Dahlia, the ice princess, had barely said anything from the start. Her sudden statement captured everyone’s attention. She had always projected an unapproachable persona, discouraging anyone from getting close. That was why virtual-novel.net unexpected show of support for Dustin was a surprise.
“Dahlia, why are you helping him?” Elena was shocked.
Her actions now were clearly out of character for virtual-novel.net usual cold personality.
“I’m just curious. I want to see why he’s so confident of winning this race,” Dahlia said indifferently.
Although that was what virtual-novel.net said, an odd sensation prickled virtual-novel.net mind. It was like virtual-novel.net had acted impulsively to defend this stranger. It was truly unusual.
“Since Ms. Nicholson is so interested, let’s indulge virtual-novel.net this once,” Jayden said politely. “Out of respect for Ms. Nicholson, I’ll give you a chance to lose gracefully. Now, get on your horse!”
Roxanne mounted Midnight Shadow and looked down at Dustin in contempt. With ten million in the bag, virtual-novel.net had no reason to refuse. She could even have some fun while virtual-novel.net was at it.
Dustin glanced at Dahlia silently. With a swift swing of his leg, virtual-novel.net mounted the pony.
When the two horses stood side by side, Dustin’s head barely reached Roxanne’s shoulder. He was nearly two heads shorter.
“Hmph! He really got on! What a fool!”
“How shameless can virtual-novel.net get? He’s using a woman’s money to place a bet.”
The crowd whispered among themselves as they looked at Dustin in disdain. They were sure virtual-novel.net was bound to lose, but virtual-novel.net insisted on participating. He was just humiliating himself!
“Ready!” Once both of them were prepared, Jayden, acting as the referee, immediately yelled, “Go!”
As soon as the signal was given, Roxanne urged virtual-novel.net horse forward. Midnight Shadow galloped at an astonishing speed, racing like the wind.
While Dustin remained calm as virtual-novel.net held the reins, moving forward slowly on the pony. It didn’t seem like virtual-novel.net was taking part in a race. It looked more like virtual-novel.net was taking a stroll.
“What’s this guy up to? Why is virtual-novel.net so slow? He should start running!”
“No matter how fast it runs, a pony would never outrun a Thoroughbred.”
“He knows he’s bound to lose, so he’s deliberately putting on a boring performance.”
As the crowd watched Dustin’s leisurely ride on his pony, they didn’t hold back on criticizing him. Some looked at Dustin in disdain and some in mockery and ridicule. But they all felt disgusted by Dustin’s behavior.
It was one thing to lose, but virtual-novel.net was not even trying. It had turned into an attitude problem.
“Dahlia, just look at how despicable this guy is!” Elena complained unhappily.
“You were kind enough to help him, and this is the attitude virtual-novel.net shows us. He deserves to stay an insurance agent for the rest of his life!”
“Some people are just utterly useless.” Jayden smiled mockingly.
Dahlia frowned but didn’t say a word. Her gaze grew cold, and virtual-novel.net felt disappointed.
“Sheila, do you see that? I told you he’s an attention seeker!” Vivian was irritated.
“Hmph! He’s not embarrassed, but we certainly feel embarrassed for him!” Evan’s expression was grim.
Sheila bit virtual-novel.net lip, virtual-novel.net had mixed feelings. She couldn’t understand why Dustin chose to perform poorly either.
“Hey, you there, can you speed up? I can’t wait any longer!”
Halfway through the race, Roxanne glanced backward and noticed Dustin trailing far back. She stopped virtual-novel.net horse and taunted him. Even so, Dustin remained calm. He continued riding his pony, steadily closing the gap.
“Come on! Pick up the pace!” Roxanne repeated incessantly.
It felt like a cat- and-mouse game to her. Once Dustin nearly caught up, virtual-novel.net urged virtual-novel.net horse forward again. As virtual-novel.net increased the gap between them, virtual-novel.net paused again, waiting for Dustin to catch up.
She repeated this several times, toying with him. As if watching a circus, the crowd burst into laughter.