Free Web NovelChapter 59: Chapter 59: A Close Call
A gentle voice stopped him in his tracks.
He turned to see Vivian Linton and Megan Grayson approaching.
"Tristan, we’ve changed. We can go now."
Vivian Linton spoke gently, deliberately taking a step closer so Tristan Sterling could get a good look at her outfit.
After seeing Holly Sinclair’s riding habit, she had gone mad with jealousy.
So, she had immediately changed into a smaller size, intentionally making her own figure look just as curvy.
’That bitch Holly Sinclair!’
’Dressing like that is just her way of trying to seduce Tristan. I absolutely cannot let her succeed.’
’Tristan loves me. As long as I dress like Holly, he won’t even notice her.’
Vivian Linton looked at Tristan Sterling coyly, her eyes filled with anticipation, hoping to see a spark of amazement in his gaze.
"Mm," was all Tristan Sterling said. He gave her a single glance before turning and heading inside.
Vivian Linton’s expression froze, and a flash of disappointment crossed her eyes.
’Did he not notice what I was wearing?’
’That must be it!’
’If he had noticed, he definitely wouldn’t have been so unfazed.’
...
Holly Sinclair waited in the hotel lobby for Sonia Sutton.
About half an hour later, she saw Sonia Sutton emerge from the elevator, dressed in a sharp riding outfit.
Holly Sinclair immediately took out her phone and approached her. "Miss Sutton, I have something—"
"Miss Sinclair, I thought I made myself perfectly clear." Sonia Sutton’s expression soured at her overly eager demeanor. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
She hated persistent people the most.
Holly frantically held out her phone. "No, please listen to me—"
"I’ll say it again: I’ve already decided to work with Vervain Studio!"
Sonia, assuming it was about the cheongsam designs or something similar, cut Holly off again. The sharp edge in her voice indicated her patience had reached its limit.
"Miss Sinclair, can’t you take a hint?"
Seeing Holly’s persistence, Sonia’s assistant and best friend, Kiera Jacobs, stepped in to block her way, snapping coldly.
Sonia Sutton headed for the exit.
Anxious, Holly tried to chase after her, shouting, "Miss Sutton, it’s your horse—"
"Are you ever going to stop!?"
When Kiera saw she was still trying to follow, she didn’t bother listening to what Holly was shouting and gave her a hard shove to the side.
"Ah!"
Caught off guard, Holly stumbled and slammed into the glass door.
Her elbow struck the edge of the doorframe, the pain so sharp it momentarily stole her voice.
By the time the searing pain subsided, Sonia Sutton was already on a shuttle cart, heading to the stables.
...
At the foot of Mount Nympha lay a vast, verdant meadow.
It was a place where horses could gallop to their hearts’ content.
Sonia Sutton mounted her beloved white horse, Big White, and with a flick of her whip, set off at a joyous gallop.
Behind her followed Tristan Sterling, Vivian Linton, and the others.
Because Vivian Linton wasn’t a skilled rider, Tristan Sterling had to stay by her side to protect her, so their horses were merely trotting along at a leisurely pace.
Soon, Sonia had left the group far behind.
As she rode, Sonia realized her horse was becoming uncontrollable.
"Whoa—"
She pulled tight on the reins, trying to make the horse stop.
But the normally docile horse completely ignored her commands, and even began to run faster.
"Whoa! Whoa! Big White, stop! Whoa—"
Sonia started to panic, yanking on the reins repeatedly.
CLIP-CLOP CLIP-CLOP CLIP-CLOP...
The horse was running so fast its hooves barely seemed to touch the ground.
A fall at this speed meant being shattered to pieces.
"Help! Help me!"
Terrified, Sonia’s face went pale as she screamed for help at the top of her lungs.
But the horse was too fast; the whistling wind drowned out her cries.
Just as she fell into despair, a black steed shot forward, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Miss Sutton, don’t be afraid! Hold on to the reins!"
Holly Sinclair shouted against the wind, steering her black horse closer to Big White.
Two horses, one white and one black, galloped madly across the green meadow.
No one would have guessed that such a beautiful scene was actually a life-and-death chase.
Sonia clung to the reins for dear life, so scared that she’d already thought of her last words.
Holly tried repeatedly to get close to Big White, but without success.
In the distance, Tristan Sterling and the others also noticed something was wrong.
Even from so far away, he recognized Holly Sinclair in an instant.
"Holly!"
Seeing the danger, he roared her name, then immediately spurred his horse on with his legs. "Hyah!"
The big brown horse shot forward like an arrow, covering a great distance in a WHOOSH.
