The doubles tennis tournament had already started, but calling it a competitive sports event would be a massive stretch. Most of the matches were average at best. It was painfully obvious that the majority of the wealthy participants didn’t actually care about winning the Trevors Cup. For them, the court was just a stage to rub shoulders with business elites and maybe play a little.

James and Bella were up next.

Scott stood by the sidelines, watching them walk out onto the court. He frowned a little as he observed the eerie, hollow posture of the young Roosevelt heir, but he chose to say nothing.

Smack!

"Ah!"

Scott jerked forward with a sudden gasp when he felt a hand touch his butt.

It’s Adira Crowe standing right behind him with a deeply amused long on her beautiful face.

"Can you... not do that?"

Scott muttered, rubbing his lower back.

Adira giggled in her soft, feline manner.

"What? Is that another one of your little girlfriends out there? Or are you just jealous because you’re getting totally schooled by the guy?"

She got closer with one step of her long legs.

"Then again, I’ve at least given you the upper hand by being your partner. I AM that amazing."

Scott gave the giant, raven-haired lady a flat stare before turning his gaze back to the court.

"I don’t care about the tournament. I just don’t like the way the guy talks to Bella."

Adira let out a feather-soft, dramatic sigh.

"And let me guess... you feel the absolute need to be a hero? You don’t always have to play the hero, yunno."

Scott smirked a little and glanced back up at her.

"Well, if I didn’t do that, your ass would already be dead."

Adira’s beautiful, sleepy eyes instantly went flat.

She stared at him for a quiet second.

"Touché."

A murmur, that was all she could muster.

The incident where she almost died at the hands of Black Mechanica and Scott had to save her was probably the most romantic moment of her life. It was even better because it involved a young and capable man like Scott, which was why she was always eager to be around him.

She felt that most of her life had been wasted on what she considered the dull responsibilities of motherhood and running a business empire. So, being here with the only man she found tolerable meant a lot to her.

Feeling mushy, Adira effortlessly used her impressive height to lean her body against his. She casually wrapped her long, elegantly toned arms around Scott’s neck from behind. Scott stiffened slightly as he felt her breasts pressing firmly against his back like two soft, heavy pillows.

"So, what’s the game plan for when we play?"

Adira asked warmly.

"I’m quite good at tennis, but I’m not so sure about you, my sweet vigilante."

Honestly, his brain was currently occupied wondering why the most terrifyingly powerful woman in Meteor City was so incredibly comfortable holding him like he was some kind of personal plushie.

Without moving his head, Scott glanced around the spectator area.

The entire country club was staring at them.

The elite members looked as if they were witnessing a supreme sin being committed.

"Look at that smug bastard... he doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near Lady Crowe."

"Is that nobody seriously using her as an armrest? This is madness! It doesn’t even look like he’s the one forcing himself on her... she’s the one clinging to him!"

Not far away, Geraldine froze up with a completely pale face as she watched the whole thing. She couldn’t believe her own eyes. She started to feel very cold as she realized she would never, ever be able to form a good relationship with Lady Crowe... not after how horribly she had just treated Scott right in front of her.

『Oh my god... my family’s business is ruined if she holds a grudge. Maybe... maybe I can still save this if I beg Bella darling to talk to him for me!』

Scott let out a tired sigh, actively trying to ignore the burning stares of the crowd and the overwhelming fragrance of Adira’s perfume. He focused his attention back on the match, watching how brutally James Roosevelt was bullying his opponents.

James was playing like a demon. He possessed a vicious serve that was practically impossible to catch. Every time the ball came back, he violently spiked it with his racket, never once attempting to relax the pace or show an ounce of sportsmanship. It was as if he was in a desperate hurry to finish the match simply because he already knew he was going to win.

Throughout the entire game, Bella didn’t even have to swing her racket once. James completely dominated the opposing duo single-handedly, securing a crushing finish.

"Game, set, and match! James Roosevelt and Bella Trevors advance to the next round!"

Said the commentator.

Up on the VIP deck, Thomas Roosevelt threw his head back and let out a roaring laugh.

"That’s my boy!"

He shouted proudly, turning a smug face toward Chairman Bernard Trevors.

"Did you see that, Bernard? Flawless!"

Chairman Trevors’ jaw clenched tightly.

He kept quiet. That was the only way he could suppress the level of annoyance he felt.

『Dammit... I wish I had an older son I could brag about right now instead of these useless executives.』

He glanced down at Scott, who was still wrapped in Adira’s soft hug.

『The boy is certainly impressive if he can appraise 18th century art and also draw the attention of a whale like Lady Crowe... but no, he’s no James.』

Shaking his head, the desperate Chairman forced himself to look away.

Down below, Scott watched as James began walking off the court toward the break area, pulling a completely silent Bella along behind him like some kind of submissive attachment. The sight thoroughly grossed him out.

Adira gently drummed her fingers against Scott’s chest and leaned against him even more.

