Chapter 154 You Finally Stopped Acting
The silver fork pinched between my fingertips pressed against the edge of the plate, its polished surface reflecting my cold expression.
"You're not happy?" Lucas frowned at me. "Why?"
"You don't know why?" I shot back. He was usually so smart—had he suddenly gone blind today?
Or maybe he didn't think there was anything wrong with what Sophie did at all!
My heart felt bitter, but I couldn't say it.
If I said it, I'd be admitting I still had feelings for Lucas.
I could only stare at the wild grass by my feet and stay silent.
"Bella?" Lucas reached out to touch my wrist, but I pulled my hand away.
"Don't touch me," I said.
Lucas froze. After a moment, he picked up the fruit plate from the table, selected a bright red strawberry, and held it out to me. "I remember you like strawberries. Try it—Sophie brought these. She said they're very sweet."
I had already raised my hand to take the strawberry, but hearing this, I angrily put it back down. "I don't want it!"
"Then do you want some juice?" Lucas clumsily tried to please me, his tone anxious with a hint of irritation. "Why are you unhappy? Since when do you need people to guess what you're thinking? If you don't want to be here, we can leave right now!"
"So you're finally done pretending, huh?" I laughed coldly. "Holding back your temper every day, pretending to be gentle, being so humble around me—I've been wondering how long you could keep it up. Everyone told me you'd never change, and you really haven't let them down!"
As I spoke these sharp words, the coldness in Lucas's expression grew heavier, a hint of murderous intent flickering beneath the surface.
I stared at his clenched fists, my whole body tense.
"You don't like it?" Lucas lifted one corner of his mouth in a somewhat wicked smile. "You don't like me treating you that way?"
Tears welled up in my eyes. I fought hard against the urge to cry and turned my head away.
Lucas's Adam's apple bobbed, and he said nothing more.
Until Jonas appeared, breaking the silent tension.
"Bella, Lucas, I've been looking everywhere for you two." Jonas had changed from his bulky winter clothes into a light-colored shirt and coat, his steps light like a dancing butterfly.
He looked at the empty table and the few remaining skewers on the grill with a puzzled expression. As if oblivious to the awkward atmosphere between Lucas and me, he said with a smile, "The weather's so nice—what are you doing hiding out here?"
"What do you want?" Lucas's tone was unfriendly.
"Why are you so worked up?" Jonas retorted, then asked me, "Bella, want to go horseback riding?"
"Sure." I nodded without hesitation, got up, and walked toward Jonas without even glancing at Lucas.
Jonas raised an eyebrow and chatted with me enthusiastically. After a few steps, we heard the sound of a table and chairs being kicked over behind us, along with Sophie's faint cry of surprise.
I paused briefly but didn't turn around, though I could imagine Lucas's angry expression.
Jonas looked back, then lowered his voice to ask me, "Did you and Lucas have a fight?"
"You seem pretty happy about it?" I studied his expression—there was indeed some joy there.
"Of course. If things aren't good between you two, I have a chance, don't I?" Jonas took a quick step forward, then turned to face me, walking backward. "Bella, my family's here for the hunting competition too. When do you have time? They've been wanting to meet you."
"Meet me?" I played dumb. "Is it about business?"
Jonas smiled bitterly but didn't call me out on it. Instead, he considerately changed the subject. "Can you ride?"
"Yes." My mood finally brightened a little. "And I'm pretty good at it."
"Really? Well, I'll have to see for myself!"
By the stable fence, several fine horses were leisurely swishing their tails, their manes gleaming softly in the sunlight.
I chose a brown and white horse, skillfully adjusted the saddle, and swung myself up smoothly.
Gripping the reins, feeling the warm touch of the horse beneath me, I gazed at the distant sky and squeezed the horse's sides with my feet. "Go!"
The gentle-natured horse broke into a run. Jonas also mounted a horse and rode alongside me.
We hadn't gone far when we heard light hoofbeats behind us. It was Jacqueline, riding a white pony. She waved at me. "Bella! Didn't Marcus come?"
I shook my head. Jacqueline looked disappointed but quickly cheered up, chattering away with complaints. "I didn't even want to come to this hunting competition. The mafia families in Dawnharbor are all so arrogant—they think gangs from other places are country bumpkins! If they look down on my family, why did they even send us an invitation?"
Jonas laughed. "Because the more families that come, the more powerful they look."
I shook my head with a smile too. "Did someone give you a hard time again?"
"Just said some nasty things. Who told them I'm the only heir in my family? They seem to look down on female heirs, thinking I'll destroy the family!" Jacqueline sighed. "If I didn't come, my parents would have to, and then they'd be the ones getting insulted. Plus, you guys aren't in Starstream City anymore, and I was really bored, so I just came."
We talked about interesting things happening in Dawnharbor, and the heaviness in my heart gradually lifted. Jacqueline suggested we race around the track. Jonas, who loved to have fun, immediately agreed.
They looked at me. I shook my head. "I'll be the judge for you two."
Jonas hesitated—he wanted to stay with me, but what fun would it be for Jacqueline to ride alone?
"Bella, I'll be back soon," Jonas said.
Jacqueline took this as a challenge. "No matter how fast you are, you won't be faster than me."
The two spurred their horses forward at full gallop, quickly leaving me far behind.
The trees along the tree-lined path were lush with foliage, sunlight filtering through the gaps in the branches, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
I was enjoying this moment of peace when I caught sight of something flying rapidly through the air.
It was a bright yellow target disc.
The disc flew toward me at high speed, and a strong sense of danger instantly overwhelmed me.
I let go of the reins and rolled off the horse toward the ground.
A sharp gunshot suddenly rang out. The bullet grazed the disc and hit a tree branch, landing exactly three feet in front of me.
The horse beneath me, startled, reared up on its front legs with a sharp whinny.
After hitting the ground, I rolled forward several times before stopping. Ignoring the pain in my palms and elbows, I immediately looked up at the frightened horse.
The horse bolted away like it had gone mad. Fortunately, when I jumped off, I had deliberately chosen the horse's rear side, avoiding the danger of being trampled by its hooves.
I pushed myself up from the grass and slowly sat up. Behind me came the sound of urgent hoofbeats.
Jonas and Jacqueline rushed back, jumped off their horses, and helped me up from both sides, asking anxiously, "Bella, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Jacqueline looked around angrily. "Who's the idiot? Couldn't they see there was someone here!"
I brushed the grass off my clothes, moved my limbs, and reassured them, "I'm fine."
But Jonas's expression didn't relax. His tone was serious as he said, "This might not have been an accident. Someone did it on purpose."