Joshua took a deep breath to calm down. He gently wiped the tears from Ashley’s eyes. “Hey, don’t cry. It’s just money. I’m mad at that guy, not you. I need to show him he can’t mess with me!”
Ashley buried her face in Joshua’s chest, whispering, “You’re so kind, Mr. Reed. Please don’t be mad. That guy might be lucky, but he’s no match for you. We’ll figure out how to deal with him eventually!”
After the competition, several racecourse staff members approached Bianca to check if she was hurt.
Bianca shook her head, assuring them she was fine. Then, a man in a sharp suit and shiny shoes made his way through the crowd. The staff parted to let him through.
It was Frank Hudson, the racecourse manager.
He stopped in front of Bianca, smiling approvingly. “Miss Scott, no one here has ever tamed Lightning before. Yet, you did it during a competition. You truly deserve the title of champion.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hudson. Can I meet Mr. Gabriel Lee now?”
Bianca was thrilled. Winning the equestrian championship was amazing, but meeting Gabriel was her main goal.
Frank smiled and nodded. “Mr. Lee saw everything from the VIP seat. He was impressed and wants to meet you privately. Follow me, please.”
Excited, Bianca handed Lightning’s reins to the staff and followed Frank away from the racecourse.
As she walked, Bianca looked up and spotted Dave in the stands, his hand in his pocket. His tall figure stood out in the crowd.
It seemed like he was waiting for her.
Bianca smiled as she hurried over to Dave with excitement. “Mr. Evans, I did it! I really did it! Thank you for your advice. Now, I can meet Mr. Lee!”
Dave’s lips were pressed together tightly, and his eyes looked red. Suddenly, he pulled her into a tight hug.
Dave buried his head in Bianca’s neck, holding her tightly as if afraid she’d disappear.
Bianca felt squished in the tight hug, struggling to breathe.
“Mr. Evans, are you okay? You’re squeezing me too hard. I can’t breathe.”
Dave finally let go and gently pushed her away, positioning her in front of him.
“Next time, don’t do something so risky. What if you got hurt? Maybe I shouldn’t have taught you how to ride a horse.”
Dave felt guilty. He could have introduced Bianca to Gabriel anytime, but he kept his identity hidden. He wanted to see if Bianca could handle things on her own and uncover the truth about Sophia’s disappearance.
So, Dave stayed on the sidelines.
But after what happened today, he realized Bianca’s safety mattered most.
Bianca looked at him, unaware of his inner struggle. “Mr. Evans, I remembered the technique you showed me, and that’s how I managed to control the horse just now. I’m safe because of you.”
Dave smiled sadly. Did she understand how close she came to danger? If she fell, it would’ve been bad.
He held Bianca’s hand tight like she was a treasure he had found again.
Then, Ashley and Joshua came up behind them.
Ashley glared at Bianca. “Don’t think you’re so great. Luck saved you.”
Joshua saw Frank near Bianca and Dave, so he put his arm around Frank’s shoulders and said, “Hey, Mr. Hudson, long time no see.”
Frank smiled awkwardly at Joshua, saying, “Hi, Mr. Reed.”
He looked at Ashley by Joshua’s side, then shrugged off Joshua’s arm and went to Bianca and Dave.
Frank greeted them politely, saying, “Excuse me, I need to handle something important.”
Bianca told him, “Don’t worry; take your time and do what you need to do.”
Frank nodded, then as he turned, his face became serious and stern.
“Mr. Reed, we checked the waiting area and found out that someone purposely swapped Bianca’s horse before her competition. And the lady beside you is the one who arranged it.”
Joshua looked shocked and turned to Ashley.
Bianca’s face grew dark. So, Ashley messed with her horse, making things difficult on purpose.
Ashley, looking pale and surprised, objected loudly, “That’s crazy! Mr. Reed and I were in the grandstand the whole time. I didn’t go anywhere else. How could I switch her horse?”
Frank stayed quiet. He dialed a number, and soon, big bodyguards came, bringing the man who handled the horses.
“Tell us. What happened?” Frank asked the man coldly.
The man looked at Ashley and admitted, “Just before the race, she asked me about our toughest horse. I told her about Lightning, the hardest one to control. Then she told me to switch Bianca’s horse with Lightning. She claimed she was the vice president’s girlfriend at Golden Gate Films and promised me five hundred thousand dollars. I… I fell for it and agreed… Mr. Hudson, I was fooled by her. Please, forgive me,” he said, kneeling and begging for mercy.
Frank stared at Joshua firmly and said, “Mr. Reed, your girlfriend broke our club’s rules and might have broken the law. You’re important here, so I won’t call the police. But we have to ban your girlfriend from the club forever.”
Ashley gripped Joshua’s sleeve, crying, “It wasn’t me, Mr. Reed! How could I do that? Bianca set me up!”
Bianca sighed, tired of Ashley’s accusations and tricky words.
Joshua felt confused and turned to Frank. “Mr. Hudson, perhaps there’s a mistake.”
“Mr. Reed, do you doubt us? We checked this thoroughly. You, as a businessperson, should be careful who you trust. Don’t underestimate others,” Frank said, sounding mocking.
Joshua, accustomed to luxury and privilege, experienced a new kind of shame. He was used to being admired, but this situation felt entirely new to him.
He remembered Ashley wasn’t around during an important time at the competition.
Anger and embarrassment boiled inside him. He pushed away from Ashley, his eyes blazing with anger.
“You knew Bianca would lose, didn’t you? You switched her horse,” he said accusingly.
“No, I…”
Ashley tried to speak, but Joshua interrupted her with a hard slap across the face.
“How could you do this in my name? You cost me two million and embarrassed me! I never want to see you again!”
He shouted before storming away in anger.
“Mr. Reed!”
Ashley rushed to catch up with Joshua but tripped, her dress getting caught and tearing as she fell onto the gravel.
She cried out as her knees scraped and blood trickled down, trying to protect herself.
But Joshua didn’t look back as he kept walking.
As the competition ended, people walked by, feeling sorry for Ashley and giving her sympathetic looks.
But some enjoyed the drama, whispering and laughing.
Ashley felt like she was about to lose it completely.