The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 123

"How about a game of chess?" Weston said with a smile.

He didn't expect Citrine to win. In fact, he'd already decided to go easy on her—no need to embarrass the girl—and maybe get a sense of her skill level so he could offer a few pointers.

"Sure," Citrine agreed without hesitation.

At first, Weston didn't take the game too seriously. But as Citrine pressed forward, move after move, he found his pieces forced into a corner, backed up with nowhere to go.

His relaxed confidence slowly gave way to a look of concentration. He hovered over the board, fingers poised over a black knight, trying to find a way out. After a long pause, he finally made his move, narrowly escaping disaster.

Weston let out a silent sigh of relief, thinking he'd dodged a bullet. What he didn't realize was that he'd just stepped right into a trap Citrine had set several moves in advance.

From that point on, every turn played out exactly as Citrine intended.

She barely let her satisfaction show, her smile so faint it was almost invisible.

One by one, her white pieces claimed territory, cutting off black's escape. In the end, Weston had nowhere left to run.

"You've lost," Citrine said simply, pulling her hand back and looking calmly at the board.

"Young lady, who taught you to play like this?" Weston stared at the endgame, unable to hide his shock. The skills he prided himself on had just been dismantled by a seventeen-year-old girl.

"I taught myself," Citrine replied, her tone even.

Despite the win, there was no hint of glee on her face—her expression was as serene as ever.

"You taught yourself? Are you joking?" Weston's brow furrowed. He remembered how harsh his own chess instructor had been back in the day, the grueling lessons. The memory darkened his expression.

"I'm not joking. It's the truth," Citrine answered earnestly.