Chapter 14- How Easy It Will Be

Chapter 14- How easy it will be

 

White always moves first.

Kellan’s actions meant he had moved first.

Black follows.

Hale had been closely following his brother’s movements for weeks. He’d had enough of the lies Kellan had spewed about him.
 

“You know,” Kellan broke the silence. “I’d half expected you to offer up a fishing tournament, especially as I’m sure you want to win. It really is the only thing that you are better at than I am.”

Hale was not ready to rise to Kellan, and so kept quiet.
 



Whitley could not stand by playing her guitar as if nothing was going on in the room.  She stood by, holding her breath for every move the two made.

“My sculptures are selling for more than yours ever did. I have contributed more to the Empire than you ever will.”

Still, Hale held his peace.

                “I don’t know if you know this little brother,” Hale finally began to speak. “But, you see, contributing money to feed back into the family business isn’t what makes our family heritage. Neither is art, contrary to everything Mother tried to pound into our heads.”

                “Mother was a wonderful person,” Hale continued. “But she was not a Blue, and neither were her values. Art, the sale of art, was what drove her. This house is merely a by-product of her passion for selling her art.”

                Kellan listened quietly, refusing to break his concentration to contradict Hale.

                ‘What a fool,” Kellan thought. ‘He really thinks it’s all separate. How easy it will be to push him aside!’

                “However,” Hale continued after a moment. “This house does represent something of the Blue Empire. It is the embodiment of the hard work generations of Blues have put in to achieve it. Mother could not have dedicated herself to art so had it not been for them.”

                Whitley was worried she would be late for work. The two had been playing this all-consuming game for several hours now. Both men were scared to move to quickly for fear of a fatal mistake. The stakes were simply too high to lose.

                Kellan placed his queen confidently, sweeping Hale’s pawn off the board with a smug grin.

                “Kellan,” Hale said. “You do realize that there are quite a few things I am better at than you other than fishing, right? And as to fishing, I go for the quiet. The peace and time to think it gives me is invaluable. I could care less if I bring home dinner, because what I am able to work out in my head I can take to the board. And the board wholly approves of me as CEO. Not you. They’ve said on numerous occasions that your hot head could spell potential disaster for the company. I’ve had to convince them to let you even stay in town. The damage you will cause would cost too much.”

                With those words, Hale moved his queen near his bishop, cornering the white king and taking out Kellan’s remaining knight.

                “Checkmate.” Hale whispered the words. Whitley was on her toes with excitement, though she still did not know how Kellan would react to Hale winning the game. Hale had kept quiet because he knew the explosion was still to come, that he was still going to have a battle to get Kellan out of the way.

                Hale turned to the jubilant Whitley, giving her a small smile. “Go to work, dear. You don’t want to miss your shift.”

                Whitley quickly turned, forcing her step to be sedate when she longed to jump and run. Hale had brought her back to reality. Kellan was a powder keg ready to blow. The real battle of wills was about to begin.
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Sunshyne