Chapter 561
Anathea was performing basic warm–up exercises on the side.
She had played badminton befote, but tennis was a different story she wasn’t sure how well she would do later.
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Looking back, she regretted not calling Dominic earlier. At the very least, he knew how to play tennis and could manage the game well, regardless of the outcome.
But with her in the game, a loss seemed inevitable.
Her thoughts wandered until Gregory suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder, startling her enough that she nearly lost her balance.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly, catching her by the waist before she could fall.
Anathea shot him a glare. “Don’t you realize it’s dangerous to sneak up on people like that?”
“I called you twice, and you didn’t hear me,” Gregory said as he let go. “If you keep spacing out, you’re going to run into a chair.”
Only then did Anathea realize how close she was to the seating area. She pursed her lips and looked up at him. “Got it,” she said.
Suddenly, Gregory raised his hand and blocked her view. “Don’t give me that look.”
“What?” Anathea asked, feeling confused.
“You’re making a giant mosquito want to take a bite out of you,” he teased.
Anathea froze for a moment, then quickly turned her head away to avoid looking at him. Her cheeks flushed, but her voice remained calm and indifferent. “Shouldn’t you be out there playing?”
“I was waiting for you,” Gregory replied with a smile, clearly amused by how flustered she looked. “Do you even know how to play?”
The question hit the mark.
“No,” Anathea answered bluntly.
Gregory chuckled and handed her a racket. “Let me teach you. It’s free. Are you interested?”
Anathea didn’t make a fuss. She did need to learn the basics. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself and jeopardize the potential partnership with Presgrave Group.
“Fine. Go ahead and teach me,” she said.
“Gladly,” Gregory said with a smile before immediately beginning to guide her through the basic movements.
Anathea was a quick learner. After practicing for a while, she was able to return a few serves and had a good grasp of the basics.
Suddenly, a warm hand wrapped around her wrist. “Pay attention to your wrist when you hit, or you might twist it.”
He leaned in slightly, nearly enveloping her in his arms. Anathea glanced at his sharp profile and instinctively held her breath. She tried to keep her attention on the ball, but being under his gaze made it difficult to concentrate.
Thankfully, Macon soon called out to Gregory, inviting him for a one–on–one match. Gregory hesitated. Playing against another man was far less appealing than spending time with Anathea.
Anathea firmly pushed him aside and said seriously, “You go ahead. I’ll practice on my own.”
She was clearly determined to maintain some distance between them.
Gregory didn’t press the matter. With a resigned sigh, he simply reminded her, “Call me if you need anything.”
After he left, Anathea practiced a bit more and gradually found her rhythm. Just as she was about to join Dayanna, a tennis ball
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cut through the air, whipping past her with fierce speed.
It slammed onto the grass with a loud thud and bounced back up.
Anathea stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest. If she had taken just one more step forward, that high–speed ball would’ve hit her square in the face.
“Oops! Sorry about that. Bad shot,” a man’s voice said casually
She turned her head and saw Frederick holding a tennis racket, with Shirley standing smugly beside him.
It was clear that Shirley had called him over in a calculated attempt to disrupt Anathea’s connection with the Presgraves and steal the collaboration opportunity.
“You may have gotten lucky the first time with Mr. Presgrave, but if you don’t have real skills, step aside. You’re just getting in the way,” Shirley sneered.
Just then, another tennis ball shot through the air and landed forcefully between Frederick and Shirley.
Shirley shrieked and jumped back in alarm. Her earlier arrogance quickly turned into fear. Frederick didn’t fare much better. The ball had struck the grass so hard that it had left a noticeable dent.
It was easy to imagine how much damage it could’ve done had it hit a person directly.
“My apologies. My hand slipped,” came a cool, detached voice.
Anathea turned her head to see Gregory approaching.
He walked to her side and asked gently, “Did that scare you?”
