"You never told who you gave those jade chess pieces I gifted you!"
His words detonated like a bomb in the crowd.
Everyone was too stunned to speak. From the sounds of it, Mr. Eugene seed to have quite the relationship with Rosemary.
The jade chess set that Mr. Eugene ntioned—could it be the sa one that caused a sensation worldwide?
It was rumored that the selection process for the jade stones was rigorous. Any stones with cracks, uneven color, or that were too small were dismissed as materials.
It took three years to select the materials and another three to craft the 361 pieces, all by hand. Each piece was valued at $20,000.
When it was finished, it drew the attention of many chess collectors. In the end, Mr. Eugene bought it for $18 million, treating it as a treasure.
But now, it seed that Rosemary had given away that priceless chess set after Mr. Eugene gifted it to her!
How dare Rosemary?
That was a gift from Mr. Eugene himself!
Even if they ignored the imnse value, the sentint behind the gift was not sothing she could just disregard.
She was being utterly disrespectful!
Rosemary smirked, asking with interest, "Are you looking to settle old scores, Grandpa Eugene?"
That chess set was given to her by Mr. Eugene when he lost a ga to her—fair and square.
It was hers, and she was free to do with it as she pleased.
"That chess set was my pride and joy. I insist that you play a ga of chess with today!" Mr. Eugene demanded.
"Here?" Rosemary glanced around. The crowd had grown quite large, blocking every exit.
The old man was ecstatic. "Right here!"
He had finally found her. How could he not satisfy his craving for a chess ga?
Ah, for a man of his stature, finding a worthy opponent was a rare opportunity.
"Are you sure?" Rosemary asked with a playful smile.
He had lost the last ga they played, with only a few servants as witnesses. But now, with so many students around, if he lost again...
Was he not afraid of losing face?
"Absolutely!" Mr. Eugene was full of confidence, whispering in Rosemary’s ear, "I’ve been practicing a lot at ho these past few months!"
Just to beat her once and regain his dignity.
Rosemary found it amusing. "So what’s the wager this ti?"
"No wager, no wager." Mr. Eugene waved his hands dismissively. "Just a friendly ga."
He couldn’t afford to lose another valuable possession to her, especially if she was just going to give it away again.
He couldn’t take it.
By now, the expressions on the faces of the spectators were beyond shock.
The famous chess master, Mr. Eugene, had personally sought out Rosemary backstage at the Sumrfield College competition to challenge her to a ga of chess.
Just how skilled was Rosemary at chess??
Although she had beaten Alma in the previous match, was that enough to impress Mr. Eugene??
Alma, on the other hand, clenched her fists in disbelief.
Why?
Why did everyone favor Rosemary, giving her so much face?
The key point was that Rosemary had been raised in the Harris family. How did she have the connections to et soone as influential as Mr. Eugene??
Alma was sowhat upset because even her teacher hadn’t had the chance to et Mr. Eugene, let alone a young girl like Rosemary.
But Mr. Eugene had Vice Principal Mr. Leopold bring the chess set, sat down, and began a match with Rosemary.
The clash of titans left everyone in awe, with the two opponents evenly matched from the get-go, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
This was the essence of a chess ga!
This was what made it interesting!
Mr. Eugene was reveling in the competition, and his spirits lifted.
On the other hand, Rosemary was not as aloof as she had been with Alma. She was deeply engaged, her eyes sparkling with interest as if playing with an old friend, watching Mr. Eugene, the charming old man, with an air of casual amusent.
"Ha-ha! Got you!" Mr. Eugene was elated. Capturing one of Rosemary’s pieces felt more rewarding than capturing a hundred from soone else!
Rosemary couldn’t help but smile. One piece, and the old man was over the moon. She wondered how long it had been since he had last tasted victory.
Everyone thought Rosemary would be defeated, yet as the minutes ticked by, they remained on equal footing, their skills evenly matched.
Who was this Rosemary, and from whom did she learn to play?
How could she stand her ground against Mr. Eugene for so long?
Was she even human?
The spectators from Westerly College were stunned. Their top-ranked student was holding her own against Mr. Eugene!
The ga had been going on for half an hour, and neither of them had gained an upper hand. They had captured the sa number of pieces!
How did she manage that?
Mr. Eugene was secretly delighted. He had not practiced in vain all these months to be able to hold his own against this young lady!
"Considering how busy you’ve been lately, you’ve neglected your training. Look at you now—you’re rusty."
With Rosemary’s skills, she should have been able to beat him within half an hour.
But now...
Just as Mr. Eugene felt smug, Rosemary captured three pieces. Surprised, he gaped at her. "You!"
"What’s the matter?"
Mr. Eugene stared at the chessboard, suddenly realizing he had overlooked a key detail, allowing Rosemary to exploit a weakness!
From then on, he put all his focus on the ga.
anwhile...
Andrew, the president of the Westerly College student union, glanced at the clock, a bit worried.
Rosemary’s companions should have finished their matches by now, but they hadn’t shown up.
Could they have suffered a complete defeat, losing so badly that Rosemary had stayed back to console the tearful group?
With this thought, he sent Rosemary a WhatsApp ssage:
[Done yet? Need any help?]
Mya clung to Joyce’s arm, her nervousness apparent. "Why hasn’t Rosemary co yet? I’m getting anxious."
" too."
Their turn was coming up soon. Rosemary had promised to co and cheer for them before their matches.
But now, Rosemary hadn’t replied to their WhatsApp ssages or answered their calls.
Could it be because they were losing badly?
"Oh no, no, no." Mr. Eugene watched in disbelief as Rosemary captured another one of his pieces.
Although Rosemary hadn’t been practicing at ho lately, she understood Mr. Eugene’s strategies, knowing the defenses he would set.
So, she purposely let Mr. Eugene think he was successful in defending his pieces. Instead, she attacked from a different angle, targeting his undefended pieces.
The old man regretted his previous move, wishing he hadn’t made it!
After another half hour, Rosemary clinched the win by a single piece.
The audience was stunned into silence, refraining from applauding for fear of hurting Mr. Eugene’s pride.
He had lost to Rosemary?
Just as Mr. Eugene was about to voice his admiration for a well-played ga, a young woman stepped forward with a challenge.
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