Thorne set his ss of water down and said politely, "The pleasure is all mine to have a chess match with you, Quintin."


    Thorne walked over and took a seat across from Quintin. "Please, Quintin, guide me through this game," he added. Vesta and Granger, along with the others, gathered around to watch the game unfold.


    Charlene and Stewart joined too, positioning themselves behind Quintin.


    Now, Vesta and Granger were both familiar with chess.


    Seeing Charlene so absorbed in the game, Granger approached. "Do you y chess?" he asked Charlene.


    "A little," Charlene replied modestly.


    Stewart, standing nearby, muttered under his breath, "A little? More like a ton."


    But he said nothing more, perhaps because he wasn''t too familiar with her.


    At first, both Quintin and Thorne''s strategies were quite nebulous.


    Gradually, though, as they got a feel for each other''s style, Quintin leaned towards an aggressive strategy. Thorne, on the other hand, focused on thwarting Quintin''s attacks while carving out new paths for himself.


    At a nce, it seemed like Thorne was struggling.


    In reality...


    Charlene watche


    intently, her focus sharpening as the game progressed.


    Stewart, who also knew a thing or two about chess, eventually asked Charlene, "Who do you think will win?" replied.


    "It''s hard to say," Cha


    Vesta and Moran, close enough to hear Charlene, thought her response was dodgy and unclear.


    However, Stewart picked up on something else; he sensed that Charlene had more on her mind that she wasn''t sharing.


    Charlene genuinely found it difficult to articte her thoughts.


    Because although Thorne appeared to be at a disadvantage often, he consistently found ways to bounce back. Or perhaps, he was cleverly setting traps, leading Quintin to follow his rhythm. Overall, the game seemed evenly matched.


    However...


    When she said it was "hard to say," it wasn''t because she was Thorne actually wanted to win.


    nsure of the oue. She just wasn''t certain if


    As a younger yer, he might choose to let Quintin take the victory.


    Just as this thought crossed her mind, Quintin chuckled and nced at Thorne. "Young man from the Henderson family, even though my skills aren''t top-tier, you''re letting me off too easily. That won''t sit well with > me," he teased. Thorne chuckled back, "It''s been a while since I yed; I''m a bit rusty."


    Quintin snorted with amusement, not buying the excuse.


    Quintin was quitepetent, though, and it took another ten minutes before Thorne managed to win by a


    10:1


    single piece.


    Instead of being upset, Quintin felt invigorated, eager to test Thorne''s true abilities.


    Thorne smiled and gestured for him to continue.


    Quintin didn''t hold back and dove right into another round.


    This time, Thorne''s attacks were more aggressive. Quintin red yfully at him, and Thorne simply smiled, "Thanks for letting me win."


    Quintin was actually delighted, as it had been ages since he''d lost so enjoyably.


    They started another game.


    Before they began, Quintin asserted, "Show me your real skill; don''t treat me like some old fool."


    "Quintin, you''ve misunderstood me," Thorne replied.


    "Hmph," Quintin huffed, diving into the game with focus.


    And unsurprisingly, Quintin faced defeat once again.


    He put down his pieces and stood up. "I concede, thoroughly impressed."


    Before Thorne could respond, Quintin turned to the others. "Anyone else want to try their luck? I''m not asking


    you to beat him, just make him sweat a little, will you?"