Chapter 142
Aber Hannah was thrown to the ground, she was dared–but the ordeal wasn’t over. The black stallion reared up. Its hooves poised to trample her Thankfully, trackade staff rushed over and managed to restrain the frenzied forse by force
ty, later turning into pure enjoyment. Though her gray
By then, Cliana had fides what had happened. Her first horse ride was a mix of nerves and novelty, pony couldn’t match the black stallion’s speed, it moved steadily–carrols had proven effective.
When Eliana Finished a lap and saw Hannah again, the latter was being helped up, dusty and disheveled, with scrapes on her face and hands. Eliana reined in her pony and asked, “What happened! Where’s the host
Staff members felt speechless about Elana’s concern for the horse over her sister. Before they could explain, Hannah swatted their hands away. Clutching her waist, she said, “I demand the race contine”
The referee shook his head. “Ms. Burke, you fell off the horse–by rule, you’ve lost.”
“I fell because that stupid horse went madi It’s not my faull! Get me another horse right now and euthanize that black station!” Hannah glared at the horse, even tempted to kill it herself.
Staff frowned this stallion was the ranch’s finest. Hannah had been thrown because she couldn’t control it. Eliana objected, “Hannah, you didn’t bond with the horse and even whipped it. How can you blame it for throwing you?”
Since the staff didn’t dare to refute Hannah, they echoed Eliana.
Hannah turned vid. One was addressed as “Ms. Burke,” the other as “Mrs. Russell“-their statuses had shifted. She was no longer the unconditionally pampered princess.
Just then Theodore and Julian approached, adding to Hannah’s humiliation. She glared at the referee. “Then I demand a rematch.”
The referee looked to Eliana, who seized the chance to end this boring competition. “I refuse to rematch you,”
seized the
said Eliana.
better
Hannah balked, then turned to Julian for support. Before he could speak, Theodore said, “Julian, you should know better than anyone about honoring
Julian frowned. His family ran underground casinos–he’d cut off a gambler’s fingers for reneging. But what really irked him wasn’t the gold bars, but losing face.
“Mr. Russell, Hannah was far ahead at the start–your wife was a full lap behind.”
Eliama heard the sneer. “So what? Luck is part of skill. As a casino operator, you should know that, right?”
Julian stared her down, but she didn’t flinch–Theodore had been scarier. She stared back defiantly.
Felix and Theodore’s friends chimed in, “Yeah, Julian–you can’t be
sore loser, can you?”
Unpleasant though it was, further denial of failure would only deepen his disgrace. “Of course not
He looked at Eliana on the pony. “Mrs. Russell, I’ll have a hundred gold bars delivered to your estate tomorrow morning.”
Eliana had wanted to downplay it, but Julian had been aggressive from the start. if Hannah hadn’t fallen, she and Theodore would have lost double the
stakes.
Thank y
you, Mr. Black,” she said.
Theodore watched her sit tall, eyeing Julian with regal composure and smiled approvingly.
Julian felt it too, especially as a loser, the sensation of Eliana looking down on him was acute. After a long stare, he told Hannah, “Let’s go.”
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12.12 Wed, 18 Jun
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Chapter 142
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Hannah tossed her crop in anger and limped off with Julian.
Eliana shook her head and patted the gray pony’s mane. “Thanks for not throwing me off–made winning easy”
The pony pawed the ground, seeming to prance,
Theodore asked, “Went to keep riding?”
“Yep! Now that I’ve won, time to have fun. She grinned.
“I’ll join you.” Theodore walked to the black stallion, and to everyone’s shock, mounted it without protective gear.
“Mr. Russell, you’re not wearing safety gear” Eliana called worriedly. Staff trombled–if the stallion threw Theodore, it would be euthanized for sure.
The stallion, enraged by Hannah’s earlier abuse, tried desperately to buck Theodore off. But no matter how it reared or thrashed, he stayed mounted, reins steady. The danger seemed trivial to him. Eliana and the staff watched nervously.
Lucas whistled, “Damn, Theo–smooth.”
Felix raised his phone. “Theo, look here! Say cheese!”
Eliana rolled her eyes.
Noticing her glare, Felix smiled, “Don’t worry–send you the pics later.”
She frowned, annoyed no one seemed to care how dangerous this was.
Gradually, the stallion calmed. Having failed to throw Theodore, it submitted.
Lucas said, “Good thing Julian and his girl left–this would’ve rubbed salt in their wounds.”
“No problem,” Felix chuckled, “I’ll post the pics in the group chat so Julian sees them.”
