Rural Belle & Three Heirs by Harper Hall

Chapter 36 His Basketball Skills Are Lacking

Philip sighed, his hand still on his head. "If we played for another two hours, I'm sure he could knock me silly!"

Chloe burst out laughing at Philip's words. "His aim does suck," she said, trying to console him. "Don't be mad. He only hit you several times. Later, you can lead the guys and make his purse flat. Get him to buy us a membership card for that Japanese restaurant, and we'll eat there for a month."

Philip's eyes lit up at the thought. To get back at Grant for his earlier mischief, he rallied his basketball buddies, and they made a beeline for the expensive dining spot.

After a long day, Chloe dragged herself back to the Martin Mansion, utterly exhausted. She flopped onto the sofa, hugging her knees, and started to complain. In her hometown in the Northwest, she'd been known for her boundless energy; Nicholas had even affectionately called her a monkey, because she used to run every day without feeling tired. But since moving to Sovereign City a month ago, she hadn't exercised much, and today's basketball game had really taken a toll on her.

Michael, who had finished work early, noticed her state and sat down next to her, curious. "Chloe, what did Grant have you do today?"

"We played basketball," Chloe said, rubbing her aching waist.

As Michael learned about their basketball session, a look of surprise crossed his face. Given Grant's prowess on the court, Michael assumed Chloe must have struggled. He remembered the few times he had played with Grant himself, often finding his legs like jelly after just picking up the ball.

good at basketball, right?" Michael asked,

Chloe frowned, the furrow in her brow accentuating the mole on her face. "Honestly, besides his stamina, his skills are pretty bad," she complained. "His shooting is terrible he kept hitting one of my classmates. That boy whined a lot before

he took went astray, always ending up targeting

He was about to ask her more when Grant, fresh from a shower and dressed in clean clothes, descended the stairs, towel in hand, drying his hair. He shot Michael a sharp look, and

his tone surprisingly sincere. "I got him a gift card for the restaurant as an

widened at this, clearly not expecting such

let it slide. She lazily got up from

Grant, clearly intrigued and lowered his voice. "Grant, what's the deal?

deal? My basketball skills suck now, and my aim's off

was left speechless. What was Grant up

bags she'd

she couldn't help but gush, "Mr. Martin is so good to you, isn't he? These bags must've cost a

purse. "Yeah, they're pretty pricey. All the latest

never been this generous to any other girl," Mia remarked casually to Chloe, their familiarity evident. Chloe didn't take her words to heart.