Date The CEO.com

Chapter 314: To Cry or Not to Cry

The rules of the game were simple. Ede and Eri formed one team while Jackson played by himself. Whoever scored the highest would be declared the winner. The twins were given a bit of time to warm up but Avery, Eve and Ambryan weren't allowed to interfere.

Eve sat on the couch with her back straight. She clutched her knees, her nails digging through the fabric and into the skin. Avery watched with her hands posed in a prayer over her lips. 

Jackson faced his lane.

Then, he turned his head towards the twins.

"Ladies first."

Eri took a deep breath, picking up the electric pink bowling ball. It weighed heavily but she managed. She approached the foul line and made sure not to overstep. Her arm swung backwards before letting the ball go in the direction of the center arrow—as Eve instructed back in Hathaway Manor.  josei

The ball rolled all the way towards the pins, swerving to the left. 

It hit 3 pins before it fell over on the other side. 

"That's okay, Eri! I'm here for you!" Ede cheered from the back. She continued clapping her hands while her sister walked back towards her. "You did great! That's three points!"

"It could have been better though." Eri scowled at the floor.

"Don't worry. There's still plenty of time."

Ede took her turn for their second chance to topple all the pins. Her roll managed to hit 5 of them, leaving two pins on the lane. She returned to her sister's side, saying, "Okay, okay. It's not that bad. We only missed two."

A black bowling ball crashed into 10 bowling pins, knocking them all to the floor. The twins snapped their attention at Jackson's lane. Their eyes bugged out when the fallen pins had been replaced by a full set for the next frame. 

His teal eyes met their wide stare. 

He tilted his head sideways. "Giving up, girls?"

"Never!" Eri shot back. She marched towards her lane and focused her strength on her right arm. This time, she sped up her approach, swinging her arm as high as she could. 

The ball bounced onto the lane. She straightened her back and gasped. It rebounded to the air once before rolling towards the pins. Eri bit her bottom lip, crossing her fingers on each hand. 

"YES!" Eri screamed when 8 pins fell over from her roll. She jumped multiple times and ran back to her twin, hugging the latter's shoulders. "You can hit those two pins, right?"

"I can and I will!" Ede promised. She left to finish the job, grabbing the deep blue ball. She paused at the start of the approach area. The last pins were on the right side so she needed to roll the ball off-center.

The question was how far into the right should she do it?

Her ball went between an arrow and a half from the center towards the right. It rolled straight down the lane, landing on the other side while hitting only one pin. 

Her shoulders slumped in dejection. Scratching the back of her head with both hands, she lamented over her miscalution. Jackson stood next to her as his ball rolled down his lane. She watched him manage another strike. 

Their eyes met briefly.

Jackson merely shrugged before walking away. Eri emerged behind her, grabbing her shoulders. "Do you want to take the first turn now, Ede? Maybe it would work for us."

Ede pursed her lips. "Yeah, let's try it."

The game continued for another 6 frames. The twins managed to score a spare twice in the midst of it all. Jackson scores either a spare or a strike. The difference in skill levels were clear as day. The twins persisted to finish all 10 frames. They shared words of encouragement, keeping each other's spirits up.

Eve supported them silently as did Avery. Every time Jackson had his turn, the ladies exchanged looks with the girls and mouthed words of comfort. 

With 2 frames left, Ede vowed to redeem herself. She had taken the first turn in the spares they scored. Eri had more than half of the credit for that since she basically saved the score for those frames. Ede had to do better so she didn't drag her twin down.

The deep blue ball weighed lighter than when she first tried it. Her swings had progressed better. She had watched Jackson and other players on how they bowl. Copying his stance, she dipped low in front of the foul line with her right leg sliding behind her left one.

Her roll progressed in a straight line and passed the center arrow. A cold feeling tingled at the back of her neck. She stopped breathing, waiting for the ball to reach the pins. Time moved in slow motion but, at the same time, it flashed by in a second. 

