Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)

Chapter 223

As the door opened, the room was filled with boisterous laughter. I immediately noticed the man sitting at the head of the table.

He looked familiar. Derick introduced him, "This is Eden, a close friend of mine and my regular billiard buddy."

I focused on the man's face, and I finally recalled his name-Eden Griffins. He was Arthur's son and now the head of the Alpha Corporation.

I had read about him online. He was a fan of billiards and even won an amateur tournament championship.

It hadn't crossed my mind that he would-be connected to Derick, let alone be on such good terms with him.

"And this must be our Maddie?" Eden chimed in with a smile.

Though the term "Maddie" sounded friendly, it sent a chill down my spine. Even though his profile appeared clean, Arthur's reputation wasn't, so there was no way he could be completely clean either. People couldn't always judge a book by its cover.

"Maddie, from now on, just call him Eden. If you ever run into any trouble, feel free to reach out to him," Derick said as he pulled out a chair for me to sit down.

about to sit down when Eden said, "Derick, why don't you sit here? Let Maddie sit between us so I can get to know

a beat upon hearing his words. I had always

instinctively glanced at Derick, but he didn't look up. He calmly set out my

I couldn't help but think that Derick had lived up to being someone I could trust, keeping me out of an uncomfortable

"Derick, this is the first time I've seen you being so protective of a

me, arranging it very precisely. If anything was slightly out of place, he would adjust it until it was perfect. "She's my sister. How could any

stance clear. Eden, being perceptive, simply smiled and then

is someone you can

with Eden. The two

we've been so caught up talking about

on the table are top-notch, even among the best female players," Derick boasted about me.

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genuinely surprised. "Really? Well, after dinner, let's head over to Derick's place and play a few

agreed, "Sure, but here's the catch. If Maddie wins just one round out of five, it counts as your