A Life Beyond Limits novel Chapter 136

That was great. Phillip was hooked.

Jack had thrown out a few compliments, and now Phillip was drunk on praise, actually thinking he could give him pointers.

This put Jack in a tough spot.

If he drew too well, he'd overshadow Phillip.

If he drew too poorly, Phillip might start looking down on him.

After a moment of thought, Jack decided to keep it casual—good enough to be respectable but not so good that it made Phillip look bad.

Yet even with that mindset, his natural skill in painting still shone through.

He smoothly brushed the words "You have great painting skills, Mr. Cole" with a rough sketch of his face onto the paper.

Bella's eyes flickered with surprise. Even she hadn't expected Jack to have such skills.

Phillip studied the words for a moment before nodding approvingly. "It's not too bad. Of course, you're still a bit behind me, but you've got potential."

Jack immediately played along. "Of course! My skills are nowhere near yours, Mr. Cole. Your writing is on par with the greatest artists in the world—I can only dream of reaching such heights."

Phillip beamed, his ego soaring to dangerous levels.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. But, you know, I wouldn't mind coming behind them. Maybe someone I could even give you some advice on improving."

"Sure, Mr. Cole," Jack thanked Phillip.

The atmosphere was warm and friendly as the two of them exchanged drinks. Even Bella blushed from the flattery. Phillip was very pleased with Jack's performance.

He was a little tipsy as he patted Jack on the shoulder and said, "Jack, you really know how to impress people! I've decided you're a keeper. As far as I'm concerned, you've passed the test. But there's still one more hurdle—Bella's mom. You'd better be prepared."

But that was all the money he had left.

After thinking it over, Jack decided to call Patrick to see if he could borrow some money.

Isaac agreed immediately, offering him a loan of ten thousand dollars without hesitation.

Even though Drakengard Games was going through financial struggles, Patrick figured that as CEO, Jack shouldn't be walking around broke.

With cash in hand, Jack finally felt a little more at ease.

But when he returned to the dorm, he was met with a suffocating cloud of cigarette smoke.

Samuel sat hunched on the floor, chain-smoking. Empty beer bottles were scattered everywhere. His face was streaked with dried tears, and he looked like a man who had completely given up on life.

Jack frowned and walked over, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Come on," he said. "You're drinking alone? That's pathetic."