The ball struck the first pin. The latter hit both pins behind it and the rest followed like dominos until all 10 had fallen. Her high-pitched scream pierced through the air, attracting bystanders and other players.

Eri shrieked in the same manner and joined her twin at the approach area. They hugged and jumped around in circles. Their older sister leaped off the couch from immense pride. The madam also rose to her feet. She and Eve held each other's hands, beaming at the twins.

Even Ambryan wore a small smile on his seat.

Jackson clapped his hands and caught the attention of the twins. The corner of his lip curled into a smirk. "Not bad. There's still one frame to go. Do you think you can manage another strike?"

"I can definitely try," Ede glared.

"How about we change the rules a bit?" He said as he rubbed his hands together. "There's no need for you to score higher than me. Get that second strike and you win."

"But that's not—"

Eri elbowed her twin in the ribs. 

"We already lost in the score and we know it," she whispered, a tinge of disappointment in her tone. "We're supposed to do this for Eve. That means grabbing every chance we can get."

Ede narrowed her gaze at the floor. It was true that even if they scored a strike for the last frame, they wouldn't be able to close the gap in the scores. Her hands clenched into fists. 

"Fine. You have a deal," she agreed reluctantly.

"Wonderful." Jackson grinned. He spun on his heel and headed over the table for some water. His teal eyes connected with his wife's violet ones. The latter had clear disapproval on her face. He drank his glass of water and didn't lose eye contact—establishing his resolve on the matter.

What he and the twins had decided were final.

He wasn't about to change his mind.

"Do you want to do it, Eri?" Ede asked.

Eri shook her head and waved both of her hands in front of her. "Oh, no. I think you should do it. You managed one so you have a better chance than me."

'I was afraid you'd say that,' Ede thought. The pressure dropped on her shoulders like a boulder. At least when the gap between the scores widened per frame, she had the time to come to terms with their loss. 

But now, things would be determined in a flash.

If she did bad, it would be over.

Eri noticed her twin's discomfort. She turned the latter around and forced Ede to face her. Gripping her sister's upper arms, Eri stared straight into the eyes identical to her own. "You have mom's blood, okay? She's with us. And she also wants Eve to be happy. We can do this."

Ede closed her eyes and smiled. When she opened them, her anxiety had melted away.

"Sometimes I just love you."

"Only sometimes?" Eri scoffed. "I deserve more love than that."

"And that's why."

"Hey!"

Giggling, Ede left her sister and plucked her fingers inside the holes of her bowling ball. She took a deep breath. All she had to do was channel the same mind set she had when she did her first strike. Something went right in that formula. She wasn't about to let it go to chance.

Her roll followed the center arrow like before. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw it. 

But her excitement had come a little too early. 

When the ball reached the pins, it hit a little off-center and left one lone pin on the lane.

"Oh, no…" Eri whispered as she covered her mouth. She shifted her attention to the back of her twin's head. Ede stayed in front of the foul line, unmoving. She looked at nothing but the last pin left on the other side—the one thing that stood between her and victory.

Eri cautiously took a step forward. "Ede…?"

"Well, that concludes things then," Jackson spoke. He had his arms folded over his chest. "The engagement is off between your older sister and my son like we agreed."

Snapping her head towards him, Eri shoved him on the side of his hips. "Can't you see you're upsetting Ede?! Why did you have to bring that up now?! Don't be insensitive."

Then, she sprinted for her twin, hugging the latter's shoulders. They huddled their heads together and bowed. "It's okay, Ede. We'll figure out a way. It's not over yet."

"It is over," Jackson said with finality. "That was the deal. We're not changing it."

Eri glared in his direction. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "We just changed the rules at the last minute. Why can't we do it again?"

"The rules changed because all of us agreed on it. The rules can't be changed if at least one person protests." 

"Then, agree to change it again!"

"I will not," Jackson spat in return. "This is part of life, girls. Get used to it."