Under the Heiress' Facade

Hera's back was pressed against Bernard's sculpted torso as they rode through the borderless meadow, the horse under them galloping through the wind that kissed their faces. There was something idyllic and romantic about the scene that made everyone stop and stare.

Nicholas was wide-eyed as he did a double-take. Bernard had cheated! He had said he would participate in the race alongside Hera, but he took her off her horse and pulled her onto his mount instead.

"Wow, that looks fun! I want to try that too!" Samantha's eyes were bright as she dismounted with an easy grace and jogged over to Shaun, only to mount his horse.

Shaun wrapped his arms tightly around her and held the reins. With a firm shout, he steered his horse toward Bernard and Hera, leaving Nicholas behind with three horses.

Nicholas ground his teeth. This was ridiculous. Surely, he deserved more respect than this!

It had been a long time since Hera rode on horseback. She allowed Bernard to guide her for a lap until she adjusted to the sensation and muscle memory kicked in. After that, she took over the reins and sent the horse galloping across the meadow.

When Shaun and Samantha caught up to them, they galloped a few more laps across the meadow before Hera decided to return to Nicholas' side. When she saw Nicholas sullenly leading the horses back to the stables, she leaped off Bernard's mount and asked, "So, who won?"

"You did, Hera! You're officially the commander of this trip!" Samantha said happily.

"No dice! Her horse crossed the finish line without her. That's cheating!" Nicholas snapped.

Bernard remained atop his horse and looked down his nose at Nicholas. "You said the first one to cross the finish line wins, but you didn't state that the horse must have a rider. It's a bad look to be a sore loser, you know."

He then looked at Hera and prompted, "Go ahead, sweetie. You're commander now, so make him back out of the trip."

Hera eyed Bernard witheringly. Could these men be any more childish?

Nicholas' eyes widened as he raised his heckles and barked, "That's considered cheating! I might not be a straight-A student, but even I know horses run faster without a rider. You're exploiting a real tiny loophole!"

"Well done, you know what a loophole is. I didn't think you would!" Samantha gave Nicholas a look of mock amazement. She prodded Shaun and said, "You should've let me ride on your horse too."

Nicholas couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Hera was equally speechless.

"Babe, you know we're not cut out for playing commander. We'll leave that sort of work to someone else," Shaun said, holding Samantha around the waist.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

"You have a point." Samantha gave

him a peck on the cheek, not at all caring that everyone was subjected to their public display of affection Hera, thankfully, had grown immune to it after Shaun picked up her call on Samantha's behalf the last time.

"I refuse to be the commander. If the race was unfair, we'll just have to race again," Hera suggested. All she wanted was to ride. She had no intention of dictating how the rest of their trip should go.

Nicholas' eyes twinkled at the hope of a comeback. He licked his lips and said excitedly, "Fine by me! I'm ready to race!"

As he said this, he shot Bernard a taunting look. The first thing he would do as commander was kick Bernard out of their group.

Bernard knew what Nicholas was thinking. He scoffed. He didn't recall permitting Nicholas to win.

Samantha and Shaun didn't care about being commander, but they participated in the race for the fun of it.

The two men did not care about anything else as they raced for the finish line. It was only when they were halfway there that they noticed the other horses and riders catching up to them.

Bernard fell silent at the results. Nicholas, on the other hand, was incredulous.