Chapter Two - Golf

The drive back to the Sinclair mansion was a quiet one.

Everyone was taken aback by Stephen silencing them at dinner and standing up for Jason.

He’s never approved of him. Although his disapproval was more silent, It was always a form of disappointed gazes, backhanded compliments, and sometimes he would completely ignore his existence. But it seemed as though hell had frozen over.

Jason kept replaying the moment in his head. Was his father-in-law finally warming up to him?

He scoffed at the thought. Of course not. He was probably thinking of his daughter’s feelings and not his own.

He turned to Diana, who was sitting behind him. Her head was tilted towards the window, and she seemed to be lost in thought. Jason held her hand, but she didn’t reciprocate the action or even turn to acknowledge him.

“I’m sorry” was all she whispered; her voice was so low that Jason thought he imagined the apology.

When they finally arrived at the mansion, Jason didn’t go up to He and Diana’s room.

He sat in the living room, thinking of all the times the Sinclairs had ridiculed and belittled him. Even Christopher, who may not be related to him by blood but grew up with him, was so eager to jump at the first opportunity to mock him,.

Tears cascaded down his face, and he walked towards the kitchen to get something to drink.

“I can’t be sober and sad at the same time," he said to himself.

But on his way to the kitchen, he found Stephen crouched down on the dining room floor.

Jason froze in his tracks. He wondered what could make the great Stephen Sinclair look so small.

“Who’s there?” Stephen and raised his head to survey the area.

He locked eyes with Jason, who was slowly backing away.

“I’m sorry, sir. I was just getting something to drink. I'll leave."

“No. Come sit with me.”

Jason’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. This man is full of surprises today, he thought to himself.

He hesitantly walked over to him and crouched down beside him.

Stephen passed Jason a bottle of Yeager, and Jason hesitated before taking a drink from it.

Does he want to poison me and get me out of his daughter’s life once and for all? He thought so but eventually drank from it.

The silence between the two was getting awkward, and Jason was about to excuse himself until Stephen finally broke it.

“Do you want to play golf at the club with me tomorrow?"

His heart leaped. He was almost certain this time that he had imagined that.

His father-in-law's only ever went golfing with his sons. Not to mention that he resented Jason and thought he wasn’t good enough for his daughter.

"Of- of course I do, sir; I would love to." He mentally slapped himself for stuttering and sounding so desperate, but then again, it wasn’t his fault. Stephen’s request was so out of character.

"Okay, then we will leave tomorrow by 12,” Stephen said, giving Stephen a small smile before getting up and going to his room.

Jason sat there, stunned. Did Stephen Sonclair just ask him to play golf with him? Did Stephen Sinclair just smile at him? Or was he just dreaming?

He had wanted nothing but his father-in-law's approval since the day he set eyes on Diana, but he didn’t know how to feel at this moment.

He let out a deep sigh and went upstairs to his room.

“This was probably all a dream, or maybe my father-in-law was drunk out of his mind,” he said to himself before plopping down on his bed.

The next morning, everyone had already left the mansion to go to work.

As always, Jason was the only one at home. He didn’t like the fact that Diana left so early every morning. He understood that she had a lot of work to do at Sinclair enterprises, but he couldn’t help but think that she left so early because she couldn’t stand to look at him.

He checked the time and saw that it was approaching noon. He remembered Stephen’s drunken request.

He heard a knock on the door and asked the person to come in. It was one of the housekeepers.

“Mr. Jason, Mr. Sinclair is waiting for you in his jeep.” she said

“He was serious about that?!” he exclaimed

“What?”

“Nothing. Please tell him I'll be right there”

Jason hurriedly got ready and rushed outside to meet Stephen.

“I thought you’d never show,” Stephen said.

“I’m sorry for taking so long, sir.”

“It’s fine, get in!”

Jason got into the car and shut the door. Throughout the drive, he kept on stealing glances at Stephen, trying to fathom why he was treating him like a human being for once.

He only recently started responding to his morning greetings, and now he wanted to play golf together.

When they got to the country club, Jason was immensely humbled.

Sometimes he forgot just how rich and prominent the Sinclairs actually were.

“Good morning, Mr. Sinclair, please come in,” one of the workers said to Stephen. She was a young lady, probably in her mid-twenties, and her name tag read "Fiona.”

Jason followed after Stephen, but Fiona stopped him in his tracks. "Sorry, but the help isn’t allowed in the club,” she spat at him.

“I’m not the help." Jason retorted

Fiona took another look at him and his dressing, and she scoffed. “I said you’re not allowed in.”

"No, he’s with me,” Stephen said.

Fiona’s mouth parted open before she bowed down to apologise. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir."

Stephen led Jason to the golf court, and they spent the afternoon playing together.

At first, Jason couldn’t even hold the stick properly, but eventually he got the hang of it and was finally able to get one in the hole.

"YES!” he shouted excitedly. “I finally got it in!”

Jason looked over at Stephen for his approval, but he saw Stephen’s body go limp and his eyes roll back as he collapsed on the floor and lost consciousness.