"Here’s how it works—you’ll clear the table in one shot. If you sink every ball, you win. Miss even a single one, and you lose. You’ve got fifteen minutes," Philip declared, his voice dripping with arrogance.

I didn’t exactly have the luxury of refusing, so I responded briskly, "Deal."

"We’ll start the timer whenever you’re ready," he added, reclining on the couch like some kind of VIP.

I positioned myself at the table, took a steadying ...