"That James guy is quite fascinating. It’s hard to believe someone can be that good at tennis without being a professional. It’s almost like he puts the entire world into every single serve and strike. He clearly doesn’t know how to hold back."

Scott nodded slowly.

"So, what’s your verdict?"

Adira shrugged her elegant shoulders slightly.

"That guy would definitely crush us."

Scott sighed. "Yeah. Thought as much."

Adira’s expression softened. She reached up to lovingly stroke his cheek with her thumb as she peered closely into his face.

"You don’t need to beat James in anything to impress anyone, okay? You’re fine just the way you are. Or have you forgotten you’re quite the vigilante."

"I know that..."

Scott replied softly.

"But it almost feels like the guy wants to compete with me for some reason. Or maybe I’m just overthinking it."

He glanced across the court.

Sure enough, James was staring right back at him, wearing that same empty smile.

It irritated Scott to the bone.

Around this time, Irina and The Peak had also finished their round. Thanks to Irina’s subtle control over gravity, they had actually won quite easily. Sure, it was cheating... but it’s not like anyone was going to find out.

Their opponents had been a senior state senator and a remarkably cute Japanese businesswoman. The moment the match ended, The Peak’s eyes were practically glued to the woman.

He nudged Irina and whispering frantically:

"Hey, Irina! How do I thank the hot chick for a good game? But like, in a totally cool, suave way? Do you know any Japanese?"

An incredibly annoyed Irina took a aggressive gulp from her water bottle.

She wiped her mouth and rolled her eyes.

" Arigato Gozaimasu will do. Just say that."

"Got it. Watch and learn, kiddo."

The Peak proudly smoothed down his yellow spandex costume, puffed out his chest, and turned toward the pretty Japanese lady.

"Hey! Excuse me, miss!"

The businesswoman smiled politely in response.

The Peak flashed a dazzling, heroic grin.

"Ariana Grande!"

The poor woman’s smile instantly froze.

She was like a confused puppy.

Standing behind him, Irina didn’t even blink. She actually wasn’t surprised at all that The Peak had completely botched it. After all, she never held any expectations when it came to him of all people. But as she looked past his broad shoulders, her eyes landed on Scott and the way Adira Crowe was currently cuddling him.

Irina’s eyes became filled with sadness.

Finally, the announcer called for Scott and Adira’s round.

As they walked out onto the court, countless elite country club members were already silently praying for Scott to lose. They desperately wanted him to look utterly incompetent so that Lady Crowe would realize he was a nobody, dump him, and come partner up with one of them instead.

And it seemed their prayers were answered via high-society corruption.

Up on the viewing deck.

Thomas chuckled wickedly as he leaned toward Chairman Trevors.

"You know, Bernard, I heard that Scott kid has a bit of a delusional thing for your daughter Bella. Now, I’d absolutely hate for my son James to be embarrassed or bothered by a pest during his matches... so I put in a little word and convinced my cousin Stewart to participate today. Just to humble the little bastard."

The Chairman frowned.

"Thomas, you don’t have to worry about a regular model like Scott. Besides, there’s no guarantee Stewart will even face him in the brackets."

Thomas let out a mockful laughter.

"Oh, there is a guarantee, Bernard. Because that’s the next round right there."

"Huh?" The Chairman looked lost.

Thomas winked sharply.

"A few quick bribes to the tournament organizers works wonders, my friend."

Down on the court, a massive, heavily muscled giant of a man stood on the opposite side of the net. It was Stewart Roosevelt. He glared intensely at Scott with a cocky sneer plastered across his face.

"Hmm, interesting..."

Stewart gripped his racket tighter.

"So you’re the opponent."

Scott didn’t seem bothered.

He calmly adjusted his headband so that it perfectly held his thick, stylishly messy hair out of his eyes.

"Uh, yeah. I guess so."

Stewart snorted, aggressively snatching the tennis ball from his terrified female partner’s hand. He bounced it once against the grass, his massive biceps bulging under his polo shirt as he prepared for a power serve.

Scott studied the man very closely.

『How the hell is this guy so jacked? What are they feeding people in the Roosevelt family?』

He was so busy thinking about the man’s physics that he didn’t even see it coming.

BOOM!

A yellow blur whizzed past Scott and Adira like an actual sniper bullet, slamming into the back wall before they even heard the sound of the racket.

Scott froze in place, his eyes wide.

『Woah... okay, that was fast...』

The surrounding crowd instantly erupted into loud cheers and praise.

"Did you see that?! What a serve!"

Thomas practically bounced in his seat, bragging loudly to the Chairman.

"Stewart served in the military elite forces! He plays hardcore tennis every single weekend, and he has never missed a power serve in his entire life! To be honest, when I first came here today, I was actually worried about this Scott guy. I thought maybe he was some secret prodigy you picked up to be your godson or something. But I can see the boy isn’t special for shit! HAHAHA!"

