THE CHECKMATE

1. The Rose And The Thorns

      It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, and the sky was a perfect shade of blue. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves on the trees, and the air was filled with the scent of fresh flowers. A white villa sat nestled among the trees, its walls glowing in the sunlight.
      The villa was a picture of serenity from the outside, its white walls gleaming in the sunlight. The lawn was perfectly manicured. A fountain trickled in the center of the courtyard, adding to the tranquil atmosphere. Everything about the villa exuded a sense of calm and relaxation .

      The morning sun streamed through the windows of the villa, illuminating the immaculate interior. In the kitchen, Veronica stood over an electric cooker, apron tied around her waist and hair pulled back . Her face was drawn and pale, accentuating the fact that she was not feeling well.
    
      Two maids worked diligently by her side, preparing vegetables and fetching ingredients. Despite Veronica's apparent fatigue, she continued to work away at the electric cooker, her hands moving deftly as she cooked. The kitchen was filled with the savory scent of spices and the sizzle of hot oil.
Veronica was dressed simply, in a long skirt and cardigan, and her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her face was pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked tired, as though she hadn't been sleeping well.

      One of the maids was busy chopping vegetables and the other began setting the table. They worked quickly and efficiently, but with a nervous energy. The plump maid chopping the vegetables glanced at Veronica every so often, wondering if she was doing everything right.

      Just then, the sound of footsteps on the stairs made them both look up. Veronica's mother-in-law, entered the dinning room. She was dressed in a silk robe, and her makeup was impeccable. But her face was pinched with disapproval, and she immediately began to complain.
"What is this?" she asked, gesturing to the table. "What nonsense did you cook now, Why is the silverware arranged like this?" the mother-in-law, Mrs Eden asked, her voice shrill. "It's all wrong. And these napkins - they're completely the wrong color. Don't you know how to set a table properly?, it has been how many years and you still make stupid mistakes..."

      Veronica forced herself to take a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She thought about how to respond, but before she could say anything, Mrs Eden continued.
"And the food - what is this?" she asked, her nose wrinkling in feigned disgust. "It looks like something a servant would eat. You really expect me to eat this... I get you are still learning the hang of cooking but you are just useless honestly "
      Mrs Eden went on and on, complaining about everything from the placement of the silverware to the color of the napkins. Veronica listened with a strained smile on her face, her exhaustion growing with every word. She wanted to tell her mother-in-law to stop, to please just be quiet for a moment, but she knew it would only make things worse. So she bit her tongue and tried to focus on the cooking, on the simple, calming tasks of chopping and stirring. But it was no use. She could feel her anxiety rising, her heart beating faster and faster.

     The maids exchanged sympathetic glances, their eyes wide. They could see how much Mrs Eden tirade was affecting Veronica, how she was growing more and more tense. But they were powerless to do anything but watch.
     Finally, Veronica had had enough. She turned to her mother-in-law and said, in a low but firm voice, "Please stop. I am trying my best. I'm not perfect, but I am doing my best. Please just be quiet."
The room fell silent, everyone holding their breath. Her mother-in-law stared at Veronica, her face hard and annoyed.

       "You are an orphan, aren't you?" Mrs Eden hissed, her voice low and full of malice. "You may have money, but you don't know how to do anything. You don't know how to cook, how to clean, how to run a household. You are totally useless."
The words hit Veronica like a slap in the face. She tried to hold back her tears, but they spilled over anyway, running down her cheeks. She couldn't believe that someone could be so cruel, so heartless.
"That's not true," she said, her voice trembling. "I am trying my best, you know... "

       Her mother-in-law didn't stop there. "And what about your lack of children?" she sneered. "It's been eight years since you got married, and still no sign of a baby. You will never have a family who loves you, who truly cares for you. You will always be alone."
That was the last straw. Veronica felt her anger rise up inside her, and she cried out, "That's enough!" Her voice was weak, but there was a strength behind it that surprised even her. "Please stop. I am doing my best, and I don't need to hear these things from you, why do you derive satisfaction in tearing me down everyday, Mother... "

    " I am not your Mother, I am your Mother in law" Mrs Eden said filled with contempt.

       The room was silent, the air thick with tension. Mrs Eden had looked abit taken aback, as though she had not expected Veronica to speak up for herself. But Veronica held her ground, her eyes flashing with defiance.
Her mother-in-law stared at her for a long moment, then finally said, "Fine. So I am villain..."

      Veronica's husband, Albert, appeared in the doorway, looking stern and cold. He took in the scene before him, then turned his gaze to his wife. "What is going on here?" he asked, his voice hard. "Why are you upsetting my mother like this?"
Veronica wanted to explain, to tell him the truth of what had happened. But she was so tired, so drained by everything .

"Nothing is happening," Mrs Eden said, her voice quivering with false emotion. "Your wife is just being difficult. Your wife looks down on us because she thinks she's better than us. She thinks her money makes her superior. She doesn't realize that this villa was my home long before she came along. I have a right to be here, whether she likes it or not."
     Veronica's stomach twisted as she heard her mother-in-law's words. It was as if she was determined to twist the truth, to paint her in the worst possible light. And her husband was falling for it, not that he needed persuasion.

"Mother... Mother in law, please stop saying these things... Why are you saying such things, I never look down on you, you are the one that is being difficult, you are lying to Albert..."

" So, My Mother is a Liar" Albert asked rather calmly.

Veronica shook her head " Albert, you are not getting it ... "

"No, you're the one who's not getting it," Albert said, his voice rising in anger. "You're being selfish and unreasonable. I can't believe you would stoop so low as to try to turn me against my own mother. You know how much she means to me, and yet you're still trying to drive a wedge between us. It's despicable."
      Veronica's hands trembled as she listened to her husband's words. She knew she had to say something, but she couldn't find the words. She felt like she was trapped in a nightmare, with no way out.

      With a snarl of frustration, Albert grabbed his suitcase and stormed out of the room, not even bothering to look back at his wife. His mother followed him, a smug smile on her face. As the door slammed behind them, Veronica sank to the floor, her body shaking with sobs. She felt utterly alone, constantly betrayed by the people she had thought she could trust.
The silence in the villa was deafening, broken only by the sound of her tears.