Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
Lindsay tried to break free, but she was clearly no match for Mirabella, “Ouch, get your foot off.”
Madeline, a friend nearby, quickly tried to defuse the situation, “Today’s Mr. Albright’s birthday, and we’re all here as his invited guests. Let’s not make a scene. Please let Lindsay go. It was an accident, and you two are even now.”
“She bumped into me twice, and I only stepped on her once. Are we even?” Mirabella wouldn’t budge, her cold eyes fixed on Lindsay.
“Lindsay, just apologize to her,” Madeline sensed Mirabella was not someone to be trifled with, “Don’t forget we have important thing to attend to today!”
They were there to seek mentorship, and it wouldn’t do to make a fool of themselves in front of the masters.
Although Lindsay had no desire to apologize to Mirabella, the thought of the mentorship spurred her to grudgingly mutter, “I’m sorry, okay?”
“Not good enough.”
“What do you want, then?””Don’t you know how to offer a sincere apology? Didn’t anyone at home teach you? Need me to show you how?”
Lindsay bit her lip. Seeing Eugene rushing over, she didn’t want to embarrass herself and quickly blurted out, “I’m sorry. I did it on purpose earlier. It won’t happen again.”
“Was that so hard?” Mirabella shot her a callous look and turned to walk away.
Lindsay watched her walk off, tears welling up, ready to play the victim in front of Eugene, hoping he would take her side.
After all, she had “accidentally” bumped into Mirabella, and Mirabella had insisted on stepping on her foot and demanding an apology.
If Eugene knew how petty and narrow-minded Mirabella was.
But the next moment, Eugene approached like a joyful child, making a beeline towards them.
Even the other guests who wanted to greet him were ignored in his excitement.
“My dear, you finally made it!” Eugene exclaimed joyfully, rushing over to Mirabella. He affectionately ruffled her hair and said, “I’ve been waiting for ages. Thought you’d stood me up.”
Lindsay’s tears lingered in her eye sockets, while Madeline stood there, dumbfounded. What was this twist? Was Mirabella personally invited by Eugene? They seemed so close.
“All these pastries are my treat for you; they’re all your favorites. How’s that? From now on, you reply to my messages first, and forget the other grandpas!”
Lindsay was not going to feign pity for sympathy, as it was clear that Eugene was very fond of Mirabella.
Just moments ago, she had been foolishly hoping Eugene would take her side and teach Mirabella a lesson. What a daydream that was!
Even Madeline felt a twinge of fear – had they inadvertently crossed someone they shouldn’t have?
“Were you snacking over here just now?” Eugene inquired.
He hadn’t seen her earlier, as guests were milling about everywhere, blocking his view. He could only catch a fleeting glimpse of Mirabella’s silhouette, but that didn’t stop him from running towards her.
“Where’s my present?”
Eugene rarely ever asked for gifts directly.
Lindsay and Madeline couldn’t believe their eyes. Eugene and Mirabella seemed to be on such good terms.
Other guests, though unaware of the specifics of Eugene and Mirabella’s conversation, could tell from his affectionate gestures – patting her head, beaming smiles – that Eugene held this girl in specialregard.
It appeared he was quite fond of her.
“Here,” Mirabella didn’t want to dampen his spirits by bringing up any earlier unpleasantness, so she simply handed him a neatly wrapped little gift box.
Eugene was over the moon, cradling the box gingerly as he tried to guess its contents, “Let’s see if I can guess what this is.”
Many guests, noticing the small size of Mirabella’s gift yet Eugene’s evident joy, moved in closer, curious to see if her present was more valuable than theirs. If it was more precious, then there would be a problem!
As the crowd around Eugene grew, the guessing game among the guests intensified.
“Given the size of the box, could it be a wristwatch?”
“A watch would be fitting, wouldn’t it? It’s classy, befitting Mr. Albright’s stature, and so practical.”
“I’m thinking it might be something like a lighter.”
“At Mr. Albright’s milestone 60th birthday, would a lighter be appropriate? I bet it’s something like a tie.”
“Mr. Eugene enjoys chess; could it be a set of chess pieces?”
While the guests speculated, Eugene kept his eyes on Mirabella, gauging her reactions. Seeing her calm demeanor, he knew they were all off the mark. His curiosity piqued, he couldn’t help but ask, “What on earth is it?”