Down on the court, Adira rested a perfect hand against her voluptuous hip and whistled.

"Well, that was quite impressive."

Stewart spun his racket in his hand, looking across the net with pure arrogance.

"I always give a hundred and one percent when it comes to competitions where I have to humble delusional people. This isn’t some dumb playground for a pretty boy to have fun. This is fucking tennis! A hardcore sport!"

Scott’s eyes narrowed.

He was tired of playing fair and trying to be responsible with his abilities.

"Fuck it."

The System woke up in his mind.

[Ding! Shop opened.]

Scott scanned the physical attributes and instantly found what he needed.

[Ding! 3,000 credits deducted to purchase Tennis Skill at Amateur level!]

That’s was a 5/20 skill level.

"Max it out."

Scott didn’t hesitate.

[Ding! Credits deducted. Tennis Skill upgraded: 20/20 (Grandmaster / God-Tier)]

Instantly, a massive surge of muscle memory, spatial awareness, and perfect kinetic understanding flooded Scott’s brain. The racket in his hand suddenly felt like a natural extension of his own arm.

He refocused his gaze on Stewart.

『The issue isn’t the speed of the ball. I’ve fucking dodged actual sniper bullets before. It’s just a matter of whether I want to catch it or not.』

Scott bent his knees, crouching significantly lower to the grass as he prepared for the next serve.

Seeing his stance, Stewart let out a mocking laugh.

"Pointless!"

The giant tossed the ball high into the air, wound up his massive body, and brought his racket down with a force not dissimilar to pouring lightning.

CRACK!

The ball fired across the net like a rocket directly toward Scott’s blind spot.

But Scott didn’t even blink.

His racket swung in a perfect arc that connected with the ball directly in the sweet spot.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The sheer kinetic force of Scott’s return was so immense that a loud, violent POP! echoed across the entire country club facility the exact second the ball struck the grass on Stewart’s side. It didn’t just bounce... it tore a literal skid mark into the high-quality turf before obliterating the netting behind the court.

The entire country club went dead silent.

Nobody cheered nor whispered.

Cold sweat rolled down every single inch of Stewart’s massive, muscular body. He stood frozen, staring at the smoking spot on the grass where the ball had landed as his hands trembled. He looked across the net at Scott who looked completely calm and unbothered.

Stewart slowly lowered his racket.

"I... I withdraw."

He knew with absolute, terrifying certainty that if he had tried to put his racket out to catch that return serve, the force would have torn his entire arm right out of its socket.

Adira slowly raised a shaped brow.

"Did you just try to take that man’s arm off?"

Scott cleared his throat shamefully.

"Uh... I went a bit too far, right?"

A foxy smile stretched across Adira’s face.

"No, that was incredibly hot."

"Oh?"

...

Far outside the Trevors Estate.

A remarkably beautiful lady with caramel skin could be seen standing atop the concrete roof of a commercial building. Her medium dark-red hair was styled into an asymmetrical undercut that swayed elegantly in the wind. She has eyes that were as green as emeralds and a foxy smile that can only classify her as a temptress of sorts.

From such a far distance she could watch the entire tennis tournament with ease.

She wore a long black trench coat that billowed gently behind her, left open to reveal her bulging cleavage in a tight black crop top and matching high-waisted pants that hugged her curves deliciously.

This was Blood Witch.

As she watched Scott completely obliterate the court from miles away, her breathing hitched.

She bit her luscious lower lip.

"Ah... ♥️ Scott..."

Her hot, sticky mouth salivated a little. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"I always love watching you do one new thing or the other. But seeing you play tennis... that might actually be the sexiest thing I’ve seen in a while."

A flush of heat spread across her caramel skin.

"I’m actually so turned on right now, hnn ♥️ all I want to do is drink his blood until he’s a lifeless husk... then snap his beautiful neck. And once that’s done... oh, the things I’ll do to that dead body of his."

The sudden rush of arousal made her grip the bulge made by the intimate flower between her legs. She wanted to rub herself there so badly, but there wasn’t nearly enough privacy for that.

"Ah ♥️"

She gasped softly as she gripped herself tighter.

"Keep it in your pants, Elena."

Said a cold, gravelly voice.

Blood Witch paused. She looked back over her shoulder and her face instantly shifted into a bored, unbothered pout when she saw the figure stepping out from the shadows of the rooftop stairwell.

It was Burn-Out.

"Whatever..."

Blood Witch rolled her eyes dramatically.

Burn-Out crossed his arms.

"We came here to keep a close eye on Adira Crowe until the time is right to kill her. So maybe you should take your eyes off your ex-lover and focus on the mission."

Blood Witch let out a vile giggle. She brought her hand up to her mouth and delicately licked the tips of her fingers with a slender tongue.

"Lovers is quite the stretch, darling. Scott didn’t love Elena Vargas that much anyway. But he’ll absolutely love the new me. And if he doesn’t... I’ll make him."

A lover from the past has returned!