A Game Of Chess With A Vampire
Chapter 80: Isn’t This Too Dangerous?

Chapter 80: Isn’t This Too Dangerous?

Loui immediately went quiet. He nodded his head and adjusted his seating on the chair.

"May I know what it is?"

Draven folded his arms and crossed his legs. "You are aware of the issue with Olive, right? The headlines and everything?"

Loui was silent for a few moments before nodding.

"Yes, Don."

"Santino," Draven called.

In the flicker of an eye, Santino was before them. "Yes, young master."

"Call my wife," Draven said.

Santino turned around and left. He returned after a few minutes with Avelina, who was busily tightening the knot of her dress.

Avelina lifted her head as she walked up the few stairs into the pavilion. She took a seat beside Draven and looked at Loui. She was aware that the person seated was Loui, as Draven had discussed with her before even calling Loui to come.

"Hello." Her face was filled with smiles.

Loui slightly bowed to her with a half-smile on his face. "It’s pleasant to see you again, my lady."

Draven cracked his knuckles and perfectly arranged the slightly out-of-line pieces on the chessboard board.

"Shall we begin?"

Loui was quite taken aback. Surely Don didn’t call him there to play chess with him, right? He was beyond confused at this point.

Draven could glimpse the befuddled expression on his face, but he didn’t bother. Rather, he glanced at Avelina.

"Watch," he said.

Avelina awkwardly nodded. "Ah...okay."

"Shall I make the first move? Or do you want to go first?" Draven returned his attention to Loui.

Loui was quiet. He looked down at the chessboard and thought deeply about it for a few seconds.

"Make the first move, Don. You taught us that the first to make a move is likely to lose. I wouldn’t want to lose to you." He had a barely perceptible grin on his face.

Draven did not say a word. He picked up one of his white pawns and moved it two squares forward.

"Your turn." He interlocked his fingers.

Loui’s eyes darted from left to right before he made his move.

"There is something that I want you to do." Draven’s attention was focused on his pieces.

"What might that be, Don?" Loui inquired.

"There is a way in which we can bury Olive’s case in the mud like it never existed. However, I need to drag these people around a bit and crush their hope at the last step to victory," Draven said.

Loui raised his eyes to look at him. He was confused. "I don’t understand, Don."

"I am aware that Olive must have told you that I predicted the headline news, and you must be bemused as to why I didn’t let you know, or are you not?" Draven stared at him with a raised brow.

"I am, Don." Loui nodded his head. "I am."

"Worry not, I already planned to call you today, so you would eventually still know," Draven clarified.

Loui did not expect it to be such a small issue. For a moment there, he had begun to wonder if Draven’s trust in him was beginning to waver. Such a relief! It looks like he was apprehensive for nothing.

Draven moved his piece and rested back on his chair. Avelina, on the other hand, was watching their movement, her eyes moving from left to right.

"The moment you step out of this place, Ryan will send a man after you. Not to kill you, but to follow you and find out who the culprit is. Right now, you are..." He pointed at Loui. "...Their first suspect?"

"Huh?" Loui was stunned. "Why?"

Draven shrugged. "Because they believed that I was behind the bombing, which is true. But what is an accusation without evidence? To prove that I did it, they need proof!"

Avelina flickered her eyes and shifted her seat closer. She was attentively listening to the conversation.

"But Don..." Loui’s face held a look of bafflement. "...Even if they send someone after me, what evidence will they find? I am not the culprit."

"Simple!" Draven moved his bishop. "We will give them evidence—evidence that is you!"

Loui rapidly blinked his eyes. He was completely lost, as he could not comprehend what Draven was saying.

"Listen, Loui, nothing feels better than making your opponent think they are one step closer to besieging you when in reality, it’s the opposite. I am going to create this whole new scenario—a scenario that is false but true at the same time." Draven diverted his attention to Avelina.

"Natasha thinks Avelina is responsible, because, in her mind, there is no possibility that anyone other than Avelina could have done it. Why? Because Avelina is the only one she has ever had a direct dispute with."

"Ryan, quite afraid of my father, is not willing to act without evidence. And not even in his wildest dreams is he willing to believe that Avelina is guilty, and in reality, she is not." He shook his head.

"Now, this is where the fun begins!"

Avelina and Loui glanced at each other.

"What do you mean?" Avelina probed.

Draven moved his rook two squares forward. "Natasha is not a patient woman, that you are aware of. Now, if I am not mistaken, Ryan’s words to her were probably that he would find out who was responsible for it."

"But due to Natasha’s impatience, she probably responded by insulting him or the latter. I can’t tell, but I am quite sure that it is something that is against Ryan’s words."

"Bam! This is where we come in. Ryan wants to find the culprit, right? He wants evidence, right?"

Loui and Avelina slowly nodded their heads at him, their faces filled with perplexity.

Draven proceeded to enlighten them. "Well, like the useless bishop that Ryan is, we will drag him around, and his impatient wife will make a reckless move. A move... that may be her last."

"It’s a bishop against a bishop. You...versus Ryan. You cannot make any mistakes, because if you do, it’s BAM!" His gun-shaped fingers were pointed at Loui’s forehead. "You’re dead."

Avelina was a bit startled.

"Isn’t this too dangerous?"