Chapter 237
They glanced at Thorne, then at Charlene, and finally settled their gaze on Vesta, their brows furrowing slightly. In the silence, Thorne suddenly spoke up, “Been a while since you played chess?”
Charlene was focused on dismantling his strategy and responded without looking up, just giving a small “Yeah.”
Ever since marrying him, she had pretty much stopped playing chess altogether.
Thorne commented, “You seem a bit rusty.”
Charlene didn’t reply, keeping her concentration on the board. The situation wasn’t in her favor.
It looked like there was a promising path near Thorne’s side, but in reality, he had set hidden traps, waiting for her to take the bait so he could catch her off guard.
After pondering for a moment, Charlene bypassed his traps and made her move elsewhere.
The board finally began to clear up.
Now, Thorne was on the back foot.
Thorne raised an eyebrow with a smile and took a long moment before making his next move.
The game became tense once more.
After a few more exchanges, Charlene lost by a narrow margin.
“Pity,” Campbell commented, “but this game was far more thrilling than the last one. She didn’t have the advantage of the first move, yet she managed to pick up on parts of her opponent’s strategy from their previous match. She skillfully navigated through it while laying her own traps-such sharp observation, memory, and strategic thinking at such a young age. Quite impressive.”
With that, he turned to Quintin and declared, “You wouldn’t stand a chance against her.”
Quintin conceded, “Yeah, I know.”
If he had been the one playing against Thorne, he wouldn’t have lasted as long as Charlene did.
After tidying up the chess pieces, Charlene stood up. Seeing that she didn’t intend to continue, Thorne suggested, “How about another game?”
Hearing this, Vesta tightened her lips.
Before Charlene could respond, someone chimed in, “Yeah, the gap was so small. Another game and you might just win.”
“Exactly!”
But Charlene shook her head, “No, thanks.”
The last game looked like she was close to fully understanding Thorne’s strategy.
But who knew if what she thought she understood wasn’t just a façade he intentionally created?
With that thought in mind, she left without looking back, vacating her spot.
Lance stepped in to fill the vacancy.
Stewart approached her and suggested, “Fancy a drink?”
Charlene agreed, “Sure.”
Campbell noticed the close rapport between Stewart and Charlene and paused, “The young one from the Ferguson family is quite lucky.”
Quintin nodded in agreement, “Indeed.”
They had initially thought Vesta was quite impressive.
But after watching Charlene play two rounds, they realized she was on a whole different level.
Charlene was poised and intelligent, her gaze clear, and she seemed well-mannered. They had been considering whether to inquire if she had a boyfriend, but before they could, Stewart had already made his move.
Campbell noted, “They make a good match.”
He glanced meaningfully at York beside him.
York caught on immediately. He chuckled wryly, watching Charlene and Stewart as they walked away, then returned his attention to the scene.
Charlene and Stewart took a seat in the garden, enjoying each other’s company when Laverne and Henley joined them.
They figured Charlene had played chess with Thorne just to grab his attention, hoping it might make him rethink going through with the divorce. Moreover, during the game, Thorne seemed to have a soft spot for her, his demeanor noticeably warmer than before.
This wasn’t looking good.