Chapter 29: Out of Control
I received a phone call just before getting off work.
The person on the other end was exactly who I'd asked to track Joseph's whereabouts.
"Got news?"
"Yes."
The person on the phone said, "Joseph will arrive in Starwave City tomorrow and will go to the horse ranch tomorrow afternoon."
"Got it."
After hanging up, I knew my chance had come.
In this life, I would move first and secure Joseph's investment before Knox could.
With that in mind, I called Hugo and told him to pay extra attention to the horses at the ranch. This was tomorrow's gift for Joseph—there couldn't be any mistakes.
As for Knox, he'd definitely get wind of this. How could I keep him away?
Before I could come up with a plan, my phone rang. It was actually Knox.
After I answered, Knox got straight to the point: "Helena, I want to entertain a friend tomorrow and would like to borrow your horse."
Hearing this, my eyes went cold. Borrow? If I really lent it to him, I'd never get it back.
"Knox, bad timing. Tomorrow Dad is also taking some business friends to the ranch."
"I see."
Knox on the other end paused for a moment, then said, "Helena, this friend of mine is quite important. He definitely won't be impressed by an ordinary horse. I'm begging you—can you let me have Top Horse for half a day?"
"If not, I'll talk to Mr. Lockwood about it."
I shook my head. "Knox, you're putting me in a difficult position. Your friend is important, but does that mean Dad's business associates can be neglected?"
"No, that's not what I meant."
Knox quickly explained.
"Forget it. Just pick another horse for your friend. I'm not lending mine."
With that, I hung up directly.
But worried that Knox might actually go to Henry, I thought about it and called Henry myself.
Hearing that I wanted him to come with me to the ranch tomorrow to meet a friend, Henry was delighted.
"My Helena has really grown up—you know about networking now. Good, don't worry, I'll definitely be there on time."
After arranging everything, I finally felt at ease.
But unexpectedly, when we arrived at the ranch the next day, something still went wrong.
"What do you mean? You're saying my horse that I board here was taken away?"
Hearing the ranch manager's words, I immediately flew into a rage.
During the argument, the ranch manager Barry rushed over and quickly greeted Henry: "Mr. Lockwood, hello."
Henry waved his hand. "Barry, what's going on here? Why was Helena's horse taken away?"
"Mr. Lockwood, this is all a misunderstanding. Ms. Lockwood's horse was taken by Mr. Pemberton. We thought since you two are engaged, we let him take it. We wanted to call Ms. Lockwood, but Mr. Pemberton stopped us."
Barry said while wiping sweat from his forehead.
Henry looked at me with questioning eyes. "What are you two up to? Knox took your horse without telling you?"
I was instantly furious. Despite all my precautions, I never expected Knox would pull such a sneaky trick!
I immediately called Knox, but the phone rang for a long time with no answer.
My heart grew anxious. Joseph was about to arrive—what would I do without a horse?
I said coldly to Barry, "This is your ranch's negligence, and I need an explanation. Now pick out a strong, quality horse for me. I'll need it soon."
"Yes, yes, Ms. Lockwood, just a moment."
Barry quickly went to make arrangements.
After he left, Henry looked at me puzzled. "Helena, what's really going on?"
I looked up at Henry. "Dad, do you know Everglow Financial Group?"
Henry nodded. "I do. It's Xandora's largest financing group. The company's president, Joseph, is practically a legend."
"He's coming here this afternoon."
Hearing my words, Henry was surprised. "How do you know?"
"Dad, never mind how I know. I originally had everything prepared—I was going to have you give that Top Horse to Joseph. That would've been a successful connection. But now clearly someone had the same idea and stole my opportunity."
My eyes were full of coldness as I spoke.
Damn Knox! After this is over, I'll definitely settle this score with you!
"But I don't want the Pemberton family to take this advantage, so I'm asking Dad to help me put on a show."
Hearing my words, Henry's expression became increasingly serious.
He nodded. "Alright, whatever you want to do, I'll go along with it."
"Good."
I nodded, my eyes full of determination.
This time, no matter what, I couldn't let Knox get ahead. Whatever he wanted, I had to take it first!
I went down and changed into a bright red riding outfit. Soon, Barry brought the horse over. I swiftly mounted it and started circling the ranch.
Joseph loves horses, so he must also love people who ride. I wanted to show off my skills in front of him to get close to him—that was my plan.
"Helena, be careful."
Henry knew how important this was but still reminded me.
I nodded. "Don't worry, Dad. I've been learning horseback riding since I was little. Now it's finally coming in handy."
With that, I cracked the whip, and it took off at full gallop.
I whipped hard, and the horse bolted forward under my whip.
"Helena, be careful!"
Henry's worried voice came from behind. I tried to pull the reins tight but found the horse was out of control.
The horse charged wildly, running incredibly fast. The wind whipped past my face. I gripped the reins tightly, trying to stop it, but it was completely useless.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the crowd on the outside growing larger, and chaotic voices filled my ears.
"Look, is that horse out of control?"
"That girl on top looks so cool—she's beautiful!"
"Where are the ranch trainers? This is too dangerous! Stop the horse!"
Among the chaotic voices was Henry's: "Helena, be careful! Helena!"
"Sir, you can't go over there!"
I saw Henry trying to rush over the fence to help me, but he was held back.
"I'm fine, don't come over!"
I shouted loudly, then leaned sideways, hanging steadily on the side of the horse.
Gasps erupted from the crowd. Amid the gasps, I pulled hard on the reins and flipped back onto the horse.
As I went up and down, the horse's speed noticeably slowed.
Finally, the exhausted horse gradually slowed down. Soon people from the ranch rushed over, gripping the reins tightly and bringing the horse to a stop.
"Helena, are you okay?"
As soon as I got down, Henry rushed over in panic.
He looked me up and down, still shaken: "You nearly scared me to death!"
"Dad, I'm fine."
Through his figure, I saw Joseph and his group.