Chapter 242 Taming a Fiery Horse

Chapter 242 Taming a Fiery Horse

Olivia felt a bit puzzled. Julian was always hard to meet, so why did he agree so quickly this time?

On the day they met, Olivia wore a sharp suit on purpose, tied her hair in a ponytail, and looked neat and energetic. Her assistant went with her to the equestrian club. The club had a nice setting, with lots of people riding horses.

Julian was already there. He wore riding gear, had a tall build and handsome face, but gave off an arrogant vibe. He sat in the nearby rest area, sipping red wine, looking down at the people around him with contempt.

Olivia walked over and stretched out her hand with a polite smile. "Mr. James, hello. I'm Olivia, the acting president of Vettel Group. Nice to meet you."

Julian didn't even glance at her hand or look her in the eye. His tone was full of contempt. "You're the acting president of Vettel Group? A woman? That wimp Luca is in a coma and lets a woman run things? What a joke."

Hearing him insult Luca made Olivia furious inside. Her face turned cold, but she held back her anger and spoke calmly.

"Mr. James, watch your words. Luca is my husband and the president of Vettel Group. He's just in a temporary coma and will wake up soon. I'm here to talk about cooperation between our groups. I hope you'll take it seriously."

"Cooperation?" Julian sneered, then he looked up, and gave Olivia a contemptuous glance. "You? A woman, good enough to talk business with me? Go home and take care of your comatose husband. Don't waste my time."

The assistant stood nearby, face pale with anger, wanting to speak up. But Olivia stopped her. Then she turned to Julian and said in a firm tone, "Mr. James, I know you look down on women and think I can't handle business with you. But ability isn't about gender. I've handled lots of international contracts before, tougher than your project. I hope you give me a chance, and give Vettel Group a chance. We won't disappoint you."

"A chance?" Julian sneered. He stood up, walked over to Olivia, and looked down at her. "Want a chance? Fine. See that horse over there? It's my wildest one. No one's ever tamed it. If you can tame it, we'll talk business. If not, get out of my sight right now. Don't bother me again or mention cooperation."

Olivia looked where he pointed. In a stable nearby, a black horse was tied up. It was huge, with fierce eyes, neighing nonstop. It looked very wild and scary.

People around turned to look, their eyes full of curiosity and mockery. They all thought she couldn't tame it and would make a fool of herself.

The assistant tugged at Olivia's sleeve and whispered, "Madam, don't agree. That horse is too wild and dangerous. What if you get hurt?"

Olivia knew the horse was dangerous and that Julian was setting her up to fail. But she had no choice—for the company and for Luca, she had to agree. She took a deep breath, looked at Julian, and nodded. "Okay, I accept. But I have a condition too. If I tame it, you'll talk business seriously. No more tricks, and no more insulting Luca."

"No problem," Julian said dismissively. "If you tame it, I'll agree to anything. But I warn you, it's wild. If it throws you and you get hurt, don't blame me."

"I won't blame you." Olivia turned and walked to the stable. Truth was, she had learned riding as a kid and was good at taming wild horses, but she hadn't ridden since leaving home.

She wasn't sure if she still could, but at this point, she had to give it a shot.

Olivia reached the stable door. The horse saw her and neighed even louder, pawing the ground hard with its hooves, eyes fierce like it wanted to tear her apart.

Everyone around held their breath, eyes tense and mocking. Julian sat nearby with arms crossed, waiting for her to fail.

Olivia took a deep breath and walked into the stable slowly. She didn't approach right away. She stood still, looked steadily at the horse, making eye contact to let it get used to her scent.

She knew wild horses were smart. The more you feared them, the more they pushed you around. Only if you were stronger would they submit.

After a while, the horse's neighing quieted down, and its eyes weren't so fierce anymore.

Olivia moved closer slowly, reached out, and gently stroked its forehead. Her touch was soft, and she murmured, "Don't be scared. I won't hurt you. Let's get along, okay?"

The horse didn't fight back. It just nuzzled her hand gently, and its eyes softened a lot.

Everyone around was stunned. They didn't expect her to calm the wild horse. Julian frowned too, his contempt fading into a bit of surprise.

Olivia took the chance to mount the horse. Right as she got on, it reared up its front hooves, neighing, trying to throw her off.

Olivia gripped the reins tight, pressed her body low on its back, and squeezed its sides with her legs. No matter how it bucked, she held on. She pulled the reins harder to steer it.

The horse struggled for a long time, but it began to get tired and its neighing grew softer. Finally, it calmed down and stood still, letting Olivia ride it. Olivia gently stroked its neck and said softly, "Good boy."

People around gasped in amazement and clapped for her. Julian stood up, eyes full of shock, no trace of his earlier contempt. Olivia rode over to him slowly, dismounted, and looked at him calmly. "Mr. James, I made it."

Julian stood stunned for a moment before snapping out of it. He nodded, his tone carrying a hint of respect. "I didn't expect you to really tame it. Looks like I underestimated you. Sorry, I shouldn't have insulted you and Luca. I apologize."

Olivia didn't expect him to apologize on his own. Her anger faded a lot. She nodded. "No problem. As long as you talk business seriously, Mr. James, I can let the past go."

"Good, good." Julian smiled. "Come on, let's go to the rest area. I'll talk business seriously—no tricks."

They went to the rest area and sat down.