Chapter 162 I Won, First Place!
The starting whistle pierced the sky.
Over a hundred horses charged past the starting line simultaneously.
Hooves pounded the sandy ground, sending dust soaring into the air.
I lowered my body, fitting perfectly against the horse, adjusting my breathing to match Golden's running rhythm.
Golden had incredible explosive power and steady strides. In the blink of an eye, Sophie and Amelia had already raced ahead of me.
Wind roared past my ears, and the track trembled beneath the hooves. I stayed calm, like a sharp blade quietly sheathed.
"Sophie! Go!"
"Amelia! Glory to the Gambino family!"
"The Thornfield family never loses!"
"Bella!"
"Valeri! Valeri!"
"Isabella!"
The shouts, screams, and cheers from the stands were deafening. The cheers for me weren't the loudest, but they couldn't be ignored either.
I maintained a middle position. When I reached the middle of the straightaway, I suddenly squeezed the horse's belly and lightly shook the reins. Golden surged forward, accelerating like an arrow released from a bow, overtaking the horses ahead and breaking into the front ranks!
"So fast!"
"Who's that? They caught up just like that!"
"You're getting excited too early. If the horse doesn't have enough stamina, they'll fall back later."
I chased hard and soon closed in on Sophie in first place and Amelia in second.
Our horses gradually overlapped, then separated. I passed Amelia and drew even with Sophie.
Sophie glanced at me, her pupils contracting sharply. Gripping the reins tightly, she said through clenched teeth, "I won't lose to you!"
The two horses galloped side by side, hoofbeats pounding heavily on our hearts. The atmosphere was tense. I didn't respond to her, keeping my eyes straight ahead, completely focused.
Soon we reached the second half of the track—the narrowest, most dangerous sharp turn.
Sophie suddenly yanked the reins and cut her horse across, the entire animal coming at me like a wall, trying to squeeze me out and enter the turn first.
This was a very risky move.
If I pulled back on the reins unprepared, I could avoid the collision, but I might fall off the horse due to momentum.
Once I fell, the horses behind me could trample me, and I'd either die or end up disabled.
But if I chose to collide with her head-on, having lost the advantage and being half a horse-length behind, I'd have little chance of fighting back successfully.
In just an instant, I figured out my strategy.
I adjusted my horse's direction, pulling slightly away from Sophie to minimize the impact of the collision.
Even so, Golden was suddenly hit and let out a pained whinny.
I was thrown off, my body suspended in air. I heard terrified roars from the stands: "Bella, watch out!"
I didn't fall.
My left hand gripped the reins tightly, my waist and abdomen pressed against the horse's side, my body hanging, one foot hooked in the stirrup, my back nearly touching the hard ground.
I passed through the turn in this dangerous position.
But the crisis wasn't over yet.
I had to get back on the horse as quickly as possible.
Amelia was right behind me. I didn't dare bet that she wouldn't kick me while I was down.
Hoofbeats drew closer.
Amelia accelerated through the turn.
She looked down at me. The sun passed over her head, casting a fleeting shadow.
I saw both ruthlessness and hesitation in her eyes.
In that instant, she rushed past. I breathed a sigh of relief.
Then I adjusted my center of gravity, engaged my core, my arm veins bulging. My palm was surely bruised from the reins, but I didn't dare let go. Using the jolting rhythm of the galloping horse and the momentum, I forcefully swung myself back onto the saddle!
The entire venue was shocked, then erupted in thunderous amazement and applause.
Lucas on the sidelines had a cold expression, the pressure around him frighteningly low. Seeing I was okay, he slowly unclenched his fists.
I had no time to celebrate my escape. In that brief moment, over a dozen horses had passed me.
I quickly pressed with my legs, urging the horse to accelerate, aggressively cutting in from the inside.
I entered the top three again, then passed Amelia and caught up with Sophie.
I gave a cold laugh. I couldn't be the only one to suffer.
The track was wide. I maneuvered Golden close to Snowy, forcing it toward the edge of the track, then gave it a light bump. Snowy's rhythm disrupted and receiving no comfort or commands from its rider, Sophie lost her balance and fell directly onto the grass outside the track, losing her qualification.
I didn't look back.
Wind exploded in my ears. All my opponents were left behind. I raised my head and crossed the finish line.
I won. First place.
The discussion nearly lifted the roof off the stands.
"She actually won!"
"Who knew she was this good at riding too—so strong!"
"Strong in medicine, even stronger in riding, and she's beautiful. Lucas really lucked out!"
"Say less—the Valeri family is already furious."
Amelia came in second.
Her horse trotted to a stop beside me. She said huffily, "You got lucky!"
"I thought you were going to take advantage and attack me back there," I said bluntly.
Amelia nodded frankly in admission. "I did think about it. But it's not like I haven't schemed against you before—which time didn't you win and I end up worse off?"
She cursed dismissively, "I thought Sophie was so great, but she still couldn't finish you off."
I looked back. Sophie had already gotten up, covered in grass, looking very disheveled.
"Since you didn't harm me just now, I'll give you some information," I said to Amelia with a smile.
"What?" Amelia stared at me warily.
"Byron isn't related to you by blood. He's not your mother's biological son."
Amelia seemed not to process this.
I patted her shoulder and said mockingly in a low voice, "All these years, your money and good things have been wasted on someone who's not even family."
I'd been thinking about Byron's situation for a long time without finding the right moment to expose the truth. Seeing this information gradually losing its value, I might as well let Amelia go home and raise hell.
"Bella." Lucas came over.
He stretched out both hands and steadily lifted me down from the horse.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
His palms were covered in cold sweat, his chest rising and falling slightly, his voice hoarse and tight. "You scared me to death."
"I'm fine." I looked up at him from his embrace, my lips brushing his chin. My cheeks flushed slightly, somewhat excited. "I'm first place!"
"I saw. Everyone doubted you, but you were the one who came through!" Lucas kissed my cheek and forehead hard. People around us laughed and cheered.
"Lucas." Sophie was being helped over. Her knee was scraped and bleeding, her wound oozing, her hair messy, none of her usual brightness and cheerfulness remaining.
I knew she was coming to gain sympathy.
But would Lucas soften for her?
"Lucas, my leg hurts. Isabella made me fall off on purpose!"
"So what?" Lucas looked displeased and asked coldly, "Weren't you doing it on purpose too? If Bella wasn't strong enough, she would've been trampled by the horses behind her!"
Sophie's face went pale, her lips trembling, tears welling in her eyes.
"Lucas, my hand hurts." I opened my left palm. The crisscrossing marks from the reins were shocking, and the deepest one was not only swollen but bleeding.
Lucas immediately held my hand with concern, not giving Sophie another glance.
Sophie's heart broke.