Chapter 11 Apologize
Nicholas’s gaze shifted to Sharon’s legs hanging in the air, and he thought, ‘Hmm, she looks like a teenager from this angle. Anyway, that’s not the point. The point is, she won, and it looked easy.
‘She aced the unfamiliar challenge like a pro. My fiancée is actually pretty impressive. Low–key yet skilled, she’s completely different from the country bumpkin they’ve all been gossiping about.‘
Nicholas took a step forward and reached out his hand. “Come on.”
Sharon grabbed his hand and jumped off the horse.
Meanwhile, the doctor rushed in, bringing a stretcher to carry Garrett away. Sharon, however, stood in front of him and said with cold eyes, “You lost.”
Garrett’s face was a mix of pain and humiliation.
Ashley yelled, “Get out of the way. Don’t delay his treatment.”
“Apologize,” Sharon demanded, her eyes still locked on Garrett. “Take back what you said and apologize.”
Ashley screamed in frustration, trying to shove Sharon aside, but Nicholas stopped her and said in a calm tone, “A bet’s a bet, you know?”
Since Nicholas showed his stance, there was no way for Carrett to avoid it now.
Garrett gritted his teeth and said to Sharon, “Sorry.”
He thought, ‘Just wait, Sharon, this isn’t over.’
Ashley was fuming, her thoughts full of insults. ‘That bitch will regret this.‘
After Garrett and Ashley left, the area finally fell quiet.
Jackson walked over with a grin. “Wow, impressive, Sharon. I didn’t expect you to be so good. You looked cool and attractive while riding.”
Seeing and hearing everything, Karen felt her eyes sting with jealousy. She cursed in her mind, ‘How come the country bumpkin is suddenly the center of everyone’s attention?‘
Roxanne’s voice cut through the tension. “Sharon, what trouble have you gotten into this time? I told you not to come, but you insisted.”
Having heard that Sharon had been in a race and Garrett ended up breaking his leg, Roxanne couldn’t help but think Sharon was trouble waiting to happen.
Sharon’s eyes flashed with mockery. “I didn’t cause any trouble.”
Roxanne retorted, “You didn’t? Then why is Garrett hurt?”
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Sharon calmly replied, “Because he wasn’t good enough.”
Roxanne was livid, feeling hard to catch her breath. She couldn’t believe Sharon was still arguing after causing all this mess.
Karen stepped in to comfort Roxanne. “Grandma, don’t get upset. You know how Sharon always acts.”
At that moment, Edward, who rarely came to the horse ranch, showed up. When he heard someone had been hurt, he thought it was Sharon and rushed over, with anger simmering toward Nicholas. But when he saw Sharon standing there unscathed, he relaxed.
He shot a suspicious look at Nicholas and asked, “Who got hurt?”
Jackson, eager to add some drama, chimed in, “Garrett challenged Shari to a race. He couldn’t handle it and fell off the horse.”
“Oh, I see.” Hearing it wasn’t Sharon who was hurt, Edward breathed a sigh of relief.
Roxanne, looking embarrassed, huffed and said nothing.
Edward then turned to Sharon. “Shari, you weren’t scared, were you? I’ll have the kitchen make your favorite dishes tonight as a comfort.”
Sharon paused her actions, thinking, ‘Do we really have to stay for dinner?‘
Ashley, rushing in from the infirmary, turned pale when she heard Edward’s words. She protested, “Mr. Edward Baxter, my brother is the one who’s injured. This troublemaker doesn’t need comfort, okay?”
Edward’s response was blunt. “Who’s to blame for losing? A man’s got to suck it up. Being injured isn’t the end of the world.”
Edward’s attitude toward men was always strict. His tone was so dismissive that it practically screamed favoritism.
Wendy, standing off to the side, covered her face and thought, ‘Edward’s really way too
biased.‘
Ashley’s eyes welled up with tears. “Mr. Edward Baxter, this isn’t fair. My brother got hurt because of Sharon. She should apologize to him.”
The more Ashley thought about it, the angrier she got. ‘If it weren’t for Sharon, Garrette wouldn’t have broken his leg. How am I going to explain this to Mom and Dad? This is so embarrassing–losing to Sharon of all people.’
Nicholas spoke up, “Garrett fell down the horse. It has nothing to do with Sharon. If you need an explanation, you can come to me.”
It was rare for Nicholas to get involved, but today, he made an exception.
Ashley was so upset that she started crying. “You’re all bad people. How can you bully
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With a smirk, Jackson chimed in, “Hey, speaking of bullying, isn’t it you two who are the bullies here?”
Roxanne snapped with a cold face, “Sharon, what are you still standing here for? Let’s go.”
Edward interjected, “Hold on, Shari. This is all Garrett’s fault. I believe in you.”
Roxanne wasted no time and dragged Sharon away. “I guess we’re not sticking around for dinner. Think about what I said, Edward. It’s the best option for both families.” Edward’s temper flared as he watched them leave, his beard practically trembling with frustration. He shot a sharp look at Nicholas. “What are you waiting for? Go get her back. If you can’t, then don’t bother showing up for dinner tonight.”
Edward was totally boiling with anger.
Nicholas strode off after them, though whether Sharon stayed or not wasn’t up to him. He watched from a distance as the Vance family’s cars pulled away from the estate.
He agreed with his grandfather to cooperate, but that didn’t mean he was going to go out of his way.
Edward stretched his neck, expecting to see Sharon walk back in, but only Nicholas returned.
His face immediately turned disappointed. “You didn’t bring Sharon back? What are you doing here?”
Instead of refuting, Nicholas answered, “Grandpa, it’s her first time here. Don’t push too hard. We need to take things slow.”
Edward was so mad that he skipped dinner, not wanting to deal with his useless grandson.
At the dinner table, Wendy asked, “Nick, you really agreed to this marriage?”
Nicholas nodded. “Yeah.”
Wendy said, “Really? Well, Maria, bring me all the new dresses from the wardrobe. I’m going to pick out something gorgeous for Sharon. She’s so cute. It’s like she stepped out of a fairytale. The dresses I bought can finally be put to good use.”
Wendy’s eyes sparkled. She hadn’t been too keen on the marriage at first, thinking Sharon wasn’t a good match for her son, but after seeing her today, Wendy changed her mind.
She thought to herself, ‘That sweet and pretty girl is perfect for my son.‘
Watching his mother with her excited energy, Nicholas pictured his fiancée in his mind. He thought, ‘She wasn’t so sweet during the race. Seems like my fiancée is full of
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surprises. A country girl with such great horsemanship? She’s not as simple as she looks.‘
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