Chapter 49 He Needs to Reflect on Himself
She went on, "He plays basketball for fun. Even if he quits, he can just go home and live off his family's money. You, on the other hand, play to make a living. Plus, it's just a tryout; who knows if you'll even make the team."
Rachel glanced at the boy with a look of pity. "That's really tough."
The boy's mom looked like she was about to explode.
James watched Rachel's calm comeback make everyone else look upset, feeling pretty pleased with himself. When she walked over to him, he almost ran up, grabbing her sleeve and whispering, "I really want to play basketball. Please don't let Joseph take me back. Let me try out."
"When did I ever say I was gonna let Joseph take you back?" Rachel tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "Or do you want to go back with him?"
James was taken aback, eyes wide. "Then why is Joseph here?"
Rachel's face stayed cool as she answered, "He brought me here."
"Oh, I thought he came to take me back. Scared the heck out of me," James said, letting out a big sigh and rubbing his neck.
Rachel ignored him and walked over to the coach, extending her hand with a polite smile. "Hi, I'm James's sister. Sorry, I had some work at the office and just got here."
The coach shook her hand firmly, looking relieved. "No problem, as long as you're here."
After shaking hands, the coach pulled a contract out of his bag and handed it to Rachel with a hopeful look. "James is a promising player. He'll definitely pass the tryout! You can trust me to take good care of him."
Rachel smiled. "With your assurance, I'm definitely at ease."
She was about to sign the contract when one of the parents behind her started shouting, "I watched them play earlier. James is just average, not as good as my son. Why does he get to try out?"
Another parent chimed in, "Yeah, I think he's not that great either!"
The coach calmly addressed the parents, "I'm the coach. I know better than you how the students play. James is indeed good."
"Coach, did his brother talk to you?" one parent asked, hinting at something.
"You!" James almost cursed, his teeth grinding in anger. He snapped, "I'm good at basketball. What does it have to do with my brother? Don't slander me!"
"James, we also think you're not that great!" a few boys who had signed tryout contracts chimed in.
"You guys! Stop arguing!" the coach warned, worried things would get out of hand.
Seeing the coach's helpless and troubled expression, Rachel squinted her eyes, put down the pen, and shouted at James, "James, since your classmates think you're not good at basketball, why don't you have a match?"
She then asked the boys, "Best two out of three, how about it?"
The boys all agreed in unison. "Sure!" They were confident, having been chosen by the national team coach, so they weren't afraid to play against James.
"Alright then." Rachel turned to the coach. "Coach, sorry to trouble you a bit longer."
The coach relaxed, seeing Rachel step in to mediate. "No problem. I also want to see what positions each of them is best at."
The coach quickly arranged the teams and their positions. Rachel handed a towel to James to wipe his hands, her expression serious but with a hint of encouragement. "Come on, James. If you lose, you'll embarrass your brother and even get a spanking by your mom when we get home. If you win, I'll sign the tryout contract for you."
James's eyes were determined and full of passion as he took the towel. "I won't let my brother down," he said, his voice steady and resolute. "I will win!"
It was just a match between classmates, but Rachel saw determination and passion in James' eyes.
The Michael she knew was always calm and composed, handling everything methodically, while James in front of her was full of fire. He seemed like another version of Michael.
Suppressing her emotions, Rachel softly said, "Go ahead. I hope you don't disappoint me."
James nodded and quickly entered the court.
Joseph, who had followed Rachel in, had been silently listening. He hadn't expected Rachel to be so bold, daring to help James sign the basketball tryout contract without Michael's knowledge.
While Rachel and James were talking, he had secretly recorded a video.
As the game started and James scored, Rachel cheered loudly, even screaming to encourage James.
Joseph suddenly spoke up, "James will have to help out in the Smith Corporation in the future. Aren't you afraid Michael will blame you for signing the tryout contract for him?"
"If he wants to blame me, let him come to me," Rachel replied calmly, her eyes following James on the court. She took a deep breath. "Anyway, he doesn't have a good impression of me, and he needs to reflect on himself."
Joseph raised an eyebrow. "Reflect on what?"
Rachel fell silent. Just as James missed a shot, she said, "Reflect on how to be a brother, know what kind of life James wants, and not regret it when something happens in the future."
Joseph nodded in agreement. "Ms. Williams, you're absolutely right. I agree."
After recording the video, he opened Facebook and sent both videos to Michael.
Michael was in his office. When he received Joseph's message, he opened it, his eyes cold.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
