Chapter 4
I arrived at Seraphine’s about 11:40. The butler looked very surprised to see me. He knew someone would come, but he didn’t know it was me. Beads of sweat oozed from his forehead as he thought of Julian and Rita in the living room.
The marriage between Julian and me remained a closely guarded secret–known only to our parents, Roy, and a handful of the Shaw family’s most trusted staff, including the butler.
“Come with me, Mrs. Shaw,” the butler said as he stiffly led the way.
Before I arrived at the living room, I heard Rita’s crisp voice.“I won again, Julian! Are you going easy on me?”
I stopped the pace. My mind was blank for a moment, but soon, I thought it all through.
I walked in with a sneer.
I had no makeup on today because I was carrying books. I was wearing a baggy white shirt and jeans, with my long hair tied up casually. Plenty of friends had said that I looked more fresh–faced without makeup anyway, so why should I fret about confronting my cheating husband and his mistress au naturel?
Julian saw me, his eyes flashed a bit of dismay.“What brings you…”
“Your mother called me,” I said in a calm tone.“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be in Hong Kong? When did you learn to teleport?”
His eyes were evasive, with a hint of guilt.
Rita, who was sitting on the sofa, got up and walked over to me, defiantly holding out her hand.“Hello, I’m Caffrey.”
I didn’t look at her at all.
At that moment, Seraphine walked in. She took one look at me and then kindly held Rita’s hand.“Rita, did you enjoy yourself here? Make yourself at home.”
Then, she introduced me to Rita.“This is Ms. Frost of our company. I called her here for some work stuff.” Everyone here knew my relationship with Julian, but she deliberately introduced me as an employee, which showed that she never saw me as her daughter–in–law.
4
At the same time, she was telling Rita I meant nothing, and that I wouldn’t stand in the way of her marriage to Julian.
Rita proudly raised her chin.“Just an employee, huh?”
I ignored them and just looked at Julian quietly to see his reaction. He kept a cold face and made no attempt to explain himself to me. He knew what was happening, but he didn’t care.
“Seraphine, don’t we have something to talk about? Why don’t we talk here?” I looked at
my mother–in–law.
“We’ll talk about it another day. Lunch is ready.”
“Sorry, I have other plans.” I turned to leave.
Seraphine snapped. “I’m your elder. Don’t give me that attitude! Where are your manners?!”
I turned around and looked at her with clear eyes.“Fine, I’ll stay for lunch. Don’t regret it.”
I walked over to a single sofa and sat down. Rita sat down beside Julian, holding his arm.“Julian, let’s continue playing
chess.”
Julian pulled back his arm and looked at me.
“Can you play chess, Ms. Frost?”
775·59
274
and
gate. It seemed
Wages at the existe jade pieces adorming the coffee cafe, cry to find their banke lines patericaly demenray patterns of Gomck… The astráty song jinks to her in this such fa he has very well how to make a woman happy. It is a he wouldn’t do this for me
locked up a Julian with a cold smile Yes. Miss Crowe care for a com
Julian’s eyes fasted a him of annoyance
Kita confidently set up the chess pieces. You wan white or grand
picked up the green pieces. “Someone must think I’m green with any.”
ulian was silent. Rita and Seraphine stifled smirks. They’d witnessed people dodging veiled insults before, but never
meone self–sabotaging so blatantly. It took them three extra seconds to realize my choice of “green” wasn’t self–deprecation–it was a scalpel–sharp jab at someone present.
Rita’s confidence wavered with each blocked win. By the twentieth interception, ber jade–dicking grew percussive
Your curn. I said
Rita’s hand trembled over a covert triplet in the corner. One stone victory. She feigned calm, breath hitching as my sender jade–like fingers…. bypassed her inconspicuous pieces entirely.
I WIN” Rita exulted triumphantly.
Seraphine erupted in performative applause.
Then silence. I began plucking stones from the board with surgical precision. There, glowing viridian against white jade a serpentine quintuple even the spectators had missed.
< Ch
