The last ti anything caused such a stir was when Mr. Albright unveiled his outrageously expensive set of chess pieces at a high-society gathering. Rumor had it that just selecting the materials took three years, and another three years were spent ticulously crafting the pieces by hand, each valued at a whopping 20 thousand dollars.
And now, the owners of the world’s two most extravagantly priced chess sets stood among them.
"Serena, why don’t you show us your prized chess set?" Lindsay attempted to put Serena in the spotlight. After all, the woman who had snatched away Serena’s fiancé was right there; it was ti to
overshadow her rival’s prestige!
Serena forced a polite smile, tugging at the corner of her mouth, "That thing’s massive; how could I possibly carry it around with all the ti?"
"But you just showed a photo on your phone, didn’t you? Such a valuable chess set is a rare sight for many. Co on, give us all a little treat and show it."
Lindsay ant no harm, but Serena inwardly cursed, wishing she could just rip Lindsay’s mouth off.
"Did Queena really give you such an expensive gift?"
"Then you must be her favorite protege."
The crowd internally sighed with envy; it seed they had no hope of becoming Queena’s protege.
"Why not bring out the chess set for us to see?"
"I’d love to have a peek, too."
"I’ve only heard about its worth but never seen it in person."
"This would be the perfect chance for to lay my eyes on it."
Serena maintained her smile, "My phone’s about to die. If you guys really want to see it, I’ll post it on my social dia later, and you can all take your ti admiring it."
The crowd thought she was reluctant to share and were about to drop the subject.
Unexpectedly, Eugene had his set of costly chess pieces brought out and, in full view of everyone, asked, "Serena, is this the set you were talking about?"
Everyone stared, one by one their faces registering shock.
How did Mr. Albright co to possess this chess set?
"I’ve seen this set before when it was with the collector Tobias. I saw it at his place, and after Queena won the championship, Tobias gifted it to her!"
"Mr. Albright, wasn’t this set given to Serena by Queena? How co it’s in your possession?"
"Did Serena give it to you?"
"What on earth is going on here?"
Serena’s face went deathly pale; she couldn’t believe what was happening before her eyes. How could this expensive chess set appear here?
"Ha, what a coincidence, this set was indeed a gift from Queena to !"
Eugene’s words sent shockwaves through the crowd, who instinctively turned to look at Serena.
Serena feigned composure, despite the panic flooding her inside.
"Queena knew of my love for chess and gifted it to the very day she acquired it!"
The crowd was hit with another round of disbelief, their eyes darting back to Serena.
Where did Serena’s supposed pricey chess set co from?
Was she lying?
She actually didn’t have a chess set, and Queena had never given her one; was she deceiving them?
Even Lindsay looked at Serena in confusion, wondering what the real story was.
There was only supposed to be one set of such valuable chess pieces, right?
"The set I have," Serena maintained her composed facade, trying to smile appropriately, and calmly explained, "is different from this one. It was personally crafted by my ntor Queena. It’s priceless to , so when I spoke of it to my friends, I referred to it as a ’priceless chess set’, not the one you’re thinking of."
The guests had their mont of realization; it all made sense now.
"Can’t believe Queena can make chess pieces and is so kind to her protege."
"Serena, you really struck gold with a ntor like that."
"Did your ntor show up today?"
"Will she even co?"
Serena had no clue who Queena was. She had just wanted to show off in front of her friend, not expecting to stir up such a fuss.
But she wasn’t foolish. Seeing that no one ntioned Queena’s arrival, she smiled and said, "She’s not here yet."
"So, when is she coming?"
"Since she’s not here, how about you have a little match with Rosemary? It’ll be a sight to see!"
"You’re Queena’s protege; it’s bound to be a thrilling ga!"
Right then, Eugene chid in with a mischievous grin, "Let’s have a match, as a special treat for this birthday celebration. No refusals! I’ve got the itch to see so chess tonight, and I want to know who’s
the real talent between you two!"
Hearing this, Serena felt like she was in deep trouble.
Though she could play chess, she was no match for Rosemary. To be honest, she couldn’t even beat others in the room like Phyllis or Lindsay.
She was here to et Jamie Noelle, hoping to beco her protege, not to play chess and embarrass herself.
"Serena, don’t push yourself if you’re not feeling well."
That was when Martin, noticing her discomfort, stepped in to help, "Sorry everyone, Serena ntioned earlier that she had a headache. We were planning to leave after Mr. Albright blew out the candles and we cut the cake. Looks like we’ll have to excuse ourselves a bit earlier."
"No, don’t go so soon. Isn’t your ntor Queena almost here?"
"She’s Queena’s protege; she should at least wait for her own ntor before leaving, right?"
"The party’s barely started. Just play a few moves; let us in on the action!"
"Yeah, it’s just a few moves. Serena seed perfectly spirited just now; how co she’s suddenly got a headache?"
Clearly, so were skeptical.
Serena had no choice but to rub her temples, feigning discomfort, "I just didn’t want to dampen Mr.Albright’s spirits."
"Well, don’t spoil the mood now." Alma said with an innocent laugh from the crowd, "Last ti you had a stomachache, and you still easily won the match! Don’t be so modest; Mr. Albright and everyone else are waiting for you!"
Serena couldn’t believe Alma was butting in now. When had she ever had a stomachache, and when had she ever ’easily’ won a match? Alma was making things up! That was just unfair!
"And the ti before that, you had a fever, and soone insisted on challenging you to a ga of chess. You beat her in less than a minute." Alma continued to egg on, "And the ti before that, you were in the hospital, one hand under an intravenous drip, and so chess fanatic ca looking for a match. Despite being unwell, you still managed to wipe the floor with him!"
The crowd was impressed; was she that good?
"Don’t worry about beating Rose. She’s got a strong mind. It’s such a rare opportunity to et your match."
Everyone thought Alma was being respectful by calling Rosemary "Rose".
She continued, even pulling Serena to the chessboard and making her sit, "Rose, she’s not feeling well;
so just play for a minute or two, okay? Don’t tire her out."
Rosemary could see right through Alma’s act; she was just setting Serena up for embarrassnt.
"Serena, if you’re not feeling well, I’ll take you ho to rest."
"Co on, no need to rush off this minute or two."
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