Chapter 74
74:
She met Isabella’s and Jordy’s gazes head-on and waited for their response.
Jordy and Isabella exchanged a glance. Knowing Isabella’s riding skills were lacking, Jordy leaned in and whispered to her, “Why don’t we just do it? I’ll be by your side in the competition. Nothing will go wrong.” He lifted an eyebrow, giving her a subtle signal.
Isabella hesitated, but the thought of seeing Brenna humiliate herself in front of everyone, especially Ethan, was too tempting. If Brenna embarrassed herself, Ethan might finally realize she wasn’t worth his attention and abandon her.
But for that to happen, she had to participate in the competition.
“Alright,” Isabella agreed. She was confident she’d get to watch Brenna fail.
Brenna calmly took the tablet from a staff member, pulled up the registration screen, and handed it to Jordy. She watched as he filled in both his and Isabella’s names, then handed the tablet back.
With a smirk, Jordy said to Brenna, “Your turn to sign up.”
Brenna’s smile widened, and she was unable to hide her satisfaction. “Oh, I’ve already signed up,” she said.
Jordy and Isabella froze. Their expressions then darkened as realization dawned on them. “You played us!”
Brenna chuckled, completely unbothered. “You never asked if I had already registered, so it doesn’t count as tricking you. If you regret it, it’s fine. At worst, the local elite will hear that you both signed up for the equestrian competition but didn’t compete. No big deal. People might laugh at you for a day or two… But don’t worry. They will soon forget about the matter.”
Isabella snorted and crossed her arms. “Don’t get too cocky! My parents told me they never signed you up for riding lessons, so you can’t ride at all. You’re going to lose badly today. How much better can you really be than me? Let’s see if Mr. Mitchell still wants you after you embarrass yourself.”
gⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀.𝗰𝗈𝗺 – 𝒶𝒸𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒
Brenna simply nodded, unfazed. “See you at the competition,” she said. Without another glance at them, she turned and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window to watch the ongoing competition below.
Meanwhile, Isabella’s confidence wavered. She tugged on Jordy’s sleeve and whispered, “I’ve only had two riding lessons. What if I embarrass myself? Jordy, I’m scared to really participate in the competition. What should I do?”
Jordy couldn’t come up with a better plan, so he said to Isabella, “Let’s check out the stables first and find you a calm horse. Safety comes first.”
After weighing their options, this seemed like the most practical choice. Just then, a staff member approached, handing them a tablet. “Would you like to place a bet? We offer options of twenty, two hundred, two thousand, and twenty thousand, all with ten-to-one odds.”
Aside from watching the races, betting was another major attraction for the wealthy.
Isabella’s interest was immediately piqued. She said to Jordy, “Let’s see who’s competing this time.”
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