“Why don’t you open it and see?” Mirabella played coy.The guests leaned in, alongside Eugene, their gazes fixed on the small box, anxious about the possibility that Mirabella’s gift might outshine their own in rarity or value.
As the lid was lifted, to everyone’s surprise, inside was a rolled-up drawing!
Eugene unfurled it to see a modestly-sized piece, slightly larger than a letter-sized paper, depicting an elder and a child playing chess by a waterfall.
They were seated on a rock, with a chessboard between them.
Even though it was a black-and-white ink drawing, the strokes were bold and sweeping, capturing the grandeur of the scene with a vivacity that brought the figures to life.
Who could possess such exquisite taste and remarkable artistic talent to create something of this caliber?
Eugene paid a continuous compliment upon appreciating the drawing, “Brilliant, just brilliant.”
It was like a snapshot from the past when he used to teach Mirabella how to play chess. The waterfall was there in the distance, its gentle murmuring still echoing in his ears, the mountains rising majestically around them, and the weather clear and bright. They would lose themselves in the game for hours on end.
It touched him that she remembered, his eyes growing misty with emotion.
The chess game Mirabella had depicted was no random sketch.
Eugene saw her intention; aware of his irritation with the numerous guests vying to become his mentee, the clever girl had presented him with the most challenging chess problem in history, encapsulated within her artwork.
After a moment of being visibly moved, Eugene finally said, “I love this birthday gift. I’ve turned sixty this year, as you all know, and I’ve been on the lookout for a talented protege to carry on my legacy.
Today, Mirabella has laid out the chess problem. Anyone here who wishes to become my protege, if you can solve this puzzle, I will take you under my wing!”
The crowd was stunned, a ripple of excitement spreading through them.
No one had anticipated Mr. Eugene would choose his mentee in such a manner. They then turned their gazes to Mirabella, wondering just how difficult a chess problem a young girl could conjure.
With confidence swelling within them, they eagerly awaited Eugene to fully unveil the drawing.
“Twenty minutes. Consider this as gaiety added to the bash,” With a smile, Eugene asked someone to unfurl the drawing.The artwork depicted a game with no clear victor; the board seemed to be at a stalemate!
The attendees hadn’t expected such a lifelike and challenging problem to come from a young girl’s hand.
“How about it, Phyllis, feeling confident?” Mr. Gardner whispered to his granddaughter.
Phyllis stared intently at the chessboard, “Grandpa, please be quiet.”
She got utterly puzzled.
Was this enigma truly solvable, or had Mirabella simply scribbled a random arrangement?
Seeing even his prideful granddaughter stumped, Mr. Gardner realized the complexity of the challenge and fell silent, observing the rest of the guests.
Anxiety was etched on the faces of the attendees. Some were fixated on the problem, eyes unwavering; others murmured to themselves, and a few whispered to their neighbors.
Eugene wasn’t worried about them sharing answers; after all, even he had to ponder the problem for a good while to find a solution.
It could only be said that Mirabella was too clever, effectively stumping them all.
Mirabella gave Eugene a sly smile, as if to say, “I’ve done you a big favor. How will you thank me?”
Eugene returned the smile, his eyes conveying a reply, “That’s my granddaughter! Let’s talk about it later.”
Using this method to dissuade the throng was sheer brilliance on the part of his precious granddaughter.”Lindsay, still no solution?” Bluno asked with a hint of urgency. He could see Mabel was also at a loss.
He hoped his daughter would outwit Mabel and vindicate her earlier frustration.
Lindsay was genuinely astonished that Mirabella had devised such a complex chess problem. Where on earth had she learned it?
It was an impressive feat, and whoever had come up with the problem was a true master.
“Dad, give me another moment,” Lindsay stared at the board with growing desperation.
“Think faster, you need to beat everyone to it,” Bluno urged, wishing his daughter could triumph over all.
Mabel, Madeline, Roxanne, and even the renowned chess masters present were all at a loss, their minds racing for a breakthrough.
Alma stood amidst the crowd, her mind a whirl of confusion.
The chess game had reached a point where it seemed to be at a dead end.
Regardless of which side made the next move, it appeared there was no correct play to be made.
At the previous university tournament, Alma had boldly challenged Mirabella to a game of chess, only to be utterly defeated within moments.