Chapter 577

The crowd went nuts, but honestly, I couldn’t tell if they were hyped or just losing it. Definitely wasn’t what I expected. I just stood there as some random guy snagged the ball mid-air. He started yelling like he’d won the lottery. “Number five! Number five is mine!” He even kissed the ball and climbed onto his seat, celebrating like a maniac.

The rest of the crowd? Not so thrilled. “Refund!” “Refund!” You could practically see their wallets crying. Most of them were there for one thing—watching Steve crush it. When he missed that shot? Oh, they weren’t just disappointed; they were pissed. And it wasn’t just because of the botched play; a ton of them had money riding on him. Like, big money. Probably two-thirds of the room was convinced Steve was a sure thing.

But now? With that ball sailing off the table, their cash was pretty much gone with it. I snapped out of my daze. Steve wasn’t the type to mess up like that unless… unless he meant to.

It hit me—he’d figured it out. He knew he was a pawn in someone else’s game, and this was his way of flipping the board, even with Herman holding me hostage. This was the real Steve—smart, strong, not the kind to just throw in the towel.

Hernan? Not impressed. “How am I supposed to let him go after that stunt?” His voice was calm, but his words had an edge. I knew Steve had angered Hernan, but I tried to push back. “You promised me. You can’t just go back on that.”

“Fine. New deal,” Hernan said. “You can play in Steve’s place. Win, and I’ll let both of you go.”

Wait. What? This wasn’t just a casual game. The place was packed with pros—like, trophy-winning, career-level pros. And me? I barely even picked up a cue stick in the last couple of years. Yeah, I had some talent, but beating these guys? No chance. Hernan was setting me up to crash and burn.

Plus, I hadn’t really practiced in ages. Sure, I played Hernan once recently, but that was a joke. Even pros lose their edge without practice, and I was way out of mine. Hernan knew that. He was banking on it. I was just another piece in his game.

But I didn’t have the luxury to overthink. This was my shot—a long one, but still. No time for second-guessing. “What’s stopping you from backing out again?” I asked, frustration bubbling up.

Hernan’s smirk was ice. “If you don’t trust me, walk away now. I’ll end the match and drag Steve out.”

Chapter 577

Great. So I was stuck. Again. “Fine. But if you break your word, I swear—” I had no clue what I’d do, but I wasn’t letting him play me like some clueless pawn.

“If you win, I keep my promise,” he said, tossing me that same “trust me” look. For Steve, I didn’t have a choice. Time to step up.

As I headed to the stage, Herman was already in full showman mode, the announcer hyping me up with way too much drama. Made it sound like a win for me would somehow be a win for Steve too, since he was my “mentor.”

And of course, as soon as the announcer finished, the crowd exploded—jeering and booing, the whole nine yards. “No way,” someone shouted. “This is so rigged!” “She’s just some scrawny girl!” another person yelled. “No chance she can win!”

I ignored them, smiling as I strutted onto the playing area. Steve was waiting by the table. “You shouldn’t have gotten yourself mixed up in this,” he muttered, sounding worried.

“I got sucked into this mess the last time I visited you. Guess I didn’t really have a choice now, huh?” Then I couldn’t resist. “But seriously, what was with that ball flying off the table?”

Steve’s eyes darkened. “I did it on purpose.” Then, out of nowhere, he grabbed my hand. “I wanted to make a distraction. Get you out of here.”