Mr. White asked the butler to unpack the tea brought by Elisa and brewed two cups. The tea was slightly astringent, with a lingering sweetness, leaving a long-lasting fragrance in the mouth.
Mr. White made the first move with the black piece. The balcony was quiet, with only the crisp sound of the pieces landing on the jade chessboard.
After some time, the game had entered a fierce stage, with Elisa showing rare contemplation. Mr. White, holding the black pieces, furrowed his brow and pondered carefully about his next move.
After placing a black piece, he looked at Elisa. “Not simple at all. Always calm, no matter the circumstances, fearless even in adversity. A woman with such composure is truly admirable.”
Elisa’s skill in chess was formidable, and Mr. White began to feel the pressure. He glanced cautiously at Elisa. From the beginning until now, she had been at ease, not even furrowing her brow, exuding confidence with a slight smile.
As the cool evening breeze blew, ruffling her long hair, Elisa supported her chin with one hand and lightly twirled a piece with the other. After Mr. White made his move, she delicately picked up a piece with her slender index and middle fingers.
“Uncle White, I concede,” she said.
Mr. White put down his piece. “I didn’t expect your skill in chess to be so high. There are not many young people like you who can remain so composed while playing.”
“My grandfather taught me.”
Elisa reminisced about the past, feeling a pang in her heart when she thought of her grandfather. When she was young, her father and brother from the Powell family neglected her, leaving her to fend for herself. It was her grandfather who raised her, brought her close, taught her to play Go, taught her how to remain calm and not dwell on mistakes, taught her to see the bigger picture. But ultimately, she had disappointed her grandfather, leading to the downfall of the Powell family under her care.
What she wanted to do now was to recreate the Powell family and restore its former glory.
Suddenly, Mr. White’s expression became serious. He cleared his throat and looked at Elisa. “Elisa, I want to say I’m sorry for humiliating you with money in the past and misunderstanding the kind of person you were.”
Elisa smiled and shook her head. “Uncle White, I’ve never blamed you. You don’t need to apologize.”
“If I made a mistake, I should apologize. Can you forgive me?”
“Of course, I also know that everything you’ve done was for Louis’s good. You are a good father.”
Mr. White’s eyes welled up. He blinked. “You are just like my daughter, the best girl in the world. Elisa, I want to ask you something seriously.”
“What is it?”
“Will you always stay with Louis? No matter how he changes, will you always love him?”
“Yes, as long as he doesn’t have an affair…”
“If he dares to have an affair, you won’t have to do anything. I’ll personally break one of his legs, along with his mother.”
There’s no need for that…
However, Elisa also felt the feeling of being unconditionally loved and experienced what family love was, all of which Louis had brought to her.
Louis brought her a unique love, and his family also cherished her.
“Uncle White, I want to be with Louis all the time. I like him, or rather, love him. I want him for a lifetime. He is the one surprise I will encounter in my life. I don’t want to let him go,” Elisa said earnestly.
“I used to think you were not good enough for Louis, but now I feel like Louis has reached up to you.”
“How can there be a question of ‘good enough’? We were born to be together.” Elisa raised her head slightly, her fair skin glowing, her red lips bright, her smile bold and striking.
Whenever Louis was mentioned, she exuded confidence and determination.
“In that case, I can rest assured. In the White family, women’s words count. I won’t let you suffer. As for Louis, he didn’t grow up by our side, he went through a lot of hardships, but now everything is on the right track. His mother and I don’t have too many expectations for him; we just hope he lives peacefully and happily, does what he wants, and finds happiness.”
Louis didn’t grow up around his parents? Also, what does “went through a lot of hardships” mean?
Could the hardships refer to Louis’s previous heart treatment?
But for some reason, when she thought about what Mr. White had said, she felt that it wasn’t as simple as she had initially thought. It seemed like the White family was deliberately hiding something, and Louis seemed unaware of it.
Elisa was about to speak further, but Mrs. White’s voice interrupted her. “Elisa, come and have dinner.”
Louis walked over and looked at the chessboard, asking, “How’s it going?”
Mr. White said, “I lost one game, let’s continue with the next one.”
Louis sneered, “I didn’t expect that you would actually lose.”
“So what if I lost? I’ll win the next game.”
“I won’t give you the chance for the next game. Elisa is here to accompany me. Who would want to be with you, old man?”
“Louis, are you looking for a fight?”
Elisa subtly gestured at Louis, shaking her head.