Chapter 8

When I went to the HR department, I met a well-dressed middle-aged woman who had a kind smile. Once she saw my resume that I printed from a self-service printing shop, she was a little shocked. However, she didn't ask any questions. "I heard that you have a 3.0 tennis rating, Ms. Sutton." The woman looked at me and asked, "Can you play a match with our coaches here?" "Alright," I answered. Laughing briefly, she led me to the changing rooms. "Ms. Sutton, you should change into a tennis outfit. Your uniform will be custom-made, so it'll only arrive three to five days later." "Okay." I collected a new tennis outfit from her; it was a white short-sleeved shirt and a sports skirt. Knee guards and wrist guards were also prepared for me. The middle-aged woman introduced herself to me outside the changing room, "My name is Hannah York. You can call me Ms. York. "Don't worry, Ms. Sutton. I gave you a new sports outfit just now. But we don't have sports shoes for you…" After I finished changing, I got out of the changing room. The moment Hannah saw me, she stopped talking. I looked at her. "It's fine, Ms. York. I wore sports shoes today." Coughing gently, Hannah tried to hide the amazement on her face. She replied with a smile, "This outfit suits you. It looks great." "Thank you." Then, she burst into laughter. "Actually, I've been working here for eight years. You're the prettiest lady I've ever seen. Sorry, did I scare you with my words? Let's go. I've contacted a tennis coach who happens to be free now. You can play a match with him." "Okay." I followed Hannah to the tennis court. Meanwhile, a middle-aged tennis coach was already waiting for me there. When he saw me, he looked surprised. "Hannah, am I playing with this young woman? Is she a client?" "She's not a client. I plan to hire her. So, Mr. Freeman, please play a round of tennis with Ms. Sutton." "Will she be able to do it? I don't hold back when I play tennis!" Zenon Freeman gave me a heads-up. He asked me, "Did you buy insurance?" I tested the weight of my tennis racket and replied, "Please start, Mr. Freeman!" Though Zenon said that he wouldn't hold back, he still controlled his strength at first. However, as we continued playing, his expression turned serious. After that, he started using all of his strength during the match. On the other hand, I didn't dare to slow down. Alas, I ended up losing the match. Zenon was a retired coach who taught the country's national tennis players. I had heard of him before. Wiping his sweat, Zenon said cheerfully, "Your skills are pretty good." Just then, I noticed a figure standing outside the court. Even though I saw him observing the match, I didn't turn around to look at him even once. Hannah had talked to him during the match earlier. Since she treated him very politely, I guessed that the person was either the boss of the tennis club or a VVIP. So, I intentionally ignored his gaze. Hannah exclaimed, "Ms. Sutton, your tennis skills are pretty good. I held my breath while watching the entire match just now. It seems that your tennis rating is higher than 3.0." After that, she added, "Though being a server is a relaxing job, it doesn't pay well. During your trial period, your salary will be about 1,000 dollars. If you're willing, I sincerely suggest that you become a training partner instead." When I looked down and fell silent, Hannah eagerly spoke again. "It isn't that tiring to be a training partner here. Besides, you'll have more breaks than a server. You can work for three to four days a week, and you'll have a day off after each day of work. Moreover, you don't have to be a training partner all the time. "Ms. Sutton, you're a university student, right? You can't let work get in the way of your studies. As such, this job suits you the best. "Since you're pretty skillful, we'll accept reservations for you. So, if others want to practice with you, they'll have to reserve a slot first. Your monthly salary will be 2,000 dollars. Once the trial period is over, you'll get commissions." I nodded. "Alright, Ms. York. I can start working immediately." Hearing that, Hannah breathed a sigh of relief and happily started the onboarding process. "When will you start work? The sooner you start work, the faster you'll get your pay." Hannah seemed very enthusiastic. She smiled again and continued, "I hope you won't misunderstand. Our club is a professional establishment. I'm just amazed by your tennis skills. Our female clients prefer playing tennis with women, and our male clients like playing tennis with women too." I looked at Hannah. "I can start work the day after tomorrow." "Alright. That's fine as well. Please protect your wrists in the meantime. You can bring back this tennis outfit. Let's exchange contact numbers. You can ask me any questions you have on WhatsApp later on." After exchanging numbers with Hannah, I walked out of the club. Before I left the entrance, I heard someone talking on the phone around the corner. "Gid, are you having a meeting? Oh, is it over? I just saw an exciting tennis match. Mr. Freeman was competing with a pretty woman." The moment I heard Gideon's nickname, I stopped in my tracks. Meanwhile, the man was still talking on the phone, and I heard what he said clearly. "No, I wouldn't fool around with a young woman. She looks pretty youthful, but she's gorgeous. Her legs are long and her waist is tiny. Besides, her tennis skills are great. She played so well that Zen became serious. He used to play for the national team previously. "Hannah told me that the young woman is a new training partner from the club. Do you want to play with her? I have to reserve a slot with her first. You don't want her? Don't regret it! "Alright. Even though you're uninterested in her, I'm very interested." Before the man hung up, I hid in a washroom nearby. After he left, I walked out of the washroom. That man was probably Gideon's friend. However, I didn't know who he was because I hadn't met him yet. … While walking out of the subway, I thought of that man's phone call earlier and wondered if I could gain any useful information from the conversation. When I looked up, I realized that I was already outside my university. I stopped since the red light was flashing. However, a car kept honking at me. The moment I heard that sound, I tensed up, fear instantly flooding into me. I thought of Theeland, the railing, the mountain, and my broken body. I also recalled how I slowly passed away before the rescue team arrived. My body swayed slightly, then someone grabbed my wrist. Hissing in pain, I snapped out of my daze. Samuel pulled me to a corner and observed me unhappily. "Where's your cane?" My body was still trembling slightly as he forcibly pulled my chin upward.