Richard tapped his fingers. “What’s wrong? Scared?”
“No,” she replied quietly. “Just thinking.”
That… made the room go still.
Move after move, something began to change.
Richard leaned forward slightly.
“Hmm…”
Emily moved again—clean, precise.
A whisper spread through the crowd:
“Wait… she’s actually good…”
Maria squeezed her hands tighter, remembering the long nights… the quiet sacrifices… the practice no one ever saw.
Richard suddenly attacked aggressively.
“Let’s see how you handle this,” he said confidently.
Emily didn’t even hesitate.
She countered.
Perfectly.
Richard’s smile faded—just a little.
“…Interesting.”
More people gathered.
More phones lifted.
Tension filled the air.
Emily adjusted her bishop.
Richard laughed again—but this time, it sounded forced.
“You think you can beat me?” he asked.
Emily looked up.
“I’m not thinking about you,” she said calmly. “I’m thinking about the board.”
Silence.
That line hit harder than any move.
A few turns later—
Emily captured one of his key pieces.
The crowd gasped.
“NO WAY—”
“Did she just—?!”
Richard froze for half a second.
Then forced a smile.
“Alright… now you have my attention.”
But inside… something shifted.
He started playing seriously.
No more jokes.