Bianca narrowed her eyes, turned around, and walked towards him. Tilting her head, she looked up at him and said, “Mr. Evans, you’re acting strange today.”
“What’s wrong?” Dave looked down.
“You’ve been looking at me with that strange smile,” Bianca frowned.
Hearing this, Dave laughed loudly. He touched his nose, then put his hand on Bianca’s shoulder, looking into her clear, beautiful eyes.
“I owe you an apology for the other day.”
“What for?”
“For the question I asked you after your lunch with Blake. I misunderstood everything.”
Bianca understood right away what he meant. Her cheeks turned red. He had kissed her that day and questioned her why she was intimate with other men.
She looked down and bit her lip. “It’s not a big deal. What happened that day is in the past.”
“Are you sure you’re not upset? Then why did you keep pushing me away?”
“It’s just… we’re only friends.” She lowered her head even more, not sounding very confident.
Dave leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her blushing ear as he whispered, “What if I say I don’t want us to be just friends anymore?”
Bianca suddenly raised her head, looking at the man in front of her in disbelief.
What did he mean by that?
If he didn’t want to be friends, then what did he want from her?
As she realized what he was implying, her cheeks turned even redder.
Her thoughts were all over the place, and she didn’t know how to respond, so she pretended not to understand.
“Mr. Evans, I’m not sure what you’re talking about. But I need to sleep. I can’t afford any mistakes in tomorrow’s equestrian competition.”
With that, Bianca hurried back to her room, her face flushed, and closed the door behind her. She pressed her body against it, feeling her heart beat fast.
She couldn’t allow herself to fall for him. Dave was just caught up in the moment. He didn’t know about her past. If he did, he would probably turn away from her.
When she fully fell in love with him, it felt like she had exposed her vulnerability. Her heart would be as fragile as glass, easily hurt by even the smallest touch.
Having been through it before, Bianca couldn’t bring herself to face it again.
She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down.
With the competition coming up tomorrow, she forced herself not to think about anything else. As for Dave’s words, she chose to pretend she hadn’t heard them.
The next morning.
Bianca woke up early and opened the door. A nice smell greeted her, and when she looked up, she saw a delicious breakfast on the table.
As she walked to the table, Dave came out of the kitchen and put a fancy plate on the table. Bianca was happy to see her favorite caviar and foie gras on it.
“Did you make all this?” Bianca asked, looking at Dave with wide eyes.
He took off his apron and put it on the chair. Then, he sat down at the table.
He lifted his head and chuckled. “If I didn’t make them, would they just magically appear?”
She looked at him with a mix of surprise and admiration.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” He frowned slightly.
“Mr. Evans… You’re not secretly a chef at a restaurant, are you?”
Dave was speechless. This woman’s imagination always amazed him.
“Don’t think too much. Start eating. You have the competition today, and you need energy.” Dave picked up his fork and started eating gracefully.
Bianca quietly sat down across from him, stealing glances at him.
She wondered if he had woken up early to make this breakfast for her competition.
Bianca was touched, but at the same time, she felt a little sad. The nicer Dave was to her, the more she felt ashamed.
This mix of feelings stayed with her until they finished eating.
They didn’t talk about the conversation from the night before, as if it never happened.
Dave stood up, looking at Bianca with a gentle expression. “I’m not going to work today. I’ll come with you to the competition later.”
Bianca absentmindedly agreed and started cleaning up the kitchen and dishes. When she finished washing the dishes, Dave changed and stood in the living room.
He was dressed casually in a black T-shirt and white sports pants.
He seemed relaxed, laid-back, and friendly.
The kitchen was clean, and all the utensils were put away neatly.
Bianca, drying her hands on her apron after washing the last dish, noticed her hands were a bit red from the cold water.
“You don’t have to do chores next time.”
Dave came over, took her hands, and warmed them with his big hands.
His eyes were gentle.
Dave thought the cleaning staff could handle the household tasks, so they didn’t need to do them.
Bianca smiled gently and said, “Since we’re living together now, we should share the chores. You cook, and I’ll do the dishes. That seems fair, right?”
Dave’s smile grew wider. He playfully tapped her nose with his finger and said, “You’re thoughtful.”
Bianca blushed at his touch.
She took off her apron, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door. “We should go. We’re running late.”
Dave chuckled and followed her out.
The Glory International Equestrian Club was the top spot for equestrian events in Edenfield. It hosted prestigious competitions.
Today was the monthly equestrian competition, and people were coming to the club.
Only VIP members could get in for free. Others had to pay a lot to watch. Tickets were over ten thousand each, which most people couldn’t afford.
The audience was made up of business leaders and nobles. They were there more for socializing and fun than for loving horse sports.
Bianca had put a lot of effort into training at the club, earning her spot in the competition.
Winning meant a big cash prize and a year of free VIP membership, which attracted many participants.
As Bianca and Dave got closer to the competition entrance, they saw it was busy with people.
Bianca suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Dave stopped, too.
Bianca admitted, “I wasn’t nervous during practice, but now that I’m here at the event, I suddenly feel really nervous.”
“Don’t worry. It’s just for fun. Remember the techniques I taught you. You’ll do great,” Dave comforted her gently.
Bianca nodded, getting herself ready. Just as she was about to go in, she heard a familiar voice she didn’t like.
“Bianca? What are you doing here?”
Bianca looked back and saw Ashley and Joshua together. Ashley was dressed elegantly in pink, looking proud and giving Bianca a mean look.
Even though she wasn’t part of the Reed family yet, she already acted like a snobby rich woman.