Unmasking Mrs. Newton's Secret Identities novel Chapter 1007

In the fifth move, Janice made an aggressive capture, taking one of Helen's pieces.

Helen's lips curled into a sly smile as she played her sixth and seventh moves.

After ten moves, Helen had skillfully eliminated one piece after another. By the time Janice realized what was going on, she had already lost half of her pieces.

She leaned forward and blinked in astonishment, feeling as though she were dreaming. In that critical moment, Helen's slender hand swept in and captured Janice's queen with a decisive, commanding move.

Janice's hand hovered over the chessboard, her breath held in a tight pause.

Helen looked up with an innocent smile. "Ms. McGill, shall we continue?"

Janice remained silent, her gaze fixed intently on the chessboard.

Continue? How could she?

She had no moves left.

Every possible move led to a checkmate. Helen's pieces were meticulously positioned to threaten Janice's king, ready to strike with just one more move. With another turn, Janice's king would be inevitably doomed.

Janice gripped her dress tightly beneath the table, her eyes widening in shock. It was inconceivable that someone of her chess ranking could be defeated in under ten minutes by an unknown country bumpkin.

The humiliation was staggering.

Nonetheless, there was no way to reverse the situation. Overwhelmed by despair, Janice closed her eyes and withdrew her hand. She then toppled her king, signaling her surrender.

Without saying a word, she stood up abruptly and fled the room in disgrace.

But just before Megan reached the scoreboard, she bumped into Janice, who looked visibly upset and flustered.

"Janice, what's going on?" Megan asked, grabbing her arm.

Janice met her gaze with a forced smile. "Oh, it's just—um, I've got a stomach ache. I need to leave now."

"Is it serious? Let me arrange for someone to take you to the doctor," Megan offered with genuine concern, fully believing Janice's explanation.

"No, I have a driver. Don't worry about me," Janice said quickly, her anxiety evident as she hurried away.

With Elijah as her opponent in the second round, Janice knew her chances of victory were virtually nonexistent.

Rather than risk a humiliating defeat, she decided to make an excuse and leave early, hoping to preserve some of her remaining dignity.