“Now that Gabe becomes my assistant, I’ll be working less overtime.”
“You mean you let him do your work? It must be torturing for him to do all the work for you,” Tammy said, smiling.
Looking at her smiling face, Matthew suddenly thought of Dominic’s words: “Tammy is as sweet as honey.” Tammy, you and I are twins. And yet, our personalities are polar opposites. I guess that it’s because you’re more like Mom while I’m more like Dad. Matthew thought to himself.
Then, having brought himself back to his senses, Matthew uttered, “I never said that.”
***
By the time they left the study, Alicia had already prepared dinner. The dining room was filled with the aroma because she had made a pot of seafood soup.
“I’m hungry!” Tammy yelled. She then took a spoon and prepared to drink the soup.
The next second, Alicia gently patted Tammy’s hand, saying, “Have you washed your hands? You’ve just spent a whole afternoon touching the keyboard.”
Therefore, Tammy was forced to put down the spoon. And she went to the kitchen to wash her hands reluctantly. As she washed her hands in the sink, she muttered “This is so unfair. You two are just like my parents. You both like to boss me around.”
That’s because you always make me worry, sis. Thinking of that, Matthew also went to the sink to wash his hands. A while later, the three of them began to eat.
“Who were you talking to when you were playing the game, Tammy?” Matthew asked. He knew the answer, but he still wanted to ask Tammy about it. Matthew reasoned that if Tammy kept it from him, it would prove that she liked Dominic.
“It’s Dominic. He’s awesome! He said he’ll help me join Team Wolf.”
Hearing Tammy’s answer, Matthew exhaled a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted to happen was for Tammy to fall in love with Dominic.
“I’ve heard of this team. Dominic used to be one of them, right?” Matthew asked on purpose.
“Yeah. It’s a fantastic team. They even won the world championship twice.”
“So, is it easy for you to join the team?”
“Actually, it’s a little difficult because Dominic said I must pass their exam first. Even if I could join the team, I would only be a substitute in the beginning,” Tammy replied, forking the food on her plate.
“Are you confident enough to join the team then?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t competed against the pros after all.”
“Well, you should find a way to compete against professionals.”
“Right.”
“Has Dominic retired?” Matthew asked Tammy. He wanted to know about it because the documents he read earlier didn’t mention Dominic’s retirement.
“Probably. I asked him about it, and he didn’t deny it. What a bummer!” Tammy replied with a pout.
“Do you want to be a part of that team?” Matthew asked. He was really curious about that.
“Can I?” Tammy asked. She set her fork down and gave Matthew a serious look.
“Are you not confident in yourself, or do you think I won’t support you?”
“In fact, I don’t know how competent I am,” Tammy said after some thought.
“You should be more confident! Dominic is willing to be your teacher, and that’s a great opportunity. I believe that you’ll learn from him.”
“That’s exactly what I think.”
“And let me know when you make your decision, Tammy. I’ll handle the contract details for you.”
“Thank you very much, Matthew. Here is my gift to you!” Tammy spooned some steak onto Matthew’s plate.
Matthew set his knife and fork down and said solemnly, “You really think this through, Tammy. You have to do your best once you’re a pro, and you can’t give up halfway because of the difficulties you face. When you are a live streamer, you can do whatever you want and quit whenever you want. But once you’ve joined that team, anything you do could impact everyone. So, you really need to think twice before making your decision.”
“Okay. I know,” Nodding, Tammy uttered.
“Take your time. You can also ask Dominic about his experience and the difficulties he faced as a pro. I’ve heard they need to work out very hard and that training can be more difficult than studying.”
“All right, I’ll ask him about it tomorrow.”
Two years later, an important match took place in a hall in the center of Birmingham. Tammy’s team, the Wolves, would play against a team from another country.
Team Wolf had previously won the world championship twice, while their opponent was a dark horse team that had only recently formed. As a result, game lovers from both countries eagerly anticipated this match.
At the same time, this was the most crucial match for Tammy since she joined Team Wolf two years ago. She would be a member of the world championship team if she won the game. However, she would lose her best chance to win the world championship if she lost it. Therefore, Tammy took this match very seriously.
Because the Carousel Group was one of the match’s sponsors, the live room was packed with people Tammy knew. Although ticket prices had risen to several thousand dollars per person, Matthew could still obtain tickets for his family.
At that moment, Karl, Peace, and their children sat in the center of the front row. Martin was carrying a banner with the words “I love Tammy” on it, and Ryan and Emily were laughing at him. Isabella was pregnant, and it was inconvenient for her to watch the competition on the spot, so neither she nor Jasper attended. They did, however, watch it live on the Internet.
Smiling broadly, Peace asked, “Matthew, didn’t your parents say they’d return home today? Why haven’t they shown up yet?”
“I have no idea. Perhaps their plane was delayed. Their phones are turned off, so they’re most likely still on the plane.”
“Are they going to be late?”
“It’s fine. Isabella will have the game recorded. They can watch the recording.”
About 30 minutes before the match began, Matthew went backstage. While members of Team Wolf were having a tactical meeting, Alicia sat in the lounge waiting for Tammy. Although he had retired, Dominic was present as Team Wolf’s tactical advisor.
And the meeting of their team was quickly over. After that, Tammy walked toward Matthew after she spotted him.
Matthew felt relieved when he noticed she appeared relaxed. “Are you nervous, Tammy?” He asked.
“Just a little. Our captain said it was fine to be nervous.”
Actually, Tammy, Mom and Dad are returning to Birmingham. Well, I decided not to tell you about it because I don’t want you to be upset about their absence, Tammy. Let’s hope that Mom and Dad would return back in time for the show. Matthew sighed to himself. And he asked, “What are your plans after the game?”
After some thought, Tammy asked in response, “Can we go to Fleosil to see Mom and Dad?”
For the past two years, Anna and Wayne came back from Fleosil occasionally, but they could only talk to the kids via video calls. Tammy missed them terribly, though she rarely expressed her feelings.
Matthew was at a loss for words, as they wouldn’t have needed to go to Fleosil if their parents were on the plane. Yet, Matthew still told Tammy they were on board because he wanted to make Tammy happy.
“Tammy!” exclaimed Tammy’s teammate as Matthew was about to say something else.
“I gotta go. Goodbye, Matthew!”
“Bye. Wish you luck.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.