Chapter 10: Are You A Sore Loser?

Wesley knew he couldn't show up at the Simmons residence empty-handed, so he went to the mall.
The Simmons family was not short of money. Hence, Wesley's gifts emphasized the thoughts he put into those gifts instead of their values.
Christopher Simmons' age was catching up to him, so he favored a refined and cultivated demeanor. In the end, Wesley brought him a high-quality Go set.
As for Arvin Simmons, Wesley opted for alcohol and teas.
Then, he chose beauty products and supplements for Ethel's mom.
Having exchanged their contact information the previous night, Wesley took out his mobile phone and called Ethel after he finished shopping.
After that, he drove to the Simmons residence.
Ethel was already waiting at the door. After all, she was now Wesley's girlfriend.
The woman felt the nerve tingling when she spotted Wesley walking over with the gifts after parking his car.
Although she knew that Wesley would not hurt her, she still couldn't help but feel fear when she thought of his decisive and resolution actions from last night.
"Ettie."
Wesley called out affectionately as he approached her.
Ethel's face flushed red, feeling shy. She wasn't used to the intimate way Wesley addressed her.
With that, she led Wesley into her family's four-level villa and went straight to the living room.
The Simmons family were all present.
"Hi, everyone!"
Wesley greeted them politely.
He put the gift in his hands on the coffee table. "These are my gestures of goodwill."
Arvin pointed to the sofa next to him. "Take a seat."
"Thank you, Mr. Simmons."
Wesley walked over and sat down, accepting his fate of being sized up by the Simmons family.
Arvin continued, "Ethel told us about you, but there are some things that I'm still unclear about."
"Yes, Mr. Simmons?"
"She said you just returned from abroad, and you're now working at Heavensent Group?"
Wesley nodded. "Yes, I was just appointed as the general manager this morning. It's just that I haven't had time to go to the company today."
Arvin and the rest froze, looking surprised.
"You didn't go to the company even though the appointment letter was issued?"
Wesley smiled. "I'm just a general manager. I don't think my position is as important as Ettie and you guys."
Arvin and his family were stunned.
He mused, "Just a general manager? How is he so arrogant? So many people work hard to achieve that position in their lives. You were not present when the appointment letter was issued. Instead, you chose to come and meet us?"
Although Wesley's actions indicated that he valued Ethel and respected the Simmons family, the Simmons family couldn't help but feel like Wesley was too love-struck.
As a result, the Simmons family didn't know whether to be happy with this or to criticize Wesley for not understanding which matter was more important.
Wesley seriously said, "That matter is final, but if I don't visit you today, my girlfriend may consider dumping me."
He used Francis's computer to send the appointment letter to Heavensent Group's senior executives. As Francis had died, no one could take back the appointment letter.
Next, Arvin and his wife asked Wesley a few more questions like which family he was from, where they originated, whether anyone else was left in his family, and which university he went to while abroad.
Wesley had already prepared answers to these questions.
So far, the Simmons family was quite satisfied with Wesley's background.
Of course, they didn't know that Wesley had just divorced. If they had known, the outcome would have been hard to predict, and he might even have been kicked out.
After all, the Simmons family was not like any other ordinary family, so they had excessive consideration and hesitation in matters related to them. If news spread that Ethel's boyfriend was divorced, it would be a hit to their reputation regardless of the reason for the divorce.
So, Wesley didn't plan to mention this piece of news. He was here to repay his debt and would leave when Ethel was safe.
"Stay for lunch, Wesley."
Ethel's grandpa, Christopher Simmons, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke.
Startled, Wesley paused before nodding. "Sure. Thank you, old Mr. Simmons."
"Can you play chess?"
Wesley nodded. "Yeah. I have a slight knowledge of it."
Mr. Lawson was a chess fan, so Wesley had played a fair share with him, which explained his average chess skills.
"Okay, it's too early for lunch. Let's go for a few rounds?"
Wesley thought, "Huh? This old man is quite professional."
Then, he smiled and nodded.
Christopher brought Wesley to the study room and set up the chessboard. The two sat across from each other and started playing chess using the Go set brought by Wesley.
It seemed like Christopher greatly appreciated the thoughtful gift Wesley came up with.
Before starting, Christopher reminded him, "Wesley, don't downplay your skills. I want to see you unleash your true potential."
The other man smiled and nodded.
Christopher was utterly defeated in the first game.
Although he looked like a proficient chess master, his skill was far inferior to Mr. Lawson's.
Wesley looked up to see Christopher's upset face.
He complained inwardly, "IYoutold me not to downplay my skills. But now, you looked upset after losing the game. Are you a sore loser?"
Feeling helpless, Wesley scratched his head. "Old Mr. Simmons, you told me not to downplay my skills. Did you deliberately allow me to win?"
Christopher said with a straight face, "Wesley, one's chess skills are like one's character. You can determine a person's character and thinking from playing chess."
Wesley was speechless. He wondered if Christopher was hinting that he had a bad character, musing, "Old man, you're so inconsistent with your words. What else can I say after you told me that?"
Christopher continued, "It can be seen from the game just now that you are good at attacking but not defending. However, it is normal for young people not to know how to temper one's edge, but this is a taboo when it comes to conducting business. You must know how to keep a low profile while simultaneously excelling at defense and offense to become the biggest winner."
Wesley was stunned. The older man before him had been in the business world for a long time, so his capabilities were unmatched. Also, Christopher was a good judge of character. Wesley was indeed good at offense, not defense.
However, he was an assassin. To Wesley, the offense was the best defense. Of course, he could not say this out loud, for Christopher would definitely disagree with him.
"Thank you for the tip, old Mr. Simmons. I'll keep them in mind."
"Well, let's continue."
The two continued to play chess.
In the second game, Wesley lost.
The same thing happened in the third round.
The results remained the same in the last few rounds.
Christopher was overjoyed to win consecutive rounds as he beamed with joy.
Wesley thought, "He taught me to hide my emotions. Yet, he shows every emotion he has on his face. When he lost, he looked displeased. When he won, he beamed with joy. He's so double standard!"
But this was a normal occurrence with elderlies. Hence, this was where the term "grown-up kid" came from.
"You have superb skills. It's no wonder I lost. I admit my defeat."
Although Wesley was overbearing, he had worldly wisdom, and his flattering words made Christopher chuckle.
The older man laughed. "External factors easily sway young people. Whether a chess game or a business deal, it's all about mind manipulation. What I said previously affected you, so you have become timid, choosing to hold your defense instead of offense."
Wesley secretly rolled his eyes. He wouldn't have let Christopher win so effortlessly if the latter wasn't Ethel's grandpa.
He stood and bowed. "Thank you for your teachings, old Mr. Simmons. I have benefited enormously from them."
Christopher guffawed, in an apparent good mood.
He peered at the time. "Okay, that's it for today. It's almost time. Let's go down for a meal. Have a drink with me later."
Wesley let out a relieved sigh. It seemed like Christopher was quite fond of him up until now.