Throughout the first quarter of the ga, the only players on Hugo’s team who had touched the ball were Atlas and Hugo. It wasn’t that they couldn’t pass the ball, but every ti Hugo attempted to pass, Max’s team mbers would steal it. Not only that, but Max was guarding Hugo because he was the only one who had the chance to score a point.
Atlas only held the ball for less than a second before it was stolen from him.
So when Zoren finally had the ball, it sparked a glimr of hope in so people’s hearts.
Slater, Haines, and even Jas suddenly leaned forward, wide-eyed. Not just them, but everyone in the arena seed to hold their breath as they watched Zoren focus on the ball and casually throw it toward the basket.
The ball went in.
It went in, but the silence in the open court was thicker than ever. Everyone just stared at Zoren. Even Hugo was left speechless as he watched Zoren turn toward the team with a grin and a thumbs-up.
"I scored," Zoren proudly announced, shifting his eyes toward Charles, expecting him to be jumping with joy. But Zoren’s brow furrowed when he noticed that everyone’s gaze was fixed on him, and it gave off a strange vibe.
DING!
The sound of a point being scored rang through the court, followed by a loud buzz. Zoren glanced at the score, tilting his head.
"Is there a delay?" he wondered aloud. "Why does it still say zero?"
"Hahaha!" Max laughed, jogging over to Zoren and raising a hand for a high-five. Zoren, confused, raised his hand, allowing Max to give him a high-five. "Thanks for the extra point."
"..." Zoren blinked, watching Max return to his team. The opposing team was celebrating as if they had already won the ga and not just the first quarter, while Hugo’s team was still stuck at zero.
"Oh." Zoren rocked his head in realization. "Wrong basket."
***
"Oh, my god..." Charles buried his face in his palm in distress. "I should’ve brought more beers with ."
Charles had always believed in his sons. Though they weren’t his favorites (being background children compared to his precious Penny), he always believed in their spirit. He had always been proud of them.
However, he should have known that coaching this team wouldn’t be as fun as he’d imagined. Although the idea of bonding with his sons—and even with his son-in-law—was appealing, this was also a matter of pride.
Pride and bonding never go hand in hand.
***
"I... say goodbye to my cash," Slater muttered, throwing himself back into his seat, dread filling his eyes. "Why did he shoot the ball in there when he should’ve just run?"
"I never played basketball, but after watching tons of gas growing up, I still know the rules," Jas added under his breath. "Why did I even bet? I never did before."
Haines, on the other hand, didn’t say a word. His face was slightly red with embarrassnt—his nephew’s humiliation felt like his own. Seeing Charles over there, he sighed heavily.
’I should’ve insisted that we just watch from afar,’ he thought. ’That would’ve been less humiliating for him.’
Although Haines knew it was Charles’s decision to coach, he still felt bad for him. After all, when Charles heard about the ga and that his sons were participating, he was so excited and even bragged about them to everyone.
Haines glanced behind him and saw the retired workers from Global Pri Logistics watching the ga with pitying expressions. So of them still worked under Atlas, and they shared the sa sense of secondhand embarrassnt.
"Penny..." Nina reached out worriedly to grab Penny’s hand. "...Are you okay?"
What just happened was that Zoren had scored for the opposing team, further widening the gap between the two teams. Nina was concerned for Penny. But when she looked over, she saw Penny’s eyes sparkling as she watched Zoren.
"My god..." Penny breathed out, cupping her face. "How is he good at everything?"
What had she just said?
Nina tried to smile but failed. Haines, Slater, Jas, and even Benjamin, seated behind Penny, all stared at her in disbelief.
"Uncle, is Penny watching the sa ga as us?" Slater asked his uncle, his eyes fixed on Penny. "Or is she deluding herself into thinking this ga is going the way she imagined?"
"It must be!" Jas nodded in panic. "Just what did she bet with?"
As soon as Jas’s question reached Slater and Haines, the two of them slowly turned their heads toward him, a sudden realization striking them. In hindsight, Penny never bet halfheartedly. It was why Atlas once assud she was a gambling addict.
Whenever Penny made a bet, she bet everything on it.
Back then, she’d risked her entire allowance. So now, they couldn’t help but wonder what she had bet on this ti.
"It’s probably just her cash right now, right?" Slater wondered, narrowing his eyes at his sister.
Haines studied Penny’s side profile, watching how she casually admired her husband without a care in the world. "Even though I’ve spent over a decade with her, sotis I feel like I don’t really know her."
"She looks so relaxed," Jas murmured, leaning closer to Slater. "It can’t be that important, right?"
Jas turned his head to Slater, who t his gaze with a thin uncertainty evident in the latter’s eyes. Slater glanced at Haines for confirmation.
Haines smiled wryly at the two of them. "Let’s hope and believe in her spirit. As she said, she used to do fortune-telling to survive... and I think she still used that skill when starting her company."
In the end, both Haines and Slater knew Penny’s madness personality all too well. Penny rarely made bets anymore. But when she did, it was never a small stake.
Penny rarely carried cash with her, and even when she used her cards, that didn’t feel like her.
Haines and Slater’s hunch wasn’t wrong. Once they discovered what Penny had bet with, they would surely fall into their seats. Not just them, but everyone in the arena.
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