"How did she find her way here?" Lucas muttered under his breath, eyebrows furrowed.
James noticed Lucas' unease, "do you know her?"
"More than just know her," Lucas replied, giving James a pat on the shoulder, "I'm out of here."
"Hey, hey, hey!" James called out, still clueless about the situation, but Lucas had already made a quick exit.
Ariana walked over steadily, maintaining a smile, while Claire seized the opportunity to sprint ahead of her.
James squinted, "what's that? It's blinding!"
Claire appeared right in front of James. "Mr. Lucas, hello. I'm Claire, the only daughter of Charles, the president of Summer Group."
Ariana watched Claire's eagerness with a sense of amusement,
James didn't extend his hand, "I'm not Lucas Firestone."
Claire paused, feeling a bit awkward, while Ariana almost burst into laughter.
Claire gave an embarrassed smile, he was the only one with such an outstanding presence, sitting there in the chair.
She had assumed he was Lucas Firestone.
In fact, even Ariana had tried to find some information on Lucas Firestone, but all she found were scattered words, no photos.
"Sorry... could you tell me where Mr. Lucas Firestone is..."
Just then, a man wearing a mask strolled in.
James' eyes lit up when he saw him, quite the mysterious guy, huh, buddy?
"There, that's Lucas Firestone," James said, casually pointing in the masked man's direction.
Ariana and Claire both turned to look where James was pointing.
A tall, striking man approached, dressed in a black riding outfit.
He wore a black riding hat, a black jacket, paired with white riding pants and black boots.
The black and white ensemble highlighted his noble and elegant demeanor, with the fitted waist showcasing his broad shoulders and narrow waist, exuding athletic charm.
However, the black skull mask he wore seemed out of place, the eye sockets of the skull had two streaks of red, making it even more intimidating.
Claire felt breathless, what a unique man.
Ariana, on the other hand, remained calm.
"Don't mind him, he's been feeling under the weather lately, with a rash on his face, so he's not keen on showing it," James smoothly covered for Lucas.
"No worries, no worries," Claire waved her hands dismissively, "I had a rash once too, felt like my face was ruined, didn't want to see anyone."
Claire tried to sound friendly, making small talk.
But no one responded to her, leaving an awkward silence.
James gave Claire a look filled with subtle amusement, what a charming fool, he thought.
Ariana, however, remained poised, "is this horse Mr. Lucas'?" she asked.
She pointed at the horse not far away.
"That's right, that's his horse," James said.
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be a Selle Français. They're gentle, smart, fast and have great endurance and power, Mr. Lucas has a good eye."
She smoothly shifted the topic, giving the other party a graceful way out of the conversation.
Lucas's eyes lit up.
James was equally surprised, usually, it was men who talked about horses, but this young woman seemed to know her stuff.
"Does this lady know about horses too?"
"I know a little, but I might need to learn more from you both."
Claire was fuming nearby, stomping her foot in frustration, Ariana knew about horses? she had never mentioned it before!
That sneaky woman.
For the past three years, Claire thought Ariana had taught her everything she knew, but it turned out she had kept some secrets!
Still, she had to admit, Ariana knew a lot.
Claire gritted her teeth, Ariana had learned so much because she took her place.
If she hadn't been taken away back then, it would be her standing here confidently speaking!
In the end, it was all taken from her!
"Yes, my sister is really good at horseback riding, she's amazing! why don't we let her show us?" Claire looked at Ariana with a mischievous glint in her eye, "sister, show us what you've got!"
Claire had never heard Ariana talk about riding horses, at least in the past three years, she hadn't seen Ariana ride.
The Summer family didn't have a membership here, which meant they had never been, so Claire was sure Ariana couldn't ride, and if she could, it would be barely passable.
She wanted to embarrass her.
"Really?" James perked up, intrigued, "why not show us a bit? have a little competition."
Ariana glanced at Claire.
Claire looked at her with a smug expression, "yes, sister, have a little match with Mr. Lucas, show everyone that you're just as good as any man!"
Ariana understood Claire's intention, she just wanted to see her fail,
"alright, if I'm not great at riding, I hope Mr. Lucas can forgive me, I'll go change now."
Ariana said as she followed the attendant to the changing room.
Claire felt increasingly smug, she knew Ariana liked to show off and now she had no choice but to go through with it.
After all, it was a horse, a beast!
One wrong move and it could be dangerous!
Claire thought to herself, Ariana, just don't get yourself killed, that wouldn't be any fun!
Taking advantage of the moment, Claire tried to cozy up to Lucas, but he wasn't interested in her at all, leaving her feeling awkward.
She even suggested adding Lucas on social media, but he completely ignored her.
James felt secondhand embarrassment for her, what a silly beauty!
Being someone who couldn't resist a damsel in distress, he said, "hey, gorgeous, don't mind him, he's just a bit aloof, how about we chat?"
Claire had no choice but to sit next to James.
Before long, Ariana stepped out of the changing room.
Unlike Lucas, she had chosen a red riding outfit.
With a black riding hat and golden double-breasted buttons adorning her red jacket, paired with white tight-fitting pants and black boots, she looked vibrant yet elegant.
She was truly unforgettable.
Even Claire thought Ariana's outfit could easily charm any man!
"Vixen," she muttered under her breath.
Lucas couldn't help but smile, captivated by her presence, unable to take his eyes off her.
A staff member led a horse over, which belonged to Ariana's partner who kept it at the stables.
Claire chuckled, "that horse is a bit small, isn't it? it doesn't compare to Mr. Lucas'horse!"
James glanced at Claire, thinking she really didn't know much.
No wonder, if she knew even a little, she wouldn't have dressed like that at the stables.
"Miss, this is a Quarter Horse, they are indeed smaller, but they excel in speed and are great for short sprints, in terms of price, it's actually more expensive than Lucas' horse," he explained.
Claire felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her, she could only manage a sheepish smile, not daring to say anything more.