The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1522

Bluno was a businessman, not forgetting to introduce her daughter to him, wearing an ingratiating smile, "This is my daughter Lindsay, just started her freshman year at college. I'm a bit embarrassed to say, while my kid's still hitting the books, your grandson's already running the whole show at the corporation, haha, quite the prodigy!"

Lindsay knew exactly what her father was aiming for with his words. She played along, gracing Phillip with a sweet smile as she said her hellos.

"Hello, Mr. McMillian, I'm the unfilial daughter, Lindsay."

"Unfilial? No way! Nice to meet you."

Phillip had no clue who the people around him were. His plan for the evening was simple: to bring a birthday present for Eugene, have a slice of birthday cake, and most importantly, to see his darling granddaughter-in-law. He hadn't expected to be swarmed by guests, packed tighter around him than sardines in a can, leaving him gasping for air.

It was his own fault for not bringing the butler. Had the butler been there, at least a few eager faces might have been kept at bay.

"Phillip? Is that you, or are my old eyes deceiving me? How long has it been since we last caught up?" Mr. Gardner barged in, elbowing Bluno aside. He stretched out a hand and shook Phillip's whether he wanted to or not, chuckling, "We used to play chess together, remember?"

Actually, Phillip had no memory of it, but considering everyone present had been invited by Mr. Albright, he nodded politely, "It's been ages, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, ages! Our last game must've been seven or eight years back. You were vacationing at the McMllian Corporation's villa resort, staying in the presidential suite. I was right next door. I happened to be carrying a chess set as you were heading out, and we ended up playing a few rounds."

He remembered watching Ted win championships and had even played chess with him a few times. Their longest game had stretched from dawn until dusk, with meals eaten over the chessboard. They had shared a certain camaraderie.

"He passed away." Amanda's voice trailed off as her eyes welled up, and she dabbed at the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, her act so overdone that even Bluno wanted to curse out of sheer irritation.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay. He passed away happy. Before he left us, he passed on all his chess knowledge to his granddaughter. Oh, speaking of which, this is my granddaughter, Mabel. Come and say hello to Mr. McMllian," Amanda called out.