"Tristan!"
Vivian Linton screamed, her face turning green with rage.
「Meanwhile...」
"Hyah!"
Holly finally saw an opening and whipped her horse hard on its flank.
The horse cried out in pain and instantly surged past Big White.
After gaining some distance, Holly abruptly wheeled her horse around.
She blocked Big White’s path.
On the verge of a collision, both horses instinctively skidded to a halt.
"NEIGH—"
"NEIGH—"
They reared and screamed in unison.
Just as Sonia was about to be thrown from the horse and dashed to pieces,
Holly swiftly dismounted, lunging forward to grab Big White’s bridle.
Big White was agitated, its hooves stomping and kicking wildly.
The slightest misstep and Holly could be trampled to a pulp.
The scene was incredibly perilous.
Holly used every ounce of her strength to hold onto the bridle, roaring at the stunned Sonia, "Get off the horse!"
"Ah? Oh, oh, oh..." As if waking from a dream, Sonia hastily scrambled off the horse.
Her legs were so weak with fear that she collapsed onto the ground the moment she dismounted.
Holly let out a sigh of relief.
Just as she was about to let go, Big White suddenly went berserk again. freewёbnoνel.com
It bolted forward, trying to escape.
"Ah!"
Holly screamed in terror. She wanted to let go but was afraid of being trampled to death by one of Big White’s kicks.
She could only cling desperately to the reins, her body pressed against the horse, searching for a chance to vault onto its back.
After a great struggle, she was exhausted. It took several attempts before she finally managed to heave herself onto the horse’s back.
But Big White still showed no signs of stopping.
Holly lay draped over the horse’s back, panting, too tired to even try to tame it.
Tristan Sterling galloped toward them, his heart pounding with soul-crushing terror.
"Holly!"
He stared at her intently, roaring, "Hold on to the reins! Don’t let go!!"
He was terrified she wouldn’t be able to hold on.
The horse was moving too fast. Falling off meant certain death.
Tristan drew closer to Big White.
Seizing the right moment, he made a flying leap.
He landed precisely on Big White’s back and grabbed the reins.
He succeeded in pulling Holly into his arms.
Only when he felt the warmth radiating from her body did his racing heart finally begin to settle.
Holly was shaken. Though she tried her best to control it, her body couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
"Don’t be afraid. It’s over now."
His lips brushed against her sweat-dampened cheek, his deep, magnetic voice filled with a sense of security.
Tristan Sterling pulled hard and steady on the reins, forcing Big White to slow down.
Soon, Big White was finally brought under control.
Tristan rode the now-calm Big White back to the group.
He dismounted in one fluid, handsome motion.
Then he reached up, preparing to lift Holly down.
But Holly swatted his hand away with her leg and jumped down herself.
However, as her feet hit the ground, she nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
Tristan caught her, steadying her.
His handsome face was terrifyingly dark.
’What is she being so stubborn about!’
’Refusing my help and insisting on jumping down on her own.’
"Holly, Tristan, are you two okay?"
Seeing them return, Vivian Linton was the first to rush over. Her eyes, glistening with unshed tears, were full of worry, and her voice trembled on the verge of sobs. "Tristan, you scared me to death..."
The sight of him leaping onto the horse to save Holly had stung her eyes.
A strange sense of unease began to stir in her heart.
’Holly is just his wife in name only. Why would he risk his life to save her?’
’Could it be that her constant seductions are actually starting to move his heart?’
The more Vivian thought about it, the more hateful she felt.
"I’m fine." Tristan Sterling shook his head, brushing some grass clippings from his leg.
Sonia Sutton hurried over and looked at Holly with gratitude. "Miss Sinclair, thank you for saving me."
"There’s no need to thank me, Miss Sutton."
Holly was also brushing grass from her leg, in perfect sync with Tristan.
She gave Sonia a gracious shake of her head and a smile.
"Big White is usually so gentle. Why would he suddenly go berserk today?" Sonia frowned, turning to look at her beloved horse and muttering in confusion.
"Miss Sutton, I suggest you have someone thoroughly check Big White’s body," Holly advised.
At these words, a flash of panic crossed the face of Kiera Jacobs, who was standing beside Sonia.
Sonia realized there was a hidden meaning in Holly’s words and immediately had someone inspect Big White carefully.
「Soon...」
"There’s a needle!"
A staff member shouted, having found a needle under Big White’s saddle.
The intense pain from the needle piercing its flesh was what had caused Big White to go berserk.
Everyone was shocked.
And then—
"Oh my god, Holly, why would you do something like that?"
