Chapter 477
“It’s true that I don’t exercise often, but I know a thing or two about tennis.” Anathea smiled.
“Oh? You play tennis too, Ms. Jacobson?” Emory perked up, intrigued.
Anathea nodded politely. “Just the basics.”
“Ah, so not very good then.” Emory rubbed his chin, sounding a bit disappointed. “Otherwise, we could have had a little match, though I’m never one to bully a beginner.”
“No worries. If you don’t want to play with a beginner, I’ll have a round with Mr. Wilson instead,” Anathea uttered.
“Me?” Frederick looked as if he’d just heard a joke. “Are you sure you can play a round with me with those skinny arms and legs of yours?”
“That’s my business. Are you in or not?” Anathea replied calmly.
To Frederick, her cool tone and expression came off as outright provocation from someone unaware of their limits.
“Fine, but you better not cry and complain that I’m picking on a wornan.” Frederick snorted.
He swapped to a different racket, while Anathea borrowed one from Emory.
“This one’s strung at 26 pounds. Are you sure you can handle that?” Emory asked.
“Yes, as long as it works.” Anathea smiled.
“Heh, you probably don’t even know what string tension suits which type of player.” Frederick scoffed dismissively as he walked to the opposite side of the court. “But then again, if all you’ll be doing is running around picking up missed shots, whichever racket you use doesn’t matter.”
Anathea casually grabbed a hair tie and pulled her long hair into a ponytail. Even her sneakers were a last–minute purchase Lena had to run out and get, complete with wrist and knee supports.
“All those gears and no game. Are you done yet? You’re stalling. Are we doing this or not?” Frederick sneered, swinging his racket impatiently.
“Of course,” Anathea said calmly, picking up her racket and stepping onto the opposite side of the court.
!
A staff member immediately brought over a brand–new tennis ball
“Give it to her.” Frederick jerked his chin in Anathea’s direction. “Let her serve first.”
He was dying to see how Anathea would serve.
“Thanks, Mr. Wilson.” Anathea took the ball and served.
“That’s it?” Frederick laughed, returning a high lob.
Anathea ran forward to return the next ball, but she barely put any power into it. The ball clipped the top of the net and dropped on her side.
“Ms. Jacobson, do you not know how to play? That was a pretty lousy shot.” Emory frowned.
“I was just warming up,” Anathea uttered with a smile as she picked up the ball, bouncing it back to Frederick. Her tone remained cheerful and relaxed. There was no hint of aggression, just that calm charm she always carried.
But Frederick wasn’t having any of it. Her smile meant nothing to him. She was still a rookie in his eyes,
“Hurry up. Let’s get this over with so you can stop wasting space out here,” Frederick snapped.
Confident Anathea couldn’t return anything decent, Frederick eased off and sent a lazy serve straight down the middle.
1/2
Chapter 477
+25 BONUS
Anathea lunged forward gracefully.
It was so predictable that Frederick didn’t have to think. He sprinted toward the net, ready to smash her return with a quick
volley.
But just as her racket connected with the ball, Anathea redirected with a gentle flick, sending the ball deep into Frederick’s backhand corner.
Frederick couldn’t react in time.
By the time he realized what had happened, it was too late.
The ball hit the ground.
Frederick froze. “Did you just… fake a drop shot to disguise a deep slice?”
“Nice one, Nat!” Lena shouted. She didn’t know much about tennis, but she knew that Fredrick hadn’t returned a shot. “You’ve got this, Nat!”
“Thanks for the point, Mr. Wilson,” Anathea remarked sweetly.
“How do you know how to hit that kind of slice?” Frederick frowned.
“Slice? As in a slice of cake?” Anathea blinked, genuinely confused.
Frederick’s mouth twitched slightly.
“That has to be a fluke. She can’t even return a basic shot, let alone that advanced skill. That has to be beginner’s luck. After this, she won’t score another point,” he mused.
Anathea served again.
Frederick returned it with a strong backhand crosscourt. He watched her closely, bracing for a shot to his forehand side. However, Anathea sent a sharp low slice, this time with her backhand, into his backhand corner.
Just like earlier, Frederick missed again.
