From Arsenal to the Ball God

”What do we do now?”

Davis took out his phone, slightly anxious as he scrolled through his contacts, ”It’s already after midnight, and I don’t seem to have any friends in the United Kingdom; it’s too late to call anyone in Portugal.”

Ma’el tossed a few of his clothes onto the sofa and sat down, feeling the rising tension.

He was usually too busy, always fully focused on matches and training, paying little attention to other aspects of life, which he generally left to team members.

On top of that, the recent Golden Boy Award ceremony and a series of events with the Football Record magazine had messed with his mind, and he genuinely forgot that he had to manage these things himself during this time.

What to do?

He picked up his own phone, and for some reason, the first person that came to mind was Isabella, who worked in the fashion industry.

She should have a solution?

”Isabella.”

Ma’el quickly dialed her number, speaking with a hint of embarrassment in his voice, ”I’m so sorry to disturb you at this hour. You must be resting already?”

”Yes.”

A soft voice replied, not quite matching Isabella’s usual lively demeanor, ”Is there something you need?”

Ma’el felt even more embarrassed, glancing at the four team members, who were all watching him, ”I’m in a bit of a pickle and need your help, possibly right now.”

”Swish swish...” came the sound of rustling from the other side, as though she was getting out of bed.

After a yawn, Isabella’s voice became clearer, ”What’s up, do you need a date for the Golden Ball Award ceremony tomorrow or a party companion?”

”Haha... Just letting you know, I don’t show up for free; you’ll owe me something by then.”

She not only showed no grumpiness from being woken up but also chose to start with a joke.

This eased Ma’el’s mental stress a bit; he spent roughly half a minute describing the urgency of the situation, then half a minute explaining why he forgot about this matter, trying to find excuses for his oversight.

Isabella replied quickly, taking only a few seconds, ”I’ll be downstairs at your place in twenty-five minutes, then you come with me to knock on a friend’s door.

”After enduring her morning grumpiness with me, she can get you a fitting and presentable suit right away at her suit shop.”

As she spoke, she seemed to be getting up to fetch her keys; there were frequent noises on the other end of the line.

”Alright!” Ma’el felt a lot more at ease, his heart fluttering slightly, thinking that Isabella had always been rather nice to him.

After hanging up the phone, he saw the other team members smiling at him with knowing looks on their faces.

”Ma’el,” Safina teased with a raised eyebrow and a smile, ”Anyone can see Isabella is pursuing you. What a great girl, why not go for it?”

”Get lost.”

Ma’el headed to the door, put on his leather shoes, grabbed his car keys, and went out to wait in his Ferrari.

Isabella was punctual, appearing in the distance with her 911 just 19 minutes later, flashing her hazards a few times.

Ma’el was just about to start his car when he saw her message—”Don’t drive, come ride with me.”

He put his car down and jogged over to Isabella’s car, pulling open the door and getting in. Once he’d buckled his seatbelt, he glanced over at her.

Given the urgency, Isabella probably didn’t have time to put on makeup, yet she still exuded an impressive beauty.

Aside from the drooping eye corners from lack of rest and her pale lips, her face seemed as flawless as always; her high, sharp nose and slightly upturned chin maintained her elegance and confidence.

That natural beauty combined with her slight vulnerability at the moment was quite endearing,

”What are you staring at?” Isabella smiled as she pressed the gas pedal, ”We’ll be there in about 10 minutes; I’ll definitely sort this out for you.”

”Mm.”

Ma’el looked forward again, and it seemed neither of them knew what to say next, riding in silence until they reached a standalone house.

Isabella got out and knocked on the door while constantly making phone calls; a few minutes later, a woman in her late twenties emerged, looking quite resigned.

She glanced at Isabella and Ma’el, sighing, ”Let me get the car, then we’ll go to the city center... Gosh, you two forgot the time on your date?”

”No way.” Isabella inadvertently glanced at Ma’el, then laughed, ”Let’s go quickly; he’s attending a major event tomorrow.”

Half an hour later, Ma’el, together with Isabella, arrived at her friend’s suit shop. After measuring his shoulders and waist, he sat back to wait.

It seemed to be an upscale store specializing in custom suits, quite large, with three floors: a display area on the first floor, a design area on the second, and a manufacturing space on the third.

Isabella and her friend went upstairs, and not long after, they came down holding three suits in black, gray, and dark red.

”They get over 500 orders from all over the world annually, and sometimes they make more than one suit in the same size.”

Isabella handed over the dark red suit with a smile, ”We found an order close to your size, and took out the three suits ordered; you can take one to use.

”Tomorrow, they can make another suit in the same size to complete the order.”

Instinctively, Ma’el took the dark red suit from Isabella’s hands and headed to the fitting room to try it on, listening to the conversation between the two outside in the meantime.