215 Chapter 215 – Rtionship Chess

    Dario couldn’t help but roll his eyes dramatically at the entire spectacle unfolding before them. 1

    Dario seemed to pick up on the same subtle details that had captured Veronica’s interest initially. After watching the game progress for a while longer, he rolled his eyes once again, feeling a growing urge to simply walk away from the entire scene.

    “All the flirting aside,” another spectator added with genuine respect, “Ms. Crystal earned her PhD from one of the most prestigious universities in the world. If she’s this confident about her chances, she must have some serious skills to back it up.”

    Niall remainedpletely unfazed by the sudden spotlight and attention from the crowd. She turned toward Cullen with cool determination. “I’m not the kind of person who throws tantrums when things don’t go my way. Let’s keep this fair and square.”

    This was the first time Felix had encountered Niall personally. Upon learning about her impressive academic credentials, he chuckled appreciatively. “A PhD schr, how impressive.” He then shifted his attention back to Cullen with obvious approval. “I have to say, you certainly know how to pick them.”

    Veronica responded with a soft, barely audible chuckle of amusement.

    Marco took careful note that her facial expression remained as serene and unreadable as always, showing absolutely no trace of jealousy or emotional disturbance. This observation brought him a surprising sense of relief.

    Veronica shook her head gently in response. “I’m perfectly fine staying here. Let’s remain a bit longer and isee /ihow this ys out.”

    During the earlier match between Felix and Cullen, Marco had observed how intensely concentrated and engaged Veronica had appeared throughout the entire game. Her focus had been absolutely unwavering.

    While the current chess game between Cullen and Niall certainly had its moments of tacticalplexity and strategic back–and–forth maneuvering, it became increasingly obvious that Niall’s chess abilities, while respectable, simply weren’t quite on the same elevated level as Felix’s had been, and they certainly couldn’t match Cullen’s superior

    skill.

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    215 Chapter 215–Rtionship Chess

    Before Niall could respond, someone from the gathered crowd chuckled knowingly. “Well, if Ms. Crystal decides to join in, this could get very interesting very quickly.

    At longst, Cullen and Niall settled into their positions and began their highly anticipated chess match.

    Marco had actually spotted the shift in Veronica’s attention even earlier than Dario had managed to detect it.

    Felix remained blissfully unaware of the romantic entanglement between Niall and Cullen. Hearing the yful banter, he took a moment to study Niall’s poised demeanor and natural confidence. She certainly appeared to be an idealpanion for someone

    of Cullen’s caliber.

    Niall’s voice cut through the murmur of spectators. “Mr. Shane Senior, watching your match has me itching to try my hand at this. Though honestly, with my skill level, beating Cullen would be quite the uphill battle.

    Originally, he had intended to ask Veronica if she might be interested in taking a turn at the chess board herself. However, before he could even form the words, Niall had already inserted herself into the situation with her enthusiastic offer.

    Someone in the crowd couldn’t resistmenting loudly. “The match hasn’t even started yet, and these two are already giving us a free show of their rtionship dynamics.”

    Another voice chimed in with obvious amusement. “Absolutely right. Mr. Dennis might be a chess master, but if he actually crushes Ms. Crystal in front of everyone, he’ll definitely be sleeping on the couch tonight.”

    Cullen’s angr features revealed the hint of an amused smile. “Understood.”

    Both he and Edric had materialized seemingly from thin air, and they were now positioned directly beside Felix, apparently having arrived just in time to witness the conclusion of this interesting romantic chess challenge.

    Despite his attempt to keep his voice low, both Veronica and Marco managed to catch his whisperedint.

    From her vantage point, Veronica could immediately assess that Niall possessed considerable skill at the game. She was far from being aplete amateur or casual yer. However, after observing the opening moves and initial strategy for several

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    minutes, Veronica gradually shifted her attention elsewhere.

    Now, as Cullen and Niall began their own match, she had watched carefully for only a brief initial period before her interest clearly began to wane, and her gaze wandered away from the board entirely.

    Thement sent waves ofughter through the small audience.

    Observing this development, Dario felt the familiar throb of an approaching headache. He scoffed under his breath and muttered with obvious irritation, “What’s with all this ridiculous theatrical nonsense?”

    Veronica studied the board intently, her sharp eyes tracing each strategic move. Ament from the crowd caught her attention, sparking a brief flicker of genuine interest across herposed features.

    A mischievous grin spread across Felix’s weathered face as he fixed his gaze on Cullen. “Well now, this puts things in a fascinating light. I’m genuinely curious to see if you can maintain that legendaryposure of yours when you’re ying against your own girlfriend instead of an old man like me.”

    Felix’s heartyughter filled the air. “Come now, it’s all friendlypetition. I wasn’t taking it too seriously either. If you’re genuinely interested in ying, by all means, step right up.”

    Just at that precise moment, Neal’s distinctive voice rang out clearly from somewhere off to the side of the gathered crowd..

    When he noticed that Veronica appeared to be losing her focus on the ongoing match, he leaned closer and asked quietly, “Would you prefer to head back to the pavilion and get something to eat?”

    Nevertheless, she was holding her own admirably well in the match. When asked for her assessment, Veronica offered a diplomatically neutral response. “Her technique is really not bad at all.”

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