Bruce was taken aback by Christopher’s ability to play a strong game. It was as though the latter was a completely different person. However, surprised as he was, he was still confident that he could beat the other guy out in billiards. He would just have to wait for Christopher to slip up and miss a shot before he could step in and turn the odds in his favor. Clear the table, eh? Christopher’s smile widened at these words. I happen to think I should. The average pool player—and even a professional one—might miss a shot, but there is no way that I would miss at all. How hard can it be to clear the table? With that in mind, he proceeded to run the table, making shots in quick succession. It was almost as though he was free stroking, but his movements were calibrated and precise. The angles at which he made his cut shots were flawlessly deciphered and with every ball that he sank, the onlookers couldn’t help but be amazed. He was taking this chance to rub salt into Bruce’s wounds—aiming for aggressive cut shots from the center string instead of easy, direct ones that could sink the balls closest to the pockets. After three more consecutive long pots, the black eight-ball was the only one that remained on the table. If that ball was pocketed, then the game would come to a swift and decisive end.Bruce stared wide-eyed at the cleared table and his mind drew a blank at what had just happened. D*mn it! How can the game be over before I could even get a shot at the table? It doesn’t make sense! However, Christopher didn’t care that Bruce could not make sense of how the game had turned out. As the onlookers watched with bated breath, he leaned over the table once more and deftly released his cue, successfully pocketing the black eight-ball. The moment the eight-ball hit the pot, the game ended. He had cleared the table, just as Bruce had challenged him to. “Anything you’d like to say?” Christopher asked teasingly, raising a brow at Bruce as he leaned against his cue stick with his arms crossed. Is there anything I’d like to say? D*mn you, that’s what! Bruce cursed. Who would take their opponents by surprise like that? Godd*mnit! Pretending to be an amateur—that’s a low blow! Bruce stood wordlessly in place, biting the insides of his cheeks as he glowered at the young man who had one-upped him. Christopher, on the other hand, had expected nothing less than victory after consuming the agility buff; it would be a complete anomaly otherwise. The corners of his lips tipped up into a triumphant smirk as he sauntered over to Bruce. He clicked into his Venmo and pointed out steadily, “In honor of the bet, I believe you owe me 7,000 in winnings—a thousand for every ball that I potted. You wouldn’t go back on your word and refuse to wire me the money while everyone’s watching, would you?” Bruce was just an ordinary guy with not much spare change, and 7,000 would burn a huge hole in his wallet but he couldn’t go back on the bet that he had initiated in the first place, not while everyone was staring at him. Left with no other choice, he gritted his teeth and wired the money to Christopher. Upon seeing that there was an additional 7,000 in his account, Christopher beamed and said brightly, “Thanks!” With that, he spun around and left the billiard room. At the same time, he could hear the automated voice of the rewards system sounding in his headspace, saying, “Congratulations to the Host for showing extraordinary skills in billiards! You have received 300 thumbs-up points.” 300 thumbs-up points?Christopher felt his heart leap at the sound of this. I’ve recouped the points I spent on the dumplings—what a perfect way to wrap up the game! It was only after he had left the room with Samantha in tow that the crowd—who were frozen with shock—snapped out of their daze. Bruce, in particular, had no expression or words to convey how he felt about his terrific loss. Meanwhile, having gone out of the billiard room, Samantha eyed Christopher curiously as she remarked, “I didn’t know you were that good at billiards.” “There are plenty of things I’m good at, and you’ll find out what those are soon enough,” he said with a cocky grin on his face. Amused, she covered her mouth with her hand as she burst into a fit of giggles. Just as she was about to say something humorous in response, her phone rang in her pocket. “Hello?” she said after picking up the call. “Hi, is this Miss Samantha Townsend?” The voice speaking on the other line belonged to a woman who sounded anxious as she continued, “I’m Alice, a nurse calling from Quarry Hill Hospital. Please come over immediately—your mother’s condition has shown significant deterioration!”The smile on Samantha’s face slipped when she heard this and her expression froze. … Outside the emergency room at Quarry Hill Hospital, Samantha was getting antsy as she paced back and forth in the hallway. She had almost collapsed after the hospital had called to inform her of the sudden, devastating news an hour ago but Christopher caught her before she could faint. Nonetheless, she wondered why her mother’s condition had worsened. While her mother had been comatose all this time, the doctor had assured her that the woman’s life would not be in danger. So how did her condition worsen all of a sudden? Restless and helpless with panic, she found herself spiraling into fear. She was terrified that the doctor would come out of the operation theater with bad news. No tears would come to those riddled with devastation, which perfectly described Samantha’s present state. Christopher, on the other hand, could feel her despair. The girl had been trembling since they arrived at Quarry Hill Hospital, and it was like she was going into shock without her own volition. His heart went out to her and he wanted to help or comfort her, but there was not much he could do other than to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pray that the operation would go well. As they both anxiously waited for the doors to the theater to open, a man in a white coat approached them from afar. Christopher looked over in the man’s direction and saw that it was Sean, whom he had humiliated after using Truth Juice on him. Even from a distance, he could tell that there was a smug grin on Sean’s face. When the infuriating man came to a stop next to Samantha, he began to mock, “Oh, dear me. Your mom’s in there getting life-saving surgery. Seems like her condition has worsened!” He shook his head, then continued, “From what I saw, Samantha—and you probably don’t even know this—your mother’s heart stopped beating when she was pushed into the operation theater and her face was as white as a sheet. She looked like a corpse. I’m not trying to scare you, but her vitals didn’t look so good when she was wheeled in there. I’d say she had a couple of breaths left in her.” He was extremely pleased and while he was considered a doctor, he didn’t really care about his patients’ lives. On the contrary, he was elated when he heard Samantha's mother was getting wheeled in for emergency surgery.He remembered how Samantha had slapped him the other night, and now he felt as though fate had taken revenge on his behalf. Meanwhile, Christopher had thought that Sean was nothing more than a fraud and a jerk, but he was wrong. As it turned out, the man was a prick without a conscience. Even those who weren’t doctors would not go so far as to aggravate another’s misery. What is he doing? If he isn’t going to offer her solace, he should at the very least shut up and stop adding insult to injury! Unable to suppress his rage anymore, Christopher straightened and began to walk toward Sean with an icy smirk on his lips.