Chapter 609

“Alright, here’s the deal—clear the table in one go. If you sink every ball, you win. Miss even one, and it’s your loss. You’ve got fifteen minutes,” Bruno announced, his tone dripping with confidence.

I didn’t have much of a choice, so I shot back without hesitation, “Fine.”

“Once you’re ready, we’ll start the clock,” he said, settling back on a couch like some VIP.

I stepped up to the table, took a deep breath, and nodded at the timer. At their signal, I went for it.

Thud, thud, thud… Ball after ball sank smoothly into their pockets. Ten minutes in, only two balls were left on the table. Victory was practically mine. I focused, steadying myself for the final shots. One more strike, and it was done. With a precise hit, another ball dropped in, leaving just one remaining.

Clap, clap… Bruno started clapping again, trying to throw me off. I ignored him and lined up for the last shot. But just as I was about to strike, something cold and slithery brushed against my foot, like something crawling over it.

I screamed, leaping up and sprawling across the table, the cue slipping from my hand. The cue ball hit another ball, sending it rolling across the table with a sharp clack….

Yara’s voice rang out, “This doesn’t count! Bruno, you cheated.”

Still shaken, I looked at Bruno, trying to figure out what just happened. He raised his hand toward the floor, and that’s when I saw it—slithering across the ground, heading right toward him. A yellow-and-green striped snake.

So that’s what had freaked me out. I’ve been terrified of anything slimy or crawling since I was a kid—even caterpillars freaked me out. And now, a snake? Yeah, no thanks.

Bruno picked up the snake, letting it coil around his arm as he petted its head. “Naughty little thing, running off like that. Look at how you scared her.”

He shot me a smirk. “It’s harmless, you know. Really gentle. Come pet it if you don’t believe me.”

Like hell I would. Even with the snake in his grip, I couldn’t bring myself to leave the table. My heart was still racing, but I shot him a glare. “Bruno, if you’re gonna play, play fair. No cheap tricks.”

“Can’t take the loss?” he taunted.

“If you hadn’t set that thing on me, I wouldn’t have missed.”

“A true snooker player ignores all distractions,” Bruno said smoothly, acting like he was some kind of snooker god holding me to the highest professional standard.

Now I got it—he had no intention of letting Hayden go, even if I won.

Chapter 600

Hayden, who’d been silent up until then, finally spoke. “Enough with the petty stunts. Just say what you want, and let’s finish this.”

Bruno walked over to him, still petting the snake, and met his eyes. “You humiliated me, physically and mentally. Tell me, how should I repay you to make it even?”

Hayden’s face tightened, but he didn’t rise to the bait.

Bruno’s grin turned dark. “An eye for an eye. How about I return the favor and humiliate you the same way you did me?”

He was itching to disgrace Hayden.

Before Hayden could respond, Yara cut in, voice full of fire. “Bruno, if you think you can take him down, then do it on your own merit.”

She wasn’t even trying to hide the dig—basically calling him out for being too scared to face Hayden straight up. She knew Hayden well enough to be confident Bruno couldn’t control him. If they’d just met because of the engagement, I wouldn’t believe it. But clearly, they had some history, or at least something deeper going on.

“So, you think you’re that capable, huh?” Bruno sneered. “Fine. Let’s put that to the test today.”

With a flick of his wrist, someone brought over two full buckets of snooker balls.

A chill ran down my spine. It was clear—Bruno was about to settle this using those balls.