"I reminded Young Master Dylan, but he insisted. What else could I say?"
Toddy was envious of Dylan. At that moment, he realized Dylan's willingness as he stood there watching him.
Kendall brought happiness to Dylan and he was completely engrossed in her love. As a result, even if she wanted to plot against him, he was willing to put up with the consequences.
According to Toddy, Kendall was now completely committed to Dylan.
Clifford burst out laughing when he heard Toddy's words. Since Dylan was willingly into it, his friends should stop interfering and persuade him otherwise.
"Clifford, come on. Let's race. We haven't been here in a long time since Dylan's accident."
Without Dylan, it was hard for them to have fun as they could not stop being reminded about his predicament.
"Okay. Let's do it! But we must first place a wager on the loser and the winner, right?" said Clifford with a smile.
He then turned his gaze toward Emma. After working years at Coleman Empire Holdings, he was well aware of her feelings for Toddy.
"Go ahead." Toddy compromised willingly, "Win or lose, I'll do anything."
"If I lose, I'll buy you a meal and do anything for you as long as it's not illegal. If you lose, you have to kiss Miss Finley," Clifford said with a chuckle.
Toddy's face darkened when he heard this. "Do you want a piece of me, Clifford?" he inquired glumly.
"Why? Are you scared of losing?" Clifford burst out laughing.
"Nonsense! How can I lose when I've known Dylan longer than you have and learned to ride before you did?" Toddy exuded confidence.
"Then, why are you afraid of the wager if you're so sure to win?"
"This is our business, so don't involve Miss Finley," Toddy warned, his face darkening.
"Are you protecting her? Or do you fear that kissing her will make her cling to you? By the way, Miss Finley has been waiting for you for so many years and she can only wait so long. You should also address the problem between you guys. Look at your boss; he now has a lover. Are you going to stay single forever?" Clifford was referring to their boss, Dylan.
"I never told her to wait for me." Toddy became enraged.
Clifford lightly whipped his horse's hip, causing it to bolt.
The horse finally came to a halt in front of the big tree after running around the track.
"Hi." He then approached the lovely ladies beneath the tree and greeted them.
When all the ladies turned to look at him, he smiled and said, "I'm going to race with Toddy, ladies. If I lose, I will buy him a meal and then assist him in doing anything that is not illegal. On the other hand, if he loses, he will have to kiss Miss Finley. What are your thoughts, ladies?"
After hearing his words, all the lovely ladies fell silent.
Kendall turned to look at Emma; she had heard a thing or two regarding the relationship between her and Toddy from Dylan. It's clear that this man wanted to fuel the fire.
Alice and Jane could not help but stare at Emma as well.
The lady protagonist, on the other hand, remained calm and did not blush as a result of Clifford's words. She was Dylan's secretary, so she was able to maintain her cool in the face of adversity.
"Clifford Knight!" Toddy rode his horse over and roared at Clifford as he approached, piercing everyone's eardrums. Everyone had the impression that Toddy was irritated.
"Is there something going on with Mr. Heller and Miss Finley?" Amelia whispered after nudging Kendall.
"I'm not sure about that," Kendall replied quietly, "but it doesn't stop us from watching the drama."
At this point, Toddy was clearly outraged in front of his group of friends.
Not only did Dylan nudge him toward Emma, now Clifford, an important business partner, had also arrived to add fuel to the fire.
"Clifford, you can race if you want, but don't involve her." Toddy refused to even look at Emma.
The others rode over and listened intently, quickly determining what was going on.
"Scared to lose, Toddy?"
The others immediately booed.
To that, Toddy shot a fiery glare at Clifford.
"Don't you think Clifford's request is unreasonable? Miss Finley is a pure and innocent young lady. She hasn't found a boyfriend yet. If I… leave an impact on her chances of finding a boyfriend in the future and not being able to marry, who is going to be held accountable?"
"I don't need any of you to be responsible for that," Emma responded calmly.
Her single sentence silenced the roar of the crowd.
"Mr. Heller hasn't ridden in a long time and his skills are rusty. I don't think you should put him on the spot, Mr. Knight," she told Clifford as her eyes shone with gratitude, accompanied by a smile.
This was clearly a tactic with words of instigation.
With no choice, Toddy could only return Emma a solemn look before he apologized, "I'm sorry to have gotten you involved in this mess, Miss Finley."
"It's fine. You've always been very resistant to anything related to me, so I'm already numb to that." She maintained her cheerful demeanor.
Toddy's heart was wrenched by this sentence. Did I cause her too much pain in the past?
"I've come to accompany you today, Miss Kendall. Do you wanna have a ride too? Let's change into our clothes," Emma invited as she turned to face Kendal.
"Sure!" Kendall smiled as she rose to her feet.
She then dragged Alice, who dragged Jane along.
On the other hand, Amelia, who did not know how to ride a horse nor was brave enough to try, naturally did not follow the ladies to have a change of wardrobe. She sat on the stone bench under the tree while her beautiful big eyes spun around the bodies of these beautiful men in front of her.
Although all of these men were attractive, they each had their own distinct personality.
Some seemed suave while others were as gentle as jade; some of them looked as noble and indifferent as Dylan.
He was outstanding, so naturally, his friends and brothers were exceptional as well.
"I'll beat you up if you lose, Clifford!" Toddy's desire to compete with Clifford was fueled by Emma's abrupt departure.
Soon after, the two were spotted galloping around the racetrack.
"Miss Finley."
Kendall took advantage of the opportunity to ask Emma a question while they were changing. "Do you really love Toddy?
"What can I do, even though I adore him so much? I've been in love with him for so long, and after all these years of waiting, he's cold-hearted and refuses to give me a chance," Emma answered with a bitter smile.
"He used to like the breakfast I made, but ever since I confessed to him, he never touched the breakfast I prepared with my own hands. Once, he has even thrown it out on the ground."
"Toddy is so cruel," Kendall exclaimed upon hearing Emma's words.
Fortunately, Emma had great endurance; had it been another woman in her shoes, she would have given up long ago.
"Miss Finley, give up on him. Toddy is a little too much for you. You're so great yourself that you can easily find a better man than him if you want to. Do you want me to introduce you to some?" asked Alice. Afterall, every man she knew had to be a good catch.
Jane, who had the most powerful temperament, stated, "I was watching the men bickering earlier, Miss Finley, and I think Toddy isn't completely uninterested in you. He's simply being arrogant."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Love Knows No Bounds novel (Kendall and Dylan)
Beautiful story....