She walked back into the main room with her head held high. The warmth from the fireplace felt good on her skin, and her stomach was wonderfully full for the first time in weeks. Whatever happened next, this evening had already been a victory.
"Miss Thompson." Richard addressed her formally, though his tone carried an edge. "Mr. Vale has agreed to your terms, with one modification: if you lose, in addition to cleaning the building, you'll also submit to a full background check. We want to know exactly who you are and where you came from."
Maya considered this. A background check would likely mean social services, foster care—the system she'd worked so hard to escape. But the potential reward, a week of safety and food, was worth the risk.
"Agreed," she said.
"This is a mistake," Charles muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Mark my words: we're being played for fools."
Harrison Vale moved to the center chess table, the same one where Ted Banks had met his defeat. As he sat down, Maya noticed the difference in his demeanor compared to Ted: there was no casual arrogance, no dismissive attitude. Harrison was taking her seriously, which paradoxically made him far more dangerous.
"Would you prefer white or black?" Harrison asked courteously.
"You choose," Maya replied, taking her seat.
Harrison smiled slightly. "Then I'll take white. Let's see what you can do with the black pieces, Miss Thompson."
As they set up the board, more members drifted back into the room. Word had spread quickly through the club's various rooms—the card room, the library, the smoking lounge. Soon, nearly forty people surrounded the table, creating a tight circle of expensive fabrics and judgmental eyes.
Harrison opened with pawn to e4, the king's pawn, just as Maya had done against Ted. But his development was entirely different: precise, careful, probing for weaknesses while maintaining a solid structure. Maya responded with c5, the Sicilian Defense, and she could hear murmurs of appreciation from some of the more knowledgeable observers.
"The Sicilian," someone whispered. "Aggressive choice."
For the next few moves, they danced through well-known opening theory. Harrison played the Open Sicilian; Maya chose the Najdorf variation. Each move was met with increasing respect from Harrison and growing amazement from the crowd.
"She knows theory," Victoria admitted reluctantly. "But knowing book moves isn't the same as understanding chess."