Finally, the spotlight was back on her.


    "Want to give it a try?" Jimmie kept looking over at Juniper. "It''s pretty fun," he encouraged.


    "I''m busy," Juniper replied, shaking her head. She sank into a nearby sofa and, making sure the camera wasn''t on her, pulled out her phone. Dressed like this, the big baby at home must be fuming. If he wasn''t, Shanley would have messaged her by now. *What a jealous jerk.*


    "I doubt Juniper would dare," Ynda cut in, her tone dripping with insinuation. "She used to have nightmares after a horse went after her, you know."


    When they were kids, their grandfather had insisted Juniper join the school''s equestrian summer camp. Everyone knew she was just the adopted charity case, the bastard child, and they all looked down on her. During one of the lessons, they had deliberately locked her in a stable overnight. She was lucky to be alive; with so many horses, she could have easily been trampled.


    "That happened?" Jimmie''s brow furrowed with concern. "Why didn''t you ever tell me?" If he had known, he would have never brought her here. Director Miranda would have understood.


    "Is that so?" Juniper slowly lifted her gaze, her eyes cold as she stared at Ynda.


    "Oh, it''s all in the past now," Ynda said with a mocking smile. She then stepped forward and, in a cloying voice, announced, "It''s okay, I can go first for everyone."


    Just then, Juniper''s phone vibrated. She looked away from Ynda and saw a message from Miranda.


    [Miranda: Sweetie, you''re afraid of horses? I had no idea! I''ll send someone to pick you up right away.]


    [Juniper: It was a long time ago. I''m grown up now. I''m fine.]


    She wasn''t afraid of horses. If anything, the horses were a little afraid of her. Every time she entered a stable, the ones that knew her would shy away.


    [Miranda: Okay, good. Just stay away from the horses, dear.]


    She couldn''t risk anything happening to her. She''d never hear the end of it from her ungrateful son.


    Meanwhile, with the help of a trainer, Ynda mounted her horse. She gripped the reins, straightened her back, and struck the most photogenic pose she could manage while controlling her expression.


    "Giddy-up!" she chirped, gently kicking the horse''s belly. The animal began to walk slowly around the enclosure.


    "Ms. Sherwin has excellent technique,” the trainer praised her generously.


    "Thank you." Ynda nced toward the male guests and saw that all of them, including Jimmie, were watching her. So what if


    Juniper was pretty? So what if she was the actor''s sister? Ynda had stolen the show right back


    Finally, it was time for the guests to pair up and ride. The final pairings were Yates with Jimmie, and Ynda with Juniper.


    "You can just rest on the side," Jimmie said to Juniper, worried she might get scared.


    "It''s fine." Juniper picked up her whip and sauntered into the enclosure, circling the small horse assigned to her. As they made eye contact, the horse suddenly sidestepped away.


    Juniper raised an eyebrow. Had word of her reputation as a “horse abuser” spread throughout the equinemunity?


    "Juniper, don''t you go scaring her,"


    Ynda said, sidling up behind her,


    away from the cameras. Her voice


    was low syrupy taunt. "If t


    animal gets spooked, you could get thrown and break a leg."


    "Oh?" Juniper tapped the whip against her palm, a slight smile ying on her lips.


    "In that case, you''d better watch your own legs."


    Ynda scoffed. Where did she get this confidence?


    After a few seconds of silence, an


    idea formed in Ynda''s mind.


    That''s right. If her horse were to suddenly go wild and crash into Juniper wouldn''t be her faul would it? This time, she was going to teach Juniper a lesson she wouldn''t forget.