A small smile touched my lips. She knew me too well. She was my rock, my anchor in this hurricane. I sent a quick reply: "I love you too. See you tonight."
I looked around the room. My staff were watching me, their faces a mixture of shock and concern. They were waiting for me to crack, to show a sign of the immense pressure that was now bearing down on us. They were waiting for the 27-year-old kid to be overwhelmed.
I took a deep breath and turned back to the main screen, where the negative headlines were still scrolling past. The System, which had been quietly observing, flashed a notification in my vision, its text a cool, clinical blue.
[System Notification: Media storm detected.]
[Reputation: Under Scrutiny]
[Media Handling: 1/20]
I ignored it. The noise was just that noise. It was irrelevant. The opinions of pundits and angry fans wouldn't win us any points. The only thing that mattered was what happened on the pitch. The only thing that mattered was the game.
