Your family and Sascha's go together on a trip to Paris. Will something happen between you and this conceited and spoilt tennis player or will it all end in a huge family fight?
We were all finishing our second course when the night reached a turning point.
I was trying my best to seem like I was part of a conversation between Mischa and Mrs Reed, making a comment every now and then. Frankly, I didn't know what they were talking about. I had my eyes fixed on the scene going on around Sascha.
He was engaged in a conversation with a young guy sitting opposite him, who looked his age. I could hear they were talking about basket, which Sascha loved, so they seemed to be having fun.
The pretty girl seating next to Sascha had her head resting over her hand as she stared at him in astonishment and laughed at everything she said, as though she was having the time of her life.
Irina, who was sitting on Sascha's other side, looked uncomfortable. She smiled at the girl everytime she laughed, to try to include her into the boys' conversation. It was like Irina was trying to make Sascha and the girl bond, but was clearly failing.
What was all this about?
Suddenly, Mischa grabbed my arm gently.
"Easy. If you keep glaring at them you'll set them all on fire" he said, letting out a short laugh.
I laughed. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea" I replied, but I took his advice and drew my eyes away.
And that's when the drama began.
At that exact moment, Mr Zverev stood up and spoke up for everybody to listen.
"Goodnight everybody. I hope all of you are having a good time. I take the opportunity to thank everybody for coming to this dinner. And I would also like to propose a toast" he made a pause.
I had noticed he was sitting next to a very well dressed man, who looked important. They had been talking ever since the night started, and the conversation looked serious, which made me wonder once again the purpose of the whole fancy dinner.
As he pronounced the last words, the man turned his head to him, looking surprised and a little worried. Mr Zverev continued.
"To Sascha's new sponsor"
The well dressed man stood up automatically and grabbed Mr Zverev's arm.
"Sorry. About that..." he stammered "we were discussing it with my assitant and we are... a little unsure about your son's performance"
We all sat frozen, in complete silence. All our eyes now placed on Sascha, who was also frozen and white as a tissue paper.
Mr Zverev let out a nervous laugh and said in a whisper:
"What do you mean unsure?"
"Well" the man continued, turning to the rest of us, who were obviously involuntary intruders in an unexpected conversation. To my surprise, he now turned to Sascha, sitting a few seats away, and spoke directly to him. "You see... your last match... well... it was kind of... pathetic"
Sascha's expression was drastically transformed. He looked confused, surprised and outraged, all at the same time. He shook his head and fired back.
"What? That's bullshit"
My eyes opened wide in disbelief.
The man placed his glass of wine angrily on the table, making a really loud noise, making Mischa startle next to me. He then spoke, the anger visibly growing inside his body.
"Sorry, what did you just say?"
Sascha stood up slowly, without drawing his eyes away from the man. The pretty girl beside him, now right in the middle of the discussion, had her eyes stuck on the floor.
"Was I not clear? That is BULLSHIT" he said angrily, stressing every letter of his last word.
Irina placed her hands on Sascha's shoulders to calm him down, but he quickly shrugged them away. He continued.
"I can take criticism, but pathetic? Are you serious?"
He was almost shouting. The man threw a deadly look at Sascha, and now he was shouting as well.
"Two set lead in the most important match of the season. And you choke. And then you sit there, your eyes all watery." he gestured mockingly "Are you seriously professional? That is definitely pathetic"
Sascha was now silent, standing in anger. The man continued.
"I thought you had the perfect profile. A strong man. Brave" he maid a short pause and laughed jokingly. "You're just a disrespectful child"
The man gave a look at the guy sitting opposite Sascha.
"I'll wait for you two in the car"
And just like that he rushed to the parking lot, ignoring Mr Zverev's attempt to stop him and calm things down.
The guy and the pretty girl slowly stood up and followed him. I then understood he was their father.
Mr Zverev broke the silence, shouting directly to his youngest son.
"What the hell were you thinking, Alexander?
"Not you too" Sascha replied, letting out a sigh.
"You ruined everything" his father kept shouting, angrily
"Me? Someone I don't even know just called me pathetic in front of everyone!" he explained hysterically.
Mr Zverev made a pause and answered calmly but sharply.
"Then maybe you should quit taking days off to go shopping and train harder if you want to get somewhere in life"
Wait, what? How was I part of all this trouble?
Sascha shook his head in disbelief. His answer sounded upset rather than angry.
"You're unbelievable."
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And with those words, he left the table and rushed towards the hotel garden.
Without thinking, I made an attempt to stand up and follow him, but Mischa grabbed my arm once again. I turned my face to him, who looked worried.
"Don't. Leave him alone for a while"
Wooow, big plot twist! I tried to look for a picture of Sacha looking somehow angry in a non tennis situation, but I couldnt find any! He's always looking great ❤️ so sorry, not the best picture choice 😂Next chapter is almost ready so I promise I won't keep you waiting for so long!! Hope you guys liked it and thanks again for all your comments! You're seriously the best.
Btw, I'm so happy for Sascha's win over De Minaur and Kyrgios! He played wonderfully and gave Germany a big win. Thank God for Davis Cup! I'm still hungover from the AO😂😂
