My Substitute CEO Bride

Chapter 561
He had to make a decision between the pawn and the horse. The man in white’s face grew increasingly solemn. The pawn that
he had so painstakingly got across was about to be lost.
After several more rounds of back and forth, the man in white was. left with only a general, a cannon, and two pawns.
“The game is set. Hahaha!” Old Malley laughed heartily.
The man in white had been winning these past few days. Finally, today, he lost. He took out a handful of crumpled banknotes
from his pocket and gave Old Malley 50 bucks.
“That’s enough for today anymore. Another day perhaps!” The man in white then stood up, grabbed his long sword, and left.
The group of old men gave Hera a thumbs-up while Old Malley was still laughing heartily. “Young lady, you’ve given us some
relief today!”
Hera chuckled and replied, “You flatter me. I’m just afraid I might have offended the old gentleman just now. Do you have a good
relationship with him?”
Old Malley shook his head in response. “I don’t know him. Seems like he moved in recently.”
Hera smiled at that and said, “Alright then. Please continue with your game. I’m going for a walk!”
With that said, Hera turned around and walked away. Grabbing onto Helena’s hand, they then strolled at a leisurely pace.
“I never thought you’d still be so skilled at chess after so many years,” Helena said softly under the gentle lamplight,
accompanied by a cool breeze.
“When I was young, Dad taught me to observe the game in three moves. With each move I made back then, I would always
think about how my opponent would respond and then plan my next move. I have to say, it was really effective during middle and
high school,” Heral shared.
“When I played against a chess master later on, I couldn’t win no matter what, and it was then I realized that true experts
understand the importance of observing the entire situation.
“Life is like chess; one wrong move can lead to a series of mistakes, and a careless move can result in a complete loss.”

Hera was looking ahead, her voice gentle as she spoke. These were the lessons she had recently come to understand.
Helena smiled self-deprecatingly. “How nice it would be if I could comprehend these things too.
Were Hera’s words not a reflection of what happened to her as well?
While harming others, she ultimately harmed herself. One wrong. move led to only more mistakes while one careless move led
to the loss of everything.
Was that not her? Was that not Kai as well? Chess was always played without regrets, just like life. Regrets were useless. The
only thing they could do was to play their next move well.
The two walked and talked. At around nine at night, Skadi called Hera.
“Hey! I thought you forgot about me!” Hera answered the call, her tone a bit displeased.
Skadi used to chat with her about everything but seemed to be preoccupied recently. She never replied to her messages
promptly and would only occasionally send an emoji.
With so much going on with the company, Hera did not have the chance to check if Skadi had gotten into a relationship.
“I’ve been accompanying Bianca with her training recently and then went to Xanthalos with her to participate in a boxing match!”
“How was it? Did she win?” Hera asked eagerly.
“Well...” Skadi sighed softly.
“She lost? Bianca is the best fighter. How could she lose?” Hera frowned.
“Of course, she won! Who said anything about losing?” Skadi giggled
“Then why did you sigh? You scared me!” Hera admonished exasperatedly.
“Bianca rarely encounters a worthy opponent. You don’t understand the loneliness of us masters!” Skadi sighed.
“Alright, stop being so self-absorbed. When are you coming to my place?” Hera had just asked this when she heard the sound of
screeching brakes followed by Skadi’s angry cursing.

“Damn it, that old guy is asking for trouble, isn’t he?”