Chapter 15 Birds of a Feather
Gasps erupted around them, quickly suppressed into muffled laughter.
Emily's face flushed crimson, her nails digging deep into her palms.
She looked up at Sophia, a flash of venom in her eyes that quickly transformed into a pitiful, tearful expression, "Sophia, did you deliberately make the horse throw me?"
Sophia didn't answer. She simply walked over and gently stroked Seraphina's mane. The horse immediately lowered her head docilely.
The contrast was too obvious. Emily's face turned pale.
Emily suddenly stood up, her voice carrying a sob, "You're all bullying me because I'm new here!"
She turned to the watching students, "See? This is how Sophia behaves! Not only did she steal my life for over a decade, but now she's using her riding skills to deliberately humiliate me!"
"I warned you. You said you wanted to try," Sophia replied calmly.
The entire senior class knew that Seraphina was Michael's horse, raised since she was a foal, and would only respond to Michael and Sophia.
After Sophia graduated, Seraphina would be taken back to the Green Group's stables.
But even so, several girls from other classes showed sympathetic expressions.
Luna Bailey from Class 2 stepped forward directly, "Sophia! You've gone too far! Emily's new here; you obviously didn't explain things properly to her!"
Sophia couldn't be bothered to respond. She mounted her horse, pressed her legs against Seraphina's sides, and the mare walked slowly toward the open area.
Sean rolled his eyes and said, "Luna, you were begging Sophia to help introduce projects for your family's company last year, and now you're playing the justice warrior?"
Luna's face stiffened. Just as she was about to retort, Emily suddenly wiped her tears and forced a smile, "Forget it, it's my fault. I shouldn't have touched Sophia's things."
Amelia rolled her eyes at this performance, mounted Celestial, and followed Sophia, muttering, "Idiots."
Sophia stopped the friends who wanted to argue on her behalf, "The assessment's about to start. Everyone focus."
The assessment proceeded class by class.
Class 1 had Sophia, their best rider, go first to set an example.
Six obstacles total. Under Sophia's control, Seraphina cut through the air like lightning, completing the course in a record-breaking 45 seconds.
Emily, riding for the first time, gripped the reins desperately. No matter how she commanded, the horse refused to budge. Her score was zero.
Next came the golf assessment. Students like Sophia, Amelia, and Wayne, who treated golf as daily recreation, passed with flying colors.
Emily... well, she flung her club so hard during her swing that it went flying.
Class 1 finished earlier than the others. Without lingering on the field, they changed clothes and returned to their classroom.
Back in the classroom, Emily shed her fragile demeanor from the stables, approaching Sophia's desk with a cold smile playing at her lips.
She suddenly raised her hand and swept Sophia's water bottle to the floor.
The elegant thermal bottle hit the ground with a dull thud, immediately denting.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Emily said with feigned surprise, malice gleaming in her eyes. "That bottle looks expensive."
Sophia looked at the bottle on the floor—Michael's gift, with automatic temperature control because he worried about her drinking cold water during her period or in winter.
She slowly raised her eyes, her gaze bone-chillingly cold, "Five thousand dollars. Cash or transfer?"
Emily laughed mockingly, "Five thousand for a broken bottle? Who are you trying to scam?"
She deliberately raised her voice, "Have you gone crazy from being poor? Still pretending to be some high-society princess?"
Luna immediately chimed in, "Exactly! Emily is the real Smith family heiress. You're just a fake—why are you putting on airs?"
Sophia ignored them, bending down to pick up the bottle, her fingertips gently tracing the dented surface.
The classroom fell dead silent, everyone sensing an invisible oppressive force.
"Luna," Sophia suddenly spoke, her voice soft, "That project you begged me to introduce for your father last month, I believe the contract hasn't been signed yet."
Luna was momentarily intimidated by her gaze, but quickly steadied herself, "You're just a fraud. Now that the Smith family has kicked you out, what are you still pretending to be a princess for?"
Without another word, Sophia pulled out her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and sent two messages to the project manager.
Amelia glanced at Lucy Reed, who stood behind Emily with her head down, saying nothing, and frowned in confusion, "Lucy, what are you doing standing there?"
Lucy pressed her lips tightly together. She naturally didn't like Emily's high-and-mighty attitude either. Who would want to be ordered around like a slave?
But she was different from Amelia.
Amelia was the most unique presence in their class. Though a girl, she was an only child with loving parents and a harmonious family, all determined to have Amelia inherit the family business someday.
Of course, Amelia had the confidence and qualifications to be Sophia's equal partner.
But Lucy's family was in decline and favored sons over daughters. She couldn't become Sophia's close friend, and Sophia didn't take on followers.
Given her relationship with Sophia, it would be difficult to gain any benefits. She had to learn to pick sides.
Lucy stiffened her neck, "Smart birds choose good trees to nest in. Don't blame me, Sophia."
The implication was that she was choosing to be Emily's follower.
Sophia smiled without comment. She'd never been one to interfere with others' decisions.
Emily huffed with satisfaction, "Sophia, see that? They'd rather obey my every command than say one word in your defense. That's what real status looks like! You're just a powerless nobody. What's there to be smug about?"
As soon as she finished speaking, an angry voice erupted from the doorway, "You're full of it!"