George walked out of the resting area after learning that Elara intended to keep Antonio as her personal bodyguard and that she was finally understanding the importance of having security around her.
When he looked at the commotion and saw no one was riding anymore, all looking towards where his sister had been standing earlier, his brows furrowed.
"What's happening here?" He asked no one in particular.
"There's this weird woman who wants to ride a mental horse who has never let anyone ride him."
"Women these days have no elegance. They really risk everything in their jealousy."
"I know, right? Just because everyone was praising Miss Beatrice, that other woman thought she could gain everyone's attention by riding a difficult horse that no one could, and the owner warned her about it."
"We were here to make a deal. What kind of luck this really is,"
"Even Mr. Marcos wants no other horse but that one. Can we really do anything about it?"
People started chatting amongst themselves.
Andrew, Kevin, and Beatrice, who had been covering Elara's view for everyone, also stepped aside for safety.
George narrowed his brows.
There were only three more women apart from that woman riding the horse in the arena. Don't tell him they were talking about his sister.
The thought made him press his lips into a thin line.
But he needed to confirm before making a statement.
He looked in the direction. His pupils dilated when he indeed saw Elara standing there.
She intended to ride a horse? After four years? Had she lost her mind?
He stepped forward to see the horse everyone was talking about, which was hidden by the shed that was blocking his view.
As soon as he looked at the only white patch on the horse's forehead, like a mark of its royalty, he finally relaxed.
He was about to comment, but saw Daniel walking toward his sister, and his fists clenched by his side.
George wanted to stop Daniel, knowing the man meant only trouble and death. But he couldn't openly talk about it either, not when he wasn't allowed to disclose her identity as his sister.
Daniel looked at Elara.
"If you aren't able to ride that horse, I will take it to my house and butcher it. After all, it was all because of it that I was left with this girlish horse." Daniel's dark words made Elara raise her brows at him.
She had heard that Mr. Daniel Macros was a psychopath who didn't feel emotions, and killing a person was much easier for him than tying a tie.
He always thought those were just rumors, but now that she looked directly in his eyes, she could feel the murderous vibes practically oozing from him, and every cell in her body asked her to step back.
And that was precisely what she did.
"Are you making a bet?" She asked, unsure what came to her mind.
Her eyes widened when she realized her words, and the man before her smirked.
"A bet? Sure. What's at stake?" he asked.
Everyone held their breath, hearing their conversation in the silent environment.
Andrew's gaze turned stoic with each passing second.
"Your wife has seriously lost her mind. Is she seriously making a bet with Daniel?" Kevin patted Andrew's shoulders.
The man kept looking at the woman, finding her strangely too daring today. But sometimes overconfidence is the beginning of one's downfall. And that was precisely what Elara was aiming for in his eyes by scheming things one after the other.
"If anything turns bad, I don't really have anything to do with her." Andrew's words made Beatrice smile inwardly.
"Please don't say such things, Andrew. She is still your wife. If things went wrong, Mr. Macros would look into her and would eventually link it to you." Beatrice held his elbow.
Andrew looked down at her French fingers, perfectly manicured, and the way they wrapped around his elbow, and his heart fluttered.
Kevin smirked at his friend, who was finding it hard to hide his desire for Beatrice.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen." Andrew patted her hand, and Beatrice nodded with a smile.
"How about you give me candy if I ride it?" Elara asked, unable to think of anything else.
Daniel nodded before pausing. His gaze slowly darted to her eyes.
The assistant behind his boss looked at the woman, raising her brows.
While everyone was gathered here to make billions and trillions of deals with their boss, this woman was asking for candy if she won. Was she out of her mind?
"You can't go back on your words," Daniel said, giving her a chance to back off.
Elara smiled.
"I don't have any intention to," she smirked before she turned and walked to the limited area where the helpers still held the last bits of the ropes to keep the horse from setting loose and running to the main arena to harm others.
George, who watched the entire interaction, chuckled.
"She will ride it," he said, catching the attention of the people around him, along with the owner.
