The Inescapable Celibate Heir Chapter 111: The Fallen Flowerpot

"Ella, come on, look at you. Every piece of clothing you're wearing costs a fortune. Thirty grand is nothing to you. No need to haggle with me," Bodhi said, cigarette dangling from his lips.

Ella hesitated. Suddenly, she noticed Victoria walking by downstairs and a few flower pots on the windowsill. 

In a flash, she recalled seeing Dennis and Victoria talking earlier. 

Even though she knew Victoria didn't play chess, what if, like at the Thanksgiving show, Victoria suddenly knew how? 

She couldn't let Victoria steal the spotlight in front of Dennis again. 

She suddenly smiled and pointed at Victoria downstairs, "See that woman? When she comes back, knock a flower pot onto her head and pretend it was an accident. If she gets hurt, I'll give you fifty grand."

Bodhi glanced downstairs and grinned slyly, "She's a looker too, no problem." 

His moral compass was low, and hurting someone was no big deal, especially for fifty grand, which meant he wouldn't need to find a job for another six months. 

They quickly struck a deal, with Ella paying an advance of twenty grand and the remaining thirty to be paid once Victoria was injured. 

Then, she quickly returned to Jasmine's side, pretending nothing had happened, eagerly anticipating the screams from outside.

Victoria had stepped out for some fresh air. As she walked back, she saw Tony coming out of the restroom. 

His hair was damp, and there was a pained expression on his face as he slowly made his way back to the event. 

Victoria didn't pay much attention and walked past him. 

Bodhi, watching from upstairs, saw Victoria approaching and hurled the flower pot at her. 

He didn't wait to see the result and quickly fled, knowing it was best not to get caught and risk having to pay for medical expenses.

The flower pot fell with a whooshing sound, and Victoria swiftly dodged to the side, catching a glimpse of the terracotta pot falling. 

Tony, walking behind her with his head down, was in a daze. He only had time to look up before the pot struck his forehead. 

The pot, along with soil and dried branches, grazed his forehead and shattered on the ground. 

Tony fell to the ground, blood slowly trickling from his forehead.

Screams erupted around them, with a girl shouting, "Someone got hurt!" 

People looked up to see a dark figure quickly disappearing from the stairwell.

The commotion outside drew the attention of those inside the event. Many came out to see what was happening. 

Ella's lips curled into a smile as she pulled Jasmine outside, feigning curiosity, "What's going on?"

When they saw Tony sitting on the ground, bleeding, Ella's surprise was genuine, "Why is it him?" 

Jasmine screamed and quickly ran over, "Tony, what happened? Who did this to you?" She then glared at Victoria.

Victoria rolled her eyes slightly, "Why are you glaring at me? It was someone from upstairs, and they already ran away." 

From the earlier scene, it seemed the person upstairs might have been aiming for her. 

She had dodged, and Tony ended up getting hit. Tony was really unlucky, but it wasn't Victoria's fault.

Ella's face darkened as she glanced at Victoria, then looked at Tony on the ground. "Jasmine, let's not worry about who did it right now. Tony's bleeding; we should get him to the hospital first." 

She didn't want Jasmine to investigate further, fearing Bodhi might implicate her. She hoped he had already escaped. 

Ella and Jasmine helped Tony to the car, with Jasmine accompanying him to the hospital while Ella stayed behind. 

She claimed that with Tony injured, she should stay and compete to win Leon's approval. 

Jasmine was convinced and, before leaving, urged Ella to defeat Victoria and humiliate her. Ella smiled and agreed.

In the first round, Victoria and Ella were not in the same group. 

Ella, who had been studying chess for a while, faced an amateur who had never formally learned chess, and she won quickly. 

To her surprise, Victoria also won her first match against an elderly man who seemed to know how to play. 

Ella shook her head, thinking, 'No way, even if Victoria knows chess, she can't have learned for long. Her opponent must have been weak, just looking like he knew how to play.'

In the second round, Dennis, having finished his tasks, came to watch the matches. 

The viewing area was a bit away from the playing area, with the games displayed on screens to avoid disturbing the players. 

Unintentionally, he lingered the longest on Victoria's screen. 

He noticed her moves were steady and quick, seemingly without thought but actually well-planned. 

It was clear she had been trained by a very skilled player, possibly someone even more talented than himself, a so-called chess prodigy.

Soon, Leon arrived and quietly discussed with Dennis, "Victoria is quite good at chess. She told me she only knew a little, but she's really modest." 

Dennis smiled in agreement, realizing Victoria was truly brilliant, excelling at everything she did.

Victoria continued to win match after match, while Ella also advanced to the semifinals. 

If Victoria hadn't shown up, Ella would have been the champion today, as she was a strong player. 

Dennis finally noticed Ella. Watching her semifinal match, he saw her aggressive and fierce style, a stark contrast to the gentle demeanor she usually displayed around him. 

This contrast made Dennis see her in a new light.

Leon was also surprised, "This young girl has a very aggressive style, rare among female players. She looks familiar." 

Although he had seen her at Nexus College a few days ago, he hadn't remembered her.

Dennis quietly said, "She's also a freshman at our school, in the same major as Victoria." 

Leon nodded, "Your school really produces a lot of talent."

After winning the semifinal, Ella passed by the viewing area, seeing Leon nodding and smiling at her with appreciation. 

Dennis' expression was also less distant than before. She felt very proud, realizing that strength indeed earned respect. 

She hadn't expected Victoria to make it to the finals too, but she thought, 'No matter, the final victory will be mine!'