixed on the screen as though the photo might change if he stared long enough. "Damian. The captain of Riverside United now, apparently."The meeting continued around them, tactical discussions and preparation schedules filling the room, but Adrian barely heard any of it, his attention fixed entirely on Cassian's rigid posture, the way his hands had curled into fists against the table.After the meeting ended, Adrian caught up with him in the empty corridor outside. "Are you okay?""I'm fine," Cassian said, though the flatness in his voice suggested otherwise."You don't have to pretend with me," Adrian said gently. "Not anymore."Cassian stopped walking, leaning back against the wall, exhaustion finally visible beneath his careful composure. "I haven't seen him since the day he left. Three years, and now I have to play against him in the biggest match of the season, with everyone watching, everyone remembering exactly what

Match Point — Chapter 5: Down But Not Out

The stadium held its collective breath, sixty thousand people falling silent as medical staff rushed onto the pitch, Adrian refusing to move from Cassian's side despite the officials trying to clear space around him."Cassian," Adrian said again, sharper this time, panic edging into his voice. "Look at me."Cassian's eyes finally opened, pain-glazed but conscious, and Adrian felt a wave of relief crash through him so intense it nearly stole his breath entirely. "Knee," Cassian gritted out. "Same one. It's bad, Adrian, I can feel it's bad.""You're going to be okay," Adrian said, though he had no way of actually knowing that, gripping Cassian's hand tightly as the medical team began their assessment. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."The stretcher came minutes later, Cassian carried off the pitch to a standing ovation mixed with tense, worried murmurs, the match continuing without him despite the entire stadium's attention fractured by what they'd just witnessed. Adrian played

Match Point — Chapter 6: The Message

Cassian took the phone, reading the message twice, his expression darkening with each pass. "This isn't a football rivalry anymore," he said grimly. "This sounds personal. Dangerous, even.""We should report this to the club, maybe the police," Adrian said, already reaching for his own phone."Wait." Cassian's hand stopped him. "Let me think for a moment. Damian's reckless, but he's not usually this direct. Something's changed."They brought the message to the club's security liaison that afternoon, who traced the number back to a burner phone purchased in Riverside United's home city, though nothing conclusively linking it to Damian himself. The league's investigation into the tackle continued separately, moving slowly through official channels while the threat itself remained unresolved."I want extra security around training sessions," the club's manager decided after reviewing the evidence. "Just as a precaution, until we understand exactly what we're dealing with."Adrian barely

Match Point — Chapter 7: Framed

"My keycard?" Adrian stared at the officer, disbelief crashing through him. "That's impossible. I was home all night. I never left my apartment.""The logs don't lie about which card was used," the officer said carefully, though his tone suggested he wasn't entirely convinced of Adrian's guilt either. "But they also don't prove who physically held it at the time.""Someone cloned it, or stole it, or something," Adrian said, panic rising in his chest as he watched suspicion flicker across the faces of officers who'd been friendly with him for weeks. "Cassian, you believe me, right?"Cassian's expression, still pale from the incident, carried a complicated mixture of emotions Adrian couldn't fully read. "I want to believe you," he said carefully. "But Adrian, this is my life on the line. I need actual proof, not just faith."The words hit harder than Adrian expected, a cold spike of hurt lodging in his chest despite understanding the rational fear behind them. "You think I did this," he

Match Point — Chapter 8: On the Pitch

Adrian stared at the message, cold dread pooling in his stomach even as the referee's whistle sounded to start the match. He had seconds to decide whether to alert security immediately or trust the heavy police presence already surrounding the stadium.He chose caution, discreetly signaling to the nearest security officer during a brief stoppage, showing him the message without breaking his focus on the match itself. The officer's expression tightened, and within minutes, additional security personnel had quietly repositioned themselves closer to the pitch perimeter."Stay alert," the officer murmured as play resumed. "We've got eyes on every angle now."The match proved tense from the opening whistle, both teams playing with a wary intensity that had nothing to do with normal championship stakes. Adrian found his focus repeatedly torn between the game itself and the message still burning in his mind, though he forced himself to perform regardless, unwilling to let Damian's intimidati

Match Point — Chapter 9: The National Team

Adrian didn't check the message until well after midnight, exhaustion and lingering adrenaline from Cassian's comeback goal finally giving way to curiosity as he settled into bed beside him. His agent's words made him sit up sharply, disbelief washing through him.*National team manager wants you in the squad for the upcoming international window. This is the call-up you've been working toward your entire career. Training camp starts in ten days.*"What is it?" Cassian asked sleepily, noticing his sudden tension."National team call-up," Adrian said, still staring at the message like it might disappear if he blinked. "They want me for the international window."Cassian sat up immediately, genuine joy breaking across his face. "Adrian, that's incredible. That's everything you've worked for.""Ten days," Adrian said, the reality settling in slowly. "Training camp starts in ten days, and the window runs three weeks total.""Three weeks apart," Cassian said, something more complicated cro

Match Point — Chapter 10: Home

I have something important to ask you. The message lingered in Adrian's mind through the entire flight home, three weeks of international camp finally behind him, exhaustion and anticipation warring equally in his chest as the plane began its descent.Cassian waited at arrivals, and Adrian's heart lifted the moment he spotted him among the crowd, dropping his bags entirely to close the distance between them. Cassian pulled him into an embrace that lasted long enough to draw amused glances from passing travelers, neither of them particularly caring."Three weeks felt considerably longer than I expected," Cassian murmured against his hair."I know," Adrian said, breathing him in properly for the first time in weeks. "I missed you more than I thought was reasonable for someone I've only known a season.""A season that felt like several lifetimes, given everything we survived," Cassian said, pulling back just enough to study his face. "Welcome home."They drove back to Cassian's apartment

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