NovelEnglish"My dear, you finally made it!" Eugene exclaimed joyfully, rushing over to Arabella. He affectionately ruffled her hair and said, "I've
been waiting for ages. Thought you'd stoodup."
Lindsay's tears lingered in her eye sockets, while Madeline stood there, dumbfounded. What was this twist? Was Arabella
personally invited by Eugene? They seemed so close.
"All these pastries are my treat for you; they're all your favorites. How's that? From now on, you reply to my messages first, and
forget the other grandpas!"
Lindsay was not going to feign pity for sympathy, as it was clear that Eugene was very fond of Arabella.
Just moments ago, she had been foolishly hoping Eugene would take her side and teach Arabella a lesson. What a daydream that
was!
Even Madeline felt a twinge of fear - had they inadvertently crossed someone they shouldn't have?
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"Were you snacking over here just now?" Eugene inquired.
He hadn't seen her earlier, as guests were milling about everywhere, blocking his view. He could only catch a fleeting glimpse of
Arabella's silhouette, but that didn't stop him from running towards her.
"Where's my present?"
Eugene rarely ever asked for gifts directly.
Lindsay and Madeline couldn't believe their eyes. Eugene and Arabella seemed to be on such good terms.
Other guests, though unaware of the specifics of Eugene and Arabella's conversation, could tell from his affectionate gestures -
patting her head, beaming smiles - that Eugene held this girl in special regard.
It appeared he was quite fond of her.
"Here," Arabella didn't want to dampen his spirits by bringing up any earlier unpleasantness, so she simply handed him a neatly
wrapped little gift box.
Eugene was over the moon, cradling the box gingerly as he tried to guess its contents, "Let's see if | can guess what this is."
Many guests, noticing the small size of Arabella's gift yet Eugene's evident joy, moved in closer, curious to see if her present was
more valuable than theirs. If it was more precious, then there would be a problem!
As the crowd around Eugene grew, the guessing gamong the guests intensified.
"Given the size of the box, could it be a wristwatch?"
"A watch would be fitting, wouldn't it? It's classy, befitting Mr. Albright's stature, and so practical."
"I'm thinking it might be something like a lighter."
"At Mr. Albright's milestone 60th birthday, would a lighter be appropriate? | bet it's something like a tie."
"Mr. Eugene enjoys chess; could it be a set of chess pieces?"
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While the guests speculated, Eugene kept his eyes on Arabella, gauging her reactions. Seeing her calm demeanor, he knew they
were all off the mark. His curiosity piqued, he couldn't help but ask, "What on earth is it?"
"Why don't you open it and see?" Arabella played coy.
The guests leaned in, alongside Eugene, their gazes fixed on the small box, anxious about the possibility that Arabella's gift might
outshine their own in rarity or value.
As the lid was lifted, to everyone's surprise, inside was a rolled-up drawing!
Eugene unfurled it to see a modestly-sized piece, slightly larger than a letter-sized paper, depicting an elder and a child playing
chess by a waterfall.
They were seated on a rock, with a chessboard between them.
Even though it was a black-and-white ink drawing, the strokes were bold and sweeping, capturing the grandeur of the scene with a
vivacity that brought the figures to life.
Who could possess such exquisite taste and remarkable artistic talent to create something of this caliber?
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