"Sir, I know you want to put your belief in that woman because she is charming, but that horse hasn't let anyone—"
"I know, and I heard you," George cut off the owner, who had been yapping about the same thing for the past half an hour, before scoffing.
"I am not confident because she is charming, which she really is; I am confident because that's her horse," George said.
The owner furrowed his brows in confusion.
"Her horse? But how could that be possible?" He asked.
George shook his head.
"You'll see," George said.
At the same time, Elara, who was least bothered about all the eyes on her and their gossip, just walked to the limited area.
"Do it," Elara said confidently.
The helpers looked at each other before they left the ropes and quickly walked out of the limited area.
The horse stood on its two hind legs, lifted its forelimbs, and neighed loudly as its long, shiny hair flailed in the wind before picking up its pace and running towards where Elara was standing.
Everyone held their breath when they saw the girl not even moving from her place as the horse stopped before her and lifted its front body as if ready to attack her.
Elara looked into the horse's eyes, her heart beating erratically before she took a deep breath.
"Orion," She exhaled the name with her breath, and the horse neighed even louder.
Rather than attacking her, it started circling her, and the girl watched its position before she started walking, increasing her speed. She had long taken off her heels and was wearing rider boots.
She narrowed her eyes, and, in a split second, she held the horse's rope to climb on it.
The horse neighed loudly, and the girl bent her body forward, almost hugging it, before it started moving around.
"I missed you, too, Orion. I am sorry it took me so long to return." Tears welled in Elara's eyes, and as if the horse could understand her words, it jumped off the fence from the limited area and started heading towards the central region.
Elara's dress flailed with the wind while her hair looked like ocean waves, making her look like a professional rider when she loosened the ropes and just hugged the horse from behind.
George looked at his sister, the way she was hugging the horse, and knew that she was happy in that moment, the kind of happiness she probably didn't feel in the last four years.
The thought of what she went through in the name of love made him look at Andrew with hatred.
Their parents and others might not know, but he knew the man she married was Andrew. He remained silent and did nothing because of his sister, but now…
He clenched his fists.
Everyone looked at Elara in pure awe and shock. The owner finally understood what Mr. George meant when he said the horse belonged to that lady.
The same horse that never let anyone ride him was allowing this lady to ride him without a saddle or rope? Most importantly, after raising horses and caring for them for so many years, he knew when a horse was pleased, and that black beast was ecstatic today.
Andrew, who had never known Elara could ride a horse, looked at his wife in surprise—almost like a professional—and a mixture of emotions he couldn't decipher.
For the first time in his three years of marriage and almost four years of knowing her, she looked so free-spirited and happy, like someone entirely different.
It made him wonder whether he ever really knew her.
The thought dissipated as soon as it arrived when Beatrice stepped close to him, her chest almost rubbing on his hand.
"I didn't know she could ride so well. Why hide it? If I had known she could ride, I wouldn't have come even with the sprained foot," Beatrice said before she stumbled in Andrew's arms, her blouse button coming undone.
Andrew's gaze drifted to her cleavage for a brief second before he quickly averted his gaze.
"I am sorry. It's just started to strain from all the standing." Beatrice looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, and Andrew's heart melted.
"I am sorry you had to come when in so much pain. Elara just knows how to create trouble for me. If I had known, I wouldn't have troubled you so much. You came even after all this. I am really grateful, Beatrice. Let me take you to the doctor." Andrew bent and picked her up bridal style, making the girl gasp.
"No, Drew. Your wife is here. She will misunderstand," Beatrice said.
Andrew scoffed.
"She seems to be enjoying the male attention quite a lot. It won't affect her. Besides, you are injured. If she cared about me, she would've helped me rather than making a fool out of me," Andrew said and took her out of the arena.
As Elara was riding, her gaze fell on Andrew's back and the woman in his arms, who looked directly at her and couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
Some people never change.
Once Elara had ridden Orion for a while and felt a bit tired, she got down, promising her horse that she would return from time to time.
She turned to leave the arena when Daniel's assistant stopped her.
"Ma'am, our boss would like to meet you," he said.