Redmption 223
As the door opened, the room was filled with boisterousughter. I immediately noticed the man
sitting at the head of the table.
He looked familiar. Derick introduced him, “This is Eden, a close friend of mine and my regr
billiard buddy.”
I focused on the man’s face, and I finally recalled his name–Eden Griffins. He was Arthur’s son and
now the head of the Alpha Corporation.
I had read about him online. He was a fan of billiards and even won an amateur tournament
championship.
It hadn’t crossed my mind that he would–be connected to Derick, let alone be on such good terms
with him.
N?velDrama.Org is the owner.
“And this must be our Maddie?” Eden chimed in with a smile.
Though the term “Maddie” sounded friendly, it sent a chill down my spine. Even though his profile
appeared clean, Arthur’s reputation wasn’t, so there was no way he could bepletely clean
either.
People couldn’t always judge a book by its cover.
“Maddie, from now on, just call him Eden. If you ever run into any trouble, feel free to reach out to
him,” Derick said as he pulled out a chair for me to sit down.
Derick also pulled out a chair and was about to sit down when Eden said, “Derick, why don’t you sit
here? Let Maddie sit between us so I can get to know her better.”
My heart skipped a beat upon hearing his words. I had always been wary of strangers, especially
someone like Eden.
I instinctively nced at Derick, but he didn’t look up. He calmly set out my cutlery. “You can still talk
while sitting there.”
I exhaled quietly in relief. I couldn’t help but think that Derick had lived up to being someone I could
trust, keeping me out of an ufortable situation.
Eden chuckled. “Derick, this is the first time I’ve seen you being so protective of a girl.”
Derick ced the cutlery in front of me, arranging it very precisely. If anything was slightly out of
ce, he would adjust it until it was perfect. “She’s my sister. How could any girlpare?”
It was a subtle warning to Eden that I wasn’t someone he could mess with.
To be honest, I was pretty touched. Derick had made his stance clear. Eden, being perceptive,
simply smiled and then looked past Derick to focus on me.
“Maddie, Derick is someone you can rely on.”
Before I could respond, Derick started chatting with Eden. The two of them discussed the recent
competition.
After they had talked for a while, Eden nced at me with a smile. “Derick, we’ve been so caught up
talking about billiards that we haven’t paid any attention to Maddie.”
He turned to me with a grin. “You’re not bored, are you?”
“She’s definitely not bored. She knows as much as we do. Her skills on the table are top–notch,
even among the best female yers,” Derick boasted about me.
212
Eden looked genuinely surprised. “Really? Well, after dinner, let’s head over to Derick’s ce and
y a few rounds.”
Derick agreed, “Sure, but here’s the catch. If Maddie wins just one round out of five, it counts as
your loss.”
“Deal!” Eden responded enthusiastically.
They didn’t ask if I was interested, but I didn’t object either. This was the perfect opportunity for me
to get closer to Eden, and perhaps eventually to Arthur.
After dinner, we headed to the billiard hall together. Standing beside me, Derick whispered, “Just
y like you always do with me. No need to hold back.”
I nodded. I grabbed a cue from the rack and approached the billiard table. Looking at Eden, I asked,
“So, if I win just one round, I win the bet, right?”
“Of course,” Eden replied confidently.
I then added, “Is there a reward if I win?”
Eden chuckled and looked over at Derick. “Does Maddie want a prize?”
Derick shrugged. “You’re more than capable of offering one.”
“Alright then,” Eden agreed with a smile. “Name your prize, as long as it’s within my power to give.”
I paused for a moment before saying, “If I win, I’d like you to agree to one request, Mr. Griffins. Don’t
worry, it won’t involve anything illegal or hical.”
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