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Chapter 117: Like Father, Like Son

Ambryan rolled up his sleeves, revealing his well-toned arms. He unlocked and pocketed his watch. His fingers tapped on top of the bowling balls. He silently assessed them for which one would work for him the best.

In the end, he settled for a marble design with shades of black, white and blue. 

Jackson stood near the starting line. He already held a bowling ball to his chest. His eyes perceived the lane ahead of him. He treated the ball like an extension of his arm. His confidence allowed him to really feel the place. 

His mind, body and soul were ready to get this game going.

"Father," Ambryan said, walking to his own starting line. He held the ball by his side. 

"What is it?" Jackson hissed. He was in the zone and, at this stage, he must not be interrupted. Even the slightest disruption could irritate him.

"My, my, what a sour face." 

"If you have something to say, say it already."

Ambryan hid a smirk. His father's impatience was still the same. "I heard that a producer from our recent collaboration asked to personally work with you."

Jackson paled as if he'd seen a ghost. Nightmares flashed before his eyes, haunting him. The feeling crept up to him like spiders legs on his arm. They pricked him and gave him goosebumps. The hairs at the back of his head would always rise up.

"Please don't remind me of that woman," he abhorred, keeping his voice between the two of them. "Especially when we're outside of work. I'd rather she not ruin my day."

Chuckling, Ambryan leaned back and glanced over at the sitting area. The two women chatted while they waited for the men to begin. "Does mother know about this?"

"No. Why would I let her know?" Jackson exasperated. "Even I don't want to know about it!"

Ambryan turned his head back. Mischief gleamed in his violet eyes once again. He had told Evangeline that he'd place a bet with his fatherand he knew exactly what should it be. "Tell you what. The game is best of 2 out of 3. If you score more strikes than me then, I will take over that project on your behalf."

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"Really?!" Jackson cried, taking his gaze off the lane. Did hell suddenly freeze over? Or did the heavens blessed Jackson with a wonderful son? This had to be the best news he received recently.

"I promise," Ambryan affirmed with a nod. He wore a gentle smile. It had charmed various people of different genders. Some would exaggerate and say that it was a rare treasuresomething as valuable as jewelry.

Unfortunately, his father had the opposite reaction.

Jackson narrowed his gaze. Ambryan may look kind but he also smelled fishy. Red flags appeared around this innocent act. "What's the catch?"

His son merely shrugged, lifting up his bowling ball. He looked towards the pins. His words came out as casual as talking about the weather. "If I win, you take over my business venture with the Wilsons."

"Mr. Wilson? What do you have against" Jackson stopped short. "Oh. I see." 

He heaved a sigh. Truth be told, he should have expected it. His eyes followed his son's line of sight. Both men looked over at the lanes as if it was the horizon of a sunset. "I do feel sorry for you, son, but I am not about to lose."

"So is it a deal?" Ambryan asked, holding up his hand.

Jackson took it and grinned. "Deal."

"What is going on over there?" Eve wondered out loud. Inside, she guessed that Ambryan had made his bet. Curiosity tickled the sides of her head. What kind of wager would grab Jackson Hathaway's interest?

Avery rolled her eyes. "They probably made their own competition. They often did that whenever playing with a group. It makes the game much more interesting to them."

"Sounds like they have a good bond." Eve chuckled.

The madam shifted her attention towards the young woman. The comment had sparked the flashback of a memory. Although she promised Eve that she hadn't dugged up information on the latter's private life she had a glimpse of it when she had Jackson blocked from finding them out and connecting the dots.

It was a brief glance, barely scratching the surface. But, it was enough for her to become curious. Hopefully, they get to talk about it someday.

She turned her gaze back into the bowling lanes. It seemed that the game was finally starting.

Jackson took the first shot.

The ball rolled. 

He scored!

"HA! Beat that, boy!" He bellowed. His pregame meditation had worked. That was a stellar start to his road to victory. Both bets were within his grasp. Triumph lingered under his nose, fuelling his competitive spirits.

Then, pins fell and the ball slid over the edge. 

The sound knocked Jackson out of his daze. He checked the scoreboard. Another 'X' mark appeared. This one belonged to the other lane. He gritted his teeth and glared at his son. Ambryan simply saluted in return.

Jackson felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, please. Why do you always act surprised?" Avery snorted. She had already taken her pink ball but her husband hadn't left the approach area. "It's not your first game against your son. You know he's not an easy opponent."

"I do!" Jackson defended. "I taught him everything he knows."

"You taught him?" His wife scoffed. "You?! Don't take all the credit. He learned a fair share of tricks from me too. If you had been watching his first frame, you would have seen that it was my technique that he used."

"Well, I also taught you. You teaching him is me indirectly teaching him."

Avery placed a hand on her hip. Her eyebrow arched at the implication. "Excuse me but I already knew how to bowl even before we dated."

Jackson waved his hand, unbothered by her sudden attitude. "I remember clearly how you couldn't hit the pins near the sides. It was me who gave you the tips on how to score from a split."

"That doesn't mean that I didn't know how to play the game."

"But it took you to the next level."

Eve shuffled on her feet. She was the last person who wanted to get in between the argument. She faced her bowling lane with Ambryan. According to their agreed rotation, Avery should bowl before her turn. 

Except, the madam was a bit preoccupied.

What was she supposed to do now?

She peeked over her shoulder and looked at her partner's way. Ambryan nudged his head towards the pins, answering her silent question. His parents might take a while. The best way to break it off was to keep the game going.

His mother would eventually need to take her turn.

Eve nodded. She kept the ball close to her chest and stepped back. Jogging up to the foul line, she let her arm drop to her side before releasing the ball. The red sphere flew up in the air and landed on the lane's middle. 

It thudded against the wooden floor and swerved toward a gutter.

"Oh, no! Did I break the floorboard?!" She panicked. It was her first attempt and she already made a mistake! And it was one of the things Ambryan had warned her about. Dark clouds gathered around her.

"It's okay, dear." Avery assured the young woman. She moved away from her husband and rubbed Eve's back. The gesture soothed a bit of her anxiety. "No one is good before they even tried. It may have taken them shorter but everyone has their own pace."

To demonstrate, she assumed her spot on the starting line. Her legs run up to the foul one like they had hundreds of times. She had a good grip of her speed and her angle. The pink ball rolled up to the center, knocking all but two pins.

The last two stood farthest apart.

Avery grabbed the same ball when it came back to the rack. Her form and her run was the same. Only this time, she aimed for the right pin. The bowling ball nearly slid over the edge as it approached the pin.

When they collided, the right pin fell towards the left and hit the other one left standing. 

The scoreboard declared her turn as a successful spare!

"Woah" Eve gaped. That almost seemed impossible. The ball could have easily missed both pins. The gap between them could almost fit two bowling balls. At most, she thought Avery could only hit one.

To knock down both seemed like a magic trick.

"You still have one more shot. Go for it." Avery encouraged the young woman. She took a step back and waited. The men stayed by the sitting area and did the same. They burned with desire for their turn on the approach area. 

Eve couldn't help but be amused. Feeling better, she tried once again. The ball rolled on the floor like it was meant to. It thrilled her to see the success. She had finally done it!

Only this time, her force was weak and the ball eventually slowed down. 

It landed back on the gutter.

Eve pinched the bridge of her nose and walked back to the sitting area with her head bowed. She found her seat, sinking into the cushions. The humiliation was much worse than she expected.

Ambryan pressed his lips together, noticing the blush on her ears.

It reminded him of red roses and pink hydrangeas.