Chapter 4

Vince stood a little way off from where I was with the girls. I made my way over.

Behind me, the girls sucked in a sharp breath.

"Does she have a death wish or what?" one of them whispered.

"Doesn't she know Vince is a powder keg? You think she'll walk out of this in one piece?" another pressed.

"Charlotte, didn't you tell her who Vince is?" someone asked.

"She never listens to me. Even if I'd told her, she wouldn't care," Charlotte replied.

When I reached him and got a good look, my hunch checked out.

I lifted my chin and greeted him, "Hey, Vince."

Vince's face shifted in a flash—looked like he might keel over on the spot.

He stammered, "W-Why are you here?"

I put a finger on my lips and gave Vince a playful grin. "Shh, keep it under wraps, yeah?"

Then I smirked, "Oh, and another thing—after all these years, you still can't pick a decent horse. You ought to come train at my ranch sometime."

He nodded so fast, and it was almost funny.

When I walked back to the girls, they were all gawking like I'd strolled out of a lion's den without a scratch.

Charlotte didn't even try to hide her glee.

"Wow, you're really lucky, Tessa. Not a scratch on you."

I shot her a look. "What, you wanted me to come back in bits and pieces?"

She protested, "That's not what I meant..."

I brushed her off. "Who gives a damn what you meant?"

She bit her lip, darting a glance at Vince, and no one could read her thoughts.

Later that night, I walked past the study and caught snippets of their "family meeting."

"Charlotte, how'd it go? What'd he say? Happy?" Andrew asked.

Charlotte replied, "Dad, I was worried it'd go sideways, but she aced it. Won him over in no time.

"So, Dad, does that mean I'm does that mean I'm in the clear? They'll lock down the top spot for me, yeah?

"Dad, we gotta move fast. This afternoon, I saw Tessa getting way too chummy with Vince. The longer we wait, the more chance things go haywire..." Charlotte said anxiously.

"Don't worry, Charlotte. Leave it to me. I'll make sure it all goes to plan," Andrew reassured her.

"But what if Tessa won't play ball?" Charlotte asked.

Andrew let out a cold laugh. "She doesn't get a say in this."

I twirled my phone in my hand, smirking coldly.

I knew this moment would come.

Charlotte had just gotten her hands on a new horse and was making a fuss at a horse show to show it off.

She went out of her way to invite me in front of the whole family, putting on a whole act.

"Tessa, you used to raise horses, right? I bet you'd love seeing this one. I got it through a ton of favors—it wasn't easy. You've got to see it, you will be impressed.

"You'll come, won't you?" Charlotte said, her voice oozing fake sweetness.

Margaret, clearly not giving me a chance to say no, nodded with a relieved look.

"Seeing you two getting along really puts my mind at ease," she said, sounding genuinely pleased.

She turned to me. "Tessa, just go with Charlotte. She'll look out for you. There'll be plenty of society women there, all top riders, so don't say a word that'll embarrass the Goodwins.

"You've probably spent your whole life raising scruffy old nags and never laid eyes on anything this nice. Might broaden your horizons."

As soon as she finished, Margaret shot Charlotte a look, and Charlotte looped her arm through mine.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll take good care of Tessa!" Charlotte chirped sweetly.

But Charlotte's idea of "taking care" was just setting me up for trouble.

I decided to go along. Mostly because I wanted to see the so-called amazing horse they thought I'd never seen before.

After all that hype, when I finally saw it, I just shook my head in disappointment.

"This is it?" I said.

It was just another one of Dad's failed breeding attempts—hell, even the guard dogs back at our ranch wouldn't give it a second glance.

My disdain riled everyone up. They started pointing, faces flushed with outrage—and honestly, it was pretty entertaining to watch.

Charlotte, eyes glistening with tears, jumped in to play defense. "Please, don't blame Tessa. This horse was a gift from the Wyncoll family. Tessa's never had a chance to appreciate a rare horse like this. I should've taught her—this is my fault."

One girl gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. "So that's why Vince didn't blow a fuse when the arena got wrecked the other day. Looks like there's something brewing between him and Charlotte!"

Charlotte's cheeks flushed, but she fixed me with a hard stare.

There was a warning in her eyes, one I couldn't quite decipher.

She leaned in, lowering her voice. "Tessa, don't even think about grabbing what ain't yours."

I raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word.

Charlotte casually grabbed a glass of wine. "Tessa, it's a happy day. This one's for you."

She probably thought she was being sneaky.

Even though I'd caught on to her trick, I took the glass and chugged it down in one go, right under her nose.

"Charlotte, what's up with this wine? My head is spinning," I said, acting a little woozy.

Charlotte steadied me at once. "You're drunk, Tessa. Let me help you lie down."

I smirked to myself. "Thanks."

Charlotte couldn't hide her excitement to save her life.

She was practically bouncing off the walls, and nothing had even gone down yet.

When she helped me to the suite door, she flashed a smug grin. "Tessa, you really think Mom and Dad brought you back for some big family reunion? Please. You're just here to be my marriage shield.

"The one is totally satisfied with you. You should be grateful.

"Honestly, you owe me. Without me, you'd never snare a rich husband like that.

"Once you're hitched to him and I'm with Vince, we'll still be like sisters, alright, Tessa?"

With that, she opened the door and shoved me inside.

"I'll come get you later, "she said, wearing a triumphant smile.

The second the door clicked shut, I dropped the act.

How could they be so confident in this half-baked scheme? I could barely stand pretending to be as dumb as they were.

I strolled into the room, and the second I saw who was on the bed, I knew I was right.

The fat, pig-faced guy on the bed heard me coming and grinned like an idiot. "Hey there, gorgeous! Ever since I watched you riding at the track, I can't get you out of my head.

"Come here, babe. Treat me right tonight, and I'll make you a national champion. I can even get you the best horse from the Wyncoll stables."

He jumped up, all eager and desperate, but the moment he saw my face, he froze solid.