Taking a deep breath, Ashley glared at Bianca, who seemed full of energy. Ashley knew there would be some interesting drama unfolding soon.
Bianca guided the black horse to the first challenge and gently pulled the reins. Without hesitation, the horse leaped over the obstacle effortlessly, and the crowd cheered.
But just when Bianca relaxed, the horse surprised everyone by rearing up and galloping wildly as if it had lost control.
The audience gasped in amazement.
“Wait, isn’t that horse familiar? It looks like… Lightning!” Someone in the crowd noticed the black horse and stood up.
“Lightning? They say it’s the wildest horse here, with a lightning bolt mark on its forehead. Rumor has it that no one has been able to tame it yet.”
“I remember a coach who didn’t believe the stories. He tried to tame Lightning and ended up badly hurt in a fall.”
“Oh my! That sounds so risky. Why would the club let Lightning compete?”
“Mr. Reed, am I right? Bianca’s definitely going to lose today,” Ashley said, arms crossed and a smug look on her face.
Joshua was excited. It seemed like he was going to win big today.
Joshua put his arm around Ashley’s waist and kissed her cheek excitedly. “You’re my good luck charm! If I win today, you’ll get a big reward.”
Ashley hugged Joshua and smiled. “You can count on me, Mr. Reed!”
Then, she looked at Dave with disgust and said, “He’s so clueless. I can’t believe he thinks Bianca will win. I can’t wait to see his face when she loses!”
Even though Ashley said it loud enough for Dave to hear, he ignored her and kept watching Bianca.
On the racecourse, Bianca pulled on the reins, but the black horse wouldn’t listen. It spun in circles and kicked its hind legs wildly, trying to shake Bianca off!
Bianca struggled to hang on, holding onto the reins and gripping the horse’s sides tightly.
But the horse was too strong. When it couldn’t throw her off, it headed straight for the tallest iron hurdle on the field.
The black horse aimed straight for the highest hurdle on the course, trying to throw Bianca off!
“Oh no! That’s the tallest hurdle! Even pros struggle to jump it! If the horse crashes into it, Bianca could get seriously hurt!”
“But the rules say the competition can’t stop until the rider gives up!”
“Why hasn’t she quit yet?! Does she really think she can jump that hurdle?!” Some people exclaimed.
“She’s crazy! Even the senior coach can’t handle Lightning, and Bianca’s just a beginner!”
Dave wanted to rush to the racecourse, but he held onto the seat handles tightly, his hands turning blue with strain.
Dave Evans, usually calm in tough situations, was sweating now.
Bianca must have a good reason for not quitting the competition.
He believed in her. He had to.
Her strong spirit would surely handle the wild horse!
Ashley smiled smugly as she noticed Dave sweating. “Maybe Bianca will fall and get hurt. I don’t know why she’s here. She’s not a real rider; she’s just trying to impress rich people! Now, she’ll pay for it.”
As the black horse charged towards the hurdle, Bianca tried to stay calm. Everything seemed to slow down.
She remembered Dave’s advice: “To control a wild horse, you can’t show fear. You have to be tougher than it. Make it scared of you!”
With a sudden understanding, Bianca stood up on the horse’s back!
Instead of fighting with strength, she remembered Dave’s advice and used skill to control the horse.
As the black horse neared the hurdle, Bianca stood firm in the stirrups and pulled the reins expertly, forcing the horse to stop!
The crowd held their breath.
Just when it seemed like Bianca would fall and get hurt, something miraculous happened.
The black horse neighed and lifted its front hooves high. Then it jumped into the air, effortlessly clearing the tallest hurdle!
The stands fell silent in shock. Then, applause erupted.
After crossing the obstacle smoothly, the black horse stopped and shook its head, its mane flowing in the wind. Bianca petted Lightning, who was now calm.
With skill, Bianca guided the horse over the remaining hurdles, finishing the competition successfully.
“She did it! She tamed Lightning!!”
“Oh, my God! This is amazing! I was so scared for her, I couldn’t even watch!”
“She’s the champion now! Yes!”
The crowd cheered and celebrated.
Ashley was shocked. How did Bianca tame the wild horse?!
Those who bet against Bianca were stunned. It was her first competition, and she won!
Then, they all glared at Joshua, angry and betrayed.
“Damn it! His information was wrong! He was just guessing!”
“Joshua Reed is just a dumb playboy. Why did we listen to him?”
“We only dealt with him because of his brother. What a waste of money. Joshua’s a fool. Maybe I should cancel my contract with him…”
Joshua’s face hardened. He didn’t want to watch the competition anymore, so he got up to leave.
Seeing Joshua upset, Ashley got worried and grabbed his arm. “Don’t be mad, Mr. Reed. Bianca just got lucky. We, well, we just got unlucky.”
“If you hadn’t said Bianca would lose, I wouldn’t have lost two million dollars and looked like a fool!” Joshua snapped.
Even though two million dollars wasn’t a big deal to Joshua, losing it for no reason annoyed him.
Plus, he felt embarrassed. These people weren’t just anyone; they were his family’s business partners. If they found out, his brother would be mad at him.
Dave casually strolled up to Joshua and Ashley with his hand in his pocket. “Mr. Reed,” he said lazily, “thanks to your bet, the odds of Bianca winning went up. So, I ended up winning two million dollars. Thanks for that.”
“You little!..”
Joshua was furious. He wanted to explode right there, knowing that the money he lost would now be in Dave’s hands. The shame was almost unbearable.
“If you ever have another big bet, let me know, Mr. Reed.”
With a small smile, Dave turned and walked away.
Dave’s sarcastic comment pushed Joshua over the edge.
As the spoiled youngest son of the Reed family, Joshua had never felt so humiliated.
Ashley feared Joshua might lash out at her, so she pretended to cry. “Mr. Reed, it’s my fault. I’ll find a way to repay the two million dollars…”
“It’s about time you realized it’s your fault. Don’t you dare talk big again, you hear me?” Joshua snapped.
Despite his anger, Joshua knew he couldn’t lose his temper in front of so many important people.
Seeing Ashley cry softened his expression a bit.
He couldn’t bring himself to take his anger out on her.