Chapter 86 Should She Go?
Emily didn't think less of James, really. It was just that James had never been into studying, and now he was saying Michael would tutor him? Yeah, right.
"Mom, why are you looking at me like that? What's wrong with me getting a tutor?" James asked, feeling a bit guilty, like she could see right through him.
Emily raised an eyebrow, clearly doubtful. "Aren't you all about basketball and not even planning on college? Why do you need tutoring?"
James sighed, trying to explain. "Mom. Even if I'm not going to college, I still need to keep my grades up. If my grades tank, the basketball team will bench me. Come on, Michael."
With that, James grabbed Michael's arm and headed upstairs.
Mandy watched them go, her hands clenched tightly.
In the room, Michael shut the door behind them. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
James chuckled, leaning against the desk. "I did it for you. You didn't want to stay with Mandy, so I made this up."
But there was another reason. He wanted to get back at Mandy for what she did before dinner.
James looked at Michael, curious. "Why don't you want to stay with Mandy?"
Michael was stumped and couldn't answer. He didn't even know why; he just felt a weird resistance. Even at the resort, he and Mandy shared a room but slept in separate beds.
"Enough questions. Get your textbooks out, and I'll tutor you," Michael said, changing the subject, his tone firm.
James widened his eyes. "I was just using it as an excuse. You really want to tutor me?"
"Hurry up!" Michael's tone left no room for argument.
James pulled a long face and silently took out his textbooks.
The next day, Rachel had just arrived at the office when Lily handed her a courier envelope.
"Who sent it?" Rachel asked, looking at it, but there was no sender info.
Lily shook her head. "Not sure. The front desk said a young boy delivered it and specifically asked for you."
"A young boy?" Rachel pursed her lips, and James's face popped into her mind. Could it really be him?
"Got it. Bring me the documents that need to be reviewed today. I'll head back to my office first," Rachel instructed, tucking the envelope under her arm.
"Yes, Ms. Williams," Lily responded.
Back in her office, Rachel put her bag down, pulled out a chair, and sat before opening the envelope. Inside was a ticket and a note. The ticket had an orange basketball and the words: [Youth Team's Away Game].
Rachel immediately knew it was from James. She put the ticket aside and picked up the note. The messy handwriting made her roll her eyes.
After a moment, she tried to read the note: [Rachel, tomorrow is my first game with the national team. You have to come and watch, 4 PM, Downtown Sports Arena, James.]
Rachel pouted. "No way I'm going to your game." She had already done enough by helping him get on the basketball team. Now he wanted her to watch his game? Keep dreaming.
She really didn't get what James and Michael were thinking. When she was with the Smith family, they all despised her. Now that she had left, they were treating her better.
Rachel coldly curled her lips, then tore the note into pieces and tossed it in the trash.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
Rachel looked up. "Come in."
"Ms. Williams, these are the documents that need to be reviewed," Lily said, putting down a stack of files.
Rachel nodded. "Alright, I'll look at them later. Also, inform Mr. Davis there's a meeting at ten."
Lily's eyes flickered slightly at the mention of John, and she nodded. "Yes."
After Lily left, Rachel picked up a pen and started working on the documents. By the time it was almost ten, she got up with the help of her crutches and headed to the meeting.
By the time the meeting wrapped up, it was already noon. Lily had lunch delivered to Rachel's office. Rachel was just taking a few bites when Ella walked in, looking a bit down. "Ms. Williams, I'm back," she said.
Rachel smiled. "Welcome back."
Ella sighed, and Rachel asked, "What's wrong?"
Ella shrugged. "I still haven't found the person I'm looking for."
"It's okay, take your time," Rachel said, pointing to the chair opposite her. "Have a seat."
Ella pulled out a chair and sat down, shifting the conversation back to business. "Ms. Williams, the loans from those banks have come through, totaling six hundred million dollars. I've already allocated the funds. Please take a look."
"Alright," Rachel nodded, taking the documents and reviewing them.
After reading, she said, "The allocation looks good. This way, many of Skyline Corporation's halted projects can resume. I'll discuss it with John and the others later. If there are no issues, we'll go with your plan."
Ella smiled. "Okay, I won't disturb your lunch any longer. I'll head out." She got up and left.
Rachel resumed eating. After lunch, she immediately sought out John and several senior executives for a discussion. In the end, everyone agreed to proceed with Ella's funding allocation and restart the previous projects.
Once implemented, Rachel became busy, running between various departments. By the time she had a moment to rest, it was already 2 PM the next day. She sat in her office chair, exhaling and massaging her sore shoulders.
After a while, her shoulders felt less painful. She opened a drawer, intending to make herself a cup of coffee to refresh, and saw the basketball game ticket inside.
"What time is it?" Rachel muttered, glancing at the bottom right corner of her computer screen.
2:39 PM; there was still time to hit the gym. Should she go? Rachel hesitated. She was actually inclined not to go. But if she didn't go, the ticket would be wasted, which seemed a bit of a pity.
In the end, Rachel decided to go. After all, James had given her the ticket. Watching his game could be considered a reward for him. With that in mind, Rachel picked up the phone and asked Lily to arrange a driver.
"Ms. Williams, where are we headed?" the driver asked as soon as Rachel got into the car.
Rachel replied as she gently leaned her crutches to the side, "Downtown Sports Arena."
The driver acknowledged and started the car. The journey from Skyline Corporation to Downtown Sports Arena took about an hour.
Unfortunately, the area was right next to the airport, a notorious traffic jam spot in Summit Ridge District. At this moment, Rachel was stuck in traffic.
Time passed quietly, and before long, it was almost 4 PM.
Inside Downtown Sports Arena, James, wearing a black number eight jersey, was warming up on the court. As he moved, he kept glancing at the audience seats.
When he saw that the specially reserved seat was empty, his youthful face was filled with disappointment. What was going on with them? Not a single one showed up!
"Hey, James, what are you thinking about?" A teammate came over and patted James on the shoulder.
James shook his head and replied sullenly, "Nothing."
"If it's nothing, then hurry up. The coach is calling," the teammate said, retracting his hand and heading toward the bench.
James glanced at the audience seats one more time before following.
The whistle blew, and the players from both teams lined up. After a round of handshakes, the game began.
As a forward and the team's star player, James received a pass from the center and quickly moved. He moved with incredible speed, easily dodging the opponent's defense. He brought the ball inside the free-throw line, leaped, and shot.
The ball went in!
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