Visit

Chapter 19 - Visit

By the time Mike got back to his room, the sky outside had already turned dark.

He tossed his keys onto the desk and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

The memory of Eve's kiss kept slipping into his thoughts. The way she'd refused to let him walk away. The warmth of her hand wrapped around his on the way back to the hostel. The hopeful look in her eyes when she asked for an answer.

He let out a quiet sigh.

Not long ago, he had believed he'd found someone he would spend the rest of his life with. He had loved her with everything he had, only to learn she'd been cheating on him with the person he trusted most—his best friend.

That betrayal had broken something inside him.

After that, he'd promised himself he wouldn't let anyone get that close again. No matter how much he liked someone, he wouldn't hand them the power to hurt him a second time.

And yet...

Eve had somehow slipped past the walls he'd built around himself.

That was what made everything so complicated.

Mike rubbed a hand over his face and pushed the thoughts aside. There was nothing he could figure out tonight.

His training had left every muscle in his body aching. As soon as he turned off the light and lay down, exhaustion pulled him under.

The next morning, he arrived at the weight room a few minutes before eight.

Vanessa was already waiting with her arms crossed.

"You're thirty seconds late," she said.

Mike glanced at the clock and sighed. "You're actually counting?"

"I count everything." She jerked her head toward the training area. "Warm up."

Mike knew better than to argue. The next hour passed in a blur of squats, presses, rows, and core exercises. Vanessa corrected his form with short, sharp instructions and increased the weight whenever he looked too comfortable. By the end of the session, sweat soaked through his shirt, and every muscle in his body burned.

Mike finished his last set and rested both hands on his knees while he caught his breath. Sweat dripped onto the rubber floor as Vanessa made a few notes on her clipboard. She looked up a moment later, checked his form one last time, and gave a small nod.

"Much better than yesterday," she said. "You're finally using your legs instead of your back."

Mike let out a tired laugh. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Before Vanessa could answer, the gym door opened. Coach Darren walked in with a folded sheet of paper and a small flash drive in his hand. He looked between the two of them before walking over.

"Looks like training is going well," he said. "The Cup draw came out this morning."

He handed the paper to Mike, who unfolded it and immediately saw the name at the top.

Clark.

"That's your first opponent," Coach Darren said. "He's fast, likes to pressure people early, and he's good at making them panic. Don't let him control the pace in the first round."

Then he held out the flash drive.

"I put together some of his recent fights. Watch them tonight and pay attention to his habits, not just his punches."

Mike slipped the drive into his pocket and nodded. "Got it."

Coach Darren exchanged a glance with Vanessa before heading for the door.

"Don't overwork him," he said.

"I know where the line is," Vanessa replied.

Coach Darren smiled faintly and left. Vanessa waited until the door closed before pointing toward the barbell.

"Two more sets."

Mike sighed, but he picked up the bar without arguing.

An hour later, Mike returned to his dorm room, took a quick shower, and sat on his bed with his laptop. He plugged in the flash drive and opened the first video.

Coach Darren hadn't exaggerated.

Clark was aggressive from the opening bell. He bounced lightly around the ring, using quick footwork to create angles before firing sharp combinations. Most of his opponents ended up defending within the first minute, giving Clark complete control of the fight.

Mike watched each match carefully, replaying certain exchanges whenever something caught his eye. After a while, a pattern started to appear. Clark's right hand dropped for a split second after throwing a left hook, and whenever he wanted to reset, he almost always circled to his left.

"They're small mistakes," Mike muttered, "but they're still mistakes."

He started the third fight, intending to study it the same way. A few minutes in, he paused the video and leaned closer to the screen.

The fighter under the headgear looked strangely familiar.

A bad feeling settled in his stomach as he reached for his phone. He searched Clark's full name, and the result appeared almost instantly.

Clark Reed.

Claire's twin brother.

Mike stared at the screen without blinking.

The memory came back on its own. After catching Claire with Sam, he had called Clark in one last desperate hope that someone in her family would at least understand what had happened.

Instead, Clark had laughed.

"She can do whatever she wants."

"You're the loser who couldn't keep her. Stop calling me."

Mike slowly clenched his fist.

Those words still stung.

Before he could think any further, a familiar blue window appeared over the laptop screen.

[Ding!]

[Quest: Beat Clark]

[Reward: Claire's breakdown]

Mike stared at the blue window for a few seconds, waiting for more information.

Nothing else appeared.

He closed the notification with a thought and turned his attention back to the videos. If the System wasn't going to explain itself, there was no point wasting time on it.

He replayed the same exchanges over and over, studying Clark's footwork and the little habits that kept showing up. The more he watched, the more familiar Clark's style became. Before long, the only sound in the room was the steady commentary from the videos and the occasional click of the spacebar as Mike paused and replayed another sequence.

A sharp ring broke the silence.

Mike frowned and reached for his phone. It was already eleven in the morning.

"Who could that be?"

He got off the bed, stretched his stiff shoulders, and walked to the door. When he pulled it open,

"Mia?"