Chapter 4: Power Plays
I arrived at Seraphine’s house around 11:40 AM. The butler greeted me with surprise, his eyes widening when he saw it was me. He knew someone would arrive, but he hadn’t expected it to be me. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he likely thought of Julian and Rita, both of whom were already in the living room.
The marriage between Julian and me was a closely guarded secret—only our parents, Roy, and a few trusted members of the Shaw family, including the butler, knew about it.
“Come with me, Mrs. Shaw,” the butler said stiffly, leading the way.
Before I reached the living room, I overheard Rita’s voice ringing out. “I won again, Julian! Are you going easy on me?”
I stopped in my tracks, my mind blank for a moment. Then it all clicked.
I walked in, my lips curling into a sneer.
I hadn’t bothered with makeup today, and my outfit was simple—baggy white shirt, jeans, and my long hair tied up in a casual bun. Many friends had said I looked more natural without makeup, so I didn’t care about confronting my cheating husband and his mistress au naturel.
Julian saw me and his eyes flickered with surprise, a hint of guilt. “What brings you here…?”
“Your mother called me,” I said coolly. “Wait, aren’t you supposed to be in Hong Kong? When did you learn how to teleport?”
His gaze shifted uneasily.
Rita, sitting on the couch, stood up and walked over to me, extending her hand with a defiant smile. “Hello, I’m Caffrey.”
I didn’t acknowledge her, my focus solely on Julian.
Just then, Seraphine entered the room. She glanced at me and then graciously took Rita’s hand. “Rita, did you enjoy yourself here? Make yourself at home.”
Seraphine turned to me. “This is Ms. Frost, from our company. I asked her to come by for some work-related matters.” She introduced me deliberately as an employee, making it clear that she didn’t view me as her daughter-in-law. With that, she subtly communicated to Rita that I didn’t matter and wouldn’t stand in the way of her relationship with Julian.
Rita raised her chin proudly. “Just an employee, huh?”
I ignored her and simply watched Julian, waiting for his response. His expression remained cold, and he didn’t try to explain himself. He knew what was happening, but he didn’t care.
“Seraphine, don’t we have something to discuss? Why don’t we talk here?” I asked, my eyes fixed on my mother-in-law.
“We’ll discuss it another time. Lunch is ready,” Seraphine replied dismissively.
“Sorry, I have other plans,” I said, turning to leave.
Seraphine snapped. “I’m your elder! Don’t you dare give me that attitude! Where are your manners?!”
I turned back to her, my gaze steady. “Fine. I’ll stay for lunch. But don’t regret it.”
I walked over to a single sofa and sat down. Rita quickly settled beside Julian, clutching his arm. “Julian, let’s continue our chess game.”
Julian pulled his arm away and looked at me. “Can you play chess, Ms. Frost?”
I picked up the green pieces. “Someone must think I’m good with green,” I replied with a cold smile.
Julian didn’t respond, though his annoyance was evident. Rita and Seraphine smirked, assuming I was trying to make a self-deprecating remark. But it took them a few extra seconds to realize that my choice of “green” wasn’t an insult to myself—it was a sharp jab aimed directly at someone in the room.
Rita’s confidence faltered as I blocked her moves, each interception more expertly timed than the last. By the twentieth time, her composure started to crack.
Rita’s hand trembled slightly as she made her next move, feigning calm. But I bypassed her hidden pieces with a precise move. “I win,” I declared.
Rita’s face fell as she exhaled a frustrated breath, but Seraphine clapped mockingly.
Then there was silence. I began to remove pieces from the board with methodical precision. Amid the chess set, I found a subtle serpentine pattern—a quintuple move that no one had noticed until I made it glow against the white jade pieces.
The game was mine.
